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☆ Is meme trading back? These 4 stocks could benefit from a retail investor boom
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Ganesh Rao | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Whether retail investors profit from their bets on GameStop and AMC Entertainment or not, one group of companies looks set to cash in from the frenzied trading: stock exchanges. So-called meme stocks, which gained popularity through social media platforms like Reddit and Twitter (or X), have attracted retail investors looking to make a quick profit. Through this new innovative offer, we will offer retail investors a true one-stop-shop experience for equity trading," he said in May 2023. "The rise of retail options trading is another secular trend we're excited to build on with more platforms coming online for index options trading later this year, giving retail investors expanded access to our products," Howson said on an earnings call to analysts this month. ICE, which owns the New York Stock Exchange and several other exchanges, offers trading in stocks, bonds, commodities, currencies and derivatives.

Persons: Eric Leupold, Deutsche Boerse, Benjamin Goy, Stéphane Boujna, FactSet, David Howson, Howson, Oppenheimer, Hannah Gooch, Peters, Marco Iachini , Organizations: GameStop, AMC Entertainment, Twitter, Deutsche Borse AG Deutsche Börse, Frankfurt Stock Exchange, Corona, Deutsche Börse, DB1, Deutsche Bank, Global Equity, Cboe, Wall Street, Intercontinental Exchange, Sanlam Investments, ICE, New York Stock Exchange, Vanda Locations: Germany, U.S, Switzerland, Italy, Amsterdam, Brussels, Dublin, Lisbon, Milan, Oslo, Paris, France, Portugal, Europe

☆ Warren Buffett downsized his Apple stake for tax reasons. Here's what it means
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Yun Li | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Warren Buffett surprised many by selling a significant portion of his gigantic Apple stake, and his reason for the sale was even more surprising. Buffett, who trimmed Berkshire Hathaway's Apple holding by 13% in the first quarter after reaping enormous gains, suggested that the sale was for tax reasons. He implied the sale could be a means of avoiding an even higher tax bill down the road if tax rates rise to help plug a ballooning U.S. fiscal deficit. There's no special tax rate for capital gains in a corporation as they become part of the entity's income. Corporate income tax rate The corporate tax rate in the U.S. averaged 32.1% from 1909 to 2024, with a peak of 52.8% in the late 1960s, according to the Internal Revenue Service.

Persons: Warren Buffett, Buffett, There's, Kelly Gillette Organizations: Apple, Treasury Department, U.S, Internal Revenue Service, Armanino LLP, Apple Berkshire, Berkshire Locations: Berkshire, Omaha, Texas

During the pandemic, mortgage rates reached historic lows. HELOC rates have generally remained between 8.16% and 8.59% this year, depending on the term length of the loan. Check out our current HELOC rates page to see the latest rates. To find out the maximum amount you could borrow with a HELOC, multiply your home's current value by your HELOC lender's maximum CLTV. For example, Boyd says that some HELOC lenders can take 50 days or more to close.

Persons: HELOCs, you'll, Adam Boyd, Boyd, You'll Organizations: Bank, Citizens Locations: U.S

☆ Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway reveals insurer Chubb as confidential stock it’s been buying
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Yun Li | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Insurer Ace Limited acquired the original Chubb in 2016 for $29.5 billion in cash and stock, and the combined company adopted the Chubb name. His conglomerate Berkshire Hathaway has bought nearly 26 million shares of Zurich-based Chubb for a stake worth $6.7 billion. Warren Buffett finally revealed his secret stock pick in a new regulatory filing, and it's insurer Chubb . Mystery unveiledBerkshire has been keeping this purchase secret for three quarters straight. Berkshire was granted confidential treatment to keep the details of one or more of its stock holdings confidential.

Persons: Warren Buffett, Chubb, Evan Greenberg, Maurice Greenberg Organizations: Berkshire, Ace, American International, Berkshire Hathaway, Alleghany, Chevron, Verizon Locations: Omaha , Nebraska, Zurich, The Omaha, Berkshire, Markel, Omaha

☆ The stock market has peaked and will trade flat for the rest of 2024, Goldman equity chief says
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Filip De Mott | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Goldman Sachs chief US equity strategist David Kostin says the S&P 500 could trade flat for the rest of the year. He told Bloomberg TV that the index has already reached Goldman's year-end target of 5,200. AdvertisementThe stock market rally has run its course for 2024, as the S&P 500 now stands above Goldman Sachs' year-end prediction, the firm's chief US equity strategist David Kostin said. The S&P 500 surpassed Goldman's year-end target of 5,200 earlier this month. Still, the Goldman stock chief isn't giving up entirely on the possibility of a bullish turnaround.

Persons: Goldman Sachs, David Kostin, —, Kostin, Goldman Organizations: Bloomberg, Service, Bloomberg TV, Goldman, Federal, UBS

See more mortgage rates on Zillow Real Estate on ZillowMortgage Refinance Rates TodayMortgage type Average rate today This information has been provided by Zillow. See more mortgage rates on Zillow Real Estate on ZillowMortgage CalculatorUse our free mortgage calculator to see how today's interest rates will affect your monthly payments. 30-Year Fixed Mortgage RatesThis week's average 30-year fixed mortgage rate was 7.09%, according to Freddie Mac. 15-Year Fixed Mortgage RatesAverage 15-year mortgage rates inched up to 6.38% this week, according to Freddie Mac data. Mortgage rates increased dramatically over the last two years, but they're expected to go down at some point this year.

Persons: Fannie Mae, you'll, Freddie Mac, it's Organizations: Zillow, Federal Reserve Locations: Chevron

☆ Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway made a number of changes in its equity portfolio last quarter
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Yun Li | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Warren Buffett unveiled Chubb as his secret buy and Berkshire Hathaway's equity portfolio had some other changes in the first quarter, according to a new regulatory filing. Firstly, the Omaha-based conglomerate tweaked his energy exposure last quarter, adding to its Occidental Petroleum holding slightly and trimming the Chevron stake. Berkshire has been steadily increasing its Occidental bet since it first took a position in the first quarter of 2022. It was previously disclosed that Buffett trimmed Berkshire's Apple holding by 13% in the first quarter. Other than these changes, Berkshire's top 10 holdings remained unchanged last quarter.

Persons: Warren Buffett, Chubb, Buffett Organizations: Berkshire, Occidental Petroleum, Chevron, Occidental, HP, Paramount Locations: Omaha, Berkshire, Louisiana, Pacific

☆ Royal Mail owner IDS set to agree $4.4 bln Kretinsky takeover bid
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

IDS owns UK's Royal Mail, which is loss making, and international parcels network GLS. Royal Mail was privatised in 2013 in one of Britain's biggest state sell-offs in decades. It is expected the commitment to offer these contractual undertakings to the British government would be reflected in the cooperation agreement between the parties if a firm offer is made, it added. EP Group now has until May 29 to make a formal offer or walk away. EP is a 100% shareholder in VESA Equity investment which owns Kretinsky's IDS stake of nearly 28%.

Persons: Daniel Kretinsky, Keith Williams Organizations: International, Services, IDS, Royal Mail, UK's, Royal, National Security and Investment, Reuters, Equity Locations: Czech, London, Britain, British

☆ Peloton's demise is another in a long line of failed fitness fads
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Emily Stewart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

Peloton isn't going under imminently, but let's be real here: No fitness fad lasts forever. While there was a lot that went wrong, the long and short of it is that Peloton failed to read the room on its pandemic popularity. "It's not that Peloton isn't a good business model; it's that it simply isn't a mass product but more of a niche, luxe one," she said. Investors have soured on the company, and Peloton's once $50 billion market cap has fallen to under $2 billion. It also has to contend with the gym, which has all sorts of classes and fitness equipment that let people mix things up, including, in many cases, Pelotons or other connected-fitness devices.

Persons: I've, Tae, monthslong, Rina Raphael, Simeon Siegel, It's, That's, Siegel, Paul Golding, it's, Golding, there's, Raphael, Natalia Mehlman Petrzela, Emily Stewart Organizations: Private, BMO Capital Markets, Macquarie Capital, Google, YouTube, New School, Facebook, Business Locations: COVID, unsubscribing, Barre, America

☆ Alibaba should respond to competition, UBP says
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | 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 EmailAlibaba should respond to competition, UBP saysVey-Sern Ling, senior equity advisor at UBP, says Alibaba's growth has "faltered" and it should respond to competition from players like Temu and Shein.

Persons: UBP, Sern Ling

☆ Oppenheimer’s Brian Nagel reacts to Home Depot earnings
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-14 | 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 EmailOppenheimer’s Brian Nagel reacts to Home Depot earningsBrian Nagel, Oppenheimer senior equity research analyst, joins 'Squawk Box' to break down Home Depot's quarterly earnings results that beat expectations and revenue that missed estimates.

Persons: Brian Nagel, Oppenheimer

☆ Hedge-fund manager Boaz Weinstein says meme stock rally makes 'mockery' of investing
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-14 | by ( Tanaya Macheel | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The meme stock craze is back , but hedge-fund titan Boaz Weinstein said he wants nothing to do with it. The resurgence of meme mania began late Sunday when " Roaring Kitty ," the man who first ignited the meme stock phenomenon through GameStop in 2021, posted on X for the first time since then. Beyond meme stocks, Weinstein said there's sure to be plenty of volatility in the "foggy" market in the months to come, citing inflation, geopolitics and the upcoming U.S. presidential election. When you put all that together … we're going to have a credit crunch in the next couple of years if things don't change." "Maybe in both cases, there's going to be plenty of volatility, and I'm quite excited for it," he added.

Persons: Boaz Weinstein, Weinstein, CNBC's, there's, … we're, Donald Trump Organizations: Saba Capital Management, GameStop, AMC

☆ AMC completes $250 million stock sale during meme rally, shares jump 100% in premarket
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-14 | by ( Yun Li | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

The movie theater operator sold 72.5 million shares in an at-the-market equity offering that it launched on March 28. AMC sold those shares at an average price of $3.45 per share before commissions and fees, the filing said. AMC shares soared another 100% in premarket trading Tuesday following news of the stock sale. AMC shares opened at $3.52 on Monday, up about 21% from Friday, likely spurring AMC to complete its equity sale at these elevated prices. As Monday's wild trading continued, AMC more than doubled to hit an intraday peak of $5.88.

Organizations: AMC Entertainment, AMC

☆ These 3 ETFs have risen by double-digits every year for the past 5 years
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-14 | by ( Ganesh Rao | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Two U.S.-listed ETFs — the SPDR S & P Metals & Mining ETF and VanEck Steel ETF — and the Japan-listed NEXT NOTES Japan Equity High Beta Select 30 ETF have each risen more than 10% every year since 2019. SPDR S & P Metals & Mining ETF The SPDR S & P Metals & Mining ETF (ticker: XME) gives investors broad exposure to the metals and mining segment. The VanEck fund has outperformed the S & P 500 in four of the past five years. NEXT NOTES Japan Equity High Beta Select 30 The NEXT NOTES Japan Equity High Beta Select 30 ETF (ticker: 2068.T-JP) is a smart beta ETF. High beta stocks react with more volatility than the rest of the market.

Persons: SPDR, It's Organizations: CNBC, P Metals, Mining, VanEck Steel, —, Japan, CNBC Pro, Mining ETF, VanEck, NEXT, Nomura Japan Equity Locations: U.S, Japan

☆ Trump Media has reawakened the meme stock monster as GameStop surges
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-14 | by ( Allison Morrow | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

New York CNN —We in the financial press tend to talk about the meme stock revolution (or craze, or frenzy, or mass delusion) in the past tense. Another meme stock, Trump Media and Technology Group, the Donald Trump-owned media company that controls Truth Social, brought back memories of the 2021 GameStop bonanza. With Trump Media, Trump supporters and other speculative traders pumped up the stock not for its (extraordinarily lousy) fundamentals, but more as a vote of support for the former president’s campaign and even a barometer of his winning chances. We’re not quite as exuberant today as we were then, but we’re still within spitting distance of all-time highs on major stock indices, Sosnick notes. In some ways, the arrival in the spring of Donald Trump’s media company reawakened the meme stock monster.

Persons: CNN Business ’, Wall, Keith Gill, Kitty, DeepF, Steve Sosnick, who’ve, Gill, Donald Trump, Donald Trump’s, DJT, ” Sosnick, Michael Pachter, David, Melvin Capital, Gabe Plotkin’s, ”, Plotkin, “ Organizations: CNN Business, New York CNN, GameStop, Interactive Brokers, Trump Media, Technology Group, AMC, Trump, Wedbush Securities Locations: New York

☆ These are the new meme stocks getting the most buzz on message boards
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-14 | by ( Yun Li | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Meme stocks are back, and the mania is actually spreading far beyond GameStop and AMC Entertainment . The latest frenzy was triggered by a single post on social media site X from "Roaring Kitty," the man who inspired the epic meme stock mania in 2021. Quiver Quantitative , an alternative data analytics firm, looked to find all the meme stocks that are popular among the Reddit traders. A few names associated with the artificial intelligence boom also became popular meme stocks, including voice AI and speech recognition company SoundHound AI , AI IT services firm BigBear.ai and Super Micro Computer , a maker of servers. Other under-the-radar meme names included B. Riley Financial, Spirit Airlines , Tilray Brands and Smart for Life.

Persons: Smart, Riley Organizations: GameStop, AMC Entertainment, Marathon Digital, IT, Micro, Nvidia, Riley, Spirit Airlines, Tilray

☆ Prosecution seeks to land Trump hush money case as Cohen cross-examination looms
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-14 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

“This case is going to turn in large part on the cross-examination of Mr. Cohen. Cohen said that Trump told him: “Women are going to hate me. “This was all about the campaign.” Cohen also testified that Trump said he would not be on the market for long, implying he could get another wife quickly. Throughout his testimony, Cohen said he always kept Trump up to speed with his activities. “Everything required Mr. Trump’s sign-off,” he said, noting the Daniels payment was no exception.

Persons: CNN — “, Michael Cohen, Donald Trump’s, Cohen, Trump, ” Ryan Goodman, CNN’s Erin Burnett, ” Trump, Bernarda Villalona, “, Donald Trump, ”, “ Michael Cohen, David Schoen, ” Schoen, CNN’s Wolf, quagmire, Joe Biden, Judge Juan Merchan, Cohen –, –, Ohio Sen, J.D, Vance, Alabama Sen, Tommy Tuberville, mulls, “ What’s, Stormy Daniels, Susan Hoffinger, Hoffinger, Daniels, Daniels ’, —, ” Cohen, smirked, Trump’s, ’, ‘, reimbursements Cohen, Allen Weisselberg Organizations: CNN, Prosecutors, Republican, NYU Law, Trump, New, New York Times, Judge, Alabama, GOP, Ohio Republican, Trump Organization, White House Locations: New York, Siena, York, Ohio

☆ Top bond fund manager Ford O'Neil of Fidelity reveals his 'secret sauce' to generate outperformance
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-14 | by ( Michelle Fox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

He previously took home the title of Morningstar fixed-income manager of the year in 2016. Generating long-term outperformance The largest among the many funds O'Neil co-manages is the Fidelity Total Bond Fund (FTBFX), which has $35.8 billion in assets and a 5.32% 30-day SEC yield. From December 2004 through the end of March 2024, Fidelity Total Bond Fund's 3.7% annualized gain topped the typical intermediate core-plus bond Morningstar Category fund's 3.3% and the 3.1% of its benchmark, the Bloomberg U.S. The 'secret sauce' The fixed-income team also benefits from teaming up with equity analysts when they talk to corporate executives, public agencies and government issuers. "If you're a buyer of nominal yields, you're finding the market very attractive.

Persons: Fidelity's Ford O'Neil, O'Neil, O'Neil —, Morningstar, Ford …, Dan Culloton, Morningstar's Culloton, FTBFX, it's Organizations: Fidelity, Harvard University, One, CNBC, Harvard, Bond Fund, SEC, Bloomberg U.S, Total Bond, Bond, Federal Reserve, Fed, Treasury Locations: Wharton, U.S

☆ 4 reasons why the S&P 500 has another 5% upside this year, UBS says
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-14 | by ( Filip De Mott | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The ongoing S&P 500 rally could extend to 5,500 this year, UBS said. Tech earnings have remained strong, with ex-Mag 7 tech firm profits revised 7% higher since March. Sign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. AdvertisementWith last month's equity jitters already quashed, the ongoing rebound is the start of an extensive summer rally, UBS said. According to a note published Tuesday, the S&P 500 could reach the firm's upside scenario of 5,500 by this year's end.

Persons: Disinflation, —, Marcelli, That's Organizations: UBS, Tech, Service, Global Wealth Management, Microsoft, Nvidia, Apple

☆ China’s Alibaba stock drops almost 6% after earnings report shows profit tumbled 86%
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-14 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

China’s largest e-commerce group by market share has had a tumultuous year since announcing the biggest shake-up in its 25-year history in March 2023, splitting into six units and refocusing on its core businesses, including domestic e-commerce. Group net income, however was 3.27 billion yuan ($452 million), compared with 23.52 billion yuan a year ago. The group reported revenue of 221.87 billion yuan in the three months ended March 31, compared with a consensus estimate of 219.66 billion yuan, according to LSEG data. The segment delivered with 45% growth, compared with an expected 39% revenue rise, according to LSEG data. It also saw losses nearly double to 4.1 billion yuan ($567 million) from 2.2 billion a year ago as it invested heavily to remain price competitive and shorten delivery times.

Persons: Joe Tsai, ”, “, Jacob Cooke Organizations: Reuters, Consumers, Tmall, Technologies Locations: Hong Kong, New York, China

☆ 14 analysts upgraded this global AI chip stock in the past 2 weeks
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-14 | by ( Weizhen Tan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

There's been so much love for one global chip stock that as many as 14 analysts upgraded it in the past two weeks. Based on a CNBC Pro FactSet screen, 14 analysts upgraded the stock in the past two weeks, and none downgraded it. Those covering the stock say they are optimistic in light of AI demand, among other factors. This "inefficiency" has been estimated to likely create an additional ~10% in equipment demand over time," Kim added. When it comes to AI, Kim also said that each large language model upgrade cycle requires roughly 100 times more in compute capacity upgrades.

Persons: There's, That's Taiwan's, Phelix Lee, Lee, Dan Kim, Kim, FactSet, TSMC Organizations: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Nvidia, CNBC, Morningstar, Saturna Locations: U.S, China, Taiwan

☆ Forget U.S. stocks — UBS says Europe's are a better bet. Here's why
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-14 | by ( Sophie Kiderlin | In | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Michael M. Santiago | Getty ImagesEuropean stocks are now more attractive than their U.S. counterparts, according to Swiss Bank UBS , with factors such as economic data, interest rates and earnings playing a key role. In a note entitled: "A U-Turn: Favouring Europe over US equities," the bank's strategists said European stocks excluding the U.K. now outrank the U.S. on its "regional scorecard." UBS outlined a number of reasons for its "U-turn," especially given U.S. markets tend to outperform European ones. Indicators tracked by the bank — such as purchasing managers' index (PMI) data — suggest an upside risk to European GDP, and a downside risk to U.S. GDP, the bank said. Some of Europe's central banks have already begun easing, and the European Central Bank is expected to do so as soon as June.

Persons: Michael M Organizations: New York Stock Exchange, Santiago, Getty, Swiss Bank UBS, UBS, U.S, European Central Bank Locations: New York City, U.S, Europe, Japan, Swiss

Thirty-year mortgage interest rates have been holding steady after dipping below 7% earlier this month, according to Zillow data. Once the Fed is able to start cutting rates, mortgage rates should also go down. On the other hand, if April's CPI data shows signs of cooling, mortgage rates could inch down a bit further. See more mortgage rates on Zillow Real Estate on ZillowMortgage CalculatorUse our free mortgage calculator to see how today's mortgage rates would impact your monthly payments. Once the Fed cuts rates, mortgage rates should fall even further.

Persons: you'll, Freddie Mac, it's Organizations: Federal Reserve, Zillow Locations: Chevron

☆ A bank ETF could bounce if inflation data is cooler than expected, Bank of America says
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-14 | by ( Jesse Pound | In Jesse-Pound | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The rapid shift in expectations away from multiple rate cuts this year may have created a trading opportunity around Wednesday's inflation data, according to Bank of America. We believe squeeze risks for rate-sensitive laggards on a CPI miss outweigh downside risks on a CPI beat," Kwon wrote. Specifically, there could be an opportunity to bet on the squeeze risk through the SPDR S & P Regional Banking ETF (KRE) , Kwon said. KRE YTD mountain This regional bank ETF is underperforming the broader market year to date. Investors could position for this potential squeeze by just buying the ETF outright, though that does carry the risk of a hot inflation reading pushing regional bank stocks down.

Persons: Ohsung Kwon, Kwon, Russell, CNBC's Michael Bloom Organizations: Bank of America . Equity, Regional Banking, Federal Reserve, Silicon Valley Bank, First Republic, Bank of America Locations: IWM, Silicon

☆ AI boom to keep supply of high-end memory chips tight this year, analysts warn
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-14 | by ( Sheila Chiang | In Sheilachiang | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Photographer: SeongJoon Cho/Bloomberg via Getty ImagesHigh-performance memory chips are likely to remain in tight supply this year, as explosive AI demand drives a shortage for these chips, according to analysts. "We expect the general memory supply to remain tight throughout 2024," Kazunori Ito, director of equity research at Morningstar said in a report last week. The demand for AI chipsets has boosted the high-end memory chip market, hugely benefiting firms such Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix, the top two memory chipmakers in the world. High-performance memory chips play a crucial role in the training of large language models (LLMs) such as OpenAI's ChatGPT, which led AI adoption to skyrocket. HBM's production cycle is longer by 1.5 to 2 months compared with DDR5 memory chip commonly found in personal computers and servers, market intelligence firm TrendForce said in March.

Persons: SeongJoon Cho, Kazunori Ito, Morningstar, William Bailey, TrendForce Organizations: Samsung Electronics Co, Galaxy, Bloomberg, Getty Images, SK Hynix, Micron, Samsung Electronics, Nvidia, Samsung, Nasdaq Locations: Seoul, South Korea

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