DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ This income play can yield more than 5%, without a ton of risk
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( Michelle Fox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Corporate bond yields have been a boon for income investors. For many, investment-grade corporate debt is the sweet spot right now, and still has yields that haven't been seen in years. Investment-grade bonds are rated Baa or above by Moody's or BBB and above by S & P and Fitch. "You could get to 5% to 6% type of yield numbers, without taking much credit risk, without taking much duration risk." "There should be lower spread volatility compared to other [corporate bond] sectors such as high yield, floating rate loans and emerging markets as well," he said.

Persons: haven't, Vishy Tirupattur, Morgan Stanley, Fitch, Tirupattur, Marc Kremer, Franklin, Michael Kessler, I'm, Kessler, He's, Morgan Stanley's Tirupattur, Franklin Templeton's Kremer, Kremer, CNBC's Michael Bloom Organizations: Federal Reserve, UBS, Investment, Franklin Templeton, Franklin Investment Grade Corporate, Albion Financial, Treasury Locations: financials, U.S

☆ Nvidia's blowout earnings report is boosting this single-stock ETF
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-24 | by ( Jesse Pound | In Jesse-Pound | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

A blowout earnings report for Nvidia is rewarding the chipmaker's shareholders once again and delivering even bigger returns for traders who use a red-hot leveraged ETF. And the GraniteShares 1.5x Long NVDA Daily ETF (NVDL) jumped 3.5%, continuing a banner year for the single-stock ETF. NVDL 1D mountain The GraniteShares NVDL ETF has soared this year as the excitement around artificial intelligence has boosted Nvidia's stock. GraniteShares launched four more funds in the single-stock category this week, including the 1.5x Short NVDA Daily ETF (NVD) and the 1.5x Short TSLA Daily ETF (TSDD). Single-stock funds also tend to have higher expense ratios than broader funds that are not leveraged.

Persons: Will Rhind, Rhind, GraniteShares, NVDL Organizations: Nvidia, Securities and Exchange Commission, Daily Semiconductor Locations: U.S

☆ Fact Check-Kyiv street sprinklers predate Ukraine war
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-18 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Posts online suggest the sprinkler system had been funded by U.S. funds sent to support Ukraine’s war efforts against Russia. Reuters images from 2019, taken in central Kyiv, show the same water sprinkler system (reut.rs/45xNzRm) and (reut.rs/47yQdIc). Reuters photographer Gleb Garanich confirmed the location of the images as Khreschatyk Street. Photos dating to 2019 on photo hosting website Alamy also show the water sprinkler system on Khreschatyk Street (here), (here). Water sprinklers in central Kyiv predate U.S. assistance to Ukraine during its war with Russia.

Persons: “, Mr, Biden, Gleb Garanich, Alamy, Read Organizations: U.S, Facebook, Reuters Locations: Kyiv, Ukraine, Russia, U.S

"It's just a very high level of uncertainty," said Amit, who is registering his artificial intelligence-based cloud security firm Gomboc in Delaware. Michael Fertik, founder of Heroic Ventures, a Silicon Valley-based early-stage venture investor, has invested in more than a dozen Israeli startups since 2015. He insists on Delaware incorporation and existing Israeli startups seeking a new funding round from him must switch. But the Israeli government's judicial overhaul is casting a shadow for some. Adam Fisher, a partner at Bessemer Venture Partners and long-time investor in Israeli startups, has been happy to invest in Israeli-based tech firms over the past decade.

Persons: Amir Cohen, Benjamin, Ian Amit, Amit, Ami Applebaum, Yair Geva, Herzog, Fox, Neeman, Ronen Feldman, Michael Fertik, Adam Fisher, Fisher, Ayal Shenhav, Steven Scheer, Emily Rose, Mark Potter Organizations: U.S Embassy, REUTERS, Entrepreneurs, Reuters, Israel Innovation Authority, Ministry of Innovation, Science, Technology, Startup Nation, Heroic Ventures, Delaware C Corp, Bessemer Venture Partners, Gross, Co, TechAviv, Partners, Thomson Locations: Tel Aviv, Israel, JERUSALEM, United States, Delaware

☆ 'China has disappointed': These are the top markets and stocks to invest in, according to the pros
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-15 | by ( Weizhen Tan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

In contrast, nearly $1 billion went into emerging market ex-China mutual funds, according to Refinitiv data that Reuters cited. Here are some alternatives to China and the stocks to invest in, according to the pros. Japan Japan stocks have been an investor favorite this year, seeing the highest inflows in 20 years, according to Eastspring Investments. Demand for Japan funds has surged among European investors, according to data from research firm Cerulli. The bank screened for Japan stocks with the following attributes: resilient earnings, price-to-book (P/B) ratio below 1.5, and potential P/B upside relative to return on equity.

Persons: Morningstar, “, ”, Derrick Irwin, there's, Oliver Lee, BofA, Joanne Peng, Allspring's Irwin, Irwin, Fomento, He's, Morgan Stanley, Will, ” Irwin, Cerulli’s Peng Organizations: Morningstar, CNBC Pro, Reuters, Allspring Global Investments, CNBC, “, Eastspring Investments, Ivailo, Mitsui & Co, Honda Motor, Nomura, Kansai Electric Power, Mitsubishi Motors, Panasonic, Mexicano, HDFC Bank, HDFC Locations: European, China, India, Beijing, Japan Japan, Japan, Europe, Vietnam, Asia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Southeast Asia, Mexico, America, Will China

In the week ended Aug. 8, money managers established a net short position in CBOT corn futures and options of 26,656 contracts compared with the previous week’s net long of 16,741 contracts. Money managers’ net long in CBOT soybean futures and options in late July was at a seven-year high for the date, but funds have sold aggressively in the last couple weeks. Most-active CBOT wheat drifted fractionally higher in the week ended Aug. 8. Wheat futures tumbled 4.5% in the last three sessions and finished at $6.26-3/4 per bushel, their lowest settle in two months. Funds reduced their net long in Minneapolis wheat to 4,497 contracts from 7,592 a week earlier, and they slashed their K.C.

Persons: Dane Rhys, Karen Braun, Chris Reese Organizations: REUTERS, U.S . Department of Agriculture, USDA, Funds, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Ravenna , Ohio, U.S, NAPERVILLE , Illinois, Chicago, Minneapolis, Kansas City

☆ Woman Is Sentenced for Stealing Dead Baby’s Identity and $1.5 Million
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( Derrick Bryson Taylor | More About Derrick Bryson Taylor | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

An Ohio woman and former bakery owner was sentenced to six years in prison and was ordered to pay $1.5 million in restitution for stealing the identity of a dead baby and fraudulently obtaining a pandemic relief loan. The woman, Ava Misseldine, 50, was sentenced on Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Columbus, Ohio, according to court documents, more than 10 months after pleading guilty to 16 counts of wire and passport fraud. “Ava was very remorseful over her past criminal behavior, and, at sentencing she read a very emotional statement accepting responsibility for her actions,” Alan Pfeuffer, a lawyer representing Ms. Misseldine, said in a statement on Wednesday, adding that she had outlined “plans to seek counseling while in prison.”As per the plea deal, which was outlined by the U.S. Attorney’s Office last year, Mr. Pfeuffer confirmed that Ms. Misseldine had already paid over $300,000 from the sale of a home in Michigan that she had bought using money from her Paycheck Protection Program loan. Another home she owns in Utah is on the market, he said, and proceeds from that sale should bring her within a few hundred thousand dollars of making full restitution for her theft of P.P.P.

Persons: Ava Misseldine, “ Ava, ” Alan Pfeuffer, Misseldine, Pfeuffer Organizations: U.S, Attorney’s Locations: Ohio, U.S, Columbus , Ohio, Michigan, Utah

A central processing unit (CPU) semiconductor chip is displayed among flags of China and U.S., in this illustration picture taken February 17, 2023. Following are some key details:'COUNTRIES OF CONCERN'The order lays out plans to regulate investments in certain "countries of concern," with a separate annex naming China, Hong Kong and Macau as initial targets. The outbound investment program would require notification of many investments while prohibiting only a few. It was considering requiring notification for investments in firms working on the design, fabrication, and packaging of less advanced integrated circuits. U.S. investments in Chinese production of quantum computers, development of certain quantum sensors, and quantum networking and communication systems could also be banned.

Persons: Florence Lo, Joe Biden, Janet Yellen, Andrea Shalal, Karen Freifeld, David Shepardson, Jonathan Oatis, Matthew Lewis Organizations: REUTERS, Wednesday, U.S . Treasury Department, Reuters, China, United, Treasury, European Union, Thomson Locations: China, U.S, Hong Kong, Macau, United States, Beijing, Washington, Britain, New York

Here are four important steps to take to determine just how much money you'll need to save:1. Calculate how much you'll need to save during retirementUnderstanding what you expect retirement to look like will help determine how much you'll need in order to fund that lifestyle. In retirement, your savings will cover many of the same expenses that you had prior to retirement. This rule states that retirees can withdraw up to 4% of their retirement savings in year one of retirement. So, if you have $2,000,000 in retirement savings, you would withdraw $80,000 that first year.

Persons: you'll, it'll, Jim Ludwick, They're, Roth, Ludwick, Tolen Teigen, Everyone's, Charles Schwab Organizations: Service, Gallup, Utilities Insurance, Inc, Fidelity, Social Security, IRA, Roth IRA, Consulting, Security Locations: Wall, Silicon, Chevron

There are multiple types of index funds, including:Broad market index funds: Index funds that try to track the overall performance of an entire asset class throughout the entire stock market. Fixed-income and debt index funds: Index funds that track bond indices for low expense ratios. International index funds: Index fund that invests funds in assets outside of the US. Sector-based index funds: Index funds that invest funds in a specific sector of the market, such as technology or even certain company services. Socially responsible index funds: Similar to sector-based index funds, socially responsible index funds invest specifically in companies that focus on environmental, social, and governance (ESG) services.

Persons: Warren Buffett, It's, Julian Schubach, Louis, Ameritrade, Charles Schwab, you've, Schwab Organizations: Service, Independence, US, Rutgers, Nasdaq, Nasdaq Stock Market Dow, NYSE, New York Stock Exchange, U.S, Federal Reserve Bank of St, Market, Fidelity, Vanguard, Chevron Locations: Wall, Silicon, Chevron

Managed money net position in CBOT corn futures and optionsCBOT corn futures had risen almost 6% during the week, though CBOT wheat surged over 13%, including a limit-up move on July 24. Managed money net position in Chicago wheat futures and optionsGrain futures did not sustain their strength last week, and funds may have already abandoned bullish corn bets as of Friday’s close. Corn dropped over 6% in the last three sessions and commodity funds commodity funds were pegged as net sellers of 33,000 futures contracts. CBOT wheat futures still maintain some of their recent Ukraine war premium, having shed 7.4% between Wednesday and Friday. Funds were seen as sellers of 24,000 wheat futures during this period.

Persons: Corn, Karen Braun, Lisa Shumaker Organizations: Funds, European Union, Sunday, U.S . Department of Agriculture, Reuters, Thomson Locations: NAPERVILLE , Illinois, Chicago, Ukrainian, Russian, Ukraine, European, U.S, China, Mexico . U.S, Brazil

Although those factors caused Chicago corn and wheat futures to surge, speculators have held on to their bearish views thus far. In the week ended July 18, money managers reduced their net short position in CBOT corn futures and options to 46,926 contracts from 63,052 a week earlier. Managed money net position in CBOT corn futures and optionsCBOT December corn futures rallied 6.6% through Tuesday, July 18, though the week included a drop to new yearly lows after the Department of Agriculture expanded the U.S. corn crop outlook. Money managers’ net short in CBOT wheat futures and options has barely changed in the latest three weeks despite a 4% decline in most-active futures during the stretch. Money managers increased their net long in CBOT soybean futures and options to a three-week high of 95,814 contracts through July 18 from 82,748 a week earlier.

Persons: Soymeal, Karen Braun, Matthew Lewis Organizations: U.S, Department of Agriculture, Wednesday, Traders, Reuters, Thomson Locations: NAPERVILLE , Illinois, Ukraine, Chicago, U.S, soyoil

REUTERS/Stringer/File PhotoSummary Countries at odds over which should pay climate financeEU wants China to contribute to climate fundsChina among countries not currently obliged to payBRUSSELS/BEIJING, July 21 (Reuters) - Record-breaking heat in China. The EU, today the biggest contributor of climate finance, has lobbied to expand the pool of donor countries that provide it. Climate finance refers to money that wealthy countries pay toward helping poorer nations reduce CO2 emissions and adapt to a hotter, harsher world. Advocates for the change argue that an expansion needs to happen before a new - and, likely, far bigger - U.N. target for climate finance kicks in after 2025. "It would earn China diplomatic clout, and pressure Western donors to raise their stakes on climate finance," he said.

Persons: Stringer, John Kerry, Janet Yellen, Kerry, Li Qiang, Pa'olelei Luteru, Luteru, Byford Tsang, Kate Abnett, Valerie Volcovici, Katy Daigle, Stephen Coates Organizations: REUTERS, BRUSSELS, U.S, Union, Reuters, EU, United Arab Emirates, of Small, WHO, United, Climate Cooperation, Initiative, Bridgetown Initiative, Thomson Locations: Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, China, EU, BEIJING, COP28, Dubai, Beijing, U.S, Brazil, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Singapore, States, United States, South Korea, U.N, Barbados, Bridgetown, Brussels

The weather story lingered again on Wednesday, but harsher threats from Russia thrust the grain deal into the spotlight. Most-active CBOT wheat futures surged 8.5% on Wednesday, wheat’s largest single-day percentage rise since Feb. 28, 2022, just days after Russia invaded Ukraine. Money managers held a modest net short of 63,052 corn futures and options contracts by that date. Prior to that, grain deal uncertainty failed to spark bullish interest as Ukrainian export volumes far exceeded original expectations. Had the Jan. 3 high stood, it would have been November beans’ first annual high set in January since 1999.

Persons: reconnection, Karen Braun, Matthw Lewis Organizations: Funds, Reuters, Thomson Locations: NAPERVILLE , Illinois, Ukraine, Chicago, Russia, India, U.S, Moscow, Western

Those factors caused a historic 21% plunge in CBOT December corn in the final seven trading days of June, though price steadied immediately after. But money managers in that week expanded their net short in CBOT corn futures and options to 63,052 contracts from 18,209 in the prior week, against expectations for mild net buying. Managed money net position in CBOT corn futures and optionsUSDA lowered U.S. corn yield on July 12 due to dry June weather, but it would still be a new record. U.S. soybean plantings came in far below market predictions on June 30, but money managers have been net sellers of CBOT soybean futures and options in the last two weeks. That was on a 0.5% rise in November soybean futures for the week, and beans rose another 0.8% in the last three sessions.

Persons: steadied, Wheat, Karen Braun, Diane Craft Organizations: U.S . Department of Agriculture, soyoil, U.S ., Reuters, Thomson Locations: NAPERVILLE , Illinois, Chicago, U.S

Overall, funds' net short dollar position against a range of currencies was worth some $13.17 billion, down slightly from $13.58 billion the week before. It is still a substantial overall bet on the dollar falling, however, and marks the 36th week in a row funds have been net short. It is comprised of a near $10 billion aggregate bet versus G10 currencies and $3.5 billion versus emerging currencies, namely the peso and real. Funds extended their net long sterling position by around 5,000 contracts to over 58,000, the biggest net long since 2007. That's a $4.7 billion bet on a stronger pound centering on sticky UK inflation versus U.S. disinflation.

Persons: JP, Sterling, Jamie McGeever, Himani Sarkar Organizations: Futures, Federal Reserve, HSBC, U.S, Reuters, Thomson Locations: ORLANDO, Florida, U.S, That's

☆ Lucid, Activision, EA, Uber: Here's where Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund has invested
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-11 | by ( Rohan Goswami | In Rohangoswamicnbc | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund, known as the Public Investment Fund, is an active player in U.S. public and private markets. But among the documents disclosed in the recent PGA-LIV merger hearings was a previously unreported list of the sovereign wealth fund's top public equity holdings, valued at about $35.5 billion. The list, which was updated as of March 31, shows a $8.9 billion stake in electric automaker Lucid , constituting about 25% of PIF's equity holdings. PIF's second-largest stake, in Activision Blizzard , was valued at $3.3 billion and amounted to 9.1% of PIF's public equity holdings. Google accounts for 2.87% of the Nasdaq by weight but made up a mere 1.2% of the PIF's $35.51 billion public portfolio.

Persons: PIF, PIF's, Prince Mohammed bin Salman Organizations: Public Investment Fund, Activision Blizzard, Trade, Electronic Arts, Nasdaq, Meta, Booking Holdings Locations: Saudi, Saudi Arabia

As of July 3, CBOT December corn futures had plunged nearly 22% off their June 21 high as much-needed rain for U.S. crops started falling and also appeared in forecasts. December corn fell 12% in the four-day week ended July 3, and money managers flipped to a net short in CBOT corn futures and options of 18,209 contracts. Managed money net position in CBOT corn futures and optionsU.S. soybean plantings on June 30 came in well below all trade guesses, causing a surge in November soybeans . CBOT wheat rose more than 1% over the last three sessions on a slower U.S. winter harvest and possible drought concerns for U.S. and Canadian spring wheat. However, open interest in CBOT wheat futures and options is at the lowest mid-year levels since 2005.

Persons: soyoil, Karen Braun, Leslie Adler Organizations: U.S . Department of Agriculture, USDA, Reuters, Thomson Locations: NAPERVILLE , Illinois, Chicago, Minnesota, Iowa , Wisconsin, North Dakota, U.S

Reuters GraphicsAnalysts said the data underlined that once-booming ESG funds were no longer immune from wider market dynamics. BELOW PEAKNet assets across ESG funds fell in the second quarter and to below recent peaks, according to Refinitiv. Morningstar's global director of sustainability research, Hortense Bioy, said their preliminary data suggested demand for more stringent ESG funds appeared resilient. However, she said that managers' desire to meet European Union regulations had encouraged some firms to reclassify their ESG funds as traditional products, impacting investor flows. The anti-ESG backlash had also hit U.S. firms' appetite for marketing sustainable funds, "which has had an impact on sales," Bioy said on the sidelines of a conference this week.

Persons: outpacing, Edward Glyn, ESG, Hortense Bioy, Bioy, Tommy Reggiori Wilkes, Patturaja, David Holmes Organizations: Equity, Reuters, Reuters Graphics Analysts, outflows, ESG, Reuters Graphics, Thomson Locations: Europe, United States, Calastone

☆ The U.S. Funds Shadow Police Units All Over the World
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-04 | by ( Michael M. Phillips | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit www.djreprints.com. https://www.wsj.com/articles/law-enforcement-police-developing-countries-856c41e2

Persons: Dow Jones

Chicago corn, wheat, soybean and soybean meal futures began rallying sharply in mid-June as expanding U.S. drought and disappointing rain events hammered crop conditions. Trade sources had pegged the week’s net corn selling to be about four times heavier. Trade sources peg funds’ net selling in CBOT corn futures at 55,500 contracts over the last three sessions, and CBOT wheat selling is seen at 20,500 futures contracts. Funds were seen as net buyers of 8,000 soybean futures, 9,500 soyoil futures and 3,500 soymeal futures between Wednesday and Friday. Money managers’ weekly net selling in CBOT corn futures and options has twice exceeded 100,000 contracts this calendar year.

Persons: Gross, Wheat, Karen Braun, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: U.S . Department of Agriculture, corn’s, Funds, Reuters, Thomson Locations: NAPERVILLE , Illinois, U.S, Chicago

☆ Analysis: Dutch pension fund reform spells investment rethink
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( Yoruk Bahceli | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

The idea is that pension funds will allocate more risk to younger cohorts and less to those nearer retirement. The new rules also mean pension funds can be less strict in protecting against swings in interest rates and exchange rates using derivatives like swaps. Commerzbank expects a "seismic" change to the market, where Dutch pension funds are key players. Pension funds are surveying their members to understand how much risk different age groups are willing to take. Ultimately, interest rates determine how much risk pension funds need to take to generate future payments.

Persons: Eva Plevier, Wim Barentsen, Frank Vinke, Vinke, Jaap Teerhuis, Commerzbank, Onno Steenbeek, PGGM's Vinke, Achmea's, Gerard Moerman, Yoruk Bahceli, Dhara Ranasinghe, Catherine Evans Organizations: REUTERS, ABN AMRO, European, Achmea Investment Management, European Central Bank, Asset Management, Reuters Graphics, Aegon Asset Management, Thomson Locations: Amsterdam, Netherlands, AMSTERDAM

In the four-day week ended June 20, money managers erased a combined 100,000 gross short positions across CBOT corn, wheat, soybeans, soy products, Kansas City and Minneapolis wheat, the most for any week since August 2020. Money managers also added 45,000 gross longs last week, the most in four months and driven primarily by corn, where new longs outnumbered short covering. Net buying in soybeans last week was split between new longs and short covering, though funds’ latest moves in CBOT wheat and soybean oil were exclusively the result of short covering. They also increased their net long in CBOT soybeans to a two-month high of 76,950 futures and options contracts versus 47,882 a week earlier. Both new-crop corn and soybean futures rose more than 8% in the week ended June 20 amid near-record dryness in top-producing U.S. states.

Persons: Karen Braun, Lisa Shumaker Organizations: Environmental Protection Agency, parched, Reuters, Thomson Locations: NAPERVILLE , Illinois, Chicago, Kansas City, Minneapolis, CBOT, U.S, parched U.S, United States

This week’s attempt to rescue the five individuals trapped in the submersible, includes both the U.S. Navy and the Coast Guard. But, she said, when the cost of search and rescue efforts “crosses a certain threshold, funds may be diverted from N.P.S. The Coast Guard did not immediately respond to questions about the expense of past extensive search and rescue efforts. Credit... U.S. Coast Guard, via Associated PressMr. Derreumaux said he was thankful to the Coast Guard for saving his life, along with the lives of many others in need of its help. “I would not have called the Coast Guard if it weren’t a life-threatening situation,” he said.

Persons: ”, Chris Boyer, —, Boyer, Cynthia Hernandez, Peter Anderson, Cyril Derreumaux, kayaker, Derreumaux, “, ” Claire Fahy Organizations: U.S . Navy, Coast Guard, National Association for Search, National Park Service, OceanGate Expeditions, Abercrombie, Kent, The Coast Guard, San Francisco Chronicle, Coast Guard helicopter, . U.S . Coast Guard, Associated Press, Guard Locations: United States, New Hampshire, N.P.S, California, Hawaii, Marin County, Calif, . U.S

Search resuls for: ". Funds"

25 mentions found