The Vanguard Short-Term Corporate Bond ETF (NASDAQ:VCSH) and VanEck Short Muni ETF (NYSEMKT:SMB) differ most in yield, portfolio focus, and fund size, with VCSH delivering higher income, and SMB targeting tax-exempt municipal bonds in a smaller, more diversified package. Both VCSH and SMB aim for steady income with limited price swings, but their approaches diverge: VCSH sticks to high-grade, shor...
The Vanguard Short-Term Corporate Bond ETF (NASDAQ:VCSH) and VanEck Short Muni ETF (NYSEMKT:SMB) differ most in yield, portfolio focus, and fund size, with VCSH delivering higher income, and SMB targeting tax-exempt municipal bonds in a smaller, more diversified package. Both VCSH and SMB aim for steady income with limited price swings, but their approaches diverge: VCSH sticks to high-grade, short-term corporate bonds, while SMB tracks short-duration municipal bonds exempt from federal taxes. This comparison unpacks their key differences to help investors weigh cost, income, risk, and portfolio makeup. 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. Continue reading
Officers fired pepper balls and teargas into group of about 150 on Saturday night, arresting those who did not disperse Third No Kings protest draws 8 million worldwide to push back on Trump administration Police arrested dozens of protesters and shot teargas into a crowd on Saturday night at a No Kings protest in Los Angeles . The conflict is the latest of many that have taken place outside the M...
Officers fired pepper balls and teargas into group of about 150 on Saturday night, arresting those who did not disperse Third No Kings protest draws 8 million worldwide to push back on Trump administration Police arrested dozens of protesters and shot teargas into a crowd on Saturday night at a No Kings protest in Los Angeles . The conflict is the latest of many that have taken place outside the Metropolitan detention center, which has become a focal point of protests since the Trump administration launched an immigration offense on Los Angeles last year. Continue reading...
From Market Economist To Military Strategist By Peter Tchir of Academy Securities Technically I’m not an economist, I just play one on TV ( CNBC and Bloomberg TV from last Monday). While I am not a military strategist, everyone in the market and corporate America is being forced to be one, to some extent. Academy is in a unique position to offer unbiased, nonpolitical assessments of the conflict w...
From Market Economist To Military Strategist By Peter Tchir of Academy Securities Technically I’m not an economist, I just play one on TV ( CNBC and Bloomberg TV from last Monday). While I am not a military strategist, everyone in the market and corporate America is being forced to be one, to some extent. Academy is in a unique position to offer unbiased, nonpolitical assessments of the conflict with our Geopolitical Intelligence Group (“GIG”). I’ve lost track of how many conversations I’ve had with our retired Generals, Admirals, and Intelligence officers this past week, let alone since the start of the conflict. We cover a lot of topics during our conversations with clients, with Iran being at the forefront. Today I will do my best to provide an assessment of the most pressing concerns. The Geopolitical Intelligence Group has a range of opinions, but I think this is a fair assessment of the current consensus view. It is an honor and a privilege to work with the GIG (as well as a competitive advantage in this environment) and all our veterans. Any mistakes or misrepresentations are my own. That is the same set of conditions that applied to Ceasefire ?, which we published earlier this week. That piece remains a useful framework for examining the conditions likely required to reach a deal. However, it was interesting that the President started trying to frame something along the lines of “the regime has changed so much, that it is like regime change.” After a “manic” week like this week, it is sometimes difficult to go back and review what we published last weekend – Another Manic Monday , but that too is worth re-reading. Finally, before jumping into today’s report, Academy’s Around the World Report and Around the World Podcast (with General (ret.) Evans and Admiral (ret.) Buss) were both released this week. Normalizing Tanker Traffic Through the Strait of Hormuz We will try not to use the words “closed” or “open” in this report, because that doesn’t reflect the rea...
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Sunday that Israel will widen its invasion of southern Lebanon. Netanyahu said Israel would expand what he called the “existing security strip” in Lebanon as Israeli forces continue to target the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militant group. “We are determined to fundamentally change the situation in the north,” he said on a visit to northern Israel, addin...
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Sunday that Israel will widen its invasion of southern Lebanon. Netanyahu said Israel would expand what he called the “existing security strip” in Lebanon as Israeli forces continue to target the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militant group. “We are determined to fundamentally change the situation in the north,” he said on a visit to northern Israel, adding that “Hezbollah still has residual capability to fire rockets at us”. There were no immediate...
HJBC/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Members of the World Trade Organization are discussing a proposal to extend a long-standing ban on tariffs for digital trade by another five years, Bloomberg News reported Sunday, citing a draft statement circulated ahead of ongoing talks. The agreement, which prevents countries from taxing electronic transmissions, has been renewed every two years since it w...
HJBC/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Members of the World Trade Organization are discussing a proposal to extend a long-standing ban on tariffs for digital trade by another five years, Bloomberg News reported Sunday, citing a draft statement circulated ahead of ongoing talks. The agreement, which prevents countries from taxing electronic transmissions, has been renewed every two years since it was first introduced in 1998. Under the latest proposal, the pause on such tariffs would remain in place through June 2031. At the same time, the United States is advocating for a permanent version of the policy at the WTO’s latest ministerial meeting in Yaounde, Cameroon. U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer indicated that Washington sees a lasting agreement as an easy and necessary step, arguing that repeated short-term renewals create uncertainty for businesses and weaken the credibility of the global trade system. More news and analysis Wall Street Brunch: Jobs Report Due Despite Holiday Like Its Cranes, Manitowoc Deserves To Keep Rising MongoDB: Buy The Dip, Risks Are Manageable With Valuation Offset (Rating Upgrade) BofA strategist sees weak stocks and bonds, strong dollar into Q2 Big Food’s growth problem pushes McCormick toward risky mega deal: WSJ
There is a heightened level of economic uncertainty these days. It can stem from geopolitical conflict, inflationary concerns, and fears about artificial intelligence disruption. For investors, the goal is to find companies that can weather any storms that might be brewing. Here's one consumer staples stock that benefits no matter which way the economy goes in 2026 and beyond. Image source: Getty ...
There is a heightened level of economic uncertainty these days. It can stem from geopolitical conflict, inflationary concerns, and fears about artificial intelligence disruption. For investors, the goal is to find companies that can weather any storms that might be brewing. Here's one consumer staples stock that benefits no matter which way the economy goes in 2026 and beyond. Image source: Getty Images. Continue reading
Rick Kern/Getty Images Entertainment “Project Hail Mary” continued its strong theatrical run in its second weekend, pulling in an estimated $54.5 million and reinforcing its status as the year’s biggest breakout hit so far, the Associated Press reported Sunday. The sci-fi film from directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller, starring Ryan Gosling, slipped just 32% from its debut, a notably steady hold f...
Rick Kern/Getty Images Entertainment “Project Hail Mary” continued its strong theatrical run in its second weekend, pulling in an estimated $54.5 million and reinforcing its status as the year’s biggest breakout hit so far, the Associated Press reported Sunday. The sci-fi film from directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller, starring Ryan Gosling, slipped just 32% from its debut, a notably steady hold for a big-budget release. The Amazon MGM ( AMZN ) title has now generated roughly $300.8 million worldwide in just two weeks, maintaining momentum after one of the strongest original film openings in recent years. With no major new challengers and continued access to premium screens, the film faced little resistance. Its second-weekend performance even outpaced the comparable follow-up frame of “Oppenheimer,” underscoring its strong audience appeal and word of mouth. In contrast, Warner Bros.’ ( WBD ) new horror entry “They Will Kill You” opened to a muted $5 million. The R-rated film, starring Zazie Beetz as a woman drawn into a sinister apartment complex, landed within expectations for its modest $20 million budget but failed to generate significant buzz. The softer debut comes as horror releases crowd the marketplace. Industry observers note that the genre has seen a steady stream of new titles for more than three consecutive months, potentially diluting demand. While horror remains a reliable and cost-effective category, signs of audience fatigue are beginning to emerge. Recent entries include “Ready or Not 2: Here I Come,” which has brought in $16.3 million domestically, and IFC’s quirky horror-comedy “Forbidden Fruits,” which opened this weekend to $1.2 million. Even so, the genre is still expected to generate about $2.1 billion in North American ticket sales this year, though that would mark a decline from the prior year’s total, suggesting some cooling after a strong run. Elsewhere, family audiences continued to show up. Pixar’s ( DIS ) “Hoppers” held onto second pla...