An occasional sampling of what’s catching the attention of folks at Landaas & Company
Federal regulators are beginning to make it easier for long-term mutual fund holders to transfer money into exchange-traded funds (ETFs). An article in the Wall Street Journal explained how some fund companies want to offer dual-class shares, allowing investors more options over the timing of capital gains taxes.
Suggested by Kendall Bauer
Accompanying some of the speculation on an AI boom is an increase in investors seeking opportunity in out-there technology stocks. As The Motley Fool noted, the beneficiaries include emerging tech companies that have yet to generate revenue.
Suggested by Mike Hoelzl
A common way to compare the debt burdens of countries is to calculate what a government owes in relation to the country’s economic output or gross domestic product. Visual Capitalist depicted the debt-to-GDP ratio for countries across the map, ranging from 0% in Macao to 230% in Japan. (The U.S. was at 125%.)
Suggested by Blake Miller
By design, a portfolio balanced around 60% stocks and 40% bonds is unexciting. Over time, though, that classic investment strategy has delivered, according to Morningstar analysis.
As MarketWatch columnist Mark Hulbert put it, “A slow and steady approach to investing is better over the long term than ‘going for broke.’” Hulbert wrote that he sees 60/40 continuing to generate good returns for the foreseeable future. (Subscription required.)
Suggested by Dave Sandstrom
It may be too early to tell whether investing around artificial intelligence is in a bubble or just at the beginning of a long buildup, but that won’t stop speculation. An article in MarketWatch wandered into the weeds to suggest AI already is much bigger than the dot-com crash of 2001 and the housing collapse that accompanied the Great Recession.
Suggested by John Sandstrom
The U.S. economy appears to be plodding along, despite trade war uncertainties, slowing employment and the government shutdown. What’s contributing to economic resilience is consumer spending, as the Wall Street Journal suggests in a series of charts on credit card trends.
Suggested by Kyle Tetting
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