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☆ One of the minds behind a $7.6 billion ETF details the 5-part approach the fund uses to select companies with competitive advantages — and recommends 10 stocks that fit the bill right now
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( James Faris | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The VanEck Morningstar Wide Moat ETF has enjoyed strong gains with this strategy. Much like the stocks it targets, the VanEck Morningstar Wide Moat ETF (MOAT) doesn't have much competition. A focus on companies with economic moats, combined with low competition, has helped the MOAT ETF grow to $7.6 billion in assets since its inception in April 2012. It uses fundamental, bottom-up research from the team that compiles Morningstar's Wide Moat Focus Index to target high-quality companies that are set to outperform. "It doesn't stop at just finding a company that has established a competitive advantage," Rakszawski told Insider.

☆ Trump faces more legal threats beyond a hush money case. Here's the status of those probes
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Kevin Breuninger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +10 min

Cohen has since become a vocal critic of his former boss and testified before the grand jury hearing evidence in Bragg's probe. The grand jury was impaneled in January 2022 to hear evidence in Fulton County DA Willis' probe. Portions of that final report, which were released in February, show the grand jury determined that at least one witness may have lied under oath. New York civil caseTrump is also embroiled in a state-level civil fraud case filed by James, the New York attorney general. (L-R) Eric Trump, Donald Trump Jr., and Ivanka Trump and Donald Trump attend the ground breaking of the Trump International Hotel at the Old Post Office Building in Washington July 23, 2014.

Italy's bond, which marks its third green bond and matures on 30 October 2031, was priced to yield 4.056%. Elsewhere, Cyprus raised 1 billion euros from its first sustainable bond, the country's debt office said, becoming the latest European government to enter the market. Sustainable bonds are a broader form ESG debt, proceeds from which can be spent on both green and social projects. Cyprus follows a number of smaller countries including Slovenia and Luxembourg opting for sustainable bonds as they often struggle to find enough projects to back standalone green bonds. Leonidou said Cyprus expects to sell sustainable bonds every two or three years going forward.

Former President Donald Trump was charged with 34 felony violations of falsifying records to hide hush-money paid to suppress potentially damaging sexual allegations during his 2016 campaign for the White House. During a brief court appearance Tuesday, Mr. Trump pleaded not guilty to the charges, which were brought by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg .

☆ Morgan Stanley says this payments stock could struggle without Block deal finalized
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | by ( Alex Harring | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Marqeta will have a difficult year ahead without an ironed out renewal agreement with Block , according to Morgan Stanley. Analyst James Faucette downgraded the payment services stock to equal weight from overweight and cut his price target to $4.50 from $8. Faucette's new target implies the stock will shed 1.5% over the next year after previously being expected to jump 75.1%. Faucette said the company has yet to finalize a deal renewal with Block. Though a renewal seems likely, Faucette said it's hard to predict the details given the fact that Block should have power to bargain aggressively.

☆ NBA roundup: Knicks get by Wizards, clinch playoff berth
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +10 min

[1/4] Apr 2, 2023; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks guard Quentin Grimes (6) dribbles against Washington Wizards forward Corey Kispert (24) during the second half at Madison Square Garden. New York led by no fewer than eight and by as many as 20 the rest of the way. Atlanta got 25 points from Dejounte Murray, 18 points and 10 rebounds from John Collins and 14 points and 11 boards from Clint Capela. Dallas also got 22 points, seven rebounds and seven assists from Doncic and 18 points from Wood. The Rockets' starting backcourt of Kevin Porter Jr. and Jalen Green combined for 44 points with Green adding seven assists.

☆ Trump’s Legal Odd Couple Marries Swagger and Strategy
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-02 | by ( Corinne Ramey | James Fanelli | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Donald Trump has said that he can’t get a fair trial in Manhattan and accused the presiding judge of being biased against him. The two defense lawyers representing Donald Trump in the first-ever prosecution of a former president are an unlikely pair—divergent personalities who bring a mix of swagger and subtlety to a case with steep legal and political implications. Joe Tacopina wears expensive suits, speaks fluent Italian and is equally comfortable defending high-profile clients in front of a jury or on the television-news circuit. Susan Necheles prefers to operate under the radar, a meticulously prepared advocate who isn’t afraid to rein in a client or tear up a plea agreement at the last minute if a defendant she represents is unhappy.

☆ 'Cracks in the foundation': 3 leading Wall Street strategists reveal the overlooked reason why stocks are on shaky ground right now — and how to invest with a downturn looming
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-02 | by ( James Faris | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Instead, they've been propelled by large caps and growth stocks, specifically tech. If not for a small number of mega-cap growth stocks, the S&P 500 wouldn't be staying afloat. Last year investors learned the hard way that narrow markets are dangerous, as tech stocks tumbled during the market selloff. "Breadth has been exceptionally weak as large-cap growth stocks hold up the major averages," Wilson wrote in a late March note. Outside of tech, Lebovitz highlighted traditional defensive sectors like consumer staples and utilities.

☆ Far-Right Twitter Influencer Found Guilty of Spreading Misinformation to Voters
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( James Fanelli | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

Douglass Mackey was convicted Friday after federal prosecutors in Brooklyn, N.Y., said he plotted with others on Twitter to trick supporters of Hillary Clinton ahead of the 2016 presidential election. A far-right Twitter influencer was found guilty in a New York federal court Friday of spreading misinformation to Hillary Clinton supporters ahead of the 2016 presidential election, in a case involving a rare federal charge and a legal test of free speech on social media. A jury in Brooklyn convicted Douglass Mackey of a single criminal count after prosecutors said he plotted with other Twitter users to create memes intended to trick supporters of Mrs. Clinton into thinking they could cast a ballot by texting a phone number or posting a hashtag on social media. Federal prosecutors said Mr. Mackey supported Donald Trump in the 2016 race and hoped to reduce voter turnout for Mrs. Clinton by creating and sharing the memes.

☆ Goldman Sachs: Buy these 32 quality stocks that are priced right and set for strong growth in this uncertain economy
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( James Faris | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Growth stocks have excelled so far in 2023 as inflation and interest rate expectations decline. Goldman Sachs shared 32 high-quality growth stocks that have attractive valuations. Goldman SachsLower bond yields have pushed investors seeking returns back towards growth stocks, which has been a key reason for their strong outperformance year-to-date, according to Goldman Sachs. Stick to high-quality growth in this backdropHowever, the rising tide isn't lifting all growth stocks equally. Goldman Sachs"We recommend investors own high-margin growth stocks and avoid low-margin growth stocks, given the current resilient economic growth pricing within equity markets but pessimistic pricing in rates markets," Hammond wrote.

☆ FTX Founder Sam Bankman-Fried Pleads Not Guilty to Latest Federal Charges
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( James Fanelli | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried pleaded not guilty Thursday to new federal charges tied to the collapse of the crypto exchange while his lawyer said he plans to challenge the new criminal counts, arguing they violate the terms of the former chief executive’s extradition. Mr. Bankman-Fried appeared in a New York federal court to be arraigned on five charges that federal prosecutors unveiled in recent indictments, including one this week that alleged he conspired to bribe Chinese government officials in violation of a U.S. anticorruption law. His lawyer Mark Cohen entered the not guilty plea for Mr. Bankman-Fried during the proceeding.

☆ U.S., South Korea Vie Over Extradition of Crypto Fugitive Do Kwon
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( James Fanelli | Jiyoung Sohn | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Police officers escorting Do Kwon, the creator of the failed TerraUSD stablecoin, in Montenegro’s capital Podgorica on Friday. The U.S. and South Korea are both seeking to extradite captured crypto entrepreneur Do Kwon from Montenegro, authorities in the tiny European nation said this week, setting up competing bids to prosecute him over criminal charges tied to the collapse of his TerraUSD stablecoin. Legal experts said South Korea may hold the upper hand because it is party to an extradition treaty with Montenegro, but diplomacy and previous instances of the Balkan state turning over fugitives to the U.S. could also factor into where Mr. Kwon ends up.

☆ Trump Indictment Places Manhattan D.A. Alvin Bragg in Spotlight
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( Corinne Ramey | James Fanelli | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg ’s pursuit of criminal charges against former President Donald Trump could provide a case for the history books while also testing one of New York City’s top prosecutors, a newcomer to political office who built his career in state and federal law enforcement. Mr. Bragg, 49 years old, took office in January of last year, becoming the first Black district attorney in Manhattan after winning the nomination in a crowded Democratic field and then triumphing in his first run for public office. He campaigned by touting his lengthy record in law enforcement, which includes stints with the U.S. attorney’s office for the Southern District of New York and the New York attorney general, as well as sharing his personal experiences living with crime and aggressive policing while growing up in Harlem during the 1980s crack epidemic.

☆ A Manhattan Grand Jury Has Indicted Donald Trump. What Happens Now?
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( Corinne Ramey | James Fanelli | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

A Manhattan grand jury on Thursday voted to indict Donald Trump for his role in paying hush-money to a porn star on the eve of the 2016 election. Mr. Trump has denied wrongdoing and has said the probe by the office of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg , a Democrat, is politically motivated.

☆ Homebuyers looking for a bargain should consider these 20 cities where houses are actually cheaper than condos
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( James Faris | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

However, there are 20 US cities where homes are less expensive than condominiums. Here are the markets where homes are relatively cheap compared to condos. Homebuyers seem to be overlooking this unusual discrepancy — those 20 cities are either seeing declines or very slight increases in population size, according to census data cited in the report. Besides cost savings, single-family homes in those 20 cities offer more size and distance from neighbors than condos, the report noted. 20 cities where homes are cheaper than condosBelow are the 20 cities where houses sell for less than condominiums, along with the median prices for homes and condos, as well as the price and percent differences between the two.

☆ FTX Founder Sam Bankman-Fried Faces New Criminal Charge
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( James Fanelli | Corinne Ramey | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Federal prosecutors on Tuesday unveiled a new indictment that charged FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried with violating a law that prohibits bribing foreign officials. The indictment, the third Mr. Bankman-Fried has faced, alleges that in 2021 he authorized bribing one or more Chinese government officials with at least $40 million in cryptocurrency to regain access to accounts that the country’s law enforcement had frozen. The accounts held more than $1 billion in cryptocurrency and were tied to his crypto-investment firm Alameda Research, according to the indictment.

☆ FTX Founder Sam Bankman-Fried Charged With Bribing Chinese Officials
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( James Fanelli | Corinne Ramey | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Prosecutors accused FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried of conspiring to bribe Chinese government officials to regain access to more than $1 billion in frozen cryptocurrency, in a new indictment that charged him with violating U.S. anticorruption law. The indictment, unsealed Tuesday, is the third Mr. Bankman-Fried has faced since the collapse of the crypto exchange. It alleges that in 2021 he authorized bribing one or more Chinese government officials with at least $40 million in cryptocurrency to regain access to accounts that the country’s law enforcement had frozen as part of a continuing investigation into a party that traded with his crypto-investment firm, Alameda Research.

☆ Morgan Stanley: Buy these 32 stocks to prepare for an unexpected earnings drop and more market volatility
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( James Faris | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Buy these 32 stocks to get defensive and protect your portfolio, Morgan Stanley says. Although US stocks have held up admirably during the market turmoil of the last few weeks, Morgan Stanley remains more cautious than optimistic. Consensus estimates for Q1 have already fallen by 6% this quarter, but Morgan Stanley sees even more downside ahead. Other than earnings, Morgan Stanley is concerned that bond market volatility will affect stocks. 32 defensive stocks to buy nowWith weaker earnings and more market volatility ahead, Morgan Stanley recommends buying large, stable stocks in three defensive sectors: consumer staples, healthcare, and utilities.

☆ Younger consumers are driving investor interest in Block, says Morgan Stanley's James Faucette
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | 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 EmailYounger consumers are driving investor interest in Block, says Morgan Stanley's James FaucetteJames Faucette, research analyst at Morgan Stanley, joins 'The Exchange' to discuss the durability of revenue streams in payment names, the emerging crypto payment stock to watch, and opportunities for digital wallet investments.

☆ Envestnet names three new directors, ends board fight with Impactive Capital
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( Svea Herbst-Bayliss | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Longtime banking executive Barbara Turner, veteran board member Wendy Lane and Lauren Taylor Wolfe, the co-founder of Impactive Capital, joined the board in the last days. Envestnet, which provides technology and automation software for financial advisors and banks, also said it will suggest that all of its directors stand for election every year. "These appointments were informed by Envestnet's ongoing dialogue with shareholders as we continue to execute on our strategic plan to deliver enhanced value to shareholders," James Fox, Envestnet board chairman, said in a statement. Impactive, founded by veteran investors Taylor Wolfe and Christian Asmar, owns a 7.5% stake in Envestnet and in January nominated four director candidates to the board. Impactive blamed poor profit margins and capital allocation for Envestnet's underperformance and said its management and board directors were overpaid.

☆ Trump Probe Places Manhattan D.A. Alvin Bragg in Spotlight
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( Corinne Ramey | James Fanelli | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg ’s pursuit of potential criminal charges against former President Donald Trump could provide a case for the history books while also testing one of New York City’s top prosecutors, a newcomer to political office who built his career in state and federal law enforcement. Mr. Bragg, 49 years old, took office in January of last year, becoming the first Black district attorney in Manhattan after winning the nomination in a crowded Democratic field and then triumphing in his first run for public office. He campaigned by touting his lengthy record in law enforcement, which includes stints with the U.S. attorney’s office for the Southern District of New York and the New York attorney general, as well as sharing his personal experiences living with crime and aggressive policing while growing up in Harlem during the 1980s crack epidemic.

☆ A top-performing fund manager shares her strategy for finding undervalued stocks hiding in plain sight — and details her 7 best investments to make right now
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-24 | by ( James Faris | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A top-performing mid-cap fund manager shared the strategy that's brought her sustained success. For over 22 years, Kimberly Scott has run the Delaware Ivy Mid Cap Growth Fund (WMGAX). Scott's mid-cap fund, which now has $5.6 billion in assets, has topped 92% of its peers over the past 15 years and ranks in the top 12% of its category so far this year, according to Morningstar. In response, the veteran fund manager is keeping up with what's going on in the economy but is mostly focused on sticking to her tried-and-true strategy for picking mid-caps. 7 top stocks to buyAfter explaining her investing method, Scott made the case for seven of the top stocks in her mid-cap mutual fund.

☆ Buy these 6 stocks to bet on the AI boom and future-proof your portfolio, according to a senior analyst
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( James Faris | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

"I don't think there's any denying that AI is going to be the future," Jankowski said. 6 AI stocks to buyJankowski answered his own question by sharing six AI-focused stocks he's bullish on. "I don't think people realize or fully appreciate the sheer amount of computing capability it requires to run these programs and run AI," Jankowski said. Lastly, chipmakers whose silicon powers data centers will be among the biggest beneficiaries of the AI boom, Jankowski said. "We're looking at semiconductor companies — companies that focus on data centers," Jankowski said.

☆ UBS details how consumer spending is under pressure as inflation remains a threat — and reveals 4 top retailers worth investing in
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( James Faris | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Consumer spending hasn't collapsed due to high inflation, though pressure is building. The resilience of consumer spending might be the biggest surprise in markets in the past year. To that point, $44 billion AutoZone (AZO) indicated it hasn't seen consumer behavior change and has maintained its margins by passing on costs. 4 retail stocks to buy nowIf there's a consensus among the companies that attended UBS' conference, it's that although consumer spending has held up for now, pressure from inflation is steadily mounting. Those are listed below, along with each company's ticker and market capitalization, as well as selected insights their management teams provided at UBS' retail conference.

☆ How the Potential Arrest of Donald Trump Could Unfold
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-21 | by ( Corinne Ramey | James Fanelli | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

If Donald Trump were to be charged, his lawyers could negotiate a time for him to report to the Manhattan district attorney’s office, where security has been enhanced. The Manhattan grand jury hearing evidence about Donald Trump’s role in a payment to a porn star appears to be wrapping up its work, indicating that prosecutors could soon ask jurors to vote on an indictment of the former president. The grand jury didn’t meet Tuesday, but is set to meet again Wednesday. Mr. Trump, who has denied wrongdoing, has said the probe by the office of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg , a Democrat, is politically motivated.

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