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☆ 'Americans just work harder' than Europeans, said the CEO of Norway's $1.6 trillion oil fund
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-25 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The CEO of Norges Bank told the FT that he thinks Americans work much harder than Europeans. AdvertisementEuropeans are less ambitious and don't work as hard as Americans, said Nicolai Tangen, the CEO of Norway's $1.6 trillion oil fund. In Europe, you're dead," Tangen told The Financial Times in an interview published on Wednesday. "I should be careful about talking about work-life balance, but the Americans just work harder." It's true that Americans, on average, work longer hours than their European counterparts, according to data collected from 2019 to 2022 by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

Persons: Nicolai Tangen, —, Tangen, That's, they've Organizations: Norges Bank, Service, Financial Times, Norges, Apple . Norges Bank, Organisation for Economic Co, Development, European Union, OECD Locations: America, Europe, European

☆ This oil refiner could get a boost as summer approaches. Using options to capitalize on the gains
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-08 | by ( Michael Khouw | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

The move higher for energy stocks comes as West Texas Intermediate crude oil approaches the mid-2022 highs of $88.31 per barrel. Theoretically, one can make bullish bets on oil using an ETF, such as the United States Oil Fund (USO) . However, I would caution against using this as an investment vehicle to make a long-term bullish bet on oil. SPR decline As the chart below illustrates, the country's Strategic Petroleum Reserve declined sharply in the lead-up to the 2022 midterm elections – keeping oil prices in check. The total cost of the spread risks just under 4.4% of the current stock price.

Persons: It's, Brent, Biden, Kinder Morgan Organizations: West Texas, United States Oil Fund, USO, country's Strategic Petroleum Reserve, Halliburton, Schlumberger, Valero, Marathon Petroleum, Marathon, MPC Locations: Marathon

☆ The big, month-long rally in commodities is turning these ETFs into winners
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-06 | by ( Jesse Pound | In Jesse-Pound | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Some equity funds closely tied to those commodities, such as those that invest in gold and silver miners, have soared even more. Five of the six biggest gold ETFs have seen outflows this year, totaling almost $3 billion, according to FactSet. GLD 5Y mountain Gold, and the ETFs that track it, are trading at record highs in early 2024. The fund's holdings include gold, silver, platinum and palladium. Meanwhile, Teucrium has several ETFs focused on agricultural commodities that have climbed over the past month as well, including the the Teucrium Soybean Fund (SOYB) , up over 3%.

Persons: Jake Hanley, Hanley, Robert Minter, Minter, Teucrium Organizations: United States Oil Fund, Hershey Locations: East, Europe

STAVANGER (AP) — Norway’s oil fund reported the largest annual return in its history Tuesday, a performance led by U.S. technology companies and Danish pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk, which makes the diabetes-turned-weight loss drug Ozempic. Norway’s Government Pension Fund Global, the world’s largest sovereign wealth fund, said it also benefited in 2023 from market excitement over the rapid adoption of artificial intelligence technology such as ChatGPT. The six largest contributors to the fund’s growth were the U.S technology companies Microsoft, Apple, NVIDIA, Meta, Amazon and Alphabet. Nova Nordisk also makes a higher dose version of the same medication that is sold as a weight loss drug under the brand name Wegovy. Political Cartoons View All 253 ImagesThe Government Pension Fund Global, known commonly as the Oil Fund, invests Norway's profits from oil and gas, and owns around 1.5% of all the companies listed globally.

Persons: Nicolai Tangen, Tesla, Ozempic Organizations: STAVANGER, Novo Nordisk, Fund, Oil, Microsoft, Apple, NVIDIA, Meta, Nova Nordisk, Nordisk, Government Pension Fund, Oil Fund Locations: U.S, Danish, Norway’s, Norway, Denmark

☆ Oil extends losses as economic headwinds weigh on demand outlook
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-22 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Oil prices fell for a second day on Monday as economic headwinds pressured the global oil demand outlook and outweighed geopolitical concerns in the Middle East and an attack on a Russian fuel export terminal over the weekend. Brent crude fell 41 cents, or 0.5%, to $78.15 a barrel by 0105 GMT after settling down 54 cents on Friday. "This morning's subdued re-open speaks volumes about current sentiment in the crude oil market despite ongoing geopolitical tensions in Europe and the Middle East," IG analyst Tony Sycamore said. Russian producer Novatek aid on Sunday it had been forced to suspend some operations at the Baltic Sea terminal because of a fire. In the Middle East, the Gaza war rages on while the U.S. struck another anti-ship missile preparing to launch into the Gulf of Aden by Yemen's Houthi militants on Saturday.

Persons: headwinds, Brent, Tony Sycamore, Yemen's, IG's Sycamore, Baker Hughes, JP Morgan Organizations: West Texas, U.S . Energy Information Administration, International Energy Agency, Organization of, Petroleum, Energy Locations: Red, Ras Behar, Egypt, Europe, Ukrainian, Russian, Gaza, U.S, Aden, Iran, China

☆ What will it cost you to buy a bitcoin ETF? Here are the cheapest and most expensive funds
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-11 | by ( Jesse Pound | In Jesse-Pound | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The Bitwise Bitcoin ETF (BITB) has the lowest expense ratio of all the new bitcoin funds, at 0.20%. Several other funds are close behind, including the Ark 21Shares Bitcoin ETF (ARKB) at 0.21% and the iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT) at 0.25%. Other proposed funds have similar waivers, meaning early adopters of the bitcoin ETFs will have little or zero management cost for a brief time. Bitcoin ETF fee comparison Fund Ticker Fee Bitwise Bitcoin ETF BITB 0.20%* Ark 21Shares Bitcoin ETF ARKB 0.21%* Fidelity Wise Origin Bitcoin Fund FBTC 0.25%* iShares Bitcoin Trust IBIT 0.25%* Valkyrie Bitcoin Fund BRRR 0.25%* VanEck Bitcoin Trust HODL 0.25% Franklin Bitcoin ETF EZBC 0.29% WisdomTree Bitcoin Fund BTCW 0.30%* Invesco Galaxy Bitcoin ETF BTCO 0.39%* Hashdex Bitcoin ETF DEFI 0.94% Grayscale Bitcoin Trust GBTC 1.5%Source: SEC filings; * indicates temporary waiver for part or all of the management feeThe fees for bitcoin funds are higher than many broad stock index funds, with the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY) charging less than 0.10%. For example, Ark-21Shares, Valkyrie, Invesco-Galaxy and others had shown higher fees initially but lowered them in subsequent filings.

Persons: Jonathan Raa, Bitwise, Bryan Armour Organizations: Nurphoto, Franklin, SEC, Trust, United States Oil Fund, Fund, North America, Morningstar

☆ Zero-day commodity options have now entered the ETF space
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( Natalie Zhang | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Investors can now trade commodities and a Treasury with a popular short-term options strategy. The Nasdaq recently launched five zero-day options-based exchange-traded funds: United States Oil Fund (USO) , United States Natural Gas Fund (UNG) , SPDR Gold Shares (GLD) , iShares Silver Trust (SLV) and iShares 20+ year Treasury Bond ETF (TLT) . It has taken the options market by storm. The surge in activity surrounding zero-day options has some analysts worried about a negative impact on the market. "I don't think the tools themselves are inherently breaking the market," Nadig said.

Persons: Dave Nadig, CNBC's, Nadig, it's Organizations: Treasury, Nasdaq, United States Oil Fund, United States Natural Gas Fund, Bond ETF Locations: United

☆ Investors were betting big on crypto and some commodities with options during slow Thanksgiving week
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-27 | by ( Michael Khouw | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

The 2.7 million individual trades were far lower than the 5.2 million trades from the Friday a week prior. In fact, the options market itself is saying there is only a 10% chance these calls expire in the money. Call spread risk reversal: Bought MSTR Dec. $600 call $15.40 Sold MSTR Dec. $650 call $8.85 Sold MSTR Dec. $430 put $7.20 Net credit = 65 cents When one sells a downside put one is taking the risk of purchasing the underlying at the strike of the put that is sold. The options flow in these ETFs suggests traders are betting on lower oil and gas prices. Several big names will be reporting earnings, here is a table of those that have weekly options, their earnings-related implied moves, and our options sentiment score.

Persons: Crypto, MARA, outpacing, ProShares UltraShort Organizations: Coinbase Global Inc, Marathon Digital Holdings, Microstrategy Inc, Bollinger Bands, Bloomberg, Oil, ProShares, Gas, ProShares UltraShort Bloomberg, United States Oil Fund, Hecla Mining Co, Royal, Inc, Intuit, Marvell Technology Locations: United States, Opec, Hecla, Kroger

☆ Goldman thinks oil is headed higher again and recommends an options trade to profit from the rebound
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( Spencer Kimball | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

The recent pullback in crude has made call options on U.S. oil an attractive hedge against continued geopolitical and inflation risks that could push prices higher, according to Goldman Sachs. The investment bank recommends buying a $71 United States Oil ETF call for April 2024 to profit from a jump in prices. Investors would see an estimated return of 90% if WTI hits $88 a barrel by April, according to Goldman. The implied volatility in oil prices rose significantly in October due to the Israel-Hamas war, but option prices have since fallen and are now below the 1-year average. For equity investors, call options on S & P Oil & Gas , Energy Select Sector SPDR , Occidental and ConocoPhillips are the most attractive ahead of the OPEC meeting, according to Goldman.

Persons: Goldman Sachs, Goldman, Arun Prakash Organizations: West Texas, United States Oil, . Oil Fund ETF, P Oil & Gas, Energy, ConocoPhillips Locations: Israel, Occidental

☆ Top money managers are warning of pain ahead for the US economy. Here are 6 areas where they're investing right now to prepare.
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-29 | by ( William Edwards | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

"There is a subset that simply cannot do that," she said of paying down credit card debt going forward as rates rise. "In those tails and subsets I think you're going to have really unusual delinquencies, and just horrible recovery rates." You're going to see defaults increase." Delaney also emphasized being defensive, and said he likes corporate bonds, but those with floating rates, meaning they move with the market rate. The iShares 10-20 Year Treasury Bond ETF (TLH) is one way to gain exposure to long-term government bonds.

Persons: Dawn Fitzpatrick, Katie Koch, haven't, it's, Mark Delaney, Suni Harford, I'd, Brad Gerstner, Jerome Powell, Volcker, Koch, —, We're, Rick Rieder, he's, Delaney, Fitzpatrick Organizations: CNBC's, Alpha, Federal Reserve, Soros Fund Management, TCW, UBS, Management, BlackRock, JPMorgan, Corporate, Treasury Bond ETF, Vanguard Energy, DB Oil Fund Locations: Europe, Saudi Arabia

The US and Iran swapped prisoners after two years of high-stakes negotiations. The deal included the US unfreezing $6 billion in Iranian oil funds and dismissing federal charges against five Iranians.

Organizations: US Locations: Iran

☆ Don't look now, but oil has formed a 'golden cross' chart pattern
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-05 | by ( Jesse Pound | In Jesse-Pound | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

A golden cross is when the 50-day moving average breaks above the 200-day moving average. Some chart analysts think the 200-day moving average needs to be ascending for it to count as a "golden cross." "On August 24th a golden cross occurred. One way for investors to gain exposure to the move in oil prices is through exchange-traded funds that buy oil futures contracts, such as the United States Oil Fund (USO) . There are also leveraged funds such as the Ultra Bloomberg Crude Oil ETF (UCO) that are riskier bets but could generate big returns if the oil market rally does continue.

Persons: Paul Ciana, Ciana, Chris Verrone, Verrone, — CNBC's Michael Bloom Organizations: Bank of America, Texas, Energy, Saudi Press Agency, United States Oil Fund, Ultra Bloomberg, Oil Locations: Saudi Arabia

☆ High-yield oil funds and more: CNBC's 'Halftime Report' traders answer your questions
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( Christina Falso | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

On Thursday's "Ask Halftime," traders answered questions from CNBC Pro subscribers about which sectors and exchange-traded funds to buy, hold or sell. Jenny Harrington of Gilman Hill Asset Management explained why there is too much risk associated with investing in a high-yield oil fund right now. Cerity Partners' Jim Lebenthal broke down why he is underweight on the technology sector and doesn't think it will outperform going forward. Instead, Lebenthal is looking at more cyclical sectors such as financials , industrials , materials and energy .

Persons: Jenny Harrington, Jim Lebenthal Organizations: CNBC Pro, Management, Cerity Partners

JPMorgan's chief global markets strategist, Marko Kolanovic, advises investors to play commodities against recession risks. Kolanovic named natural gas as his top pick within the commodities sector. Investors can look to the United States Natural Gas Fund LP (UNG) to gain exposure to the commodity; it's down about 48% year to date. The strategist forecasts U.S. natural gas prices to undergo a 25% rally in the next few months on expectations of a supply growth reversal. Backwardation is what happens when the spot price is higher than the price of the approaching futures' contracts.

Persons: Marko Kolanovic, Kolanovic, — CNBC's Michael Bloom Organizations: United States Natural Gas Fund, DB Agriculture Fund, Brent Oil Fund Locations: U.S

☆ Inside JPMorgan's handling of Jeffrey Epstein
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( Dan Defrancesco | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

This is the last week of 10 Things on Wall Street. But there remains a very large blight on JPMorgan's record that has come back into the spotlight this year: Jeffrey Epstein. Insider's Kaja Whitehouse and Emmalyse Brownstein have a breakdown of JPMorgan's long, drawn-out breakup with Epstein. Read more on JPMorgan's handling of Jeffrey Epstein. The Treasury secretary isn't particularly worried about the potential for more bank mergers this year, per The Wall Street Journal.

Persons: Dan DeFrancesco, I've, I'm, we've, Goldman Sachs, Jeffrey Epstein, Rick Friedman, hasn't, Kaja Whitehouse, Emmalyse, Epstein, Kaja, Read, Janet Yellen, isn't, Moody's, Francis Bacon, We've, Jeffrey Cane, Jack Sommers Organizations: Getty, JPMorgan, Dow, Norges Bank Investment Management, CNBC, Goldman, Street, Financial Times, Sequoia Capital, FDIC, Bloomberg, Dassault Falcon, LinkedIn Locations: NYC, Cambridge, Republic, dealmaking ., New York, London

☆ How one of the biggest investors in the world uses AI to move slower, trade less, and make more money
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-23 | by ( Matt Turner | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A top portfolio manager there just revealed how it's using AI to generate superior returns. The fund is using AI to move more slowly and trade less, rather than the reverse. Wall Street firms are racing to use AI, hoping the technology can help it move quicker, save costs, and gain an edge. On the other side of the Atlantic, the investment giant Norges Bank Investment Management is using AI to slow down. But Strand's team is able to use the AI tool to decide on the timing of each buy, prioritizing buying the stocks in green, and buying the stocks in red a little bit later.

Persons: Jon Egil Strand, we're, NBIM Organizations: Norges Bank Investment Management, Wall, Equity Locations: Norwegian

☆ World's biggest investment fund says firms mismanaging climate risk could face exclusion from next year
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( Sam Meredith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesNorway's $1.4 trillion sovereign wealth fund says it is prepared to start dropping companies for mismanaging climate risk starting next year, adding to the decarbonization pressure that activist shareholders are already piling on firms. It comes shortly after the world's the biggest investment fund said it would vote for shareholder proposals at Chevron and Exxon Mobil's respective annual meetings on Wednesday. Norway's oil fund had refused to back similar shareholder proposals tabled in recent weeks at European oil majors, such as BP and TotalEnergies. Palpable frustrationNorway's oil fund has invested in more than 9,000 companies in 70 countries around the world and acknowledges that "companies care how we vote at AGMs." Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images

Persons: Carine Smith Ihenacho, Carine Smith, Ihenacho Organizations: Bloomberg, Getty, Chevron, Exxon Mobil's, Norges Bank Investment Management, CNBC, Protesters, Salle Locations: U.S, Paris

☆ OPEC has clearly signaled price support, says U.S. Commodity Fund's John Love
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailOPEC has clearly signaled price support, says U.S. Commodity Fund's John LoveJohn Love, president and CEO of United States Commodity Fund, joins 'Halftime Report' to discuss trading oil funds, swings in commodity prices, and changes in natural gas supply and demand.

☆ State leaders targeting climate investing have quiet stakes in the fossil fuel industry
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( Brian Schwartz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +12 min

Fitzpatrick is among a group of powerful Republican state leaders who have waged similar fights against environmentally conscious investing as they held personal investments in, or saw political support from, the fossil fuel industry. Some of the state officials have received campaign donations from fossil fuel companies or their executives. "He has never 'had private briefings tied back to the fossil fuel industry' nor does he personally direct or execute trades himself. Hegar co-signed an open letter in 2021 with other state financial officers that was addressed to the U.S. banking industry and defended the fossil fuel industry. He also co-signed the 2022 letter to Biden from a slate of other state financial officers defending the fossil fuel industry.

Companies Bp Plc FollowOSLO, April 22 (Reuters) - Norway's $1.4 trillion sovereign wealth fund, one of the world's largest investors, said on Saturday it will vote against a resolution calling on British oil major BP (BP.L) to adopt tougher greenhouse gas targets. The Norwegian fund, itself built on oil and gas revenue, owned 2.73% of BP's shares worth some $2.8 billion at the end of 2022. BP's board has recommended that shareholders vote against the resolution saying it was "unclear" what it wanted the company to do. Investor advisers ISS and Glass Lewis also recommended BP shareholders oppose the resolution, while Britain's Local Authority Pension Fund Forum (LAPFF) asked investors to back it. In February BP rowed back on plans to slash its 2019 oil and gas output levels by 40% by 2030, and now it envisages a 25% cut, angering climate activists.

☆ Premarket stocks: Is Big Oil running out of gas?
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( Nicole Goodkind | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

New York CNN —Oil and gas stocks have been on a two-year tear, ripping ahead as natural gas prices surged due to supply chain kinks, a strong economy, and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. What’s happening: Brutally high oil and gas prices were the talk of the town last year and one of the largest contributing factors to sky-high inflation. That’s bad news for automobile drivers, but ended up being great for the energy industry as oil prices and energy stocks are closely interlinked. Blackstone is feeling the commercial real estate slumpThe ongoing commercial real estate slowdown has a new victim: Blackstone. Profits from the sale of commercial real estate assets fell 54% to $4.4 billion, down from $9.5 billion last year.

☆ Premarket stocks: What the OPEC cuts mean for Putin and Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( Nicole Goodkind | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

OPEC+ was formed in 2016 to coordinate and regulate oil production and stabilize global oil prices. What it means for Putin: OPEC+’s decision to cut oil production could have big implications for Russia. After Russia invaded Ukraine last year, the United States and United Kingdom immediately stopped purchasing oil from the country. Higher-priced oil could help Russia pay for its war on Ukraine and also boosts revenue in Saudi Arabia. Current regulations, Dimon argued, could actually lull banks into complacency without actually addressing real system-wide banking issues.

☆ Buying the dip on energy stocks? Wall Street pros name their top picks
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( Zavier Ong | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Energy was the second-best-performing sector of the S & P 500 last week, as investors flocked back into the stocks amid a recent dip in oil prices. Thummel also likes two energy infrastructure stocks — Cheniere Energy and Energy Transfer . He likes Viper Energy Partners , which owns a royalty portfolio of oilfield assets. "Viper Energy has one of the largest backlogs of tier-one locations in the [Permian] basin. Viper Energy is thus able to leverage improving energy prices while having "strong" downside support, according to Davolos.

☆ Oil markets steady as investors weigh banking crisis, Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Oil markets are closely watching the sentiment in financial market, while oil fundamentals remain sidelined, said Vandana Hari, founder of oil market analysis provider Vanda Insights. A stronger dollar makes dollar-denominated commodities more expensive for holders of other currencies and tends to weigh on demand for oil. Despite lowering output, Russia is expected to maintain crude oil exports by cutting refinery output in April, data from industry sources and Reuters calculations showed on Friday. Exports of Russian oil products have to date been more affected than crude exports by a recent European Union embargo, with tonnes of diesel stuck on ships awaiting buyers. Analysts said Russian crude inventories have been rising since September last year, and the country would likely want to avoid further stockbuilds during refinery maintenance season from March to June.

☆ Iran says deal reached with US for prisoner swap
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-12 | by ( Parisa Hafezi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Some Iranian media reported last week that Iran had reached a prisoner swap deal in exchange for the release of $7 billion in frozen Iranian oil funds under U.S. sanctions in South Korea. In 2018, then-U.S. president Donald Trump ditched a 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and six powers and reimposed sanctions that have crippled the Islamic Republic's economy. The deal imposed restrictions on Iran's nuclear activities in exchange for lifting international sanctions. In reaction to Washington's sanctions, Tehran has gradually violated curbs of the pact on its nuclear programme. The deal imposed restrictions on Iran's nuclear activities in exchange for lifting international sanctions.

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