Comparing Vanguard Mega Cap Growth ETF (NYSEMKT:MGK) and iShares Core S&P 500 ETF (NYSEMKT:IVV) involves choosing between high-conviction growth concentration and broad market exposure. Investors often evaluate these funds to determine if a heavy tilt toward mega-cap growth could outperform the total market. While the Vanguard fund focuses on the largest expansion-oriented companies, the iShares f...
Comparing Vanguard Mega Cap Growth ETF (NYSEMKT:MGK) and iShares Core S&P 500 ETF (NYSEMKT:IVV) involves choosing between high-conviction growth concentration and broad market exposure. Investors often evaluate these funds to determine if a heavy tilt toward mega-cap growth could outperform the total market. While the Vanguard fund focuses on the largest expansion-oriented companies, the iShares fund tracks the broader S&P 500 , offering a more balanced approach across all primary sectors of the U.S. economy. Beta measures price volatility relative to the S&P 500; beta is calculated from five-year monthly returns. The 1-yr return represents total return over the trailing 12 months. Dividend yield is the trailing-12-month distribution yield. Continue reading
iShares Semiconductor ETF (NASDAQ:SOXX) offers concentrated, low-cost access to the chip sector, while Roundhill Investments - Generative AI & Technology ETF (NYSEMKT:CHAT) provides actively managed, diversified exposure to artificial intelligence. Investors looking to capitalize on the artificial intelligence boom often choose between pure-play hardware exposure and broader software-and-service t...
iShares Semiconductor ETF (NASDAQ:SOXX) offers concentrated, low-cost access to the chip sector, while Roundhill Investments - Generative AI & Technology ETF (NYSEMKT:CHAT) provides actively managed, diversified exposure to artificial intelligence. Investors looking to capitalize on the artificial intelligence boom often choose between pure-play hardware exposure and broader software-and-service themes. These two funds offer distinct paths: one focusing strictly on the components powering the movement and the other targeting the broader generative AI ecosystem. Beta measures price volatility relative to the S&P 500; beta is calculated from five-year monthly returns. The 1-yr return represents total return over the trailing 12 months. Dividend yield is the trailing-12-month distribution yield. Continue reading
Emirates’ foreign ministry rejects claims that Netanyahu visited the country describing them as ‘baseless’ Benjamin Netanyahu has claimed he made a secret trip to the United Arab Emirates at the height of the Iran war to meet the president, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. “This visit has led to a historic breakthrough in relations between Israel and the UAE,” the Israeli prime minister’s offic...
Emirates’ foreign ministry rejects claims that Netanyahu visited the country describing them as ‘baseless’ Benjamin Netanyahu has claimed he made a secret trip to the United Arab Emirates at the height of the Iran war to meet the president, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. “This visit has led to a historic breakthrough in relations between Israel and the UAE,” the Israeli prime minister’s office said on Wednesday night. Continue reading...
After an unsettling drop Tuesday, Intel and other semiconductor companies were rising only modestly on Wednesday. A hot wholesale inflation reading looked to be the latest thing taking the momentum out of the chip-stock rally. Intel shares were up 1.1% Wednesday afternoon, while Advanced Micro Devices rose just 0.6%.
After an unsettling drop Tuesday, Intel and other semiconductor companies were rising only modestly on Wednesday. A hot wholesale inflation reading looked to be the latest thing taking the momentum out of the chip-stock rally. Intel shares were up 1.1% Wednesday afternoon, while Advanced Micro Devices rose just 0.6%.
Kevin Warsh, nominee for US Federal Reserve Chair, testifies during a Senate Banking Committee hearing on his nomination on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on April 21, 2026. Mandel Ngan | Afp | Getty Images Kevin Warsh was confirmed Wednesday as the next Federal Reserve chair, taking over the central bank at a time when President Donald Trump is pushing for lower interest rates even as fresh infl...
Kevin Warsh, nominee for US Federal Reserve Chair, testifies during a Senate Banking Committee hearing on his nomination on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on April 21, 2026. Mandel Ngan | Afp | Getty Images Kevin Warsh was confirmed Wednesday as the next Federal Reserve chair, taking over the central bank at a time when President Donald Trump is pushing for lower interest rates even as fresh inflation data complicates the case for cuts. In the most divisive vote ever for a Fed chair, Warsh, 56, won confirmation to take over for Jerome Powell, who has served in the top leadership position since 2018 and whose term will expire Friday. The Senate voted 54-45 to confirm Warsh, ending a monthslong saga that began in the summer of 2025 and included an extensive search for Powell's successor. The vote was almost completely along party lines, with only Pennsylvania Democrat Sen. John Fetterman crossing over to vote for Warsh. Trump has made no secret that he expects Warsh to lower rates after having lashed out repeatedly at Powell for monetary policy the president has felt was too restrictive. Warsh was part of a derby that included nearly a dozen candidates at one point, including current Governors Christopher Waller and Michelle Bowman. The confirmation comes, however, following separate reports this week showing inflation well above the Fed's 2% target and pipeline pressures accelerating at their highest levels in more than three years. Markets have been scaling back expectations for rate cuts are even pricing in a chance of an increase later this year. This will be Warsh's second stint at the Fed. During his first run, he served from 2006-11, a time during which Fed officials initially dismissed dangers from the subprime mortgage meltdown that led to the global financial crisis, then implemented a historic set of policies aimed at rescuing the economy. Part of those rescue endeavors included an unprecedented expansion of asset purchases that sent the Fed's balance shee...
J Studios/DigitalVision via Getty Images Strategic Baseline Even though my investment horizon is long and the strategy is aimed at compounding durable income streams without NAV decay, it doesn't mean that I'm totally blind to seeing compelling short-term profit opportunities. These short-term opportunities don't change my overall capital allocation process (e.g., hitting certain portfolio weights...
J Studios/DigitalVision via Getty Images Strategic Baseline Even though my investment horizon is long and the strategy is aimed at compounding durable income streams without NAV decay, it doesn't mean that I'm totally blind to seeing compelling short-term profit opportunities. These short-term opportunities don't change my overall capital allocation process (e.g., hitting certain portfolio weights in certain asset classes), but they do drive incremental contributions. For example, if I see that there is a disconnect between fundamentals and valuations in a particular sector, I tend to calibrate my marginal portfolio contributions accordingly. It could also involve redirecting dividend reinvestments from the existing portfolio securities. In this context, the risk could be what John Maynard Keynes encapsulated in the following sentence: Markets can remain irrational longer than you can remain solvent To avoid this risk and/or appreciate that none of us can perfectly time the market, I tend to: Embark on a dollar-cost averaging method. Limit total exposure of a certain asset class to a strict ceiling (e.g., target weight 15%, tactical trade/opportunistic weight 20%). The Opportunity I see In my view, the BDC land ( BIZD ) presents a very compelling opportunity. As with all cyclical assets, the moves tend to be violent, both to the upside and downside. Oftentimes there is a combination of fundamental dynamics and emotions that drive the pricing. And, usually, the lines between these two aspects are blurred, making it difficult to separate noise from the signal (i.e., emotions from fundamental drivers). I think that, currently, the emotions and irrational fears are in the driver's seat. Sure, there is a slight flavor of deteriorating fundamentals, but to call it a justified sell-off would be like calling a stubbed toe a leg amputation. Recently, I published a piece titled BDC NAVs Are Down; Don't Panic Sell. As I outlined in the article, I thought that Q1 2026 BDC NAV d...
Shares of Eos Energy Enterprises (NASDAQ: EOSE) are firing up today, surging 23% in early Wednesday morning trading and settling in around 10% higher as of noon. You probably haven't heard about Eos Energy. It's a battery energy storage systems (BESS) company known for its zinc-based battery technology. It just delivered explosive revenue growth and announced a partnership that changes the narrati...
Shares of Eos Energy Enterprises (NASDAQ: EOSE) are firing up today, surging 23% in early Wednesday morning trading and settling in around 10% higher as of noon. You probably haven't heard about Eos Energy. It's a battery energy storage systems (BESS) company known for its zinc-based battery technology. It just delivered explosive revenue growth and announced a partnership that changes the narrative about the company and its prospects. Image source: Getty Images. Continue reading
Warsh will serve four-year term as chair, taking over amid rising inflation and pressure from Trump to lower rates The US Senate confirmed Kevin Warsh as chair of the Federal Reserve , one of the most powerful roles in the federal government that holds enormous sway over the economy. The 54-45 Senate vote on Wednesday was split along party lines, with the exception of Democratic senator John Fette...
Warsh will serve four-year term as chair, taking over amid rising inflation and pressure from Trump to lower rates The US Senate confirmed Kevin Warsh as chair of the Federal Reserve , one of the most powerful roles in the federal government that holds enormous sway over the economy. The 54-45 Senate vote on Wednesday was split along party lines, with the exception of Democratic senator John Fetterman from Pennsylvania, who joined the Republican majority. Warsh was confirmed for a four-year term as chair and a 14-year appointment on the Fed’s rate-setting board. Continue reading...
Varda Space Industries Inc. is expanding plans for orbital pharmaceutical manufacturing beyond its recent success in crystallizing HIV drug Ritonavir in space, Chief Executive Officer Will Bruey said. “This is just the tip of the iceberg because it is such a broad technology that affects so many drugs,” Bruey said Wednesday in a Bloomberg Television interview. Varda, backed by Peter Thiel’s Founde...
Varda Space Industries Inc. is expanding plans for orbital pharmaceutical manufacturing beyond its recent success in crystallizing HIV drug Ritonavir in space, Chief Executive Officer Will Bruey said. “This is just the tip of the iceberg because it is such a broad technology that affects so many drugs,” Bruey said Wednesday in a Bloomberg Television interview. Varda, backed by Peter Thiel’s Founders Fund LLC , is working with United Therapeutics Corp. on the orbital drug manufacturing effort. It will send United’s medicines into orbit on small capsules with no crew, where the drug samples will undergo chemical processing in microgravity. “United is kind of in the future, and they have been for quite some time,” Bruey said. “We are really lucky to work with such a crack team.” Varda launched its sixth mission on March 30; it was the first of 2026 as the El Segundo, California-based company expands capabilities in orbital pharmaceutical processing. Varda is hoping to launch the missions with United in 2027, according to a company spokesperson. The collaboration between United and Varda marks one of the first commercial research deals to develop medicine molecules in space and return them to Earth, although the missions are still preliminary and may not necessarily be used to create on-market drugs. Decreased gravity in space can affect chemical compounds by slowing how they assemble and create unique structures that may be difficult or impossible to replicate on Earth, according to Varda. That can affect qualities of drugs including their shelf-life and how they are absorbed by the body. United specializes in pharmaceuticals to treat diseases including cancer and high blood pressure in the lungs. The company likely will send molecular samples of drugs intended to treat lung diseases, including ones that have already been launched commercially and ones currently under development, to space with Varda over multiple missions. Those samples will be studied afterward by Un...
Air Force One touched down at Ted Stevens Airport outside Anchorage last night on a refueling stop on its way to an important summit in Beijing. During the stop, a man in a black leather jacket stepped onto the plane. The final seat on Air Force One was claimed by NVIDIA (NASDAQ:NVDA) founder and CEO Jensen ... Trump Once Said He’d Never Heard of NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang. Now Air Force One Stopped ...
Air Force One touched down at Ted Stevens Airport outside Anchorage last night on a refueling stop on its way to an important summit in Beijing. During the stop, a man in a black leather jacket stepped onto the plane. The final seat on Air Force One was claimed by NVIDIA (NASDAQ:NVDA) founder and CEO Jensen ... Trump Once Said He’d Never Heard of NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang. Now Air Force One Stopped in Alaska to Pick Him Up.