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☆ Vivek Ramaswamy's 'anti-woke' investment firm now manages assets worth more than $1 billion
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( Joseph Wilkins | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy is the cofounder of an "anti-woke" ETF firm. The company was set up last year and now manages assets worth more than $1 billion. Ramaswamy's firm is a riposte to the ESG-centric policies of some big investment firms. Last month he said the "big three" investment firms – BlackRock, State Street, and Vanguard – represented "arguably the most powerful cartel in human history." Ramaswamy is vying with Florida governor Ron DeSantis for second place in opinion polls, but both lag some distance behind former President Donald Trump in the race for the Republican presidential nomination.

Persons: Vivek Ramaswamy, Ramaswamy, Eric Balchunas, Anson Frericks, It's, Vanguard –, Ron DeSantis, Donald Trump Organizations: Service, GOP, Bloomberg Intelligence, US Energy ETF, Energy ETF, Bloomberg, – BlackRock, Vanguard, Republican Locations: Wall, Silicon, BlackRock, ESG, Florida

☆ A 40% rout in Apple bonds is signaling trouble for bank balance sheets with big debt holdings, markets guru Larry McDonald says
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-24 | by ( Zahra Tayeb | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A 40% plunge in Apple's bonds highlights the risks facing banks' debt portfolios, according to Larry McDonald. The markets guru highlighted risks tied to mortgage-backed securities, which are on track for a third annual decline. McDonald seemed to suggest that if the bonds of top-rated companies such as Apple could take such a knock from rising interest rates, declines in the broader debt market could be sizable. MBS securities are closely related to mortgage rates. The US average 30-year mortgage rate surged to a 23-year high of almost 7.5% this month, indicating the scale of price displacement in the mortgage debt market.

Persons: Larry McDonald, Bonds, McDonald Organizations: Service, Fed, Silicon Valley, Apple, MBS, BlackRock's, Atlanta Locations: Wall, Silicon

☆ Bounce in European property stocks: false start or turning point?
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-24 | by ( Danilo Masoni | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

MILAN, Aug 24 (Reuters) - It's hard to be bullish about real estate in an environment of sharply higher interest rates. Two years of steep falls have made European property a short-seller favourite as sector valuations and investor positioning plunged to levels last seen during the 2008 global financial crisis. A gauge of European real estate shares (.SX86P) has halved in value to about $131 billion since 2021, but the mood shifted in July as earnings expectations improved. "Things aren't great for real estate companies and that's why they are trading at a huge discount. Meanwhile, BlackRock's iShares European Property ETF (IPRP.L) has seen a 10% surge in inflows from late February, according to data on its website.

Persons: Gerry Fowler, Zsolt Kohalmi, BlackRock's, Natixis, Banks, Charles de Boissezon, Kohalmi, UBS's Fowler, Danilo Masoni, Sinead Cruise, Elaine Hardcastle Organizations: MILAN, European Equity, UBS, European Central Bank, Pictet, Advisors, P Global Market Intelligence, Property, Bank of, Societe Generale, Equity, Thomson Locations: Europe, London, U.S

☆ How do I invest in a S&P 500 fund? Should I trade stocks after hours? We've got answers
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-13 | by ( Zev Fima | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Are you referring to the S & P index itself, or one of the variations, and which symbol(s)? Thanks, Doug W. There are many exchange-traded funds (ETFs) that track the S & P 500 . The top three by assets under management, in order from largest to smallest, would be the State Street Global Advisors' SPDR S & P 500 ETF Trust (SPY) , BlackRock's iShares Core S & P 500 ETF (IVV) , and the Vanguard S & P 500 ETF (VOO) . As mentioned in the question, there are lots of ETFs that track the S & P 500, so by no means are these three the only games in town. Volume usually does pick up outside of normal trading hours when an event takes place, such as an earnings release.

Persons: Jim Cramer, I've, Warren Buffett, Doug W, Jim Cramer's, Jim, doesn't, that's, we're, it's Organizations: State Street Global Advisors, Trust, Vanguard, Jim Cramer's Charitable Trust, Club, CNBC

☆ Analysis: US institutional investors could face restrictions on Chinese stock ownership
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-04 | by ( Ross Kerber | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Chinese companies including Tencent (0700.HK) and Alibaba (9988.HK) accounted for 31% of the MSCI Emerging Markets index (.MSCIEF) in July. RED-FLAGGED COMPANIESMSCI and rivals removed seven Chinese companies from global indexes in 2020 because of U.S. ownership restrictions. The committee's letters this week cited contractors to China's People's Liberation Army it identified in BlackRock funds or MSCI indexes. Some of the companies have been flagged such as appearing on the U.S. Treasury's "Chinese Military-Industrial Complex" companies list. For companies on it, U.S. persons and asset managers face purchase and sale restrictions but not divestment requirements.

Persons: Tingshu Wang, Biden, Jo Ritcey, Donohue, there’ll, BlackRock, MSCI, RUSH, Mike Gallagher, Gallagher, Todd Rosenbluth, Rosenbluth, Russell, Ross Kerber, Karin Strohecker, Michael Martina, Patricia Zengerle, Selena Li, Megan Davies, Cynthia Osterman Organizations: Waterdrop Inc, New York Stock Exchange, REUTERS, U.S, BlackRock, Washington, Chinese Communist Party, HK, Vanguard FTSE, Vanguard, FTSE Russell, People's, Ritcey, Department of, Thomson Locations: U.S, New, Beijing, China, BlackRock, Washington, Taiwan, Ukraine, MSCI, Boston, London, Hong Kong

U.S. stocks have made big gains this year, but the performance across global stocks has been uneven so far. So where will global stocks go in the second half of the year? Five of the strategists polled expect global markets to fall, while another five say the stocks will beat their U.S. counterparts. Global market bulls Those who expect global stocks to beat the U.S. are most bullish on the U.K., Europe and Japan. Global market bears Andreas Bruckner, European equity strategist at BofA Global Research, predicts that Europe's Stoxx 600 will end the year at 390 — a nearly 15% decline from Monday's close.

Persons: Christian Abuide, Karim Chedid, Liz Ann Sonders, Charles Schwab, Andreas Bruckner, Mark Haefele, Bruckner, Roger Lee, Lee, Haefele, Carrier Organizations: CNBC Pro, U.S, Lombard, iShares, BofA Global Research, UBS Global Wealth, Nasdaq, UBS, RBC Wealth Management Locations: Japan, China, U.S, Europe

☆ Buffer ETFs are growing with new funds from iShares, even as stocks rally
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-03 | by ( Jesse Pound | In Jesse-Pound | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

BlackRock's iShares launched two new defined outcome funds on Friday — the iShares Large Cap Moderate Buffer ETF (IVVM) and the iShares Large Cap Deep Buffer ETF (IVVB) . The moderate buffer fund is designed to shield investors from quarterly declines between 0 and 5%, while the deep buffer fund guards against quarterly drawdowns between 5% and 20%. Buffer funds saw a surge of investor interest in 2022, when their downside protection shielded customers from the bear market. Innovator has a wide offering of buffer funds, including a popular series of monthly funds that offer a 12-month investment horizon. BJAN YTD mountain The January buffer ETF from Innovator rallied in the first half, but not as much as the S & P 500.

Persons: BlackRock's iShares, Tim Urbanowicz, Urbanowicz, Phil Toews, Toews Organizations: Equity, Toews Corporation, JPMorgan

☆ Factbox: Financial firms line up spot bitcoin exchange-traded fund applications
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Stock picker Cathy Wood's Ark Invest and Swiss-based exchange-traded fund (ETF) issuer 21Shares on Wednesday amended their bitcoin ETF application, while asset manager Fidelity is also expected to file a spot bitcoin ETF application, trade publication The Block reported on Tuesday. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has rejected dozens of applications for spot bitcoin ETFs, saying the proposals have not met anti-fraud and investor protection standards. These are the major firms with live SEC applications:BLACKROCK(BLK.N) - The world's biggest asset manager filed for a bitcoin ETF on June 15. INVESCO(IVZ.N) AND GALAXY DIGITAL - Invesco reactivated its September 2021 application to launch the Invesco Galaxy Bitcoin ETF on Cboe's BZX exchange. VANECK - VanEck refiled on June 22 to for approval to launch the VanEck Bitcoin Trust on Cboe's BZX exchange.

Persons: Cathy, 21Shares, BlackRock's, BNY, Cboe BZX, WisdomTree, refiled, John McCrank, Michelle Price, Daniel Wallis Organizations: U.S, Invest, Fidelity, U.S . Securities, Exchange Commission, SEC, BLACKROCK, Nasdaq, BNY Mellon, Ark, 21Shares, Company, U.S . Bank, National Association, Invesco, Galaxy, NYSE Arca, Valkyrie, Thomson Locations: BlackRock, Swiss

☆ BlackRock files for bitcoin ETF in push into crypto
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BlackRock's iShares Bitcoin Trust will use Coinbase Custody as its custodian, according to a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Last year, BlackRock launched a spot bitcoin private trust for institutional clients in the United States. A spot bitcoin ETF would track bitcoin's underlying market price. The SEC rejected Grayscale Investment LLC’s application last year to convert its flagship spot Grayscale Bitcoin Trust (GBTC.PK) into an ETF. The SEC has also rejected proposals for spot bitcoin ETFs from firms including Fidelity, Cboe Global Markets and NYDIG.

Persons: Brendan McDermid, Joshua Chu, CoinDesk, Manya Saini, Niket, Ankur Banerjee, Rae Wee, Devika Syamnath, Pooja Desai Organizations: BlackRock, New York Stock Exchange, REUTERS, U.S . Securities, Exchange Commission, SEC, Fidelity, Cboe, Thomson Locations: New York City, U.S, BlackRock, United States, Bengaluru, Singapore

☆ Japan is in a 'Goldilocks' position, Credit Suisse says. Here's how to play it
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( Jesse Pound | In Jesse-Pound | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The Japanese economy appears to be on stable footing and its stock market should continue to climb, according to Credit Suisse. Read more: Japan stocks are on fire this year. Ways to play it The simplest way for U.S-based investors to add exposure to Japan is through exchange-traded funds. The biggest U.S. ETF that tracks Japan is the iShares MSCI Japan ETF (EWJ) . When the yen falls versus the dollar, that can mute the returns of Japanese stocks for U.S. investors.

Persons: Andrew Garthwaite, Garthwaite, Read, BlackRock's iShares, — CNBC's Michael Bloom Organizations: Credit Suisse, Global, U.S, JPMorgan BetaBuilders Japan, JPMorgan, Japan Hedged Equity Locations: Japan, U.S

☆ The head of investment strategy at BlackRock's $2.2 trillion iShares Americas unit explains why the stock market has already hit its low — and lays out the 5 ways to invest now
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-10 | by ( Lisa Kailai Han | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

But Chaudhuri believes that stocks won't hit their 2022 lows, and that any slowdown will be mild. On the other hand, the US economy has shown signs of strength so far this year, and Chaudhuri believes that when a slowdown finally comes, it'll be both relatively mild and predictable. Within the bond market, Chaudhuri specifically recommends investors use a barbell strategy to gain exposure to both ends of the yield curve. As for the equity market, Chaudhuri said that from a historical perspective, value stocks generally outperform in a macroeconomic regime characterized by higher inflation and rates. Another benefit of value stocks is that they are currently trading more cheaply than their growth counterparts.

☆ These electric vehicle ETFs are up 20% this year — and analysts still see major upside ahead
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( Ganesh Rao | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure ETF The Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure ETF (ELEC) by hanETF is expected to rise by 60.8% over the next year, according to the weighted average of analyst price targets of constituent stocks compiled by FactSet. The ETF, which tracks the Solactive Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Index, is traded on the London Stock Exchange, Italy's Borsa Italiana, and Germany's Xetra and Gettex exchanges. ChargePoint , which operates the largest network of electric vehicle charging stations in North America and Europe, is the fund's largest holding as of Feb. 21, according to FactSet. For example, France's Renault is the ETF's largest holding at 4.9% of total assets. The Global X Autonomous & Electric Vehicles ETF was not included in the analysis due to a lack of price target data on FactSet.

☆ Time for a change? Shifting away from this popular ETF strategy may benefit investors
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-18 | by ( Sean Conlon | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

With Wall Street jitters increasing over the number of interest rate hikes ahead, VettaFi's Todd Rosenbluth sees signs of a comeback in managed fixed-income exchange-traded funds and away from passive ETF products. "So, [investors] want to lean on the active managers to be able to do that." Rosenbluth said top ETF providers such as BlackRock's iShares and Vanguard, and newer players such as Morgan Stanley and Capital Group, are saturating the market with a wide array of fixed-income ETFs. "You've got two of the leading fixed-income ETF providers offering up some of the largest products. According to Rosenbluth, this versatility is attracting investors by offering more opportunities to take advantage of active ETFs for leverage.

☆ Here's what's next for income ETFs after yields surged last year
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( Jesse Pound | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

International income One area where investors may look next for income is the international market, which has outperformed the U.S. in the opening weeks of 2023. Both Amplify and Schwab offer international versions of their yield funds — Amplify International Enhanced Dividend Income ETF (IDVO) and Schwab International Dividend Equity ETF (SCHY). Fixed income funds Another area that could pay off for investors is fixed income. "This is a once in many, many year opportunity to de-risk, rebalance, get back into fixed income," said Stephen Laipply, US Head of iShares Fixed Income ETFs. The fixed income ETF market is much smaller than the equity ETF market, and 2023 could see a continued growth in new categories.

☆ Stop chasing the rally in tech stocks because high interest rates and weak earnings are coming to bite, says a top BlackRock iShares strategist
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( Zahra Tayeb | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Investors should stop chasing the rally in tech stocks as chances of the Fed softening its rates policy are slim, according to a top BlackRock iShares strategist. "The tech sector is particularly sensitive to rates and so we expect these recent gains to be transitory," Gargi Chaudhuri said. She also warned high inflation and weak earnings estimates in the tech sector could drag on stocks. "The tech sector, with its high growth rates, is particularly sensitive to rates and so we expect these recent gains to be transitory," she said in a note. Meanwhile, Chaudhuri warned of weak tech earnings estimates as another reason to bow out of the rally.

☆ These ETFs and mutual funds face millions in losses amid the Adani crisis
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( Ganesh Rao | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Retail investors and pension funds are facing millions of dollars in losses on investments in Adani Group companies, CNBC Pro can reveal. New analysis shows that 951 mutual funds and ETFs worldwide have cumulatively lost more than $4.2 billion in the value of their Adani shares this year. Adani Group Chairman Gautam Adani owns 64% of Adani Enterprises. Adani Group includes Adani Enterprises, Adani Green Energy, Adani Ports & Special Economic Zone, Adani Transmission, Adani Total Gas, Adani Power, Adani Wilmar, Ambuja Cements and ACC. Only funds that continue to have a position in Adani Group companies have been analyzed.

Many on Wall Street remain convinced that a widely expected recession is likely to roil markets once again sometime this year. Also encouraging for investors was Powell's repeated references to disinflation - a falling rate of inflation. "I think they do see a path where you can get that soft landing, that Goldilocks-type scenario play out," he said. Banks and asset managers that have reiterated recession calls in recent weeks include BlackRock, Wells Fargo and Neuberger Berman. "Do people think (rate cuts) will be in response to inflation that has been coming down or something more dramatic, in terms of economic slowdown?

☆ BlackRock, Vanguard stand apart as U.S. funds suffer first annual outflows
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Jan 17 (Reuters) - Passive products from BlackRock Inc, (BLK.N) Vanguard Group and others were rare cash recipients last year as U.S. mutual and exchange-traded funds suffered $370 billion in net withdrawals, their first annual outflows on record, researcher Morningstar Inc (MORN.O) said. Passive funds took in $556 billion last year, Morningstar said. Although the amount was about 42% lower than their net deposits in 2021, "investors appear to be buying passive funds in both good times and bad," Morningstar said. Among fund families, the largest net withdrawals were recorded at T. Rowe Price at $59.2 billion, followed by American Funds, $55.5 billion. The biggest net deposits went into BlackRock's iShares ETF product line at $166.7 billion, and $82.7 billion to Vanguard, in line with their global flow pattern.

☆ BlackRock's iShares flows top Vanguard's ETFs, fixed income on the up
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-11 | by ( Davide Barbuscia | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

NEW YORK, Jan 11 (Reuters) - BlackRock's iShares exchange traded funds (ETFs) gained more net flows than Vanguard's ETFs last year, according to estimates from industry tracker Morningstar, putting the world's biggest asset manager in the lead for the first time since 2019. Despite the yearly declines, net flows into ETFs, both globally and in the United States, were the second-highest ever last year, with BlackRock's iShares regaining the top position. Estimated net flows into BlackRock's global iShares ETFs amounted to about $220 billion last year against nearly $214 billion in estimated net flows into Vanguard's ETFs, according to Morningstar data. Net flows into Vanguard's ETFs had been higher in the prior two years. "For many investors, ETFs remained the vehicle of choice for low-cost, broadly diversified exposure to the stock and bond markets."

It's time to rethink bonds, according to the BlackRock Investment Institute, which said "the lure of fixed income is strong" right now. The research arm of BlackRock , one of the world's largest asset managers, urged investors to favor investment-grade bonds, short-term government debt and inflation-linked bonds amid recession fears and higher-for-longer inflation. "Higher yields are a gift to investors who have long been starved for income. "Investors also will increasingly ask for more compensation to hold long-term government bonds — or term premium — amid high debt levels, rising supply and rising inflation." The BlackRock Investment Institute has raised its overweight position on investment-grade credit, but remains underweight on long-term government bonds.

☆ BlackRock unit tells investors it's time for a new portfolio playbook
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-02 | by ( Weizhen Tan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Work your cash; buy bonds Chaudhuri said it was time to rethink the role of bonds, as a higher-rate environment sees fixed income yields rise. BlackRock also said investors can earn income in the "comparative safety" of cash-like instruments through ultra-short duration securities. Reallocate away from growth stocks Growth stocks, such as Big Tech, were an investor favorite in an era of low rates. But this year, tech stocks have been among the worst-performing sectors . Live with inflation Inflation is set to stick around, given the continued strength coming from services and shelter, according to BlackRock.

☆ BlackRock says it could be time to buy some growth and tech — Top ETFs to play the trade
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-14 | by ( Patti Domm | In | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

BlackRock strategists recommend investors dip back into growth and tech for next year, but they say picking selective themes will be the best way to play them. BlackRock strategists say 2023 could be the year that changes the three-year pattern of growth and tech stocks moving in unison, both higher and lower. ETFs that fit these themes include BlackRock's iShares Self-Driving EV and Tech ETF , the iShares Global Clean Energy ETF , and iShares U.S. Infrastructure ETF. There is the iShares Cybersecurity and Tech ETF , IHAK and IRBO, the iShares Robotics and Artificial Intelligence Multisector ETF. BlackRock Future Health ETF, i Shares Genomics and Immunology and Healthcare ETF, and iShares Neuroscience and Healthcare ETF cover those themes.

☆ Stocks could continue to break higher as Apple, big tech report earnings in week ahead
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-21 | by ( Patti Domm | In | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

The three major averages closed higher Friday, with the S & P 500 adding 2.37% to close at 3,752.75. Stovall said the S & P 500 had six positive moves of 1% or more in the last 17 trading days, as of Friday. Earnings, earnings, earnings About 150 S & P 500 companies report earnings in the coming week. Technically speaking Scott Redler, partner with T3Live.com, said he is watching a formation in the S & P 500 that could be positive. His first target for the S & P 500 is 3,800.

☆ The head of investment strategy at BlackRock's $2.1 trillion iShares Americas unit says the Fed won't cut interest rates until at least 2024 — and reveals the stock market sectors best poised to retur
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-21 | by ( Lisa Kailai Han | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

All eyes are on the Federal Reserve to see how high Jerome Powell raises interest rates. BlackRock's Gargi Chaudhuri expects a 75 basis-point hike, and thinks rates won't be cut until 2024. She says investors should buy high-quality stocks in defensive sectors, plus inflation-linked bonds. That's according to Gargi Chaudhuri, head of investment strategy at BlackRock's iShares Americas unit, which currently manages around $2.13 trillion in assets. Specifically, Chaudhuri recommended investors consider short-duration bonds like 1, 2, and 3-year US Treasuries, 1 through 5-year investment-grade corporate bonds, and front-end inflation-linked bonds.

☆ Fidelity Is Rolling Out Four New Bond Model Portfolios
▼ + stars: | 2020-01-15 | by ( Rebecca Ungarino | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Investment management giant Fidelity is adding more fixed-income model portfolios to its menu of products available to financial advisors. While Fidelity doesn't charge advisory fees for the model portfolios, it charges investment management fees for the underlying funds. AdvertisementInvestment-management giant Fidelity is adding more fixed-income model portfolios to its menu of products available to financial advisors. Fidelity's model portfolios are available on so-called turnkey platforms for advisers, including its own offering. AdvertisementA growing marketFidelity already offers bond model portfolios to the advisers it serves through its institutional asset management business.

Persons: iShares, —, Larry Fink, Fink, Charles Schwab, Schwab, TD, Brian Snyder That's, Scott Smith, Smith, BlackRock's Fink, Russell Investments, Michelle Seitz, Russell, Seitz, — Bradley Saacks Organizations: Fidelity, BlackRock, Service, Fidelity Investments, REUTERS, Cerulli Associates, Business, Bank of America, Natixis, JPMorgan, Merrill Lynch Wealth Management Locations: Broadridge, Boston , Massachusetts

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