Author: starbpo

On September 5, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent gives a speech in the Oval Office. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent rejected that the tariffs are essentially a tax on American consumers on Sunday, but he did say that if the U.S. Supreme Court rules that the Trump administration’s tariffs are unlawful, the United States may wind up providing large refunds. During an interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Bessent expressed his confidence that the Supreme Court will uphold the tariffs. However, he told anchor Kristen Welker that even if they aren’t, “there are numerous other avenues that we can take,” even…

According to the most recent government data, the average rates for certificates of deposit this month range from a humdrum 0.23% for the shortest, one-month maturities to 1.76% for one-year accounts. However, a certain class of promotional CDs offered to customers at certain banks and credit unions offer two to three times the highest average account rate. One of these, which we describe below, promises qualifying depositors up to 6% APY for specific balances. (Our partner Bankrate offers some of the best CD rates available right now.) What’s the catch? Promotional rates are usually only available for a short period…

“Build and preserve liquidity. Cash is your lifeboat,” says Todd Barney, CFP and Partner/ President Wealth Management at Potentia Wealth. “The number one thing I tell clients when they’re worried about a recession is to build and preserve liquidity. Cash is your lifeboat. Without it, you’re at the mercy of the storm; with it, you can ride out the waves and even chart a better course forward. We focus on the ‘bucket strategy,’ meaning you have 3 areas for investment: 1. Cash to weather recessions or traditional market volatility. This helps to protect your lifestyle when the world seems crazy.…

During a job fair, people wait in line. It is difficult to find a work these days. Don’t look now, but in a few more days, a major jobs report that most people have never heard of will be released. And it’s likely that the news won’t be positive. The number of jobs produced by the U.S. economy between April 2024 and March 2025—the time frame that spans the transition from the Biden administration to the Trump White House—will be revealed by this report on Tuesday. The Quarterly Census on Employment and Wages is the name of the report. Although…

Morgan Stanley says the latest jobs report confirms the economy is in the early stages of a “rolling recovery.” The downturn in U.S. jobs growth is actually a sign of an economy bottoming, rather than deteriorating into a recession, say Morgan Stanley stock-market strategists. “We’re not of the view that a rapid/acute rise in the unemployment rate and/or significantly negative payroll numbers are coming unless we were to see another shock to the economy,” said a team led by Mike Wilson, chief U.S. equity strategist. Nonfarm payrolls rose a weaker-than-forecast 22,000 in August, alongside a downward revision for June although…

Over the next ten years, Mark Cooper of MAC Alpha Capital Management predicts that small-cap value equities in developed markets will do significantly better than the S&P 500. Usually, a bull market is at or close to a record high. In addition to highlighting potential entry points, relative values can give investors more insightful alerts about whether a market is overvalued. Mark Cooper, the chief investment officer of Tampa, Florida-based MAC Alpha Capital Management, advises investors to avoid buying stocks that are expensive in comparison to their revenue. Additionally, he believes that small-cap overseas value equities have a chance to…

Although performance has been improving recently and the Fed’s easing cycle is anticipated to improve prospects for the asset class, the Russell 2000 has only returned 7% so far in 2025. One hedge fund that focuses on small-cap stocks has been outperforming the majority of them this year, despite the fact that large-cap megatech stocks have dominated the investment scene in recent years. In July, Grow Funds LLC produced an impressive monthly return of 25%. August was nearly as amazing, too. By the end of last month, the fund had risen 96% so far this year, compared to the Russell…

Over the past 20 years, Playboy’s company has grown significantly in terms of licensing apparel and accessories bearing the Playboy name, especially in China. In recent years, there had been significant drops in revenue due to a protracted legal battle with a former Chinese partner. Playboy has some exciting news. The long-running media and lifestyle brand has gained a huge legal victory in a bruising struggle with its former main partner in China that had resulted in the loss of over two-thirds of the company’s licensing revenue. An arbitration court in Hong Kong has granted Playboy Inc. (PLBY) $81 million,…

As a group of important producers inside the bloc indicated they will start to unwind a second tranche of production curbs of 1.65 million barrels per day, OPEC+ will boost output by 137,000 barrels per day in October. In what many experts have seen as an attempt to regain market dominance, the eight-member group—which includes Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Iraq, Algeria, Kuwait, Russia, Kazakhstan, and Oman—has already committed to unwinding 2.2 million barrels per day of voluntary cuts by the end of September, one year ahead of schedule. The September rise of 547,000 barrels per day was the…

The biggest business that qualified for inclusion in the S&P 500 was AppLovin. Finally, Robinhood Markets Inc. received approval, and later this month it will enter the S&P 500. The financial technology business (HOOD), AppLovin Corp. (APP), and Emcor Group Inc. (EME) will all be included in the index before the market opens on September 22, according to a statement released late Friday by S&P Dow Jones Indices. On the stock-market benchmark, those businesses will take the place of MarketAxess Holdings Inc. (MKTX), Caesars Entertainment Inc. (CZR), and Enphase Energy Inc. (ENPH). Some of the biggest American corporations are included…