If you invest for long enough, you may hear a skeptic of high-yield investments—such as 8%+ yielding closed-end funds (CEFs)—say something like: “Sure, you’re getting a lot of income now, but what if that dividend gets cut?” Today we’re going to answer that with a look at how a dividend cut can actually send a CEF (or any dividend investment, really) on a profitable run. We’ll do it by looking at three CEFs that followed this exact pattern: Cutting dividends and then going on to give investors huge returns for years and years. These funds show that a dividend cut…

What could a bank and a luxury retailer possibly have in common? Both recently raised dividends and go ex-dividend this week, but more importantly, these offer capital appreciation potential for investors and carry a “Buy” rating from analysts, thanks to their solid fundamentals. 1. TowneBank (TOWN) Overview TowneBank (TOWN) operates across Hampton Roads, Central Virginia, and parts of North Carolina. Last month, TowneBank raised its quarterly cash dividend by 8% to $0.27. The record date is June 27, 2025, meaning shareholders should buy the stock by June 26th to be eligible for the payout on July 11. TowneBank has grown…

Tesla isn’t just making cars anymore—it’s rewriting what a car is. The Robotaxi. While legacy automakers focus on electrifying yesterday’s models, Tesla is quietly building something far more ambitious: a closed-loop, vertically integrated robotaxi ecosystem. The vehicle is no longer the product; it’s the delivery mechanism for an autonomous software platform that generates recurring revenue, mile by mile. If Tesla successfully achieves this, the company will shift from being a car manufacturer to becoming the infrastructure layer of global mobility, relying on the vehicle, the AI brain, the data, and the payments stack. Think AWS, but for transportation. This endeavor…

Key News Asian equities declined following the US attack on Iranian nuclear facilities, the threat of a potential counterattack, and concerns over Middle East oil transportation out of the Persian Gulf (hence the REM song reference in today’s title). Despite the strength of the US dollar, Hong Kong, Mainland China, and Malaysia outperformed. A key factor in the resilience of Hong Kong and Mainland China was the start of the 12th two-and-a-half-day meeting of the 14th Standing Committee of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC). Try saying that five times fast! The meeting, attended by…

The U.S. bombing of Iranian nuclear sites, with the possibility of retaliation by Iran, poses new risks for U.S. stock investors. With four defense stocks and two energy stocks in my standard portfolio, I feel reasonably well positioned. Once a year in this column, I give a snapshot of my holdings in a typical medium-risk account. My biggest concentration at present is in industrial stocks, most of which are defense stocks. U.S. relations are tense with China, Russia, South Korea and of course Iran. I own Dassault Aviation SA (DUAVF) in France; BAE Systems Plc (BAESY) in Great Britain; and…

War shakes nations—but rarely breaks markets. Yes, war is tragic. It unsettles borders, devastates lives, and reorders global priorities. But the stock market doesn’t operate on morality. It runs on capital, incentives, and probabilities. Despite investors’ natural aversion to conflict, history reveals that some of the most powerful rallies started during periods of global turmoil rather than peace. Markets fear uncertainty more than they fear war. And once the fog clears, once direction becomes visible, capital surges back in. From World War II to the Gulf War, and more recently Ukraine, stocks have not only survived wars, but they’ve also…

An automated Grey’s Anatomy? Robots have proven their worth in manufacturing assembly lines, but they also have a big future in other places, in particular surgery. For one thing, robots promise technological exactitude—they don’t shake like human hands. For another, the surgeon who directs an operation need not be physically present. Video and other tech systems allow the doctor to be hundreds of miles away, so patients needing urgent care doesn’t have to wait for a specialist to travel to their bedside. Small wonder that robotic surgery’s revenue is expected to double by 2029, reaching $23.7 billion, per research firm…

Let’s talk about energy dividends because, well, you know why. But let’s not chase the headlines. Let’s focus on energy “toll collectors” that will make money regardless of tomorrow’s geopolitical landscape. Steady cash flows support these 4.2% to 9.5% yields. This runs counter to the outlook for exploration and production companies, as well as equipment and service providers, which have profits that are tightly bound to the price of energy commodities. These stock prices follow crude oil movements too closely. Energy infrastructure companies are calmer plays. Companies that own and operate pipelines, processing plants and storage facilities aren’t nearly as…

The Federal Market Open Market Committee expects interest rates to move down in 2025. Fixed income markets see two cuts coming, taking rates to 3.75% to 4% by December as the most likely outcome, down from 4% to 4.25% today. However, for quite some time the labor market has held up better than expected. If that changed, as one FOMC policymaker recently suggested is possible, then the FOMC likely would cut rates more aggressively. A Robust Labor Market At the June FOMC meeting, interest rates were held at 4.25% to 4.5% as they have been since the last rate cut…

Intel’s once dominant position in the semiconductor industry has eroded into a cautionary tale. Does the current situation make the company vulnerable to a breakup or an acquisition bid? While AMD and NVIDIA sprinted ahead, capturing market share, mindshare, and the AI growth narrative, Intel stalled. Its inability to execute on next-gen chip rollouts, capitalize on the foundry business, or maintain architectural leadership has left the company trailing in nearly every performance metric that matters. In a prior Forbes piece, I made it clear: this decline isn’t just a case of bad timing. The issue lies in cultural inertia, poor…