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☆ Investors should ignore this rally and play defense with these ETFs, BlackRock strategist says
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Jesse Pound | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Investors should avoid being lured back into riskier stocks and funds by this January rally, according to a strategist at BlackRock. Wall Street is off to a solid start in 2023, with all three major averages positive in January. But the rally petered out and the broad market index fell back to a new bear market bottom, below 3,600, in October. .SPX mountain 2022-06-01 The stock market enjoyed a short-lived rally last summer. If Chaudhuri is right, investors may be well served to stick with some of the strategies that worked last year.

☆ Investing in South Korean stocks to get easier for foreigners in 2023 - regulator
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The Financial Services Commission said in a statement there was a huge discrepancy between the regulations currently in place and the global standards and that "(it) will boldly improve regulations that have hindered global investors from investing in our market." The regulator said it would scrap a three-decade-old rule that requires foreigners to register with authorities prior to trading South Korean stocks. The push comes as South Korea pursues the promotion of its stock market to Morgan Stanley Capital International's developed market index. It is currently categorised as an emerging market by the global index provider. The regulator plans to complete the required legislation revision process in the first half of this year to implement such changes within 2023.

☆ Medical device stocks tend to beat the market, and analysts expect these names to see big gains
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( Bertha Coombs | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Medical device makers, like many manufacturers, have faced challenges over the last year from inflationary supply chain costs, staffing shortages and the strong dollar impacting sales overseas. However, since 2007 the device sector ETF has averaged a gain of 14% per year, 6 percentage points better than the broader market index over the same period. More than 60% of analysts rate the shares a buy, with a mean price target implying 34% upside. Nearly 90% of analysts rate the stock a buy, with mean price target of $53, implying more than 30% upside. BTIG analysts Marie Thibault and Ryan Zimmerman think that M & A could be another catalyst for the medical device sector in 2023, with robotic surgery players likely to be of particular interest.

☆ A veteran investor says the bears have it all wrong, and pessimism is already priced into markets. Here's where he's putting his money now that the time-tested playbook for investing in tech stocks ha
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( James Faris | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

But right now Lindzon isn't following the tech-focused investing approach that brought him so much success over the previous two decades. While he still sees opportunities to make money, he's much more cautious amid a high-interest-rate environment that led to the worst year for tech stocks since 2000. "You can't do a startup today and hire a hundred engineers because you can't raise enough money," Lindzon said. "I'm constructive in that money isn't coming out of the market completely," Lindzon said. Instead, Lindzon would advise investors to consider equal-weight stock market indexes, given that they offer diversification but aren't bogged down by mega-cap tech stocks.

☆ Vietnam's market risks missing a 2025 deadline for an upgrade to emerging economy status
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Maika Elan | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesVietnam risks missing a self-established 2025 deadline to complete reforms that would enable it to upgrade its stock market to emerging economy status and attract billions of dollars in investments, three officials told Reuters. The government in July committed to aiming for an upgrade to emerging market status in at least one major index by 2025. But infighting is delaying much-needed market reforms, three officials familiar with the discussions said. Additional liquidity is seen as crucial for Vietnamese banks, which account for about a third of the stock market capitalization, to raise their comparatively low capital buffers, thus boosting financial stability. Index provider MSCI published in June a long list of reforms Vietnam needed to apply before an upgrade could be considered.

☆ Homebuilder sentiment rises in January for the first time in a year, thanks to lower mortgage rates
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( Diana Olick | In Dianaolick | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Sales of new U.S. homes retreated in January after a flurry of purchases at the end of 2021, indicating a jump in mortgage rates may be starting to restrain demand. Builder sentiment in the single-family housing market posted an unexpected gain in January, rising for the first time in 12 straight months. Sentiment rose four points to 35 on the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index. Both builders and consumers are likely responding to the recent drop in mortgage rates. "In the coming quarters, single-family home building will rise off of cycle lows as mortgage rates are expected to trend lower and boost housing affordability."

☆ Homebuilder confidence rises for the first time in a year
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( Anna Bahney | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Washington, DC CNN —A modest drop in mortgage rates over the past month has helped home builder confidence improve in January, after 12 consecutive months of falling, according to a survey released Wednesday. Experts say that could mean new home building is set for a pivot as construction prospects improve. All three metrics rose in January, marking the first improvement in builder sentiment since December 2021. The survey found home builders’ confidence rose this month from its December level, which was the lowest sentiment level since 2012 — aside from the immediate onset of the pandemic. “In the coming quarters, single-family home building will rise off of cycle lows as mortgage rates are expected to trend lower and boost housing affordability,” he said.

☆ Homebuilders may finally be turning a corner as inflation stabilizes and lower mortgage rates bring buyers back into the market
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( Alcynna Lloyd | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

This led to a downturn in the US housing market as housing activity dramatically faded. But, as inflation slows and interest rates fall, an economist says that the US housing market may get back on track in 2023. Sam Khater, the chief economist at Freddie Mac, also expects lower inflation to entice more Americans to return to the housing market — especially millennials. "While mortgage market activity has significantly shrunk over the last year, inflationary pressures are easing and should lead to lower mortgage rates in 2023," Khater said in a January mortgage report. Indeed, lower mortgage rates are already reviving interest from potential home buyers.

The government in July committed to aiming for an upgrade to emerging market status in at least one major index by 2025. But infighting is delaying much-needed market reforms, three officials familiar with the discussions said. Trinh Nguyen from Natixis, an investment bank, said Vietnam's market regulations were holding back the upgrade, limiting access to more liquidity. Index provider MSCI published in June a long list of reforms Vietnam needed to apply before an upgrade could be considered. Both the FTSE and MSCI have publicly said that Vietnam's prefunding requirement and strict limits on foreign ownership of shares are among the main hurdles to an emerging market status upgrade.

☆ Analysis: Move over TINA, it's time for TARA
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-11 | by ( Naomi Rovnick | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Reuters GraphicsIdanna Appio, a portfolio manager at First Eagle Investments, said that TINA was good for passive investors as it meant that equity prices went up because bond yields went down. "The risk free rate," he added, referring to core government bond yields, "actually gives you something." Bond funds recorded net inflows for six straight weeks until early January, BofA said, based on its analysis of EPFR data. "The end of TINA is very important," said Francesco Sandrini, head of multi-asset strategies at Amundi, Europe's largest fund manager. "You don’t need a bond bull market, you now have income," said Jeffrey Sherman, deputy chief investment officer at U.S. money manager DoubleLine.

☆ Citi strategist expects weakness in early 2023 is a buying opportunity. Here are his large-cap stock picks
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( Sarah Min | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

With recession risks in focus for investors positioning for 2023, Citi strategist Scott Chronert refreshed his large-cap stock picks for the year ahead. According to a Tuesday note, the strategist projects the broader market index will hit 3,700 mid-year, while rising to 4,000 at year-end. For investors, that means any volatility in the first part of 2023 could be used to their advantage. Chronert added T-Mobile to the bank's large cap focus list, saying the telecommunications stock is a defensive pick. Meanwhile, HCA Healthcare is a defensive pick expected to benefit from "improving labor supply" this year, according to the note.

☆ 'Halftime Report' traders like financials, see sector doing well even in a recession
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-04 | by ( Sarah Min | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

As investors position their portfolios for the year ahead, one sector is a standout pick for the investment panel on CNBC's "Halftime Report" : financials. "In every recession, there's one sector, whose balance sheet is most negatively affected by the recession. Gilman Hill Asset Management CEO Jenny Harrington named financial stocks as her top 2023 sector pick, saying the sector is undervalued after reviewing its price/earnings to growth ratio, or PEG ratio. The financials sector in the S & P 500 was down by 12% in 2022, still outperforming the broader market index despite the drop. Here is the full 2023 stock picks from the group: Karen Firestone: Charles Schwab, Align Technology, American Tower; Sector Pick: Financials Jenny Harrington: Kohl's, Uber, B & G Foods; Sector Pick: Financials Jim Lebenthal: Boeing, Cleveland-Cliffs, Paramount Global; Sector Pick: Industrials

☆ A bad market omen: Apple and Tesla denting market sentiment to start the year
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-04 | by ( Patti Domm | In | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

It was a sloppy start to the year for stocks, and the steep decline in two market darlings — Apple and Tesla — is not a good omen for the market in 2023. The S & P 500 was down as much as 1.2% on Tuesday and dipped below the key 3,800 level. "I think Apple has a major influence on market sentiment. Though, she added that Tesla is much less of an impact on overall market action than Apple because of the tech giant's huge market cap. Stockton also said the S & P 500 could break down several hundred points below that and reach 3,200.

☆ This little-known software stock is a high quality growth pick that could jump 45% in the second half of 2023, Bank of America says
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-04 | by ( Sarah Min | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Investors should buy JFrog ahead of a recovery in the second half of 2023, according to Bank of America. Analyst Brad Sills upgraded shares of JFrog to buy from neutral, saying the high quality growth stock could bounce later this year — even if it is out of favor with investors for the moment. JFrog shares underperformed the S & P 500 in 2022 as rising interest rates weighed on growth companies. The enterprise tech stock dropped 28.2% last year, while the broader market index posted a 19% decline. Shares of JFrog gained more than 2% on Wednesday.

☆ Brazil markets fall after Lula takes office vowing to end poverty
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-02 | by ( Anthony Boadle | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/2] Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, his wife Rosangela "Janja" da Silva and Chief Raoni walk through the ramp of the Planalto Palace after Lula's swearing-in ceremony, in Brasilia, Brazil, January 1, 2023. Lula narrowly defeated far-right former President Jair Bolsonaro in October, swinging South America's largest nation back on a left-wing track. Lula spent his first day in office meeting with more than a dozen heads of state who attended his inauguration. In his swearing-in speech to Congress, Lula said he was not seeking revenge, but any crimes committed under Bolsonaro would be held accountable with due legal process. ($1 = 5.3458 reais)Reporting by Anthony Boadle and Gabriel Araujo in Brasilia Editing by Matthew LewisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Brazil markets tumble on Lula's first full day in office
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-02 | by ( Anthony Boadle | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Haddad, who is seeking to dispel market fears that he might not maintain fiscal discipline, took office on Monday, pledging to control spending. "The policies remind us of Dilma Rousseff's government rather than Lula's," Gracia said, referring to Lula's handpicked successor, who was impeached while in office. Allies said Lula's newfound social conscience was the result of his 580 days in prison, Reuters reported on Sunday. Lula kicks off his third presidential term after persuading Congress to pass a one-year, 170 billion-reais increased social spending package, in line with his campaign promises. Lula spent his first day in office meeting with more than a dozen heads of state who attended his inauguration.

☆ How to Invest in Stocks
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-30 | by ( ) www.wsj.com time to read: +23 min

Set your time frameWhen you’re ready to invest in stocks, it’s natural to start by looking at how the stock market has performed recently. If you’re saving for the long-term: Invest in stocksOn the other hand, if you have a long-term financial goal—especially retirement, but any goal a decade or more out—you can afford to invest in the stock market. Decide how much risk to takeJust because you have time to invest in stocks doesn’t mean you have the stomach. Return Best Year Worst Year Years with a loss 100% Stocks 12.3% 54.2% -43.1% 25/96 80% Stocks 11.1% 45.4% -34.9% 24/96 60% Stocks 9.9% 36.7% -26.6% 22/96 40% Stocks 8.7% 35.9% -18.4% 19/96 20% Stocks 7.5% 40.7% -10.1% 16/96 100% Bonds 6.3% 45.5% -0.8% 20/96 VanguardStep 3. Most ETFs are index funds, meaning they merely aim to match the returns of a stock market index, although some target very narrow slices of the market, such as just tech stocks or just energy stocks.

☆ The S&P 500's best and worst stocks of 2022, and where they will go from here
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-30 | by ( Sarah Min | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

The S & P 500 may be headed for its worst yearly performance since 2008, but some stocks still outperformed this year. The strategist has a 12-month target of 4,575 on the S & P 500, implying about a 19% gain from Thursday's close. Here are the best and worst stocks in the S & P 500. First Solar shares are also in the top 10 best-performing stocks in the S & P 500. Other worst performers in the S & P 500 include Match Group , Align Technology and SVB Financial Group .

☆ It's not just tech. Consumer and communications stocks aided in $10 trillion market wipeout
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-28 | by ( Scott Schnipper | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Most of the decline came in S & P 500 stocks, which lost a combined $8.2 trillion. Amazon, Apple, Alphabet, Microsoft, Tesla, Meta Platforms and Nvidia lost a combined $4.95 trillion in market capitalization in 2022. Of those seven megacaps, losses ranged from Amazon's plunging market value of $844 billion to Nvidia's decline of $388 billion. Broken down by the S & P 500's 11 major industry groups, information technology's market value slid $3.49 trillion in 2022, trailed by consumer discretionary stocks, dominated by Amazon, Tesla, Home Depot, Nike, Lowe's and Target, at $1.91 trillion. Silverblatt used the S & P U.S. Broad Market Index, consisting of roughly 2,500 stocks, to measure the total market decline of $10 trillion.

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

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

Inflation may be picking up in Japan but that's in large part due to the yen's weakness this year. chartJapan's economic surprises index is still negative, having rolled over this month. Others, like the China and emerging market indexes, have fallen off a cliff in recent days and are deeply negative. China's economic surprises index is hovering around its lowest level since June, and the emerging market index this week hit its lowest and most negative level in over a year. With the U.S. economic surprises index now in negative territory and the lowest since September, growth fears are mounting and risk assets are feeling the heat.

☆ Analysis: India's post-COVID spending boom drives two-speed economy
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( Ira Dugal | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The world's fifth-largest economy is expected grow 6% in the fiscal year ending March 31, 2024, according to a survey by the Indian central bank this month. Importantly, conditions are better than not just the crippling slump during India's devastating COVID surge last year but also the anemic growth of the debt-saddled last decade. "If India does everything right, we could see significant foreign inflows in the next one to two years," said Sridhar Sivaram, investment director at Enam Holdings, a privately managed investment group. India's weight in the MSCI emerging market index has already risen from 8% in 2019 to 16% as of October 2022, said Sivaram. There is also hope that global corporations will diversify supply chains away from China, which would benefit India.

☆ Snap up Tesla shares if Elon Musk's chaotic Twitter takeover drags the stock below $125, a veteran strategist says
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( George Glover | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Elon Musk's Twitter saga could make Tesla stock a bargain if it falls to $125, a trading strategist said. Tesla has tanked 38% since Musk bought Twitter, which is seen as a distraction for the EV maker's CEO. "It's a momentum name, it was a high valuation, and Musk lost his halo," T3 Trading's Scott Redler said. "I've been trading Tesla for years," the chief strategist told Fox Business. Tesla shares were up 2.48% at $141.22 in premarket trading Wednesday, after closing 8% lower at $137.80 on Tuesday.

☆ Higher mortgage rates depress U.S. single-family housing starts, building permits
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( Lucia Mutikani | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Summary Housing starts fall 0.5% in NovemberSingle-family starts drop 4.1%; multi-family up 4.8%Building permits plunge 11.2%; single-family fall 7.1%WASHINGTON, Dec 20 (Reuters) - U.S. single-family homebuilding tumbled to a 2-1/2-year low in November and permits for future construction plunged as higher mortgage rates continued to depress housing market activity. We don't know about the rest of the economy, but the housing market is clearly in recession." Single-family housing starts, which account for the biggest share of homebuilding, dropped 4.1% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 828,000 units last month. The jump in multi-family housing projects offset some of the drag from single-family housing units, resulting in overall housing starts falling only 0.5% to a rate of 1.427 million units last month. The single-family housing market boomed early in the pandemic as Americans sought bigger properties to accommodate home offices.

☆ U.S. single-family housing starts, building permits plunge in November
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( Lucia Mutikani | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Summary Housing starts fall 0.5% in NovemberSingle-family starts drop 4.1%; multi-family up 4.8%Building permits plunge 11.2%; single-family fall 7.1%WASHINGTON, Dec 20 (Reuters) - U.S. single-family homebuilding tumbled to a 2-1/2 year low in November and permits for future construction plunged as higher mortgage rates continued to depress housing market activity. The housing market has borne the brunt of the Federal Reserve's fastest interest rate-hiking cycle since the 1980s as the U.S. central bank wages war against inflation. We don't know about the rest of the economy, but the housing market is clearly in recession." Single-family housing starts, which account for the biggest share of homebuilding, dropped 4.1% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 828,000 units last month. The jump in multi-family housing projects offset some of the drag from single-family housing units, resulting in overall housing starts falling only 0.5% to a rate of 1.427 million units last month.

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