The first six months of 2023 were full of surprises for investors, not the least of which was a Nasdaq surge of 32% — its best first half since 1983. The S&P 500 Index gained nearly 16% for the first half, powered by mega-cap stocks.

This weekly update tracks some of the largest cryptocurrencies by market share: bitcoin and ether. We’ve also included XRP, as it was one of the largest cryptocurrencies when this article began.

Generative artificial intelligence (AI) investing is taking the world by storm this year. With that, there are substantial, long-term investment implications.

VettaFi’s vice chairman Tom Lydon discussed the Amplify Online Retail ETF (IBUY) on this week’s “ETF of the Week” podcast with Chuck Jaffe of “Money Life.”

The prospect of global interest rates remaining higher for longer is tipping the case for many investors to switch into bonds from stocks.

Investors are finally showing signs of losing their antipathy toward commodities.

As the demand for faster, smaller, and more efficient electronic devices grows, so does the need for advanced semiconductor manufacturing techniques. Traditional methods have their limitations, and ASML’s mission revolves around transcending these boundaries.

Increasingly more advisors and investors are discovering the benefits of options strategies in their portfolios. There is great value in understanding and utilizing options strategies with the range of benefits they can provide portfolios, including protective puts.

In terms of manufacturing, value added, which is basically the value of the output minus the costs of the input, the U.S. produces almost twice as much as Japan, more than three times as much as Germany, and five times as much as India.

Year-to-date, the largest exchange traded fund dedicated to real estate investment trusts (REITs) is saddled with a small loss, while the S&P 500 is higher by about 15%.

In the current landscape, where bonds and stocks are experiencing positive correlation, it becomes even more important (if not critical) to incorporate additional diversification strategies to help mitigate portfolio risk and preserve portfolio balance.

Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine and the ensuing war have prompted new and difficult questions for sovereign debt investors.

Working with Complex Products- A Market Making Perspective A Conversation With: Andres Rincon, Director, Head of ETF Sales & Strategy, TD Securities and Dave Nadig, Financial Futurist, VettaFi

Artificial intelligence (AI) is capable not just of disrupting higher education but of blowing it apart. The march of the smart machines is already well advanced. AI can easily pass standardized tests such as the GMAT (Graduate Management Admission Test) and the GRE (Graduate Record Examination) required by graduate schools.

The Japanese factory automation and robot maker last month lowered its full-year operating income forecast by 24% because of a sharp slowdown in China and high inventories that could linger into next year. Its shares were quickly dumped and have continued to slide.

Big Tech’s earnings season is wrapping up with a bang: Nvidia Corp., at the center of the artificial intelligence frenzy, is reporting results that could set the tone for global stock markets for the rest of the year.

Cognitive biases can be as detrimental as they are universal, and the curse of knowledge is no different.

Vanguard Group has famously stood apart in the money-management world with its popular mutual funds offering the liquid ETF wrapper.

Gold isn’t losing its allure, according to a dozen money managers who all told Bloomberg News they expect to maintain or raise their exposure to the precious metal in the coming 12 months.

What’s going on with the markets and the economy? Long-term Treasury yields are up substantially since last Fall while the stock market, after a big rally, has stumbled so far this month. Meanwhile, the real economy appears to continue to chug along – even accelerating!

When it comes to large- and mega-cap stocks benefiting from the artificial intelligence (AI) craze, Alphabet (NASDAQ: GOOG), Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT), and Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) are among the obvious choices.

With the path of least resistance for stocks seemingly lower for now, key to watch will be a stabilization in interest rate volatility and clarity on the path of monetary policy.

With the Fed’s tightening on monetary policy and the constant threat of a recession looming, policymakers and advisors are closely monitoring economic indicators because the data can ultimately impact business decisions and financial markets.

ETFs have become a popular investment vehicle among many investors and continue to grow in adoption, and so what we’re seeing is that more and more investors are incorporating ETFs into their own portfolios in some way or another.

A marketing firm is helping us rewrite our copy on the website and producing some marketing materials. But the question coming up from my team is, “How do we turn this into an elevator pitch?

Despite the increasing popularity of self-directed brokerage accounts (SDBAs) within 401(k) plans, recent data reveals that women are under-utilizing this investment tool.

When your client conveys vast amounts of information – as is typically the case in a discovery meeting – it’s unrealistic to expect you to retain that information without writing it down. That’s about to change.

BlackRock’s Rachel Aguirre goes in-depth on the firm’s framework for launching new products and highlights the rise of actively managed and options-based ETF strategies. VettaFi’s Stacey Morris offers perspective on the recent strength in the energy sector and looks ahead to the remainder of the year. Parabla’s Phil Hanks explains the Parabla Innovation ETF (LZRD).

Here’s what you can say in response.

The US bond-market selloff resumed Monday, driving 10-year yields to a 16-year high, as the persistently resilient economy has investors positioning for interest rates to remain elevated even after the Federal Reserve winds up its hikes.

Who knew that the subject of US Treasury bond yields could inspire such passion? When, in late June, I argued that they were likely to move considerably higher than the then-prevailing 3.75%, I attracted some vehement pushback.

Whereas the U.S. is investing in new airport infrastructure and modernizing facilities to meet ambitious climate goals, European airports are choosing to combat emissions by restricting the number of flights.

Thanks to NVIDIA stock, the ETF is now up over 50% YTD — and it could keep climbing, as investor interest in AI continues to heat up.

If they’d been offered today’s economy a year ago – with inflation downgraded from emergency to mere headache, still-low unemployment, and growth that’s slowed without stalling – the world’s top central bankers would’ve taken it like a shot.

The Northern Trust Economics team shares its outlook for U.S. growth, employment, interest rates and inflation.

Over the past 12-24 months of rate hikes, short-term and ultra-short-term bond ETFs have served income-seeking investors well. But as interest rates continue to rise, exposures farther out on the curve have begun to offer attractive yields, too.

At the height of the pandemic recession, a prominent economist proclaimed that the dollar would plunge 35% and lose its status as the reserve currency. Why was he so wrong?

Here are five ways to take your COI relationships to the next level – and maximize your business along the way.

I have participated in several industry panels over the years. A question I am often asked is, “What size practice do you need to start your own RIA?”

Equity traders reeling from the market’s worst stretch since February face some pivotal events in the days ahead, and a closely watched speech by Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell may not even be the biggest test of all.

Halfway through the third quarter, the economy is looking surprisingly strong. A tracker from the Atlanta branch of the Federal Reserve has real gross domestic product growth, based on the limited data we've gotten so far, tracking at 5.8%, which would be the fastest for a non-pandemic quarter in 20 years.

Former Bridgewater Associates LP executive Bob Elliott’s plan for exchange-traded funds that employ hedge fund strategies has sharpened the debate about whether retail investors should have access to such approaches.

ETFs are investments that can hold: bonds, stocks, gold bullion and cryptocurrencies. Canadian ETFs track a wide range of different asset classes via indexes. Most ETFs are tied to index products, including both equity or fixed income funds.

Investors should take a closer look at companies that help create a more energy-efficient ecosystem for AI.

Government bonds or stocks? If you were picking an asset class to outperform over the next 18-24 months, which would you choose?

Approval of a spot bitcoin exchange traded fund in the U.S. is one of the most widely anticipated and delayed events in the roughly three-decade history of the ETF industry.

My last three letters reviewed Neil Howe’s new book about the Fourth Turning. Today we’ll look at another set of patterns observed by my friend George Friedman in the geopolitical realm. George’s view of how patterns shape countries is different but not inconsistent with Neil’s generational cycles.

There are tools to help you level up in client behavior, experience, and engagement.

Readers of this publication know the costs of an investment product reduce the net return and consider cost as an important criterion for selecting investments to make up client portfolios. But how do advisors define costs, and how important is cost reduction compared to other portfolio objectives?

Financial journalism has a problem. Apart from a few writers such as Michael Lewis, it is essentially bought and paid for by the financial industry itself – especially, investment management.