Over the weekend, the United States removed Venezuela’s long-standing political leader, abruptly reopening questions investors have not seriously asked in years. Chief among them: could Venezuela’s oil sector finally begin to recover, and if so, which companies stand to benefit? It’s an important question, because on paper Venezuela has the largest proven oil reserves of any country. This analysis is…
What if Warren Buffett’s one-time heir apparent showed you exactly where to put your money today… and he was going to back that roadmap with billions of dollars? That’s not hypothetical. In December, JPMorgan hired Todd Combs – one of Berkshire Hathaway’s key investment managers and the former CEO of Geico – to run a $10 billion investment fund focused…
If you are looking to build wealth, one easy way to do that is by focusing on reliable dividend stocks. One of the best sectors in which to find such stocks is the consumer staples sector. Here are three strong consumer staples dividend opportunities today. Here’s what you need to know to get started. This post originally appeared at The Motley…
The last 12 months have brought a change of occupant in the White House, a radical shift in economic policy anchored by a massive increase in import tariffs and a retreat from the global trade consensus that dominated the past several decades – not to mention drastic changes to immigration and other established policies. But, as 2026 arrives, the stock…
2025 will be remembered as a year of political upheaval, trade turbulence, and market resilience. Investors endured a spring shock, witnessed a historic rally in gold, and watched equities finish at record levels despite widespread uncertainty. Oil’s slump and the Fed’s easing cycle added complexity to the landscape, but the overarching lesson was familiar: markets adapt—often faster, and more forcefully,…
One of the greatest appeals of cryptocurrencies is their massive potential. That market can be very challenging, and investors are often swept away by some of the sudden, huge gains they read about each year. However, chasing these kinds of gains can be frustrating, as for every success story, there are digital coins that fade away just as quickly, leaving investors with…
A well-planned retirement portfolio should ideally be built around several different income buckets. When combined, those sources aim to produce a sustainable withdrawal rate that supports ongoing living expenses without exhausting savings. For investment assets, whether held in a workplace 401(k) plan or a self-directed Roth IRA, the outcome often comes down to fund selection. Employer-sponsored plans typically offer a…
The stock market has had a very good 2025. With just a few trading days left in the year, the S&P 500 index has risen about 17% (as of Dec. 22), which is pretty strong considering the average annual gain for that index is about 10%. Three sectors outperformed the broad index during the year. They were information technology (IT), communication services,…
Markets rarely turn on a single headline. More often, trouble builds through small inconsistencies, subtle shifts in behavior, and signals that do not quite line up with the optimism embedded in asset prices. As we close out 2025, a growing number of those cautionary signals are flashing simultaneously. None of this guarantees a downturn. But taken together, the risks heading…
Despite a U.S. government shutdown that hit the “pause” button on new initial public offerings, the IPO market is expected to finish 2025 as it started, with a flurry of newly minted publicly-traded companies. Data from MicroVentures show that 371 U.S. companies went public through Dec. 4, a significantly faster pace than the 266 nationwide IPOs that went live in…