Saturday, April 19, 2025
Last week there was a COVID-19 testing announcement with the potential to let United States citizens and the U.S. economy more quickly return to some semblance of normalcy. The availability of a $5.00, 15-minute COVID test will let life return to a more historical level of activity. On Wednesday, August 26, Abbott (ABT) announced it […]
Recent stock split announcements by Apple and Tesla have lit a fire under the companies’ share prices. I suspect that many investors scooping up the shares are not aware of exactly how the splits will work. I am curious about how new-to-the-stock market investors will react when they discover that post-split their holdings are not […]
You have likely seen the news that the S&P 500 has recovered 100% of the losses from the COVID crash. What you won’t see in the press is the broad range of returns from the different industrial sectors used by S&P Global Ratings (formerly Standard & Poor’s). The 500 S&P stocks are subdivided into 11 […]
Casual investors will be aware of what happens in the stock market, but may not be as well informed about the current state of interest rates. Retirement plan experts recommend allocating a large portion of 401(k) accounts to bonds, and those building for retirement using their company 401(k) plans may not be aware of how […]
At the start of the pandemic-triggered economic crisis, a large portion of stocks in the high-yield sectors slashed or suspended dividend payments. For example, Hoya Capital Real Estate reports that 31 of 42 mortgage real estate investment trusts (REITs) cut or suspended dividends from March through June. Other sectors, such as equity REITs, business development […]
2020 has been a wild ride for investors in energy infrastructure stocks. A range of factors, including energy demand destruction due to COVID-19, a meltdown of the high-yield investment sectors, and a perception that new, renewable energy technologies, will quickly replace oil and gas usage. Energy infrastructure, sometimes called energy midstream, are the services that […]
I get to interact with hundreds to thousands of individual investors, and I have observed that many investors are not aware that shares of closed-end funds (CEFs) are not the same as common stock shares. CEFs are risky in a separate and distinct way from common stock risks. CEFs attract new investors because many of […]
The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the economy and business resulted in a stock market crash and severe business disruption for many companies. One impact of the economic slowdown/shut-in was that many companies were forced or chose to slash common stock dividends. For example, out of the 165 equity REITs tracked by Hoya Capital […]
It was just a handful of months ago that the coronavirus pandemic took hold of the U.S. population and economy. Most states put their populations into lockdown for much of April and May, which did slow the spread of the virus. Still, people can’t stay at home forever, and reopening of much of the economy […]
In March and April, the pandemic-triggered stock market crash hit the high-yield investment sectors, especially hard. Exchange-traded funds and notes (ETFs, ETNs) lost up to 90% of their value in a very short time. UBS to Redeem Two Leveraged Mortgage ETNs After 95% Plunge “Leveraged” is the word to note. Before the COVID crisis, there […]
