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VettaFi Director of Research Cinthia Murphy appeared on Bloomberg ETF IQ to discuss ETF market growth, equal-weight strategies, and AI bottlenecks. Key Takeaways The ETF market is seeing a record-breaking year in 2026, with significant year-over-year gains in flows, volume, and new product launches. As forward earnings growth broadens beyond the Mag 7 to the rest of the S&P 500 constituents, equal-weighted strategies have begun to outperform, offering a compelling alternative to concentrated portfolios. Investors are increasingly targeting specific bottleneck constraints within the AI sector, such as memory components. Photonics technology is also emerging as the next potential bottleneck and…

Investing in REITs: Pros and Cons offers important information for investors.  It is crucial to be aware of the advantages, as well as potential risks, associated with an investment. The following analysis provides the pros and cons of investing in real estate investment trusts (REITS).   What is a REIT? First, it is important to understand what distinguishes a REIT from other investments. A REIT owns, operates, or finances real estate that produces income.There are a wide range of property types that REITs invest in, including apartment buildings, warehouses, offices, retail centers, medical facilities, data centers, hotels, cell towers, timber…

Five dividend-paying stocks to purchase despite consumer concerns about prices are showing resilience that investors may appreciate. I prefer to own stocks that benefit society and provide good value to their customers. The five dividend-paying stocks described in this column offer important products such as food and beverages, fuel, school supplies and household goods. The companies also provide benefits for their employees that include health care insurance, paid time off and 401(k) programs. Further benefits also are available to their employees that in some cases even offer stock ownership plans. Five Dividend-paying Stocks to Purchase Despite Consumer Concerns: Value Demand…

Here is what you need to know on Wednesday, July 29:Markets turn risk-averse midweek as the crisis in the Middle East widens. Later in the American session, the Federal Reserve (Fed) will announce its interest rate decision and publish the policy statement following the two-day meeting. Saudi forces have joined the conflict by launching attacks on Iran-aligned groups in Iraq alongside the United States (US), as retaliation to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ (IRGC) drone attacks on Saudi oil facilities. Meanwhile, Iran claimed an attack on a US military base located in Jordan. Following a two-day decline, crude Oil prices…

Downside surprise on inflation removes case for rate hike in August. Downbeat narrative on supply in question. We no longer expect rate hikes by the RBA this year. Inflation has been more benign than we feared and the RBA forecast. The substantial pass-through of higher energy costs seen in the early phase of the Middle East conflict has not been followed up in recent months. This is welcome – we took no pleasure in our prior hawkish view on pass-through, and so monetary policy. There is still a risk of a hike in November if inflation picks up again in…

Overnight, South Korea’s Kospi fell more than 10%, SK Hynix lost close to 15% and Samsung Electronics lost 13%. Into that, Dow Jones Industrial Average futures traded up around 1% on paint and soft drinks, and S&P 500 futures sat roughly flat. An index that absorbs a memory-chip panic and prints nothing is not a calm market. It is a market whose calm is a division problem, and the divisor is the only number in equities worth watching this week.The divisor is correlation, and it is in single digits. That is not a sentiment reading, nor is it a forecast.…

ING analysts Warren Patterson and Ewa Manthey note Brent rebounded over 4% after recent losses as renewed attacks on US troops and Saudi energy infrastructure undermine prospects for a US–Iran deal. They highlight growing risks of prolonged supply disruptions, tight middle distillate markets, halted traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, and OPEC+ plans to unwind voluntary cuts while maintaining a broadly well-supplied market outlook through 2027.Persian Gulf tensions tighten oil outlook”After a heavy sell-off in the oil market over the last three days, prices popped higher in early morning trading, with Brent up more than 4% at the time of…

TL;DR: Australia’s soft CPI print has pushed all four major banks into agreement that the RBA’s tightening cycle is over for now, driving AUD/USD below its rising channel with 0.6750 emerging as the next major support cluster. Why This CPI Print Changes the Story Australia’s softer inflation report is more than just another downside CPI surprise — it marks the point where markets concluded the RBA’s tightening cycle has effectively run its course. That shift in policy expectations triggered a sharp decline in AUD/USD, but its implications extend well beyond Wednesday’s trading session. With expectations for further RBA tightening fading…

XAU/USD Current price: $ 4,038Oil prices continue to retreat as the pause in the Middle East extends. The Federal Reserve will announce its decision on monetary policy on Wednesday.XAU/USD bounced from near $4,000, holds depressed within familiar levels. Spot Gold approached the $4,000 threshold on Tuesday, easing for a second consecutive day after starting the week with a bullish gap. The XAU/USD pair traded as high as $4,116 on Monday, as a pause in back-and-forth attacks between the United States (US) and Iran weighed on Oil prices and the US Dollar (USD). However, the Greenback quickly recovered its bullish poise,…

West Texas Intermediate (WTI) oil price gains ground after three days of losses, trading around $81.00 per barrel during the European hours on Wednesday. Crude oil prices have rebounded as renewed hostilities in the Middle East reignite geopolitical tensions after several days of relative calm, fueling fresh concerns over potential disruptions to global energy supplies. The escalation began as the US military reported intercepting what it described as a surprise Iranian attack targeting American troops stationed across the Middle East.Meanwhile, Iran-backed militias in Iraq launched drone strikes against oil facilities in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Region for a second consecutive day,…