Semiconductor industry investors aren’t complaining about portfolio performance – not when chip stocks continue to generate solid returns for investors in the first quarter of 2024. The benchmark iShares Semiconductor ETF (ticker: SOXX) is up 21.9% year to date as of March 22, compared with 19.5% for the S&P Global Semiconductors Index. Over the past … Read more
Stocks took a strong turn upward in 2023, sparked by the slowing pace of rate hikes, declining inflation and a resilient job market: a trio of good omens that could portend the elusive but highly desired “soft landing” for the U.S. economy. That momentum has continued in the early days of 2024, with all three … Read more
Artificial intelligence startup Anthropic, one of the sector’s most closely watched companies, is rolling out new software for its chatbot Claude that will be better at carrying out complicated instructions and less prone to making things up. Anthropic has emphasized developing AI safely and responsibly, which has at times limited its performance. For example, older … Read more
Technology stocks led the stock market to new all-time highs in the past year. In fact, the Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF (ticker: XLK) has more than doubled the S&P 500’s total return in the past 12 months. For more than a decade, brief periods of tech sector underperformance have consistently been long-term buying opportunities, … Read more
Some investors believe that the current technology boom and artificial intelligence will power a gigantic bull market in the months and years to come. Other analysts are warning of high valuations and a potential bubble if markets get much more euphoric. In any case, it can be tricky trying to value high-flying stocks such as … Read more
On Feb. 28, long-serving Senate leader and longtime marijuana opponent Mitch McConnell said he’ll step down from his position and help select a replacement in November. In the legal marijuana industry, he is best known for holding up passage of a 2022 bill that would have allowed the cannabis sector to access the banking system … Read more
Optimism is rising over the U.S. initial public offering market after a couple of years of significant decline. There were 128 U.S. initial public offerings in 2023, with a cash value of $22.6 billion, according to Ernst & Young. Although it was a slow year for IPOs compared with 2021, it was a step up … Read more
Economists around the world are expecting U.S. economic growth to slow in coming quarters, and some are still calling for a mild U.S. recession. It may become difficult for investors to find reliable growth stocks to buy if interest rates remain at 22-year highs for an extended period. Nevertheless, growth stocks have outperformed value stocks … Read more
The U.S. stock market is off to a great start in 2024. Through Feb. 23, both the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq-100 are up more than 7% year to date (YTD). The Dow Jones Industrial Average is up nicely as well, though not as dramatically. That well-known index has gained just over 3% YTD. You … Read more
Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc. said its cash pile scaled a new record as the billionaire investor decried a lack of meaningful deals that would give the firm a shot at “eye-popping performance.” The firm’s cash hoard jumped to a record at $167.6 billion in the fourth quarter as the conglomerate struggled to find deals … Read more