For years, it’s been a struggle to try to convince many US investors to spread some of their money abroad. It’s only natural: We simply tend to favor the familiar—our home country—over others. Investors the world over have this natural bias. But that’s been slowly changing in recent months. Which is great news, because diversifying internationally is a particularly smart move in times like these. Moreover, when you diversify—especially through 8%+ yielding income investments like closed-end funds (CEFs)—you can easily rebalance your holdings in line with changes in the market, moving more into US stocks when they’re low, say, and…

The next Consumer Price Index report for the month of March will be released on April 10. Expectations are that headline monthly inflation will be flat due, in part, to falling energy prices. However, core CPI may rise between 0.2% and 0.3%. That’s according to latest nowcast estimates from Cleveland Federal Reserve models. March’s CPI Report for the month of February showed 0.2% monthly headline inflation and the same rate for core inflation. The inflation report will be closely analyzed for any early tariff impact. Annual inflation is likely to stay above the Federal Open Market Committee’s 2% annual target,…

BMW expects U.S. tariff discussions won’t be too complicated and could cost it just over €1 billion in 2025 but President Trump has been particularly critical of Europe’s trade policies and this might extend the auto industry’s negotiations into a more costly hassle. BMW CEO Oliver Zipse told Bloomberg Television the €1.1 billion ($1.2 billion) figure was conservative and included tariff negotiations with Mexico, Canada and Europe. Zipse was talking after BMW announced net profit fell by more than 30% in 2024 to €7.68 billion ($8.39 billion) because of weak sales in China and Germany. The auto profit margin fell…

Helmerich & Payne has been named as a Top 10 dividend paying energy stock, according to Dividend Channel, which published its weekly ”DividendRank” report. The report noted that among energy companies, HP shares displayed both attractive valuation metrics and strong profitability metrics. For example, the recent HP share price of $25.86 represents a price-to-book ratio of 0.9 and an annual dividend yield of 3.87% — by comparison, the average energy stock in Dividend Channel’s coverage universe yields 3.7% and trades at a price-to-book ratio of 1.9. The report also cited the strong quarterly dividend history at Helmerich & Payne, Inc.,…

Key News Asian equities had a strong start to the week today, led higher by Japan on Berkshire Hathaway increasing their stake in several companies, South Korea, and Malaysia, though Thailand and Indonesia fell slightly. It was a big day in China’s bond market, as Treasury bonds sold off and yields rose. The 30-year government bond yield hit a three-month high of 2.12%, while the 10-year yield closed the session at 1.89% versus a February 6th low of 1.59%. Better-than-expected February economic data likely pushes a PBOC rate cut further out as CNY appreciated to 7.23 per US dollar. Q1…

What’s it’s like to be retired when a recession hits? Every good ship’s captain knows how to ride out choppy waters. He’s got a tried-and-true rulebook. Maybe it’s not in writing. Maybe it’s just in his head. But he’s certain about Rule #1: See a storm on the horizon? Sail around it. Sometimes, though, you just can’t help but take on the rough seas. Sure, a safe harbor would be nice, but you’re a skilled helmsman. You can brave what’s coming. Years of experience have conditioned you to calmly pilot your craft, no matter what turbulence throws at you. If…

By now, it should be abundantly clear to anyone following trends in the landscape of wider sustainability related regulation, that the United States federal government is not going to be the driver for any additional corporate standards. But that does not mean an absence of major new corporate sustainability reforms coming into play in the US. In the vacuum left by a lack of federal mandates, state-level advocates and officials – and in some cases businesses themselves – are predicted to fill the void. State of Affairs In January, Colorado introduced a bill that would require companies that do business…

The Nasdaq Stock Market led the way up in the great rally of the past two years. Now it’s leading the way down. Nasdaq is home to most big technology stocks and many small stocks. The Nasdaq Composite Total Return Index gained more than 44% in 2023 and more than 29% in 2024. From its peak on February 19 of this year through March 14, it has lost more than 11%. Is a buying opportunity at hand? Not yet, in my opinion. I think there will be one within the next three months. When the time comes – perhaps when…

The stock market is currently caught up in its deepest slide since July. We contrarians are prepared to move quickly for deep-dip-buying opportunities. Right now, I’m paying close attention to already-high-paying corners of the market, where we can get 9.4% to 13.1% yields right this very minute. I’m talking about from the business development company (BDC) industry, where those sky-high yields aren’t rare—they’re the norm. In fact, right now, if we threw darts at a board of BDCs, we’d be likelier to hit a double-digit payout than one in the single digits. But it’s not just the yields I love—it’s…

Inflation and high interest rates aren’t going away. Don’t let your checking account rob you of a decent return on liquid assets. By William Baldwin, Senior Contributor Forget bank CD rates for a moment. If you want more interest, look at something under your nose: the bank account you use to collect a paycheck and pay bills. Chances are you are earning something in the neighborhood of zilch on your liquid assets. You can fix this. You can get 4%. Below are four remedies to pick from, one of them, interestingly, coming from a bank that participates in the usual…