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☆ Vanguard launches two new ETFs to hit this sweet spot of tax-free fixed income
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-09 | by ( Darla Mercado | Cfp | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Investors with a focus on tax-free income have two new choices to consider from Vanguard as the asset manager launches a pair of municipal bond exchange-traded funds. Tax advantages The biggest selling point for municipal bond funds is the tax-free income they provide. VTEC follows the S & P California AMT-Free Municipal Bond Index, while VTEI tracks the S & P Intermediate Term National AMT-Free Municipal Bond Index. However, in November, $2.8 billion in assets flowed into intermediate-term muni bond funds, followed by another $2.3 billion in December, Morningstar found. said Foos of municipal bond funds.

Persons: Beth Foos, there's, VTEI, Jeffrey Johnson, Johnson, Morningstar, it's Organizations: Vanguard, California, Bond, Federal Reserve, Morningstar, York Life Investments, Free Municipal Bond Index, Free Municipal Bond, muni, Treasury Locations: California

☆ These bond funds are among the top performers in 2023 – Here’s what investors should do next
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( Darla Mercado | Cfp | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Risk-taking investors also fared well in high-yield bonds, as the fund category generated a 2023 total return of 6.98% through Friday. Big performers in that category include the Pacific Income Advisors High Yield (MACS) Fund (PIAMX) for investors with managed accounts. The BondBloxx CCC Rated USD High Yield Corporate Bond ETF (XCCC) was also among the strongest performers in the fund category. See below for a list of top performing high yield bond funds, according to Morningstar Direct. "I think these historically high yields have offered attractive entry points for high quality," said Murphy.

Persons: It's, Morningstar, it's, Thomas Murphy, Rowe, Murphy Organizations: Treasury, U.S, Morningstar, Morningstar . Bank, SEC, Pacific Income, PIAMX, Morningstar Direct Locations: U.S

"This super pre-emptive right will work only in specific cases, with specific companies," Chebeskov said on the sidelines of a financial forum in Moscow on Nov. 14. "The idea was that this concerns only those strategic companies in which the state already has a share," Chebeskov said. The lack of clarity and uncertain timeline highlights the unpredictable nature of regulatory changes facing investors and businesses seeking to adjust their exposure to Russia. This compares with net outflows of around $48 million in March 2022 and $69 million in February this year. Western investors have already struggled to get assets out of Russia.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Ivan Chebeskov, Chebeskov, Rybalkin, Tskhakaya, Thomas J Brock, Carlsberg's, Putin, JP Morgan, JPM, Vijay Marolia, Brock, Sinead Cruise, Alexander Marrow, Elena Fabrichnaya, Darya Korsunskaya, Jane Merriman Organizations: Ukraine LONDON, Reuters, Nato, Dyakin, Partners, Kaiser Consulting, Investors, Morningstar Direct, Federal Property Agency, Assets, Deutsche Bank, Regal Point Capital, HSBC, Expobank, Thomson Locations: Russia, Ukraine, MOSCOW, Moscow, Russian, Magnit, London

☆ Fidelity rolls out suite of new ETFs, slashes fees
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-13 | by ( Suzanne Mcgee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Nov 13 (Reuters) - Fidelity launched a group of six new exchange-traded funds (ETFs) Monday and announced sharp reductions on management fees on nearly a third of its total ETF lineup, kicking off what analysts expect to be another strong week for ETF debuts. So far this year, asset managers have launched 419 ETFs, according to Morningstar Direct, taking 2023 a step closer toward breaking the 2021 record of 475 new ETFs. The move will boost Ark's lineup from eight ETFs to a total of 15. The Fidelity products offer fees of 18 basis points to 28 basis points, compared with an average fee of around 63 basis points for actively managed ETFs, according to Bryan Armour, mutual fund analyst at Morningstar. "These are very, very substantial reductions, and the new fees are very low," said Armour.

Persons: John Hooson, Harriman, Bryan Armour, Suzanne McGee, Ira Iosebashvili, Deepa Babington Organizations: Fidelity, Morningstar, Invest, 21Shares, Brown, Thomson

☆ These bond funds withstood the 2008 and 2020 recessions. What investors can learn from them
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-07 | by ( Darla Mercado | Cfp | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Investors curious as to whether their bond funds could withstand an economic downturn would do well to look back to the last two recessions. The PGIM Core Bond Fund (TAIBX) and the Calvert Core Bond Fund (CLDAX ) earned returns of more than 8% from December 2007 to the end of June 2009, according to data from Morningstar Direct. Standouts include the Carillon Reams Core Bond Fund (SCCIX) , which incurred a 7.55% return from February through April 2020, per Morningstar. The Johnson Institutional Core Bond fund (JIBFX) and American Funds' Bond Fund of America (ABNDX) round out the top three, with total returns in that period of more than 4%. A combo of attributes Core bond funds have a combination of features that prepare them for downturns.

Persons: Liz Young, Lehman, Calvert, Paul Olmsted, Olmsted Organizations: Nasdaq, Federal, Lehman Brothers, Bond Fund, Morningstar Direct, Funds, Bond Fund of America, Morningstar, Treasury Bond ETF

☆ Qraft rolls out latest AI-driven ETF with South Korea's LG
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-07 | by ( Suzanne Mcgee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Nov 7 (Reuters) - Qraft Technologies on Tuesday launched its fifth exchange-traded fund (ETF) that relies on artificial intelligence to select holdings, continuing its expansion of the niche AI ETF market. The LG Qraft AI-Powered U.S. Large-Cap Core ETF will combine Qraft's existing AI models with additional AI-powered forecasting tools developed by LG (003550.KS), the South Korean electronics conglomerate. LG AI Research, a division of LG, has been applying artificial intelligence to everything from supply and demand forecasting to raw materials purchasing decisions. Qraft is a financial technology firm based in Seoul, South Korea that has developed and launched a suite of AI-powered ETFs traded on U.S. exchanges. LG AI Research's 260-person engineering team adds large language modeling tools, he said, referring to artificial intelligence tools that are trained to recognize, understand and analyze text.

Persons: Francis Oh, Suzanne McGee, Michelle Price, Rod Nickel Organizations: Technologies, LG, Research, Asia Pacific, Morningstar Direct, Management, Thomson Locations: Seoul, South Korea

☆ Goldman Sachs Asset Management launches new defined outcome ETFs
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-26 | by ( Suzanne Mcgee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A Goldman Sachs sign is seen at the New York Stock Exchange April 21, 2010. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsOct 26 (Reuters) - Goldman Sachs Asset Management (GSAM) has launched a pair of defined outcome exchange-traded funds (ETFs), a group of products that use options strategies to offer upside exposure to stocks while cushioning downside risk. The new funds - the Goldman Sachs S&P 500 Core Premium Income (GPIX.O) and the Goldman Sachs Nasdaq 100 Core Premium Income ETF (GPIQ.O) - will use an options overlay strategy to limit downside risk and generate income, said Michael Crinieri, global head of ETFs at GSAM. Defined outcome products are a relatively new corner of the ETF landscape, although the options strategies themselves are well established. "We started looking at developing enhanced income products like these in 2005," said Monali Vora, head of wealth investment solutions at GSAM.

Persons: Goldman Sachs, Brendan McDermid, Michael Crinieri, Crinieri, Monali Vora, Morningstar, GSAM, Suzanne McGee Organizations: New York Stock Exchange, REUTERS, Goldman Sachs Asset Management, Goldman, Morningstar Direct, Thomson

☆ Simplify Asset Management to roll out ETFs based on AI-driven stockpicking
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-12 | by ( Suzanne Mcgee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Oct 12 (Reuters) - Simplify Asset Management plans to roll out three new exchange-traded funds (ETFs) that rely on artificial intelligence rather than human beings to select portfolio holdings, adding to a nascent sub-sector that has so far delivered underwhelming results for investors. "A large portion of the investment community remains wary of putting their money into a product that depends on algorithms," Sohn said. The largest fund in this $673.5 million slice of the $7 trillion market for U.S. ETFs is the WisdomTree U.S. AI Enhanced Value Fund (AIVL.P), with net assets of $363.4 million. "I'm not sure the technology is there yet, or that it's speaking to investors,” said Bryan Armour, an ETF analyst at Morningstar. Read NextReporting by Suzanne McGee; Editing by Ira Iosebashvili and Chris ReeseOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Boosted.ai, Todd Sohn, Sohn, AIEQ, I'm, ”, Bryan Armour, Suzanne McGee, Ira Iosebashvili, Chris Reese Organizations: Management, SEC, Morningstar, Strategas Securities, AI, Equity ETF, Fund, Momentum, Thomson Locations: U.S

☆ Large U.S. companies outperformed other investments over the last 20 years—but you should still diversify, pros say
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-25 | by ( Ryan Ermey | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

In theory, the more return you hope to earn from an investment, the more risk you'll have to take on. While most asset classes follow the risk/return rules, a couple notable outliers emerge. Commodities, despite being one of the jumpier asset classes, offer the weakest 20-year return at 0.73%. There are compelling cases to be made that, given their outsize performance, large stocks are overvalued compared with other asset classes, such as small-company and developed and emerging markets stocks, Stovall adds. For long-term investors, he says, "nibbling at small- and mid-cap stocks as well as international investments might be a good thing."

Persons: We've, there's, Sam Stovall, they'll, Wayne Gretzky, Stovall, Amy Arnott Organizations: Morningstar Direct, Commodities, Morningstar Research Services

☆ This Fidelity manager has crushed the S&P 500 since 1989—here's his advice for investors
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-21 | by ( Ryan Ermey | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Since his fund, Fidelity Low-Priced Stock, launched in December 1989, investors have enjoyed an annualized total return of about 13%. The same investment in an S&P 500 index fund would be worth about $25,000. How do you define a value stock? Joel Tillinghast Lead manager, Fidelity Low-Priced StockThere's so much more information through news media and Wall Street. Put it in the index fund or find a better manager.

Persons: Joel Tillinghast, you'd, Tillinghast, — Morgan Peck, Sam Chamovitz —, they're, Russell, Sam Chamovitz, You've, Warren Buffett, Will Danoff Organizations: Fame, Fidelity, Morningstar Direct, CNBC, Street, Beverage Locations: Tillinghast's, Japan

☆ Analysis-New anti-ESG rule in Missouri offers US Republicans another path away from 'wokeness'
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-10 | by ( Ross Kerber | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

(Reuters) - A new Missouri securities rule offers a template for Republican U.S. state officials who want to advance an “anti-woke” business agenda even as such ideas struggle for legislative backing. Ashcroft acted after Republican lawmakers failed to pass a similar measure during the state’s legislative session that ended on May 12, amid infighting over which bills should be prioritized. Concerns over costs, bureaucracy and economic fallout led to bills stalling or passing in weakened form even in so-called red states, where Republicans dominate state government. Several corporate attorneys said other Republican officials may adopt Ashcroft’s playbook and act on their own. According to a spokesperson, Ashcroft initiated the rulemaking before the legislative session began, essentially as a backup plan in case lawmakers did not act on the same idea introduced in January.

Persons: Shannon Stapleton, John “ Jay ” Ashcroft, Ashcroft, “, ” overreach, Ashcroft’s, ”, Beth I.Z, Boland, Lardner, Larry Fink, ’ Ashcroft, ” Ashcroft, can’t, Dan Mehan, Lance Dial, Chuck Gray, West, Ron DeSantis, Walt Disney Organizations: Reuters, Republican U.S, REUTERS, Merriam, Webster, Strategy, “, Foley, Republicans, Morningstar, BlackRock, state’s, Representatives, Republican, Missouri Chamber of Commerce, Missouri, Florida Locations: Missouri, Appleton City , Missouri, U.S, Boston, Wyoming, ESG

☆ Analysis: New anti-ESG rule in Missouri offers US Republicans another path away from 'wokeness'
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-10 | by ( Ross Kerber | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Ashcroft acted after Republican lawmakers failed to pass a similar measure during the state's legislative session that ended on May 12, amid infighting over which bills should be prioritized. Concerns over costs, bureaucracy and economic fallout led to bills stalling or passing in weakened form even in so-called red states, where Republicans dominate state government. Several corporate attorneys said other Republican officials may adopt Ashcroft's playbook and act on their own. According to a spokesperson, Ashcroft initiated the rulemaking before the legislative session began, essentially as a backup plan in case lawmakers did not act on the same idea introduced in January. EXTRA ARROWSFinancial executives who so far have avoided the strongest laws worry that the possibility of executive or administrative actions, as in Missouri, gives state officials flexibility to keep up the pressure.

Persons: Shannon Stapleton, Walt Disney, Missouri's, John " Jay, Ashcroft, Ashcroft's, Beth I.Z, Boland, Lardner, Larry Fink, Dan Mehan, Lance Dial, Chuck Gray, West, Ron DeSantis, Ross Kerber, Greg Roumeliotis, Anna Driver, Matthew Lewis Organizations: REUTERS, Walt, Republican U.S, Merriam, Webster, Strategy, Foley, Republicans, Morningstar, BlackRock, Reuters Graphics, Reuters, state's, Representatives, Republican, Missouri Chamber of Commerce, Missouri, Florida, Thomson Locations: Appleton City , Missouri, U.S, Missouri, Boston, BLK.N, Wyoming, ESG

☆ Active funds are powering JPMorgan's ETFs past rivals. Here's why it may continue
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-08 | by ( Jesse Pound | In Jesse-Pound | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Active ETFs have attracted $100 billion of net inflows over the past 12 months, according to a report from State Street. The growth of active ETFs could help other Wall Street firms take on the industry's dominant players. Some smaller JPMorgan active equity funds that have brought in cash this year include JPMorgan Active Value ETF (JAVA) and the JPMorgan Active Growth ETF (JGRO) . Two-thirds of U.S.-centric active funds fell short of their relevant indexes in the first half, according to a report from Morningstar. Active funds did fare better than passive funds in many categories, like small cap growth — perhaps a more fair comparison, given that passive funds do include fees and trading costs — but underperformed significantly in the popular large-cap blend category, according to data from Morningstar Direct.

Persons: that's, JEPI, outperforming, JEPI's Organizations: Securities and Exchange, State, JPMorgan, BlackRock, Street, JPMorgan Asset Management, JPMorgan Nasdaq Equity, Value, Growth, Capital, Morningstar, Morningstar Direct

BlackRock filed for a prospective spot bitcoin ETF on June 15, undeterred by the Securities and Exchange Commission's (SEC) past record of rejecting every such application. Bitcoin's market value has grown to comprise nearly half of the $1.1 trillion overall crypto market, its highest share in over two years, according to data tracker CoinMarketCap.com. Since the BlackRock filing, Invesco and WisdomTree have also reapplied for spot bitcoin ETFs after they had previous applications rejected by the regulator. Bryan Armour, director of passive strategies research for North America at Morningstar, said a spot bitcoin ETF could be a more cost-effective way for investors to trade. "It doesn't appear that most crypto ETF holders are institutional – assets are pretty spread out," he added.

Persons: Satoshi, Exchange Commission's, Satoshi Nakamoto's, Mikkel Morch, hasn't, Andrew Bond, Rick Meckler, Bryan Armour, I'd, David Wells, Medha Singh, Lisa Pauline Mattackal, Pravin Organizations: BlackRock, Securities, Exchange, SEC, Rosenblatt Securities, U.S, Cherry Lane Investments, Reuters Graphics Reuters, North America, Morningstar, MorningStar, TrackInsight, Morgan Asset Management, State, Enclave Markets, Pravin Char, Thomson, Reuters Locations: United States, U.S, New Vernon , New Jersey, J.P, BlackRock, Bengaluru

☆ Fears mount that Europe's commercial real estate sector could be the next to blow
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( Karen Gilchrist | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Investors are questioning the health of the commercial real estate sector following a string of recent banking crises. Mike Kemp | In Pictures | Getty ImagesConcerns are mounting around the health of Europe's commercial real estate market, with some investors questioning whether it could be the next sector to blow following last month's banking crisis. Analysts at Citi now see European real estate stocks falling by 20%-40% between 2023 and 2024 as the impact of higher interest plays out. In a worst-case scenario, the higher-risk commercial real estate sector could plummet 50% by next year, the bank said. Pere Vinolas Serra, chief executive of Spanish real estate company Inmobiliaria Colonial and chairman of the European Public Real Estate Association (EPRA), said the situation in Europe looks paradoxically strong.

A source with knowledge of the matter said that Swiss regulators are encouraging UBS and Credit Suisse to merge, but that both banks do not want to do so. Credit Suisse shares jumped 9% in after-market trading following the FT report. Credit Suisse and UBS declined to comment on the report. "Credit Suisse is a very special case," said Frédérique Carrier, head of investment strategy at RBC Wealth Management. The supervisors were told deposits were stable across the euro zone and exposure to Credit Suisse was immaterial, a source familiar with the meeting's content told Reuters.

Credit Suisse declined to comment on the banks' actions. MARKET TROUBLES LINGERBanking stocks globally have been battered since Silicon Valley Bank collapsed, raising questions about other weaknesses in the wider financial system. A view of the Park Avenue location of the First Republic Bank, in New York City, U.S., March 10, 2023. The supervisors were told deposits were stable across the euro zone and exposure to Credit Suisse was immaterial, a source familiar with the meeting's content told Reuters. "Japan's financial system remains stable as a whole," Kishida told a news briefing.

March 17 (Reuters) - Credit Suisse and First Republic Bank shares came under renewed pressure on Friday despite multibillion-dollar support deals, while a source said European Central Bank supervisors see no contagion for euro zone banks from the turmoil. With investor confidence far from restored, analysts, investors and bankers think the loan facility has only bought Credit Suisse some time to work out what to do next. Meanwhile, U.S. regional bank shares, including PacWest Bancorp (PACW.O), also opened sharply lower, with First Republic down around 25%. But the supervisors were told deposits were stable across the euro zone and exposure to Credit Suisse was immaterial, a source familiar with the meeting's content told Reuters. The ECB pressed forward with a 50 basis-point rate hike, arguing that euro zone banks were in good shape and that if anything, higher rates should bolster their margins.

Credit Suisse saw more than $200 million net outflows from its U.S. and European managed funds after March 13, Morningstar Direct said on Friday. DBRS Morningstar on Thursday became the first global rating agency to cut the bank's credit score, with a downgrade to "BBB", which still qualifies Credit Suisse as investment grade. Credit Suisse shares are down about 26% this week and poised for their biggest week drop since October 2008 and the global financial crisis. U.S. shareholders of Credit Suisse sued the bank on Thursday, claiming it defrauded them by concealing problems with its finances. Credit Suisse declined to comment on the lawsuit.

☆ Credit Suisse managed funds' net outflows top $450 mln -Morningstar
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( Nell Mackenzie | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SummarySummary Companies Net outflows seen March 14,15Data for March 16 yet to compiled -MorningstarLONDON, March 17 (Reuters) - Credit Suisse <CSGN.S> saw more than $450 million in net outflows from its U.S. and European managed funds from March 13 to 15, Morningstar Direct said on Friday, as retail and institutional counterparties pulled money out of funds managed by the embattled Swiss lender. The more than 300 European funds managed by the bank had an estimated net inflow of just over $14 million on March 13. By March 14 that had flipped to net outflows of $205 million, data provider Morningstar said. On March 15 there were net outflows of just over $211 million, it said. More than 20 U.S. funds tracked showed a $22,000 net outflow on March 13 which widened to $20 million the next day and to $29 million on March 15, Morningstar said.

☆ Inflation-Protection Funds Struggle to Perform as Advertised
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-09 | by ( Eric Wallerstein | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

A number of exchange-traded funds market themselves as ports in the current inflationary storm. Not many actually appear to be havens. Fewer than 10% of the more than 100 mutual and exchange-traded funds aiming to protect investors from inflation have notched gains over the past year, Morningstar Direct data show.

☆ How to Invest in the S&P 500
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-12 | by ( ) www.wsj.com time to read: +9 min

The S&P 500 index, short for Standard & Poor’s 500 index, is one of the most widely traded and talked about stock indexes in the world. The Largest S&P 500 Index Funds Ticker Symbols Expense Ratio Fund Size Vanguard S&P 500 Index Fund VOO, VFFSX, VFIAX 0.010%-0.040% $792 billion SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust SPY 0.095% $380 billion Fidelity 500 Index Fund FXAIX 0.015% $374 billion iShares Core S&P 500 ETF IVV 0.030% $307 billion Vanguard Institutional Index Fund VINIX, VIIIX 0.020%-0.035% $238 billion Morningstar DirectS&P 500 mutual funds vs. S&P 500 ETFsAnother thing to consider is whether you want to buy a traditional mutual fund or an exchange-traded fund, which trades like a stock. Equal weight, value or ESG S&P 500 fundsMoreover, if you’re concerned about the heavy weighting of certain sectors in the S&P index you can invest instead in an equal weight S&P 500 index fund or add those shares to your portfolio. Alternatively, you can buy an S&P 500 value fund, which represents stocks that are considered undervalued or an S&P 500 growth fund, which represents the fastest-growing companies in the S&P 500. Another variation on the S&P 500 index theme incorporates ESG (environmental, social and governance) values while maintaining similar overall industry group weights as the S&P 500.

☆ The stock market will soon reach a tipping point in active versus passive investing, ISS says
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Brian Evans | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The stock market is on the cusp of reaching a key tipping point soon in the balance between active and passive investing. According to a report from ISS Market Intelligence, the share of long-term invested US assets held by active funds was 53% in 2022. Investors have withdrawn roughly $258 billion from active mutual funds per year since 2015, according to Morningstar Direct data cited by the Financial Times. By contrast, passive mutual funds added $138 billion on average over the same time period. "ISS and Glass Lewis effectively control the stock market," Musk tweeted late Monday.

It said 80% of its close to $8 trillion in assets are in its index funds, which primarily attract retail investors. Vanguard's biggest competitors, BlackRock Inc (BLK.N) and State Street Corp's (STT.N) asset-management arm, rely more on institutional investors including pension funds and foundations. Many retail investors are also interested in matters like climate change, but prioritize them less in building retirement portfolios, said Rosenbluth and other industry analysts. A FINRA Investor Education Foundation study of retail investors last March found only 9% of respondents held ESG investments. A big factor behind this gap is retail investors' lack of familiarity or knowledge about ESG products, the study found.

☆ Oil funds and a Turkey ETF were 2022 market winners, but Russia and crypto tanked
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-27 | by ( Paul R. La Monica | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

New York CNN —Oil stocks skyrocketed in 2022, so it’s no surprise funds that track the energy sector were Wall Street winners this year. The iShares MSCI Turkey exchange-traded fund had more than doubled as of December 19, according to data from Morningstar Direct. The Turkish economy has slowed recently as unemployment has risen, but the instability has not hurt Turkish stocks. Other US and international oil funds and ETFs were also at the top of Morningstar Direct’s list. (Morningstar Direct provided CNN Business with a ranking of the best and worst mutual funds and ETFs for 2022, excluding so-called leveraged funds that make outsized bets on stock market indexes.)

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