This has been a great year for stocks—and a great year for our 8%+ yielding closed-end funds (CEFs), too. That makes sense: Many CEFs invest in stocks, and many more hold bonds issued by publicly traded firms, so what’s good for stocks tends to be good for CEFs. When we look at the proprietary indexes we use to track CEFs at my CEF Insider service, we see that the equity sub-index has done the best, with a 21% year-to-date total return. Corporate bonds are second at 14.3%. Municipal bonds, known for lower volatility and risk, have gained a bit less,…

Key News Asian equities were mixed overnight as South Korea bounced after yesterday’s 52-week low. US-listed China ADRs and ETFs had a very strong day yesterday following Politburo’s very strongly worded release, including “proactive fiscal policy” and “loose monetary policy.” A key point is the release occurred after the Mainland’s 3 PM close, giving Hong Kong an hour to rally/go vertical. During US trading hours, Hong Kong futures tracked the US-listed China ADRs and China ETFs higher, though strangely, Mainland Chinese futures were barely higher. This led to speculation yesterday that the US-China ADR and China ETF rally was driven…

So-called barn finds are what legends are made of among auto enthusiasts. Earlier this year a rare, but rust-covered 1969 Ford Mustang that was originally priced at around $2,600 was unearthed, being locked in a barn for over two decades. Spiffed up it could be worth a cool $605,000. But one doesn’t have to go the American Pickers route to get into the collectable car game or cash out the 401k buying a fully restored 1960’s muscle car to invest in a vintage ride. As in past years the experts at collectible vehicle insurer Hagerty have come up their annual…

The bidding war for the most sought-after free agent in baseball history included the usual suspects who have spent freely on superstars for decades—the New York Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers and Boston Red Sox—but none could top Steve Cohen, the league’s new heavy hitter. The 68-year-old Cohen, whose estimated net worth of $21.3 billion is twice as large as any other Major League Baseball owner’s fortune, reportedly agreed Sunday night to a 15-year, $765 million deal to sign 26-year-old outfielder Juan Soto, who wore Yankee pinstripes last season. The contract averages out to $51 million a year with no deferred…

Key News After the Mainland’s close, a statement was released from today’s meeting of the Politburo, which is the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, i.e. the highest echelon of China’s government, which was presided over by President Xi. The statement said that the body would “implement more proactive fiscal policies and moderately loosen monetary policies,” which sent the Hong Kong market vertical in the last hour of trading, as all sectors were positive amid very strong buying of Hong Kong stocks by Mainland investors via Southbound Stock Connect. Unfortunately, the Mainland China market was already closed when the…

Bristol Myers Squibb has been named a Top Socially Responsible Dividend Stock by Dividend Channel, signifying a stock with above-average ”DividendRank” statistics including a strong 4.0% yield, as well as being recognized by prominent asset managers as being a socially responsible investment, through analysis of social and environmental criteria. Environmental criteria include considerations like the environmental impact of the company’s products and services, as well as the company’s efficiency in terms of its use of energy and resources. Social criteria include elements such as human rights, child labor, corporate diversity, and the company’s impact on society — for instance, taken…

Billions in Chinese goods avoid US import fees thanks to a little-known exemption that is overdue for reform according to many critcs Gen Z fast-fashion favorite Shein (pronounced “she-in”), along with its principal competitor Temu, have had spectacular runs over the past five years, selling Chinese-made apparel and accessories direct to mostly Gen Z consumers at absurdly low prices. Their success has drawn attention to a little-known tariff loophole that Chinese makers have been exploiting for years and is reportedly on the new administration’s hit list. The pandemic-driven surge in Chinese apparel imports has been breathtaking. Shein’s 2023 global sales…

Can you buy a stock with red-hot earnings growth for a modest price? You can, but only if most investors think its growth streak is ended, or is about to end. That’s the idea behind my Bunny Portfolio, now going into its 24th year. To get into this hypothetical portfolio, a stock must have five-year historical earnings growth of 25% a year or better, yet the stock price must be 12 times earnings or less. The stocks are selected by a formula, not by judgment. It’s a ten-stock portfolio, featuring the fastest growers and the cheapest stocks in the qualifying…

Nvidia, the U.S.-based semiconductor powerhouse, is under scrutiny by Chinese regulators for suspected violations of the country’s anti-monopoly laws, according to China Central Television. On Monday, China’s State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) announced an investigation into Nvidia, citing alleged breaches of anti-monopoly regulations. The specifics of the investigation remain undisclosed, but the move signals China’s intent to assert stricter oversight over foreign companies operating within its borders. Nvidia, which dominates the high-performance computing and AI chip markets, has a significant stake in China’s burgeoning tech ecosystem, making the implications of this probe particularly weighty. Following news of the investigation,…

Once hailed as the height of American aerospace invention and engineering, Boeing now faces several growing difficulties that have aroused shareholder uncertainty and jeopardized its financial viability. The decline of the stock has been brutal. Disputes, manufacturing delays, and eroding market trust have eclipsed the company’s heritage over decades of greatness. Unexpectedly, even Boeing’s own employees, who form the core of its operations, have begun to support a radical and transformative action: a full Boeing breakup. This internal desire for change shows a growing awareness among companies that their present structure is not efficiently serving their stakeholders. Analysts estimate that…