Former OpenAI Head of Go-To-Market Zack Kass believes that while it's still early days for artificial intelligence investments, AI is going to make a lot of winners. Kass has become one of the most sought-after voices on how businesses can harness this powerful technology. He speaks with Haslinda Amin from the sidelines of 'Citi Macro Conference in Hong Kong'. (Source: Bloomberg)
Former OpenAI Head of Go-To-Market Zack Kass believes that while it's still early days for artificial intelligence investments, AI is going to make a lot of winners. Kass has become one of the most sought-after voices on how businesses can harness this powerful technology. He speaks with Haslinda Amin from the sidelines of 'Citi Macro Conference in Hong Kong'. (Source: Bloomberg)
Firn/iStock via Getty Images Overview As you become a more advanced investor, you may start to incorporate different investment strategies within your portfolio. For instance, it isn't unusual for investors to include some short positions as a hedge against market pullbacks. Investors can also hold preferred securities as a way to provide some stability during market uncertainty. However, the Cala...
Firn/iStock via Getty Images Overview As you become a more advanced investor, you may start to incorporate different investment strategies within your portfolio. For instance, it isn't unusual for investors to include some short positions as a hedge against market pullbacks. Investors can also hold preferred securities as a way to provide some stability during market uncertainty. However, the Calamos Long/Short Equity & Dynamic Income Trust ( CPZ ) eliminates the need for investors to manually complete these complex strategies on their own. The fund aims to provide attractive total returns while utilizing a long/short pairing alongside a fixed-income portion. The different strategies work together to provide a well-balanced portfolio that can cater towards risk -averse investors. Looking at the performance over the last twelve months, we can see that CPZ's share price has declined by about 13.3%. Even when including all distributions that were paid out to shareholders, the total return still sits at a loss of nearly 3.4% over the same time frame. CPZ now offers investors a starting dividend yield of 12.5%, while issuing those payouts on a monthly basis. However, I believe that the payouts are a bit too generous at this time and this has caused the coverage rate to be quite inconsistent over the last few years. Data by YCharts Although the high yield may be appealing for income investors, there are some tradeoffs to its strategy. For instance, the fund has frequently faced the scenario where it paid out more than it actually earned, which contributed to NAV erosion during certain periods. Furthermore, the historical data indicates that the fund's short strategy hasn't protected investors from losses and it may be negatively impacting CPZ's ability to participate in strong market rallies. So let's start by reviewing the fund's strategy that it uses to generate earnings for shareholders. Inefficient Fund Strategy According to the latest fund overview , CPZ has managed ...
krblokhin/iStock Editorial via Getty Images The bear market in 2026 is one that I'd characterize as dominated by indiscriminate selling. Investors have sold off all stocks on fear of escalating Middle East tensions, rising oil prices, a shaky macroeconomy, and possible AI disruption. Stocks that were already bargains to begin with have gotten even cheaper. While we might have to be patient in orde...
krblokhin/iStock Editorial via Getty Images The bear market in 2026 is one that I'd characterize as dominated by indiscriminate selling. Investors have sold off all stocks on fear of escalating Middle East tensions, rising oil prices, a shaky macroeconomy, and possible AI disruption. Stocks that were already bargains to begin with have gotten even cheaper. While we might have to be patient in order to bank on a turnaround, it's a great time for us to deploy spare capital into small- and mid-cap value names that offer tremendous rebound potential, and Urban Outfitters ( URBN ) is a great choice in this regard. The eclectic retailer, the parent company of Anthropologie and Free People, has seen its share price slide ~20% this year despite very strong sales performance that is bucking a poorer macroeconomy. Data by YCharts I last wrote a buy article on Urban Outfitters in December, when the stock was trading just shy of $80 per share. Since then, the stock's value appeal has only increased as its share price has fallen. At the same time, the company continues to post strong comparable sales results that showcase healthy brand growth in a difficult consumer environment. I remain at a buy rating here. For investors who are newer to Urban Outfitters, here are what I consider to be the core elements of the bull thesis for the company: Strong portfolio of brands all showcasing strong comparable sales growth. Many large apparel brands, especially those oriented toward younger consumers (such as Abercrombie & Fitch ( ANF ), Gap ( GAP ), and American Eagle Outfitters ( AEO )), have had trouble sustaining positive comparable sales growth over the past year owing to the tough macroeconomy. Meanwhile, Urban Outfitters' brands are all showcasing at least mid-single-digit comps growth, with the eponymous Urban Outfitters brand especially showcasing double-digit growth. Adept tariff management. Now, we acknowledge that as an apparel brand, Urban Outfitters' gross margin profile in t...
Getty Images Market Review The fourth quarter of 2025 saw continued dispersion across Emerging Markets, resulting in a modestly positive index outcome. The MSCI Emerging Markets Index rose 4.73% during the quarter, capping a strong year in which Emerging Market equities outperformed Developed Markets for the first time in the last 5 years. Performance dispersion remained elevated amid ongoing macr...
Getty Images Market Review The fourth quarter of 2025 saw continued dispersion across Emerging Markets, resulting in a modestly positive index outcome. The MSCI Emerging Markets Index rose 4.73% during the quarter, capping a strong year in which Emerging Market equities outperformed Developed Markets for the first time in the last 5 years. Performance dispersion remained elevated amid ongoing macro and policy crosscurrents, including trade-related uncertainty and uneven domestic demand. Within Asia, AI-related supply chains continued to support select markets, while China lagged amid persistent property-sector challenges and cautious sentiment. Commodity-linked markets benefited from sustained momentum in metals, supporting parts of Latin America and Africa. Performance Review In Q4 2025, the Goldman Sachs Emerging Markets Equity Insights Fund ( GERAX ) returned 3.78%, underperforming the MSCI Emerging Markets Index by 95bps (net, I-share). Themes & Trends was the largest contributor to excess returns, marking a third consecutive quarter of additive performance. Contributions were driven by our suite of signals gauging cross-stock momentum and relationships, with continued strength in commodity-related themes and ongoing support from the East Asian AI supply chain. Sentiment Analysis was slightly negative for the quarter. Contributions were concentrated in Taiwan and Korea, reflecting improving analyst and investor sentiment around AI-related industries. These gains were offset by weakness in select South African Consumer Discretionary exposures, where sentiment softened amid weaker demand indicators. Fundamental Mispricings was broadly flat to marginally negative in the fourth quarter of 2025. Weakness in select Taiwanese Information Technology exposures, particularly those tied to the consumer electronics cycle, detracted from returns. These effects were partially offset by stabilization across other mispricing-driven positions, particularly in Metals & Mining nam...