The Trump administration’s economic policies have been summarized by most major financial institutions under the industry’s greatest pejorative: uncertainty. It’s bad enough when applied to yo-yo-ing tariffs that can send the economy teetering toward recession. And perhaps even worse when playing with the future of the planet: $27 billion in funding for companies and funds addressing the climate crisis that, if unabated, the World Economic Forum has estimated costing society as much as $75 trillion by 2050. Why was this funding frozen, and what can private investors do about it? GGRF Funds in Limbo Over the past 100+ days, there…

Week in Review On Monday, Alibaba rose +1.68% following the release of its updated Qwen3 AI model, which is believed to power Apple AI on iPhones sold in China. On Tuesday, Mainland investors bought the Hong Kong dip with $158 million of net buying via Southbound Stock Connect, which accounted for 53% of Hong Kong turnover. On Wednesday, JD.com announced smartphone sales between RMB 4k and RMB 6k rose +50% year-over-year (YoY), while international sales via JD Global Sales rose by +236% YoY. On Thursday, Alibaba announced that Tmall sales across consumer-subsidized products—including mobile phones, appliances, and digital goods—rose by…

Few things ease financial worry like knowing you can walk away from work anytime you want, having true financial freedom. Closed-end funds (CEFs) give us just that kind of security—and we talk about that a lot in my weekly articles and in my CEF Insider service. With yields of 8%, 9% and more, CEFs generate huge payouts that could let you retire earlier than you think. It’s such a powerful—and overlooked—way to invest that it’s worth revisiting again today. We’ll color our discussion by looking at how some typical American retirees could retire with CEFs. And we’re going to work…

News of a personnel change at the top has caused shares in housebuilder Berkeley Group to sink in end-of-week trading. At £38.52 per share, the FTSE 100 company was last dealing 7.2% lower on Friday. Berkeley – which focuses on home construction in London and the South East of England – said that Rob Perrins will vacate his position as chief executive during the autumn. He will be replaced by chief financial officer Richard Stearn. Perrins – who has held the chief executive position since for 16 years – will take over the role of chairman after Michael Dobson steps…

Oil prices climbed over 4% on Tuesday as the Iran-Israel conflict raged with no end in sight, with Brent crude futures reaching a six-month high of $74/bbl. This latest spike underscores a fundamental economic reality: oil remains the lifeblood of global commerce, and its price volatility continues to be one of the most potent forces shaping economic growth patterns worldwide. The relationship between oil prices and economic growth is both direct and complex. When oil prices rise sharply, they act as a tax on economic activity, increasing input costs across virtually every sector of the economy. Transportation, manufacturing, agriculture, and…

The history of modern retail is often the history of the people who founded the companies that became household names. As such, you might say that many legendary, successful brands have souls or a set of basic principles that somehow outlast their founders. It also follows that there is often a price to pay when companies lose or sell their souls or stray from their principles. For example, Ray Kroc gets credit for growing McDonald’s into a global phenomenon but it was the founders—McDonald brothers Richard and Maurice—who came up with the Golden Arches design and whose obsession with operational…

You can’t charge $18 for a mediocre burger anymore and expect to survive, especially with private equity circling. The era of casual dining has come to an end. Nostalgia isn’t enough to keep the doors open, and the cracks are turning into collapses. TGI Fridays just filed for bankruptcy. Jack in the Box is flailing. Others are quietly shrinking, stuck between rising costs, outdated models, and changing consumer expectations. To most, it looks like an industry in terminal decline. However, investors who are paying attention perceive a sector that is poised for transformation. Behind the failing units and flatlined comps…

Signs of continued stress across its UK hotel and restaurant units pulled Whitbread’s share price lower in Thursday trading. At £27.15 per share, the FTSE 100 leisure giant was last 2.7% lower on the day. Sales at the headline level fell 4% during the 13 weeks to 29 May, Whitbread said. At its Premier Inn hotel division – which is responsible for almost three-quarters of group turnover – sales flatlined in the three month period due to enduring weakness in its home territory. However, Whitbread continued to outperform the broader midscale and economy (M&E) accommodation market, with sales 1.7% ahead…

Bonds, especially long-term bonds, have taken headline hits recently. Last month it was the Moody’s credit rating downgrade, recently it was President Trump’s sweeping tax bill. Major outlets from Bloomberg to The New York Times have published stories that could lead many investors to steer away from long-term bonds. In my opinion, investors looking to maximize the income generated from their portfolios should consider longer-term bonds right now. In this case, I’m referring to 10-year bonds or longer. These bonds now offer attractive yield advantages over shorter-term bonds and can also help to increase portfolio diversification, potentially acting as a…

My regular readers know that most dividend stocks are bad investments. They are not the safe-havens that investors think. I recently hosted live training sessions on two dangerous types of dividend stocks: Fake Dividend Stocks False Dividend Stocks. In this report, I’m here to warn about a third, less obvious yet dangerous dividend stock: Dividend-Trap Stocks Dividend-trap Stocks look good on the outside. They pay a dividend, and the underlying business is solid enough to afford the dividend. The problem is not the cash flows. It’s the nosebleed valuation of the stocks. No matter how healthy the dividend is, if…