The United States has a lot of banks, with the industry's leaders being gigantic financial institutions offering coast-to-coast branch networks. Regional banks aren't strictly necessary, but they offer interesting investment opportunities. And they come with some unique risks. Here's why you might want to keep close tabs on State Street SPDR S&P Regional Banking ETF (KRE 0.68%) if you are followin...
The United States has a lot of banks, with the industry's leaders being gigantic financial institutions offering coast-to-coast branch networks. Regional banks aren't strictly necessary, but they offer interesting investment opportunities. And they come with some unique risks. Here's why you might want to keep close tabs on State Street SPDR S&P Regional Banking ETF (KRE 0.68%) if you are following the regional bank space. Why should you invest in regional banks? There are a couple of investing enticements related to regional banks. For starters, geographic expansion via the opening of new branches can offer significant growth potential. Secondly, acquisitions are common among regional banks as companies look to grow more quickly via non-organic means. And, lastly, sometimes regional banks are swallowed up by larger banks as the industry's big fish look to get even bigger. However, regional banks aren't all equal. There are always some performing well and some not. There's also the risk that comes along with a regional bank's relatively small size. A bad loan or two can quickly put a regional bank into a tailspin, often leading to insolvency fears that can spiral out to the entire sector. That's exactly what happened in 2023 when Silicon Valley Bank, Signature Bank, and First Republic Bank all floundered. Commercial real estate loans are a big question mark today, noting that Zions Bank and Western Alliance both disclosed loan issues in late 2025. If you are looking to keep track of the broader regional bank sector, State Street SPDR S&P Regional Banking ETF is the gauge to follow. Hedge your bets with the ETF However, don't limit yourself to simply watching State Street SPDR S&P Regional Banking ETF. The exchange-traded fund (ETF) also offers investment benefits, as it provides diversified exposure to the sector. Simply put, you can participate in the growth opportunity regional banks offer without having to take on the idiosyncratic risks of owning individual bank...
ablokhin/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Berkshire Hathaway Inc. ( BRK.A ) ( BRK.B ) just held its annual meeting to discuss its 2025 results and officially pass the torch from Warren Buffett to Greg Abel. Berkshire's results were solid but not spectacular, but that’s not the real story. The biggest development is the structural change as Berkshire’s entering 2026 with a formal CEO transition th...
ablokhin/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Berkshire Hathaway Inc. ( BRK.A ) ( BRK.B ) just held its annual meeting to discuss its 2025 results and officially pass the torch from Warren Buffett to Greg Abel. Berkshire's results were solid but not spectacular, but that’s not the real story. The biggest development is the structural change as Berkshire’s entering 2026 with a formal CEO transition that will control a balance sheet with $369.15 billion in on-hand liquidity between cash and short-term T-bills in addition to a stock portfolio valued at $297.78 billion. After reading Greg Abel’s letter to shareholders, it reads more like an operating constitution rather than a folklore approach that I feel Mr. Buffett channeled . Warren Buffett is still the chairman, but Greg Abel officially has the reins. The combination of succession clarity and the amount of dry powder on hand could signal long-term opportunities for shareholders as Mr. Abel looks to make his mark on this historic company. I’m not ready to upgrade my investment thesis just yet, as I want to see how the first couple of quarters unfold, as Mr. Abel seems to be about systematizing Buffett’s discipline rather than reinventing it. The decentralized model Berkshire took has led to a conservative balance sheet and a value-driven capital allocation framework. I feel as if Berkshire often is looked at as an insurance float and portfolio story, which is incomplete due to the underlying businesses. Their edge has been having the ability to stay liquid, which allows them to be forced into decisions and having the option to deploy capital when others can’t. I believe Berkshire will continue their intrinsic value at a low to mid single-digit pace, but I am not sure if that will be enough to expand its multiple. The questions I want answered are whether or not Mr. Abel will acquire additional companies, add to their equity positions, or start to repurchase shares. Seeking Alpha Following up on my previous article abou...
Key Points State Street SPDR S&P Regional Banking ETF is a diversified portfolio of smaller banks. Regional banks can get into trouble quickly if they make poor loan decisions. 10 stocks we like better than SPDR Series Trust - State Street SPDR S&P Regional Banking ETF › The United States has a lot of banks, with the industry's leaders being gigantic financial institutions offering coast-to-coast ...
Key Points State Street SPDR S&P Regional Banking ETF is a diversified portfolio of smaller banks. Regional banks can get into trouble quickly if they make poor loan decisions. 10 stocks we like better than SPDR Series Trust - State Street SPDR S&P Regional Banking ETF › The United States has a lot of banks, with the industry's leaders being gigantic financial institutions offering coast-to-coast branch networks. Regional banks aren't strictly necessary, but they offer interesting investment opportunities. And they come with some unique risks. Here's why you might want to keep close tabs on State Street SPDR S&P Regional Banking ETF (NYSEMKT: KRE) if you are following the regional bank space. Will AI create the world's first trillionaire? Our team just released a report on the one little-known company, called an "Indispensable Monopoly" providing the critical technology Nvidia and Intel both need. Continue » Why should you invest in regional banks? There are a couple of investing enticements related to regional banks. For starters, geographic expansion via the opening of new branches can offer significant growth potential. Secondly, acquisitions are common among regional banks as companies look to grow more quickly via non-organic means. And, lastly, sometimes regional banks are swallowed up by larger banks as the industry's big fish look to get even bigger. However, regional banks aren't all equal. There are always some performing well and some not. There's also the risk that comes along with a regional bank's relatively small size. A bad loan or two can quickly put a regional bank into a tailspin, often leading to insolvency fears that can spiral out to the entire sector. That's exactly what happened in 2023 when Silicon Valley Bank, Signature Bank, and First Republic Bank all floundered. Commercial real estate loans are a big question mark today, noting that Zions Bank and Western Alliance both disclosed loan issues in late 2025. If you are looking to keep track ...
Stanley Druckenmiller is probably one of the smartest big-league money managers to follow in this environment. He doesn’t just have the big name in the smart money crowd; he has the enviable track record that’s stood head and shoulders above the pack. Whether we’re talking about his prior Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA) bet or his more recent ... Stanley Druckenmiller Backed Up the Truck on This Wildly-Popul...
Stanley Druckenmiller is probably one of the smartest big-league money managers to follow in this environment. He doesn’t just have the big name in the smart money crowd; he has the enviable track record that’s stood head and shoulders above the pack. Whether we’re talking about his prior Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA) bet or his more recent ... Stanley Druckenmiller Backed Up the Truck on This Wildly-Popular ETF
Elon Musk’s X will ban users from making money on the platform if they repeatedly post unlabelled AI-generated war videos, after social media feeds were flooded with fake battle scenes from the Iran conflict. The social media platform, which has about half a billion monthly active users, will suspend people from earning revenue from posts for 90 days if they put up AI-generated videos of an armed ...
Elon Musk’s X will ban users from making money on the platform if they repeatedly post unlabelled AI-generated war videos, after social media feeds were flooded with fake battle scenes from the Iran conflict. The social media platform, which has about half a billion monthly active users, will suspend people from earning revenue from posts for 90 days if they put up AI-generated videos of an armed conflict without adding a disclosure that it was made with AI. A second infraction will lead to a permanent ban, it said on Tuesday night, after the first days of the conflict in Iran were marked by a torrent of bogus online footage. Timelines on X, as well as Instagram and Facebook, which are run by Meta, have carried numerous faked battle scenes, including Iranian rockets pursuing and shooting down a US jet – which was viewed 70m times, according to checks by BBC Verify – and another clip that used AI to replace smoke rising from the site of a real missile strike with a fake fireball several times bigger. Users can make hundreds of dollars a month on X as part of the platform’s advertising model if they build substantial followings approaching 100,000 people, which incentivises the production of shocking viral posts. Nikita Bier, the head of product at X, said: “During times of war, it is critical that people have access to authentic information on the ground. With today’s AI technologies, it is trivial to create content that can mislead people. Starting now, users who post AI-generated videos of an armed conflict – without adding a disclosure that it was made with AI – will be suspended from creator revenue sharing for 90 days. Subsequent violations will result in a permanent suspension from the programme.” Other fake videos of the war have achieved huge reach. A clip circulating on Instagram purporting to show a huge conflagration after “Iran destroyed the US airbase in Riyadh” was fake and has been identified as 18-month-old footage of the aftermath of an Israeli strik...
Almost 60% of Welsh voters are unaware of how the new system will work in May’s Senedd elections and there is confusion over devolution powers, a report has found. Polling research released on Wednesday by Cardiff University and YouGov suggested that 26 years since devolution began, many voters remain unsure about which policy decisions sit with Cardiff Bay, and which with Westminster. One-third o...
Almost 60% of Welsh voters are unaware of how the new system will work in May’s Senedd elections and there is confusion over devolution powers, a report has found. Polling research released on Wednesday by Cardiff University and YouGov suggested that 26 years since devolution began, many voters remain unsure about which policy decisions sit with Cardiff Bay, and which with Westminster. One-third of respondents still did not know that health and education are devolved to the Welsh government, with only 1% correctly identifying who has responsibility for eight key policy areas. Nearly 70% of people either answered incorrectly or did not know that policing in Wales, unlike Scotland, is under UK government control, and 29% were incorrect or did not know that immigration policy is decided by Westminster. Only 7% of people knew that May’s crucial vote will be held under a new closed list system, and 58% did not know which voting system will be used, according to the representative poll of 1,544 people, conducted in February. Prof Stephen Cushion, the lead researcher, said the results raised “urgent questions” about public access to political information in the run-up to the election. “During an election period, these gaps matter for democratic accountability because people need to make a well-informed decision about who will be running Wales over the next few years,” he said. Some of the confusion can be attributed to media consumption, he said. UK-wide media outlets remain the primary news source for 46% of respondents, compared with 10% who use mainly Wales-focused and Wales-produced news. Almost half of respondents said UK‑wide outlets did a bad job of reporting on Wales, and the biggest reason given, at 19%, was that it was too focused on London and south-east England. Respondents struggled to place news stories in the correct constitutional context, for example, misreading a BBC website story about an England‑only junior doctors’ strike as UK‑wide, researchers found....
On this episode of Bloomberg Investigates , we pull back the curtain on a shadow world where billions of dollars are being made amid sanctions and war.
On this episode of Bloomberg Investigates , we pull back the curtain on a shadow world where billions of dollars are being made amid sanctions and war.
Broadcast journalists from ethnic minorities are still locked out of top jobs and face a backlash after being perceived as “diversity hires”, according to a survey of UK television newsrooms. While there has been a sustained focus on racial diversity among Britain’s biggest broadcasters in recent years, the study concluded it had been “performed rather than embedded”, leaving minority ethnic journ...
Broadcast journalists from ethnic minorities are still locked out of top jobs and face a backlash after being perceived as “diversity hires”, according to a survey of UK television newsrooms. While there has been a sustained focus on racial diversity among Britain’s biggest broadcasters in recent years, the study concluded it had been “performed rather than embedded”, leaving minority ethnic journalists feeling excluded from influential posts and resented by colleagues. The report, commissioned by the Sir Lenny Henry Centre for Media Diversity and co-authored by Rohit Kachroo, ITV News’s global security editor, based its findings on a survey of 80 journalists, with follow-up interviews. “For many, the result has been stagnation, frustration, and in some cases exit from the industry,” the report said. “Yet even as racially minoritised staff report only limited progress, many are now experiencing a backlash from some white colleagues who believe they have lost out because of diversity, expressed through resentment, resistance, and attempts to roll back these efforts.” While interviewees acknowledged the programmes improved access, others said they felt such schemes had been implemented in ways that left them exposed to stigma as a “diversity hire”. One of the respondents, who said they had not benefited from a scheme, said: “The opposite if anything. People assume you’re a diversity hire when you’re there on hard work and merit. It’s a double-edged sword.” Another said: “It’s like an apartheid newsroom. You look left and there’s disproportionately too many people [of colour] because everyone’s on the lower rung. And you look on the other side, it’s like, everyone’s almost white.” One senior journalist said: “I work for one of the biggest news broadcasters in the UK … Not only is young, diverse talent leaving, there is a glaring lack of diversity and range in the editorial output.” Of those who participated in the research, 63% said they had experienced racism in their...
An ascending United Airlines Boeing 767-300 on a foggy winter day. Michael Derrer Fuchs/iStock Editorial via Getty Images The latest United States/Israel military campaign targeting Iran is already having a profound impact on the global travel industry, which almost always is disproportionately impacted by macroeconomic and geopolitical events. While the conflict is playing out on the other side o...
An ascending United Airlines Boeing 767-300 on a foggy winter day. Michael Derrer Fuchs/iStock Editorial via Getty Images The latest United States/Israel military campaign targeting Iran is already having a profound impact on the global travel industry, which almost always is disproportionately impacted by macroeconomic and geopolitical events. While the conflict is playing out on the other side of the world from the United States, U.S. airlines are being impacted by second- and third-order impacts. Although I will be looking at the economic impacts for the larger airline industry, I will focus on United Airlines ( UAL ), which faces a combination of potentially negative impacts that could impact UAL more than other U.S. airlines. Big 6 YTD chart (Seeking Alpha) U.S. Airlines Will Be Indirectly Impacted by the Iran Conflict The impact from the Iran conflict is not equal to all countries or even to specific airlines. Because of longstanding sanctions, no Iranian airline participates in a meaningful way in global air transportation. In contrast, a number of Middle Eastern airlines operate from hubs that are located less than 200 miles from Iran. Several of those airlines operate at hubs, including Dubai, Doha, and Abu Dhabi, which have grown into major global airline hubs. Dubai rivals Atlanta, the world’s busiest airport by passengers handled, in airline seats offered. While Israel is hundreds of miles away from Iran, its airspace and airline operations have been repeatedly interrupted because of war directly with Iran or with its proxies in the region, but that has not been the case with most of the rest of the Middle East. Many airline hubs, including Dubai, have near-complete suspension of air service for more than four days as of the date of writing of this article. Most of the airlines in the Middle East are either government-owned or privately held. European airlines are generally well-connected with the Middle East, as are airlines in South Asia; Middle East a...