I’m an optimist, and I invest accordingly—for the long term. But I’ve learned that staying optimistic doesn’t mean ignoring macroeconomic headwinds. One to note in particular is the weakening of the U.S. dollar. Not just as a matter of technical FX movement, but as a signal of political ambition, shifting global sentiment, and increasing systemic risk. So far in 2025, the dollar has slid more than 8 percent against a basket of major currencies—the worst start to a year in the ICE U.S. Dollar Index’s four-decade history. The Index is flashing red, not just from macroeconomic drift, but from something…

On one front, this tariff pandemonium changes nothing for us: We still see our favorite high-yield investments—8%+ paying closed-end funds (CEFs)—as the best choice to anchor your retirement portfolio. In fact, times like this add to their appeal even more. That’s because, in a crash, we CEF investors don’t have to sell a single unit of our funds to get the cash we need to fund our lives. Our big dividends—many of which roll in monthly—take care of our needs for us. Then there’s CEFs’ discounts to net asset value (NAV, or the value of their underlying portfolios). This unique-to-CEF…

Worried about the trade war and your retirement portfolio? Then I have two words for you: monthly dividends. Today we’ll fawn over four monthly payers that yield up to 17.4% annually. That’s no typo. Hop in my favorite income vehicle and we’ll motor over this market carnage together. The current market environment is nearly perfect for contrarians like us. How is that possible with tariff policy still, ahem, unfolding? Well the market is still full of fear and the weak hands have washed out. If you’re worried that the fear is justified because we are heading for a recession, let’s…

Wall Street traders are enjoying the stock market’s trend-less turmoil. Everyone else, not so much. The ever-changing news reports whirl stock market outlooks about, thereby keeping investors unsure and concerned. Beneath the stock market volatility are multiple uncertainties. U.S. stock market uncertainty Beyond “normal” risks, conditions are unstable due to disruptive, human-caused actions. The widespread, abnormal shifts are undermining investors’ understanding and expectations. Thus, the stock market tosses about, producing confusion, worry and contradictory advice. U.S. economy uncertainty Among those willing to undertake an economic outlook, there is little agreement. Some say there are no signs of a recession, some…

These four real estate investment trusts are now trading below their 200-day moving averages. It’s a sign of real weakness as these same names had hit new 52-week highs just a few months ago. That enough selling has taken place to move the price from highs to below a significant measure like the 200-dma is a problem. Although each REIT has its own factors, the overall issue might be interest rates and a change in expectations about them. Fed Chair Jerome P owell this week said inflation is likely to go up as a result of the Trump tariffs. He…

As trade tensions escalate between China and the United States, investors are grappling with potential impacts on their portfolios. Concerns about stagflation—a situation characterized by rising consumer prices combined with declining economic growth—are increasing. Historically, equities have performed well during periods of inflation because companies typically pass on higher input costs to consumers to preserve their operating margins. However, during stagflationary periods, consumer spending declines as economic weakness leads to job losses and a reduction in overall demand. Investors must adapt their strategies to navigate stagflation, targeting market sectors resilient enough to withstand both rising input costs and weakened consumer…

Funds focused on the VIX, the stock market’s so-called fear gauge, aren’t designed for novice investors, but can minimize losses if Trump’s next announcement sends stocks crashing. In a year when the stock market has primarily been driven by the whims of President Donald Trump’s tariff policies and social media posts, it’s even harder than usual to forecast whether the market will move up or down in the next week, or even day.In a year where the stock market has primarily been driven by the whims of President Donald Trump’s tariff policies and social media posts, it’s even harder than…

Key News Asian equities had a strong day on light volumes, except the Philippines, which was closed for Maundy Thursday, also known as Holy Thursday, commemorating the Last Supper. Hong Kong and Stock Connect are closed tomorrow and Monday. It was a fairly quiet night as Hong Kong rebounded by the same names that led it lower yesterday, with Hong Kong’s most heavily traded Alibaba +3.13%, Tencent +2.23% after announcing an effort to help foreign firms tap the domestic market, Xiaomi +1.7%, Meituan +1.19%, and SMIC -1.32%. A Mainland media piece titled “Taobao ranks first in downloads in 16 countries…

SiriusXM Holdings has been named as a Top 25 dividend stock, according the most recent Dividend Channel ‘’DividendRank” report. The report noted that among the coverage universe, SIRI shares displayed both attractive valuation metrics and strong profitability metrics. For example, the recent SIRI share price of $20.08 represents a price-to-book ratio of 0.6 and an annual dividend yield of 5.38% — by comparison, the average company in Dividend Channel’s coverage universe yields 4.4% and trades at a price-to-book ratio of 2.3. The report also cited the strong quarterly dividend history at SiriusXM Holdings Inc, and favorable long-term multi-year growth rates…

Large corporations are entering a period of introspection when it comes to sustainability and corporate resilience. As United States (U.S.) policy on the environment and climate-related disclosures, both domestically and abroad, continues to shift to a much lighter touch, companies will need to further take it upon themselves to manage regulatory risks related to environmental, health, safety and sustainability-related issues. Increasingly, how effectively they manage that process will be judged not by regulators, but by investors, customers and employees. Put simply, the major resiliency risk that companies now face is more market-driven than regulatory, compared to just a few months…