Author: starbpo

When dividends are taken into account, utilities stocks are currently the S&P 500’s best-performing stocks for the year. Although one of the most popular stories in the stock market at the moment is the artificial intelligence trade, utilities—a “boring” industry—are really outperforming Big Tech in 2025. As of Tuesday’s market close, the S&P 500 Utilities Sector Index XX:SP500.55 has returned 23.7% so far this year, according to Dow Jones Market Data. Dividends are included in total return figures. It is now the top S&P 500 sector for the year, outperforming the information technology and communication services sectors, which have returned…

When choosing between an online pharmacy service and a physical pharmacist, patients must consider both cost and convenience. For almost twenty years, Emmabella Rudd used the same brand of life-sustaining insulin, which cost about $100 each ninety-day supply. However, she was horrified to learn from her pharmacy that her next prescription was not covered by her insurance and would cost an eye-popping $3,000 once she changed health insurance carriers in 2023. Rudd, now 24, has Type 1 diabetes and was running low on insulin at the time. She had to decide whether to switch to a less expensive insurer-approved brand…

Amazon revealed new kiosks that will allow patients to quickly and conveniently obtain their prescription drugs while still in the doctor’s office. Experts caution that convenience may come at a price as the pharmacy sector continues its shift toward automation with the launch of Amazon Pharmacy kiosks last week. The kiosks were created to cut down on time-consuming treks to the pharmacy following a doctor’s appointment, and they are scheduled to debut in a few doctor’s offices in the Los Angeles region in December. Amazon (AMZN) referenced a 2024 J.D. Power study in its press announcement, which revealed that only…

After the Columbus Day holiday, trade on the bond market will resume on Tuesday. Recently, the U.S. Treasury market has been as lost as the Italian explorer who was trying to find India. Over the last month, the 10-year yield TMUBMUSD10Y 4.078% has gone back up nearly 50 basis points. Most of the rise in Treasury yields is due to better-than-expected economic reports from the U.S. The unemployment rate has been going down while inflation has been stubbornly high. The race could also play a role. When he’s not writing a 39-minute deejay set, former President Donald Trump has proposed…

Bloomberg News reported Monday night that for national security reasons, the U.S. is thinking about limiting the amount of powerful AI chips it sells to certain countries. The report, which cited unnamed people familiar with the situation, said that the U.S. Commerce Department is currently thinking about how to set a limit on export licenses for AI chips made by companies like Nvidia Corp. (NVDA 2.43%), Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (AMD -1.56%), and Intel Corp. (INTC -0.51%). This limit would be different for each country. See also: Nvidia stock sets its first record in four months as customers stay put…

With a little more than three weeks to go until the election on November 5, Trump Media & Technology Group Corp. shares and other stocks with ties to Trump are continuing to rise. Shares of Trump Media DJT 18.47%, which runs the social media platform Truth Social and is seen as a Wall Street proxy for Republican nominee Donald Trump’s campaign, went through the roof last week after Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla Inc. and owner of the X social media platform, joined Trump at a rally in Pennsylvania. Monday, the shares are up 18.5%, which means they’re on track…

As December 31 draws near, selling stocks to get rid of tax losses unfairly lowers their prices. Things that go down often go up again, though. The selling at the end of the year sets these stocks up for a big bounce after the New Year. Tax-loss selling means selling your winners to wipe out the capital gains that you would have to pay taxes on. This happens a lot of the time every year, but it’s probably going to happen even more this year because the market is so strong and many buyers have already made a lot of…

The latest lawsuit, this one from Cornell University employees, says that a 403(b) plan is charging too much in fees. They can challenge this because of a law that is enjoying its 50th anniversary this year. In the case, 28,000 university workers say that their retirement plans charge too many fees for keeping records. A story from Reuters says that the U.S. Supreme Court said earlier this month that it would decide what standards claimants must meet when they accuse a company of these kinds of unfair charges. This is because appeals courts could not agree on one. The Employee…

Through a new collaboration, customers will be able to purchase products from Walmart using ChatGPT and Instant Checkout from OpenAI. Following the big-box retailer’s announcement of a collaboration that would soon enable customers to purchase things at the store using OpenAI’s artificial-intelligence chatbot ChatGPT, Walmart Inc. was the Dow Jones Industrial Average’s top percentage gainer on Tuesday and closed at a new high. Walmart’s (WMT) stock ended Tuesday’s trading session up 4.9%. Through ChatGPT and Instant Checkout, a purchasing service that OpenAI launched late last month, customers and members will be able to purchase goods sold at Walmart thanks to…

According to Vertical Research Partners, there are a lot of options for missile suppliers in the future, from hypersonic missiles to the Golden Dome missile defense shield. Vertical Research Partners predicts additional good news for some defense firms as a result of the Pentagon’s alleged desire to strengthen America’s missile arsenal. In light of global pressures, Pentagon chiefs want missile providers to increase or possibly quadruple production, according to a recent Wall Street Journal article. According to the article, in light of a possible future battle with China, the Pentagon is concerned about the low levels of U.S. weapons stockpiles…