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1.

At 31, He Works 7 Days A Week And Has $13M In The Bank, But Says 'Money Is Meaningless'

2025-12-13 14:02:08 by Adrian Volenik from Benzinga

A 31-year-old hedge fund employee with over $13 million in assets had Reddit buzzing after revealing he still works every single day of the week. 

In a thread on r/Rich, the professional shared a screenshot showing $13,067,710.19 in total assets, mostly invested in stocks, with $239,000 in checking and nothing in savings.

He Says He’d Still Work Even If He Won The Lottery

Despite his wealth, he says he's not slowing down anytime soon. “I always ask myself what I’d be doing if I won $1 billion in the lottery… the answer is always the same, I love what I’m doing, and I’ll keep doing it,” he wrote.

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He works at a credit-oriented hedge fund and said the excitement of being right after months of analysis is what keeps him going. “The money is meaningless at this point,” he said. “A $10 million payday (like $4.5 million after taxes) literally cannot change my life, but you do it for the thrill of being good at something.”

The post sparked more than a thousand comments, with many users asking to be adopted, jokingly offering themselves up for the chance to learn from someone who started with no inheritance and worked their way up to eight figures before turning 32.

No Inheritance, Just Hustle

He explained that he grew up middle-class in the southern U.S. and got into the stock market using summer job money from working at McDonald’s at age 18. He later attended a top Ivy League school, moved into investment banking, and eventually landed at the hedge fund.

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“The hedge fund space can be incredibly lucrative for young people because it doesn’t take all that much to come up with good ideas,” he said, explaining how a small team can earn huge rewards when managing big money.

Even though he works every day, he clarified that weekends are more relaxed. “Sometimes the entire weekend [is off], sometimes just an hour to log in and read some stuff,” he wrote. But the underlying stress, he admitted, is constant.

Why Keep Going?

Many commenters urged him to slow down, take a sabbatical, or retire entirely. “Retired at 36/40 with $8M and so glad we did,” one early retiree wrote. “We now have 19M and have enjoyed 6 years of freedom. Want my opinion? Quit today.”

But he pushed back: “I hear you brother, but I would get bored, and that’s my worst nightmare.”

See Also: GM-Backed EnergyX Is Solving the Lithium Supply Crisis — Invest Before They Scale Global Production

He says he travels often, goes to the gym multiple times a week, plays sports, dates, and sees friends. “Money can’t exactly buy happiness, but it damn sure can buy you time,” he said.

His Advice For Others

He believes investing consistently is key to getting rich. “If you have a savings account outside of your 401(k), put aside enough for day-to-day needs, put aside enough for a ‘rainy day,’ then put the rest in the [Invesco QQQ Trust (NASDAQ: QQQ)],” he wrote.

He warned readers against trying to get rich quick. “For those of you trying to get rich quick in the stock market and doing things like ‘day trading’… trust me, you’re better off in Vegas.”

Read Next: Forget Flipping Houses—This Fund Lets You Invest in Home Equity Like Wall Street Does

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This article At 31, He Works 7 Days A Week And Has $13M In The Bank, But Says 'Money Is Meaningless' originally appeared on Benzinga.com

© 2025 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.

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2.

Is QQQ or VUG the Better Growth ETF? Here's What Investors Need to Know.

2025-12-13 10:35:01 by Katie Brockman, The Motley Fool from Motley Fool

The Vanguard Growth ETF (NYSEMKT:VUG) and Invesco QQQ Trust, Series 1 (NASDAQ:QQQ) both target U.S. large-cap growth stocks, but QQQ is more expensive and concentrated, while VUG offers broader diversification at a lower fee.

Both funds are popular choices for large-cap growth exposure, with VUG tracking the CRSP U.S. Large Cap Growth Index and QQQ mirroring the NASDAQ-100 Index. Each leans heavily into technology and consumer-facing giants, but their differences in cost, holdings count, and performance may appeal to different types of investors.

Snapshot (cost & size)

Metric	VUG	QQQ
Issuer	Vanguard	Invesco
Expense ratio	0.04%	0.20%
1-yr return (as of Dec. 12, 2025)	14.4%	16.6%
Dividend yield	0.42%	0.46%
Beta (5Y monthly)	1.23	1.19
AUM	$353 billion	$403 billion

Beta measures price volatility relative to the S&P 500. The 1-yr return represents total return over the trailing 12 months.

VUG is markedly more affordable with a 0.04% expense ratio, compared to QQQ’s 0.20% fee. QQQ offers a slightly higher dividend yield at 0.46%, but the difference is minimal and unlikely to drive most decisions between these two funds.

Performance & risk comparison

Metric	VUG	QQQ
Max drawdown (5 y)	-35.61%	-35.12%
Growth of $1,000 over 5 years	$1,984	$2,033

What's inside

QQQ tracks the NASDAQ-100 Index, holding 101 stocks with a sector allocation of 55% technology, 17% communication services, and 13% consumer cyclical, as of December 2025.

Its top holdings are Nvidia, making up 9.09% of the fund's total assets, Apple at 8.75%, and Microsoft at 7.73%. The fund has a long operating history of nearly 27 years, making it one of the most established growth ETFs on the market.

VUG, by contrast, splits its portfolio across 160 stocks, with a similar sector tilt: 53% technology, 14% communication services, and 14% consumer cyclical. Its largest positions mirror QQQ's, but the holdings make up a slightly larger portion of the fund's total assets. Launched in 2004, it has a long track record but not quite as extensive as QQQ.

For more guidance on ETF investing, check out the full guide at this link.

What this means for investors

QQQ and VUG are similar in many ways. They're both popular and established large-cap growth ETFs with a tilt toward technology, and they contain the same top holdings. While QQQ has a slight edge with its one- and five-year total returns, the difference is minimal.

There are two main factors differentiating these two ETFs: fees and diversification.

QQQ has a much higher expense ratio, at 0.20% compared to VUG's 0.04%. In other words, investors can expect to pay either $20 or $4, respectively, per year in fees for every $10,000 invested.

That may seem insignificant, but it can potentially add up to thousands of dollars for long-term investors and those with large account balances.

Also, VUG contains nearly 60 more stocks than QQQ, and that increased diversification can be both an asset and a risk. A greater number of stocks can sometimes help reduce volatility during periods of instability; however, there's also a greater chance that lower-performing stocks will drag down the fund's total returns.

Over the last five years, the two ETFs have seen roughly the same earnings. Where you choose to buy, then, will depend mostly on how much diversification you're seeking as well as how much you're willing to pay in fees.

Glossary

ETF: Exchange-traded fund; a basket of securities traded on an exchange like a stock.
Expense ratio: The annual fee, as a percentage of assets, that a fund charges its investors.
Dividend yield: The annual dividends paid by a fund divided by its share price, shown as a percentage.
Beta: A measure of an investment's volatility compared to the overall market, typically the S&P 500.
AUM: Assets under management; the total market value of assets a fund manages on behalf of investors.
Max drawdown: The largest percentage drop from a fund's peak value to its lowest point over a specific period.
Sector allocation: The distribution of a fund's investments across different industry sectors.
Index tracking: When a fund aims to replicate the performance of a specific market index.
Large-cap: Refers to companies with large market capitalizations, typically over $10 billion.
Total return: The investment's price change plus all dividends and distributions, assuming those payouts are reinvested.
Concentration: The degree to which a fund's assets are invested in a small number of holdings.
Growth stocks: Shares in companies expected to grow earnings faster than the market average.

Katie Brockman has positions in Vanguard Index Funds - Vanguard Growth ETF. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Apple, Microsoft, Nvidia, and Vanguard Index Funds - Vanguard Growth ETF. The Motley Fool recommends the following options: long January 2026 $395 calls on Microsoft and short January 2026 $405 calls on Microsoft. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Is QQQ or VUG the Better Growth ETF? Here's What Investors Need to Know. was originally published by The Motley Fool

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3.

Strategy Keeps Nasdaq 100 Listing; What It Means For Bitcoin

2025-12-13 01:39:17 by JED GRAHAM from Investor's Business Daily

Strategy, the bitcoin-holding company, remains part of the Nasdaq 100 index after the annual reconstitution announced Friday evening. MSCI is considering whether to exclude companies whose primary business is acquiring bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies from its indices. Nasdaq didn't indicate that it is reviewing whether Strategy still meets the criteria for the Nasdaq 100, which comprises the exchange's largest nonfinancial firms.

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4.

US Equity Indexes Slump as Broadcom's Outlook for Lower Gross Margin Triggers Technology Exodus

2025-12-12 21:46:58 by MT Newswires from MT Newswires

US equity indexes closed lower on Friday after Broadcom's (AVGO) disappointing gross margin guidance shed light on the costs of getting ahead in the artificial intelligence race, sparking a sell-off in technology.

The Nasdaq Composite slumped 1.7% to 23,195.17, with the S&P 500 down 1.1% to 6,827.41 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average 0.5% lower at 48,458.05. The communication services sector was among the decliners, while consumer staples and materials were among the gainers.

Shares of Broadcom, a chip manufacturing giant, sank 11%, among the worst performers on the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq, after the chipmaker guided to a sequential decline in fiscal Q1 consolidated gross margins. The pressure comes amid an increase in new AI orders in the current fiscal year, according to a Truist Securities note.

"Broadcom's results reignited concerns about a potential AI bubble," according to a note from D A Davidson.

That's mainly because Broadcom reminded investors about the detrimental impact of artificial intelligence-related capital expenditures on margins, after Oracle's (ORCL) results reinforced concerns such as circular funding and debt-funded growth.

Oracle's fiscal Q2 sales missed revenue expectations, as it reported a negative free cash flow of $10 billion and guided a $15 billion increase in its capital expenditure forecast for fiscal 2026. The slump in the company's shares continued into Friday with a decline of 4.5%.

The CBOE Volatility Index, also known as the fear index, jumped 6% to 15.74.

Reflecting the bearish big-tech tilt was the 1.9% drop in the $403 billion Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ), a tech-heavy exchange-traded fund that offers exposure to Magnificent-7 across technology and communication services sectors.

Similarly, the Global X Artificial Intelligence & Technology ETF (AIQ), with net assets of $6.97 billion and investments in firms related to AI, slumped 2.2%.

Most US Treasury yields rose, with the 10-year advancing 4.7 basis points to 4.19%, also a move that is unhelpful to long-duration assets such as technology and communication services.

Chicago Fed President Austan Goolsbee told CNBC that he dissented at this week's Federal Open Market Committee meeting, voting for no change in interest rates, because he is "uncomfortable" with front-loading too many cuts. He sought assurance that inflation is back on the path to the Fed's 2% target. Goolsbee will next vote on the FOMC in 2027.

The other dissenter, who also did not vote for a cut, was Kansas City Fed President Jeffrey Schmid, as he still sees inflation elevated and sees signs the economy is unrestrained by the current level of rates. Schmid will next vote on the FOMC in 2028.

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5.

US Equity Indexes Slump as Broadcom's Margin Forecast Hits Technology

2025-12-12 20:53:41 by MT Newswires from MT Newswires

US equity indexes declined ahead of Friday's close as Broadcom's (AVGO) gross margin guidance failed to impress investors, triggering a sharp sell-off in the technology sector.

The Nasdaq Composite slumped 1.8% to 23,181.2, with the S&P 500 down 1.2% to 6,820.2 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average 0.6% lower at 48,412.6. The communication services sector was among the decliners, while consumer staples and materials were among the gainers.

Broadcom's shares sank 12%, among the worst performers on the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq, after the chipmaker said fiscal Q1 consolidated gross margins will decline sequentially. The pressure comes amid an increase in new AI orders in the current fiscal year, according to a Truist Securities note.

Reflecting the bearish big-tech tilt was the 2.1% drop in the $403 billion Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ), a tech-heavy exchange-traded fund that offers exposure to Magnificent-7 across technology and communication services sectors.

Similarly, the Global X Artificial Intelligence & Technology ETF (AIQ), with net assets of $6.97 billion and investments in firms related to AI, slumped 2.4%.

Most US Treasury yields rose in the final leg of trading, with the 10-year advancing 5.3 basis points to 4.19%, also unhelpful to long-duration assets such as technology and communication services.

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6.

US Equity Indexes Decline as Broadcom's Margin Guidance Disappoints Technology Investors

2025-12-12 18:59:27 by MT Newswires from MT Newswires

US equity indexes fell in midday trading on Friday as Broadcom's (AVGO) gross margin guidance failed to impress investors, sparking a sell-off in technology as concern mounted over the scale of artificial intelligence-related expenditures.

The Nasdaq Composite slumped 1.3% to 23,299.1, with the S&P 500 down 0.9% to 6,839.5 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average 0.4% lower at 48,524.7. The communication services sector was among the steepest decliners, while consumer staples and materials were the sole gainers.

Broadcom, a chip manufacturing giant, reminded investors about the detrimental impact of artificial intelligence-related capital expenditures on margins after Oracle's results reinforced concerns such as circular funding and debt-funded growth.

Broadcom shares sank 11%, the worst performer on the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq, after the chipmaker said fiscal Q1 consolidated gross margins will decline sequentially. The gross margin pressure comes amid an increase in new AI orders in the current fiscal year, Truist Securities said in a note, adding that the chipmaker's earnings growth should be "more important" for investors.

Oracle's (ORCL) fiscal Q2 sales missed revenue expectations, as it reported a negative free cash flow of $10 billion and guided a $15 billion increase in its capital expenditure forecast for fiscal 2026. The slump in the company's shares continued into Friday with a decline of 3.7%.

Reflecting the bearish tech tilt, the $403 billion Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ), a tech-heavy exchange-traded fund offering exposure to Magnificent-7 across technology and communication services sectors, dropped 1.5%.

The Global X Artificial Intelligence & Technology ETF (AIQ), with net assets of $6.97 billion and investments in firms related to AI, slumped 1.7%.

Most US Treasury yields rose, with the 10-year up 5.3 basis points to 4.19%, undermining long-duration assets such as technology and communication services shares.

Meanwhile, Chicago Fed President Austan Goolsbee told CNBC that he dissented at this week's Federal Open Market Committee meeting, voting for no change in interest rates, because he is "uncomfortable" with front-loading too many cuts. He sought assurance that inflation is back on the path to the Fed's 2% target. Goolsbee will next vote on the FOMC in 2027.

The other dissenter, who also did not vote for a cut, was Kansas City Fed President Jeffrey Schmid, as he still sees inflation elevated and sees signs the economy is unrestrained by the current level of rates. Schmid will next vote on the FOMC in 2028.

Gold futures rose 0.5% to $4,336.11, while silver futures slumped 3.6% to $62.24 in midday trading.

Further in company news, Lululemon Athletica's (LULU) shares soared 10%, the top gainer on the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq, after the company reported fiscal Q3 earnings and revenue that topped analysts' expectations, and raised its fiscal 2025 outlook.

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7.

Exchange-Traded Funds Decline as US Equities Fall After Midday

2025-12-12 18:09:52 by MT Newswires from MT Newswires

Broad Market Indicators

Broad-market exchange-traded funds IWM and IVV pointed lower. Actively traded Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ) shed 1.6%.

US equity indexes fell in midday trading on Friday as Broadcom's (AVGO) gross margin guidance failed to impress investors, triggering a sharp sell-off in technology shares.

Energy

iShares US Energy ETF (IYE) and the State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR (XLE) each slipped 0.7%.

Technology

The State Street Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLK) fell 2.3%; iShares US Technology ETF (IYW) was down 1.9%, while iShares Expanded Tech Sector ETF (IGM) dipped 2.5%.

The State Street SPDR S&P Semiconductor (XSD) was 3.4% lower, and iShares Semiconductor (SOXX) declined 3.6%.

Financial

The State Street Financial Select Sector SPDR (XLF) gained 0.1%. Direxion Daily Financial Bull 3X Shares (FAS) rose 0.2%, and its bearish counterpart, Direxion Daily Financial Bear 3X Shares (FAZ), fell 0.2%.

Commodities

Crude oil was 0.1% higher, and the United States Oil Fund (USO) dropped 0.3%. Natural gas fell 2.6%, and the United States Natural Gas Fund (UNG) declined 2.7%.

Gold on Comex rose 0.7%, and the State Street SPDR Gold Shares (GLD) added 0.5%. Silver slipped 4.1%, and iShares Silver Trust (SLV) was down 2.7%.

Consumer

The State Street Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR (XLP) added 0.3%. The Vanguard Consumer Staples ETF (VDC) and iShares Dow Jones US Consumer Goods (IYK) were also moving higher.

The State Street Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR (XLY) added 0.2%. VanEck Retail ETF (RTH) lost 0.2%, and the State Street SPDR S&P Retail (XRT) fell 0.1%.

Health Care

The State Street Health Care Select Sector SPDR (XLV) was up 0.1%, and iShares US Healthcare (IYH) and Vanguard Health Care ETF (VHT) also edged higher; iShares Biotechnology ETF (IBB) dipped 0.5%.

Industrial

The State Street Industrial Select Sector SPDR (XLI) was 0.3% lower. Vanguard Industrials Index Fund (VIS) and iShares US Industrials (IYJ) also declined.

Cryptocurrency

In midday activity, bitcoin (BTC-USD) was down 1.7%. Among cryptocurrency ETFs, ProShares Bitcoin ETF (BITO) shed 1.8%, ProShares Ether ETF (EETH) dropped 4.9%, and ProShares Bitcoin & Ether Market Cap Weight ETF (BETH) lost 2.2%.

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8.

US Equity Indexes Trade Drop as Broadcom's Gross Margins Guidance Sparks Sell-Off in Technology

2025-12-12 17:38:17 by MT Newswires from MT Newswires

US equity indexes fell in midday trading on Friday as Broadcom's (AVGO) gross margin guidance failed to impress investors, triggering a sharp sell-off in technology shares.

The Nasdaq Composite slumped 1.4% to 23,256.9, with the S&P 500 down 0.9% to 6,837.8 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average 0.3% lower at 48,549.1. Communication services and consumer discretionary were among the steepest decliners, while consumer staples and healthcare were the sole gainers.

In company news, Broadcom (AVGO) shares sank 10%, the worst performer on the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq, after the chipmaker said fiscal Q1 consolidated gross margins will decline sequentially amid a bigger mix of artificial intelligence-related revenue.

Broadcom is likely to experience gross margin pressure amid an increase in new AI orders in the current fiscal year, Truist Securities said in a note, adding that the chipmaker's earnings growth should be "more important" for investors.

Reflecting the bearish tilt, the $403 billion Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ), a tech-heavy exchange-traded fund offering exposure to Magnificent-7 across technology and communication services sectors, dropped 2.2%.

The Global X Artificial Intelligence & Technology ETF (AIQ), with net assets of $6.97 billion and investments in firms related to AI, slumped 2.9%.

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9.

QQQ vs ONEQ: Is There Any Real Difference Between These ETFs?

2025-12-12 16:21:49 by Joey Frenette from 24/7 Wall St.

For investors looking for a passive way to bet on big tech and the ongoing artificial intelligence (AI) boom, there are ample different exchange-traded fund (ETF) products that can get the job done. Undoubtedly, there are notable differences between tech-centric ETFs. Most notably, some may be pure tech ETFs, while others may only be tech-heavy with exposure to various other sectors of the economy. In any case, investors keen on betting big on tech through an ETF should aim to keep their fees low.

In this piece, we'll look at two of the more popular ways to bet on tech by way of the Nasdaq. Let's check in on the two so growth investors can get a better sense of the differences and similarities. As you might imagine, there's a lot of overlap between the Invesco QQQ Trust (NASDAQ:QQQ) and the Fidelity Nasdaq Composite Index ETF (NASDAQ:ONEQ), which follow the Nasdaq 100 and Nasdaq Composite, respectively. And while investors can fare similarly with either ETF, I do think that one could come out as a clear winner for a certain type of investor. Let's get a closer look at the two Nasdaq ETFs:

Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ)

The Invesco QQQ Trust, commonly referred to as the "QQQ" or "the Q's," is probably one of my favorite ways to bet on tech. The index follows the Nasdaq 100, which is the 100 largest non-financial firms on the Nasdaq exchange. So, if you seek more exposure to mega-cap tech and the Magnificent Seven but are also fine with some of the non-tech names—think Costco (NASDAQ:COST)—within the list of 100 stocks, the QQQ offers a low-cost way (0.2% total expense ratio) to give your portfolio a bit of a growth jolt.

Undoubtedly, the Nasdaq 100 has outperformed the S&P 500 in recent years by a significant margin. Over the past 10 years, the tech-heavy index is up more than 370%, smashing the return of the S&P 500, which gained 238% in the last decade.

Indeed, the Nasdaq 100 tends to amplify moves made in the S&P 500 in both directions. The most notable bout of underperformance came amid the dot-com bust of 2000-02, which saw the Nasdaq 100 sink far lower than the S&P 500 while taking much longer to recover. If there is an "AI bubble" or a tech-centric correction on the horizon, the QQQ could be at risk of plunging harder than the S&P 500.

Additionally, the QQQ's exposure to the Magnificent Seven has been a strong point in recent years. However, given its supersized concentration in the names, if the market rally broadens out and the Mag Seven lags from here, the QQQ may be a less-than-ideal pick.

Fidelity Nasdaq Composite Index ETF (ONEQ)

If you're a bigger fan of broader exposure to the Nasdaq (think smaller-cap names), a Nasdaq Composite Index ETF like the ONEQ may be a better fit for your portfolio.

With over 1,000 holdings (compared to 100 for the QQQ), the ONEQ is a more diversified way to play the index, with a small exposure (3.9%) to financials and other corners of tech. Despite the breadth of names, though, the ONEQ is still a top-heavy ETF, with the top 10 holdings (hello, Mag Seven!) comprising around 60% of the ETF. So, there's no avoiding a heavier weighting to the group with the ONEQ.

With a similar expense ratio and many of the same large-cap names (there's substantial overlap) at its core, it's a toss-up as to which ETF is the better pick for investors. Over the past 10 years, the ONEQ has underperformed the QQQ, with 370% returns vs. 453%.

Over the past year, though, the ONEQ has been steady with QQQ, both up 15.6%.

Of course, there are better ways to bet on a broad market rally than with a tech-heavy ETF. Either way, if I had to choose one, I'd go with ONEQ. Why? The mid-cap holdings may start doing more of the heavy lifting. Further, the financial sector stands out as a top non-tech beneficiary of the rise of AI.

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10.

Pre-markets Mixed Ahead of Consequential Week of Data

2025-12-12 15:35:00 by Mark Vickery from Zacks

Friday, December 12, 2025

Pre-market futures are averaging out to be flat at this hour, although we’re seeing a wider band of trading. The blue-chip Dow and the small-cap Russell 2000 — up +110 points and +2 points, respectively — are being slightly offset by -103 points on the tech-heavy Nasdaq and -2 on the comprehensive S&P 500 currently.

Doubts continue about the levels of AI infrastructure spending, and whether they are sustainable into the new year. On Broadband’s AVGO conference call yesterday afternoon following an otherwise robust earnings report, CEO Hock Tan saw some negative sentiment hit his company’s stock when he cited a lower-than-expected level of AI product orders next year. Tan later clarified he saw the $73 billion backlog as a minimum end of the range, but shares remain down -5% in today’s pre-market.
 

Next Week, Reports of Consequence: BLS, CPI

By Tuesday of next week, we’ll have a fresh catalyst for market sentiment. That’s when we’ll see the long-awaited Employment Situation report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) for November. I say “long awaited” because we are skipping right over October’s numbers due to the month-and-a-half government shutdown. Last time around, we saw +119K new jobs created in September, with an Unemployment Rate of +4.4%.

That +119K is not a bad number, especially in our current labor market environment. It likely more than makes up for retirees per month in the domestic labor force, so essentially it’s a growth number — which is good. The trouble is, this is by far the biggest monthly jobs gain of the last four months reported. Averaged out, they only come to +44K new jobs per month — less than what our economy needs to account for Baby Boomers (and older Gen-X) retiring.

Compare this with the four previous months’ average of +100K, and +185K the four months prior to that. So we can see some clear erosion in the labor market over the past year, up until September. Since then, with corporate layoffs taking headlines and immigration crackdowns affecting domestic labor, we don’t see much opportunity for upside in the upcoming BLS report. Unemployment, at 4.4%, is the highest we’ve seen in four years, but not yet anything historically problematic.

Thursday of next week brings us the long-awaited Consumer Price Index (CPI) report, including a fresh Inflation Rate (CPI year over year, headline) for November. This print also suffered the wrath of the government shutdown and is skipping October data, and where we last left off we saw a +3.0% Inflation Rate for the first time since January. 

The trend in the charts going back 2 1/2 years or so — when we finally saw inflation rates come down from multi-decade highs — demonstrate lower highs and lower lows each wave through the cycle. We were at +3.7% in September 2023, +3.5% in March of ’24, and +3.0% in January ’25 for recent highs. But CPI year over year is among the most conspicuously absent of economic prints this year, and that we reached +3.0% in September again in this latest high (so far) may portend a new narrative.

That’s why next week’s data is so important: we appear to be at a new economic impasse, and that no one knows which way things may break is what will likely give the Fed pause going into the new year. Because somewhat lost in the positive outlook for GDP growth and inflation rates through 2026 overall, it’s clear Fed Chair Jerome Powell and his assenters of the FOMC are planning to tiptoe into the next Fed meeting.

Questions or comments about this article and/or author? Click here>>

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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

Zacks Investment Research

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11.

Market Minute 12-12-25- Stocks Hit New Highs...with a Twist

2025-12-12 14:15:00 by MoneyShow

After hitting fresh records yesterday, equities are mixed this morning. Gold is ramping after a multi-day surge in silver, while crude oil is flattish. The dollar is up a bit along with longer-term Treasury yields.

To get more articles and chart analysis from MoneyShow, subscribe to our Top Pros’ Top Picks newsletter here.)

Yesterday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average, S&P 500 Index (^SPX), AND the Russell 2000 Index all hit new highs. But the Dow outperformed the S&P by the widest margin in more than nine months...while the Nasdaq Composite actually dipped on the day. More investors are diversifying out of mega-cap US tech stocks amid easier monetary policy and questions about the sustainability of the Artificial Intelligence (AI) boom.

SPX, AVGO, DIS (YTD % Change)

Data by YCharts

Speaking of which, Broadcom Inc. (AVGO) stock is down despite beating sales and earnings forecasts in the fiscal fourth quarter. Investors seemed moderately disappointed in remarks from CEO Hock Tan about order volume for its AI chips. Then again, the stock WAS up 75% year-to-date heading into the report, not to mention trading at more than 40X earnings. So, it’s not shocking to see some profit-taking.

Content providers have been battling it out with AI companies for the last few years, threatening them over products like Sora from OpenAI and Gemini from Alphabet Inc. (GOOGL). Those tools allow users to produce AI-generated videos featuring intellectual property like movie characters from firms such as Walt Disney Co. (DIS).

See also: CBTJ: A "Protected" Bitcoin ETF that Helps Limit Downside Risk

But this week, Disney said it would buy an equity stake in OpenAI for $1 billion – and allow the company to license 200-plus Disney characters for use in Sora-generated videos. That won’t solve the fight over whether AI models can freely “scrape” content without compensation. But it could presage other deals from entertainment firms, actors’ unions, and other interested parties.

More From MoneyShow.com:

• Fed: What Stood Out to Me About Yesterday's Policy Meeting
• SPX: Why 2026 Could be Much BETTER Than Investors Think
• MoneyMasters Podcast 12/11/25: Hard Assets vs. Financial – McDonald on What Leads in ‘26

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12.

Exchange-Traded Funds Lower, Equity Futures Mixed Pre-Bell Friday as Broadcom Results Deepen Fears

2025-12-12 13:55:34 by MT Newswires from MT Newswires

The broad market exchange-traded fund SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY) was down 0.1% and the actively traded Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ) was 0.5% lower in Friday's premarket activity as Broadcom's (AVGO) quarterly results deepened fears of tech overvaluation.

US stock futures were mixed, with S&P 500 Index futures down 0.1%, Dow Jones Industrial Average futures gaining 0.2%, and Nasdaq futures retreating 0.5% before the start of regular trading.

Chicago Fed President Austan Goolsbee is slated to speak at 10:35 am ET.

The weekly Baker Hughes oil-and-gas rig count posts at 1 pm ET.

In premarket activity, bitcoin was up by 0.7%. Among cryptocurrency ETFs, the cryptocurrency fund ProShares Bitcoin Strategy ETF (BITO) was 0.8% higher, Ether ETF (EETH) advanced 0.3%, and Bitcoin & Ether Market Cap Weight ETF (BETH) retreated 0.4%.

Power Play:

Industrial

The State Street Industrial Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLI) advanced 0.3% while the Vanguard Industrials Index Fund (VIS) was up 0.5% and the iShares US Industrials ETF (IYJ) was inactive.

Quanex Building Products (NX) stock was up more than 25% before the opening bell after the company posted a fiscal Q4 adjusted EPS gain and positive free cash flow.

Winners and Losers:

Consumer

The State Street Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLP) was up 0.3%, while the Vanguard Consumer Staples Index Fund ETF Shares (VDC) gained 0.1%. The iShares US Consumer Staples ETF (IYK) advanced 0.8%. The State Street Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLY) increased by 0.2%. The VanEck Retail ETF (RTH) was inactive, while the State Street SPDR S&P Retail ETF (XRT) was 0.7% higher.

Lululemon Athletica (LULU) shares were up more than 9% pre-bell after the company posted higher-than-expected fiscal Q3 earnings and revenue.

Technology

The State Street Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLK) retreated 0.6%, and the iShares US Technology ETF (IYW) was 0.6% lower, while the iShares Expanded Tech Sector ETF (IGM) was down 0.3%. Among semiconductor ETFs, the State Street SPDR S&P Semiconductor ETF (XSD) retreated 1.1%, while the iShares Semiconductor ETF (SOXX) fell by 1.2%.

Broadcom (AVGO) shares were down more than 6% in recent premarket activity amid gross profit margin concerns. Gross profit margin on new orders for AI server racks, specialized computer hardware that runs AI applications, is "significantly below average," Truist analysts said in a Thursday note.

Energy

The iShares US Energy ETF (IYE) was inactive, while the State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLE) was up by 0.3%.

T1 Energy (TE) stock was down more than 5% before Friday's opening bell after the company said late Thursday it has priced its public offerings comprising $140 million in 5.25% convertible senior notes due 2030 and 28.3 million shares at $4.95 per share.

Health Care

The State Street Health Care Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLV) advanced 0.5%. The Vanguard Health Care Index Fund (VHT) was down 0.03%, while the iShares US Healthcare ETF (IYH) was flat. The iShares Biotechnology ETF (IBB) was up 0.4%.

BioCryst Pharmaceuticals (BCRX) stock was up more than 4% premarket after the company said the US Food and Drug Administration approved Orladeyo oral pellets to help prevent hereditary angioedema attacks in children ages 2 to under 12.

Financial

The State Street Financial Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLF) advanced 0.4%. Direxion Daily Financial Bull 3X Shares (FAS) was up 1.2%, while its bearish counterpart Direxion Daily Financial Bear 3X Shares (FAZ) was 0.9% lower.

Citigroup (C) shares were up more than 1% pre-bell after RBC lifted its price target on the company to $121 from $112, while maintaining its outperform rating.

Commodities

Front-month US West Texas Intermediate crude oil was down 0.1% at $57.56 per barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Natural gas was down 0.3% at $4.22 per 1 million British Thermal Units. The United States Oil Fund (USO) retreated by 0.4%, while the United States Natural Gas Fund (UNG) fell by 1.3%.

Gold futures for February were up by 1.4% at $4,372.20 an ounce on the Comex, and silver futures retreated by 0.6% to $64.78 an ounce. SPDR Gold Shares (GLD) rose by 1.5%, and the iShares Silver Trust (SLV) was 1.3% higher.

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13.

Seven Themes Investors Should Focus on in 2026

2025-12-12 05:01:00 by MoneyShow

It's worth reflecting back on the remarkable period we've just experienced. For the sixth time in seven years, the stock market has delivered double-digit returns, even though it hasn’t always felt smooth. Now, here are seven key themes likely to shape markets in 2026, observes John Gardner, founder and principal of Blackhawk Wealth Advisors’ Market Insights.

To get more articles and chart analysis from MoneyShow, subscribe to our Top Pros’ Top Picks newsletter here.)

1. Diversification is working again: For much of the past decade, US stocks outperformed nearly everything else. That changed in 2025 as international stocks and bonds both contributed meaningfully to portfolio returns. Periods like the February-through-April stock market volatility remind us that a balanced approach can help smooth the journey toward your goals.

2. Stock valuations are elevated: Strong market returns have pushed stock prices higher relative to company earnings. The S&P 500 Index (^SPX) now trades at levels approaching those seen during the Dot-Com era, and we should be prepared for volatility as markets adjust to higher valuations.

SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY)

3. Artificial Intelligence continues to drive growth: AI has captured enormous attention and investment. Companies are spending trillions of dollars building the infrastructure needed to support this technology. Since most portfolios have significant exposure to AI-related companies through major stock indices, maintaining appropriate balance remains essential.

4. Economic growth remains positive but uneven: The economy continues to grow at a healthy pace, though not everyone is experiencing this equally. Some sectors and income groups are thriving, while others face challenges. This is sometimes referred to as a “two-speed” or “K-shaped” economy.

5. Tariff concerns may continue: Despite significant attention in 2025, tariffs have not caused the economic disruption many feared. Inflation has remained relatively stable, and growth has continued. This doesn't mean tariffs are unimportant, but it suggests that their effects may be more nuanced than headlines suggest.

6. Political developments will create headlines: The upcoming midterm election, ongoing discussions about government debt, and the new One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) tax legislation will all generate news throughout the year. While these topics matter for policy and planning, history shows that markets have performed well across different political environments.

See also: CBTJ: A "Protected" Bitcoin ETF that Helps Limit Downside Risk

7. The Federal Reserve will continue supporting the economy: With new leadership coming to the Fed in mid-2026, monetary policy will likely evolve. But sticking to long-term financial goals, not over-reacting to monetary policy changes, is key.

More From MoneyShow.com:

• Fed: What Stood Out to Me About Yesterday's Policy Meeting
• SPX: Why 2026 Could be Much BETTER Than Investors Think
• MoneyMasters Podcast 12/11/25: Hard Assets vs. Financial – McDonald on What Leads in ‘26

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14.

AI Spending- No, This is NOT the Dot-Com Bubble All Over Again

2025-12-12 05:01:00 by MoneyShow

Does Artificial Intelligence Capex present a threat to the AI story? The market has cited three main concerns regarding it: the sheer size, the use of leverage, and the so-called circular financing. But this is not the 1990s from a Capex standpoint, writes Nancy Tengler, CIO of Laffer Tengler Investments.

To get more articles and chart analysis from MoneyShow, subscribe to our Top Pros’ Top Picks newsletter here.)

It is true tech spend is at a historical high. But it mostly reflects the structural rise in tech’s share of total investment. An economy in transition as my partner, Arthur Laffer, Jr. calls it.

The chart below shows that the current cycle spend is only slightly above trend. Compare that to the 1990s. Spend was way above trend then; it is not now.

(Editor’s Note: Nancy will be speaking at the 2026 MoneyShow/TradersEXPO Las Vegas, scheduled for Feb. 23-25. Click HERE to register.)

See also: CBTJ: A "Protected" Bitcoin ETF that Helps Limit Downside Risk

When you back out  Oracle Corp. ( ORCL), the hyperscalers are funding Capex from cash flow. ORCL has always used a great deal of debt. One year ago, the company sported a 780% debt-to-equity ratio with earnings growing at half the rate currently. At the end of Q3, the debt-to-equity ratio was down to 500% (but likely rising).

Interestingly, while technology accounts for over 40% of the equity index, it only accounts for about 6% of the debt market. Debt levels are rising but not in the danger zone.

More From MoneyShow.com:

• Fed: What Stood Out to Me About Yesterday's Policy Meeting
• SPX: Why 2026 Could be Much BETTER Than Investors Think
• MoneyMasters Podcast 12/11/25: Hard Assets vs. Financial – McDonald on What Leads in ‘26

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15.

1 Tech ETF to Buy Hand Over Fist and 1 to Avoid in 2026

2025-12-11 21:35:00 by Stefon Walters, The Motley Fool from Motley Fool

For most investors interested in growth opportunities, their mind goes to tech stocks. Given how the tech sector has performed over the last decade or so, it's easy to see why this is the case. Overall, it has outperformed all of the other major sectors of the U.S. economy.

Hitting it big on an individual tech stock can get you life-changing money, but it doesn't take that to make good money from the tech sector. Many tech-focused exchange-traded funds (ETFs) can also be lucrative choices, with much less risk.

As we head into 2026, there's one ETF that seems like a good choice, while there's one in particular I would avoid right now.

The tech ETF to embrace going into 2026

The Invesco Nasdaq 100 ETF (NASDAQ: QQQM) is a relatively new ETF (launched in 2020) that tracks the Nasdaq-100 index. The Nasdaq-100 contains the 100 largest non-financial stocks on the Nasdaq stock exchange and is essentially a subset of the much broader Nasdaq Composite.

QQQM is essentially the same as its predecessor, the Invesco QQQ Trust ETF (NASDAQ: QQQ), but a key difference is that QQQM's expense ratio is 0.15% compared to QQQ's 0.20%. The differences seem slight on paper, but if you're a long-term investor, it could easily add up to hundreds or thousands in differences in fees paid, depending on your investment amounts and returns.

Since the Nasdaq-100 contains companies from other sectors, QQQM isn't a pure-play tech ETF. However, the tech sector is by far the most represented, accounting for 65% of the ETF. The top five sectors are rounded out with consumer discretionary (17.6%), healthcare (4.9%), telecommunications (3.5%), and industrials (3.2%).

When you invest in QQQM, you know you're getting exposure to some of the top tech companies in the world (though it only contains U.S. companies), spanning many different industries. You get exposure to key AI hardware players in Nvidia and Broadcom; cloud computing giants in Amazon, Microsoft, and Alphabet; a consumer hardware king in Apple; and emerging software companies like Palantir Technologies, Shopify, CrowdStrike, and plenty of others.

In many cases, these companies have their hands in many different tech industries, so you know you're covering a lot of ground with a single investment. You get tech giants to lead the way, while hedging with other sectors in case the tech sector experiences a hiccup along the way (which isn't far-fetched).

The tech ETF I'm avoiding right now

The Vanguard Information Technology (NYSEMKT: VGT) has produced some great returns over the past decade. In fact, it has outperformed the Nasdaq-100 during that time. I'll be the first to admit it's a good ETF that holds some top-tier companies.

Unfortunately, the problem with VGT is its concentration in three stocks: Nvidia, Apple, and Microsoft. Together, they account for over 45% of VGT, comprising 18.2%, 14.3%, and 12.9%, respectively.

To be fair, the high concentration is why it has produced strong returns in recent years; however, expecting those returns to continue is essentially betting on those three companies maintaining their winning streak. Of course, they can, but if I'm investing in a tech ETF, I would want my investment to be spread across a broader part of the tech spectrum. Which brings us to the next reason I'm avoiding VGT heading into 2026.

VGT only holds companies in the information technology (tech) sector, which means it excludes some key tech companies that are categorized differently because of how the stock market officially defines them. Most notably, VGT doesn't include Amazon (consumer discretionary sector), Alphabet (communication services sector), or Meta Platforms (communication services sector).

Going into the new year, those are undoubtedly companies I'd want in an ETF I invest in to gain exposure to the tech world. They may technically belong in those other sectors, but it's hard to suggest that they are not tech companies.

Stefon Walters has positions in Apple, CrowdStrike, and Microsoft. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, CrowdStrike, Meta Platforms, Microsoft, Nvidia, Palantir Technologies, and Shopify. The Motley Fool recommends Broadcom and recommends the following options: long January 2026 $395 calls on Microsoft and short January 2026 $405 calls on Microsoft. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

1 Tech ETF to Buy Hand Over Fist and 1 to Avoid in 2026 was originally published by The Motley Fool

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16.

Too Many People Just Buy SPY, These Are The ETFs I’d Own Instead

2025-12-11 18:56:04 by Vandita Jadeja from 24/7 Wall St.

The exchange-traded fund industry is booming right now. Investors are flocking towards ETFs, and they’ve become one of the most important parts of individual portfolios. With over 4,000 U.S.-listed ETFs, it can become overwhelming to choose one. There’s explosive growth in the market, and ETFs look like a promising investment. The first U.S.-listed ETF, the SPDR S&P 500 ETF (NYSEARCA:SPY), was launched in 1996 and continues to dominate the market. It kicked off the ETF era and has remained one of the biggest players. 

SPY has $708.62 billion in assets under management and invests in 500 stocks. Many investors swear by SPY and hold it for the long term. However, I believe the market is changing, and there are other alternatives worth considering. ETF issuers are catering to the Gen Z investors who are looking for yield-focused funds with low risk. I’d recommend investing in Invesco QQQ Trust (NASDAQ:QQQ), iShares Core S&P 500 ETF (NYSE:IVV), and International Dividend Appreciation ETF (NASDAQ: VIGI) instead of SPY. Here’s why. 

Invesco QQQ Trust

The Invesco QQQ Trust could be a smart investing decision today. This ETF tracks the Nasdaq-100 Index and holds 100 stocks. It was launched in 1999 and has an expense ratio of 0.20%. The fund has generated a cumulative 10-year return of 486%.

QQQ is heavily tech-focused and invests 64% of the portfolio in the sector. This is followed by 18% in consumer discretionary and 4.21% in healthcare. Its top 10 holdings form 53% of the fund and include the Magnificent Seven, such as Nvidia, Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, Alphabet, Tesla, and Meta Platforms. 

QQQ holds the who’s who of the tech world, and these leading businesses have driven the market higher. These are gigantic business owners who are building new infrastructure for the economy, and QQQ gives access to the best of the business. 

In 2025, the ETF has gained 22.35% and is exchanging hands for $624. I believe the fund will provide above-average returns and exposure to the best tech stocks in the industry. 

iShares Core S&P 500 ETF

The iShares Core S&P 500 ETF tracks the S&P 500 index and invests in the 500 largest U.S. stocks based on the market capitalization. It has a yield of 1.04% and an expense ratio of 0.03%. 

IVV is also a tech-heavy fund with 34.85% allocation to the sector, followed by 13.06% in the financial sector and 10.73% in the communication industry. Its top 10 holdings are similar to QQQ, with the Magnificent Seven at the top. These include Nvidia, Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, Alphabet, Meta Platforms, and Tesla. 

IVV has generated a total return of 94.85% in 3 years and 113.98% in five years. The fund is very similar to SPY and offers roughly the same yield. However, it has a lower expense ratio as compared to SPY. 

The fund avoids currency hedges and leverages, ensuring there are no surprises for investors. Since it tracks the S&P 500, it holds the largest U.S. stocks and can offer stability in the long run. IVV has gained 16.96% in 2025 and is exchanging hands for $687.

Vanguard International Dividend Appreciation Index Fund 

The Vanguard International Dividend Appreciation Index Fund ETF aims to track the performance of the S&P Global Ex-U.S. Dividend Growers Index. It is a passively managed fund and invests in large-cap stocks from the developed and emerging markets with a history of growing dividends each year. VIGI has a yield of 1.85%. 

The fund sets itself apart by investing in the top dividend stocks across the world, offering ultimate diversification. VIGI has an expense ratio of 0.10% and holds 334 stocks. The ETF has paid a quarterly dividend of $0.36. 

It invests 41.90% in Europe, 33.50% in the Pacific and 17% in North America. Country-wise, it invests 29.30% in Japan, 17% in Canada, and 15.90% in Switzerland. Its top 10 stocks include Royal Bank of Canada, Nestle SA, Hitachi Ltd., Roche Holding AG, and Reliance Industries Ltd. The top 10 holdings make up 34.88% of the fund. 

It has generated a 3-year cumulative return of 35.30% and a 5-year return of 36.25%. VIGI has gained 13.38% in 2025 and is exchanging hands for $90.57. The fund gives access to the top blue chip international stocks at low risk. 

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17.

Exchange-Traded Funds Rise, US Equities Mixed After Midday

2025-12-11 18:08:48 by MT Newswires from MT Newswires

Broad Market Indicators

Broad-market exchange-traded funds IWM and IVV edged higher. Actively traded Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ) shed 0.6%.

US equity indexes traded mixed midday Thursday as Oracle's (ORCL) fiscal Q2 results hurt big tech, which pushed technology and communication services to the bottom of sector charts.

Energy

iShares US Energy ETF (IYE) and the State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR (XLE) each shed 0.3%.

Technology

The State Street Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLK) fell 1.1%; iShares US Technology ETF (IYW) was down 1.1%, while iShares Expanded Tech Sector ETF (IGM) slipped 1.1%.

The State Street SPDR S&P Semiconductor (XSD) was 1.1% lower, and iShares Semiconductor (SOXX) declined 1.8%.

Financial

The State Street Financial Select Sector SPDR (XLF) gained 1.7%. Direxion Daily Financial Bull 3X Shares (FAS) climbed 5.2%, and its bearish counterpart, Direxion Daily Financial Bear 3X Shares (FAZ), fell 5.2%.

Commodities

Crude oil was 2% lower, and the United States Oil Fund (USO) dropped 2.7%. Natural gas fell 8%, and the United States Natural Gas Fund (UNG) declined 8.4%.

Gold on Comex rose 2%, and the State Street SPDR Gold Shares (GLD) added 1.2%. Silver gained 5.6%, and iShares Silver Trust (SLV) was up 3.6%.

Consumer

The State Street Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR (XLP) added 0.9%. The Vanguard Consumer Staples ETF (VDC) and iShares Dow Jones US Consumer Goods (IYK) were also moving higher.

The State Street Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR (XLY) added 0.5%. VanEck Retail ETF (RTH) gained 0.7%, and the State Street SPDR S&P Retail (XRT) rose 0.7%.

Health Care

The State Street Health Care Select Sector SPDR (XLV) was up 1%, and iShares US Healthcare (IYH) and Vanguard Health Care ETF (VHT) advanced; iShares Biotechnology ETF (IBB) rose 0.8%.

Industrial

The State Street Industrial Select Sector SPDR (XLI) was 0.9% higher. Vanguard Industrials Index Fund (VIS) and iShares US Industrials (IYJ) also rose.

Cryptocurrency

In midday activity, bitcoin (BTC-USD) was down 2.4%. Among cryptocurrency ETFs, ProShares Bitcoin ETF (BITO) shed 2.5%, ProShares Ether ETF (EETH) slipped 5.1%, and ProShares Bitcoin & Ether Market Cap Weight ETF (BETH) dropped 3.5%.

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18.

MoneyMasters Podcast 12-11-25- Hard Assets vs. Financial - McDonald on What Leads in 26

2025-12-11 16:30:00 by MoneyShow

Recorded LIVE at the 2025 MoneyShow Masters Symposium in Sarasota, this episode features Larry McDonald, bestselling author and founder of The Bear Traps Report. We sat down for a high-impact breakdown of the macro forces that could define 2026 – and what investors should DO in response! Watch now.

To get more articles and chart analysis from MoneyShow, subscribe to our Top Pros’ Top Picks newsletter here.)

Larry explains why falling rates, aggressive fiscal spending, and the energy demands of the AI boom are setting the stage for a major rotation into hard assets. He also pulls back the curtain on the risks building inside the $1.8 trillion private credit market and how financial repression is steering banks deeper into Treasuries.

It’s fast, punchy, and packed with insight for anyone positioning their portfolio for the year ahead.

See also: DATCos: Why You Should Stay Away from These Stocks

One last thing: Your next chance to get expert, IN PERSON portfolio guidance is at the 2026 MoneyShow/TradersEXPO Las Vegas, scheduled for Feb. 23-25 at the Paris Las Vegas. Click here to register: https://www.lasvegasmoneyshow.com/?scode=059253.

More From MoneyShow.com:

• SPX: Why 2026 Could Feature "Economic Nirvana" and a Strong Market
• CBTJ: A "Protected" Bitcoin ETF that Helps Limit Downside Risk
• Market Minute 12/10/25: Fed, SpaceX IPO in Focus

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19.

The Smartest Index ETF to Buy With $2,000 Right Now

2025-12-11 14:05:00 by Geoffrey Seiler, The Motley Fool from Motley Fool

As 2025 comes to a close, growth stocks are poised to outperform the market yet again. This dynamic has become commonplace over the past decade and a half, with growth stocks set to beat value stocks in 12 of the past 15 years.

With the market being led by megacap tech stocks tied to artificial intelligence (AI), there is a good chance this outperformance will continue for the foreseeable future. AI is still in its early innings, and it's just beginning to change the world in which we live. Meanwhile, the companies leading the charge are some of the biggest companies in the world.

Unlike the dot-com bust, which was led by unprofitable companies with often times questionable business models -- we're looking at you, Pets.com -- the AI boom is being led by profitable companies with strong balance sheets that are generating an enormous amount of operating cash flow from their core businesses. This bodes well for both the companies involved and their investors.

As such, I think one of the best ways to play the AI boom is through an investment in the Invesco QQQ Trust (NASDAQ: QQQ), which is an exchange-traded fund (ETF) that tracks the Nasdaq-100. Investors can start with a smaller amount, say $2,000, but the key is to consistently invest in the fund in both up and down markets using a dollar-cost averaging strategy.

If you can start with $2,000 and add $1,000 each month, you would have over $268,000 after 10 years, with a 15% average annual return. The earlier you start, the better, though, as with the same rate of return, if you held for 30 years you would have nearly $5.7 million, with 94% of that coming from gains.

Why the Invesco QQQ Trust is a great investment

The Invesco QQQ Trust will give you a portfolio of the top names in tech. The Nasdaq Exchange has always been where both leading and emerging tech companies have tended to list, and the Nasdaq-100 index is certainly overweight in tech stocks. Its top 10 holdings are a who's who of tech, with most of the companies being AI leaders.

Nearly 65% of the stocks in the ETF are classified as technology, and this doesn't include names like cloud computing leader Amazon and Tesla, which tend to get lumped in the consumer discretionary category. Overall, its top 10 holdings make up 55% of its portfolio.

Here is a list of its top 10 holdings and weighting, as of the end of November:

Holding	Weighting	Holding	Weighting
Nvidia	9.3%	Amazon	5.1%
Apple	8.7%	Tesla	3.5%
Alphabet	7.6%	Meta Platforms	3.1%
Microsoft	7.5%	Netflix	2.2%
Broadcom	6.4%	Palantir	2.1%

Data source: 

While actively managed funds have struggled to outperform the S&P 500 over the years, the Invesco QQQ Trust has not run into that problem. As of the end of November, the ETF has had an average annual return of 19.3% versus 14.6% for the S&P 500. While that may not sound like a lot, on a cumulative basis, it is a 486.3% return versus 291.8% for the S&P 500. If you had invested $2,000 and just let it sit there, that's the difference between $11,726 and $7,836 at the end of 10 years.

One of the best things about the Invesco QQQ Trust is that not only has it outperformed the S&P 500 over the past decade, but it has done so consistently. On a 12-month rolling basis, it has topped the broader market benchmark index nearly 88% of the time. That means its gains aren't coming from just one or two big years during this stretch.

While past returns are no guarantee of future performance, the tech-heavy makeup of the Invesco QQQ trust makes it an ideal way to play the ongoing AI revolution. That's why it's one of the smartest ETFs to buy right now.

Geoffrey Seiler has positions in Alphabet, Amazon, and Invesco QQQ Trust. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Meta Platforms, Microsoft, Netflix, Nvidia, Palantir Technologies, and Tesla. The Motley Fool recommends Broadcom and recommends the following options: long January 2026 $395 calls on Microsoft and short January 2026 $405 calls on Microsoft. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

The Smartest Index ETF to Buy With $2,000 Right Now was originally published by The Motley Fool

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20.

Exchange-Traded Funds Lower, Equity Futures Mixed Pre-Bell Thursday as Oracle Results Sour Investor Mood

2025-12-11 13:54:03 by MT Newswires from MT Newswires

The broad market exchange-traded fund SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY) was down 0.4% and the actively traded Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ) was 0.4% lower in Thursday's premarket activity, as Oracle's (ORCL) fiscal Q2 results soured the elation of an interest rate cut.

US stock futures were mixed, with S&P 500 Index futures down 0.3%, Dow Jones Industrial Average futures advancing 0.1%, and Nasdaq futures retreating 0.5% before the start of regular trading.

US initial jobless claims rose to 236,000, above expectations for 220,000 and up from 192,000 previously.

The US trade deficit narrowed to $52.83 billion in September, below expectations for $63.1 billion and down from a revised $59.27 billion previously.

In premarket activity, bitcoin was down by 2.3%. Among cryptocurrency ETFs, the cryptocurrency fund ProShares Bitcoin Strategy ETF (BITO) was 2.3% lower, Ether ETF (EETH) declined 4.4%, and Bitcoin & Ether Market Cap Weight ETF (BETH) retreated 2.1%.

Power Play:

Financial

The State Street Financial Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLF) advanced 0.1%. Direxion Daily Financial Bull 3X Shares (FAS) was up 0.5%, while its bearish counterpart Direxion Daily Financial Bear 3X Shares (FAZ) was 0.3% lower.

Gemini Space Station (GEMI) shares were up more than 15% pre-bell after the company said overnight it has received regulatory approval to offer event contracts in prediction markets to its US customers.

Winners and Losers:

Technology

The State Street Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLK) retreated 0.8%, and the iShares US Technology ETF (IYW) was 0.3% lower, while the iShares Expanded Tech Sector ETF (IGM) fell 1.9%. Among semiconductor ETFs, the State Street SPDR S&P Semiconductor ETF (XSD) was down 0.5%, while the iShares Semiconductor ETF (SOXX) declined by 0.9%.

Oracle (ORCL) shares were down more than 12% in recent premarket activity after the company reported overnight fiscal Q2 sales below market expectations, taking the shine off its earnings beat.

Health Care

The State Street Health Care Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLV) advanced 0.3%. The Vanguard Health Care Index Fund (VHT) advanced 0.2%, while the iShares US Healthcare ETF (IYH) was flat. The iShares Biotechnology ETF (IBB) was down 0.6%.

Immunovant (IMVT) stock was down more than 4% premarket after the company said it has priced an underwritten offering of 26.2 million common shares at $21 apiece for expected gross proceeds of about $550 million.

Industrial

The State Street Industrial Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLI) advanced 0.1%, the Vanguard Industrials Index Fund (VIS) was up 0.2%, while the iShares US Industrials ETF (IYJ) was inactive.

Brink's (BCO) stock was up more than 2% before the opening bell after the company said its board approved a new $750 million share buyback plan.

Consumer

The State Street Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLP) was down 0.2%, while the Vanguard Consumer Staples Index Fund ETF Shares (VDC) was up 0.5%. The iShares US Consumer Staples ETF (IYK) was inactive. The State Street Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLY) lost 0.2%. The VanEck Retail ETF (RTH) was inactive, while the State Street SPDR S&P Retail ETF (XRT) gained 0.1%.

American Eagle Outfitters (AEO) shares were down nearly 2% pre-bell after Goldman Sachs began coverage of the company's stock at neutral with a $25 price target.

Energy

The iShares US Energy ETF (IYE) was inactive, while the State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLE) was down by 0.4%.

Equinor (EQNR) stock was down more than 1% before Thursday's opening bell after the company said it plans to invest over 4 billion Norwegian kroner ($396.1 million) in the Isflak oil discovery made in the Barents Sea, along with partners Var Energi and Petoro.

Commodities

Front-month US West Texas Intermediate crude oil was down 1.1% at $57.81 per barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Natural gas was down 3.2% at $4.45 per 1 million British Thermal Units. The United States Oil Fund (USO) retreated by 1.8%, while the United States Natural Gas Fund (UNG) fell by 3.9%.

Gold futures for February were up by 0.5% at $4,244.90 an ounce on the Comex, and silver futures advanced by 2.5% to $62.46 an ounce. SPDR Gold Shares (GLD) retreated by 0.4%, and the iShares Silver Trust (SLV) was 0.5% higher.

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21.

QQQ vs. VGT: What's the Better Tech ETF Going Into 2026?

2025-12-10 20:25:00 by Stefon Walters, The Motley Fool from Motley Fool

When you look at the stock market performance of the 11 major U.S. business sectors, there's tech, and then there's everyone else. The tech sector has considerably outperformed other sectors and has positioned itself as the go-to for investors seeking high-growth opportunities.

Twenty years ago, at the end of 2005, only one of the world's top 10 most valuable companies was a tech company (Microsoft). Today, nine of them are, each with a valuation of over $1 trillion (as of Dec. 4).

Considering the historical success, it makes sense that investors would want to continue pouring money into the sector. Rather than betting on individual stocks, investing in tech-focused exchange-traded funds (ETF)gives you broad exposure to the sector without taking on each company's individual risks.

Two popular tech ETFs are the Invesco QQQ ETF (NASDAQ: QQQ) and the Vanguard Information Technology ETF (NYSEMKT: VGT). However, if you had to choose one of the two, which is the better option to go with heading into 2026? To me, the Invesco ETF stands out as the go-to. Here's why.

Sector technicalities could mean missing out on key tech companies with Vanguard Information Technology ETF

The Invesco QQQ mirrors the Nasdaq-100, an index tracking the 100 largest nonfinancial companies on the Nasdaq exchange. This means QQQ isn't only tech stocks, but they do make up 64% of the ETF. On the other hand, the Vanguard ETF contains only companies from the information technology (tech) sector.

One knock on Vanguard Information Technology that makes me lean toward QQQ is how stock sectors are defined and how that affects what companies the Vanguard fund holds. The Vanguard fund is a pure-play tech ETF, but because of how the information technology sector is categorized, it's missing some key companies that I'd want exposure to if I were investing in a tech ETF.

For example, the ETF doesn't include Alphabet, Amazon, Meta, Tesla, or Netflix because the stock market categorizes those companies in different sectors. Alphabet, Meta, and Netflix fall into the communication services sector, and Amazon and Tesla fall into the consumer discretionary sector.

Although QQQ includes companies from other sectors, it also includes all the companies mentioned above, as well as those that technically fall into the tech sector.

High concentration comes with more risk

The other reason I would prefer QQQ over Vanguard Information Technology ETF going into 2026 is that it's much less concentrated. Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA), Apple, and Microsoft are the top three holdings in each ETF, but in the Vanguard ETF, they account for over 45% of the fund.

Company	Percentage of VGT	Percentage of QQQ
Nvidia	18.18%	9.16%
Apple	14.29%	8.85%
Microsoft	12.93	7.47%

Source: Vanguard and Invesco. Vanguard holdings as of Oct. 31. Invesco holdings as of Dec. 2.

Three companies comprising around 25% of QQQ doesn't necessarily scream diversification, but having three companies account for over 45% of a 314-stock ETF is a high-risk, high-reward game. It has worked out in Vanguard Information Technology ETF's favor in the past few years because of Nvidia's beyond-impressive performance (up 987% in three years), but the cause of its gains can be the same cause of its vulnerability.

The high concentration in Nvidia, in particular, is cause for hesitation. It has benefited significantly from demand for its graphics processing units (GPUs), artificial intelligence (AI) chips, and other data center hardware. But at over 18% of the Vanguard fund, you'd be banking on that demand continuing and Nvidia's earnings growth remaining near its current rate at a time when it's facing increased competition from companies like Alphabet, Amazon, and AMD.

AI demand is still strong, but I would prefer exposure to QQQ in the coming year because it also holds companies that deal with AI on the application side (Alphabet, Amazon, and Meta), which seems more promising than relying solely on the hardware side of the ecosystem.

Comparing their performances

Over the past decade, both QQQ and the Vanguard Information Technology ETF have performed impressively, but the Vanguard fund has outperformed QQQ, mainly due to the growth of its top holdings, such as Nvidia. However, when you zoom out, QQQ has narrowly outperformed Vanguard since the latter debuted in January 2004.

Past performance doesn't guarantee future performance, and there's no way to predict how each will perform going forward. That said, I like how QQQ is better positioned for the long run. It has all the tech giants you would want, while having a piece of other sectors to help hedge against any tech-related downturns.

Stefon Walters has positions in Apple and Microsoft. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Advanced Micro Devices, Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Meta Platforms, Microsoft, Netflix, Nvidia, and Tesla. The Motley Fool recommends the following options: long January 2026 $395 calls on Microsoft and short January 2026 $405 calls on Microsoft. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

QQQ vs. VGT: What's the Better Tech ETF Going Into 2026? was originally published by The Motley Fool

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22.

The Big Three ETFs To Dominate 2026

2025-12-10 20:03:05 by Vandita Jadeja from 24/7 Wall St.

The exchange-traded fund (ETF) industry has grown in all directions in 2025. ETFs have become a prominent investment in a portfolio by demonstrating impressive growth. From every corner of the globe and every type of investor, ETFs have grown in both measures. Every major ETF has seen inflows this year, and industry trends point to continued momentum for 2026. Known for low-risk, steady returns and ultimate diversification, ETFs have become a top choice during periods of market uncertainty. SPDR S&P 500 ETF (NYSEARCA:SPY), Invesco QQQ Trust (NASDAQ:QQQ), and Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (NYSEARCA:VOO) have led the charge as ETF assets hit new milestones in 2025. 

SPDR S&P 500 ETF 

The SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust remains one of the most dominant industry players in 2025. It tops the ETF market with the highest inflows in the year. SPY tracks the S&P 500 index and invests in large-cap U.S. companies. It has an expense ratio of 0.0945% and holds 500 stocks. The ETF has $672.7 billion in assets under management. 

SPY pays quarterly dividends and has a yield of 1.03%. While the yield is not very high, the fund has the potential for capital appreciation. In 2025, it has gained 16.98% and is exchanging hands for $683.89. SPY offers ultimate diversification with the top 500 U.S. large-cap stocks. 

The ETF has the highest allocation to the technology sector (34.74%), followed by financials (13.20%) and communication services (10.65%). SPY has been the biggest beneficiary of the ETF boom in 2025. 

Its top 10 holdings include Nvidia, Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, Alphabet, Broadcom, and Meta Platforms. Since the fund holds about 500 stocks, the weightage on each stock is limited. Nvidia has the highest weightage at 7.48%. 

SPY has generated a cumulative 3-year return of 22.51% and a 5-year return of 17.47%. It is considered as one of the best places to put your money. 

Invesco QQQ Trust

The Invesco QQQ Trust is one of the largest ETFs in the world and has $400 billion in assets under management. It was at $100 billion in assets in 2020 but is up 300% with over $400 billion today. The fund tracks the Nasdaq 100 and invests in the top U.S. companies that are a part of the index. 

It is a passively managed fund that consists of the 100 largest non-financial companies in the Nasdaq index. It is a tech-heavy fund that invests in the Magnificent Seven. Its top holdings include Nvidia, Apple, Microsoft, Alphabet, Broadcom, Tesla, and Amazon. These companies account for over half of the value of the Nasdaq 100, and their upside has allowed QQQ to outperform the broader market. 

QQQ has an expense ratio of 0.2%. This ETF is a way to own AI powerhouses and make the most of their upside. It invests 64% of the portfolio in the technology sector and 18% in consumer discretionary. 

QQQ has generated a 500% cumulative return over a 10-year period. The fund has gained 22% so far in 2025 and is exchanging hands for $623. As long as the tech industry continues to drive the market, QQQ will keep growing. 

Vanguard S&P 500 ETF

Vanguard’s S&P 500 ETF has seen a year-to-date inflow of over $105 billion, becoming a top asset gatherer of the year. VOO is very similar to SPY and invests in the stocks in the S&P 500 index. It has gained 17% in 2025 and is exchanging hands for $628.85. 

It has an expense ratio of 0.03% and a dividend yield of 1.10%. The fund also holds 500 stocks with the highest allocation in the technology sector (36.10%), followed by financials (12.90%).

Its top holdings include the same stocks as SPY, which are Nvidia, Apple, Microsoft, Alphabet, Tesla, and Meta Platforms. While both the ETFs are identical, VOO has a larger asset under management of $800.2 billion and provides higher liquidity. 

The fund has generated a cumulative 3-year return of 75.11% and a 5-year return of 103.22%. VOO has a simple investment strategy and a strong track record. It has generated an average annual return of 14.6% in the past 10 years and 17.6% in the past five years. If you’re new to investing, VOO can be an ideal starting point. It can become a pillar of your investment portfolio. 

Even if there’s a market correction, this fund has the potential to rebound. 

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23.

Exchange-Traded Funds Climb as US Equities Mixed After Midday

2025-12-10 18:08:18 by MT Newswires from MT Newswires

Broad Market Indicators

Broad-market exchange-traded funds IWM and IVV edged higher. Actively traded Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ) shed 0.2%.

US equity indexes were mixed while government bond yields fell in midday trading amid expectations of divisions in the monetary policy announcements later on Wednesday.

Energy

iShares US Energy ETF (IYE) and the State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR (XLE) each gained about 0.4%.

Technology

The State Street Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLK) fell 0.2%; iShares US Technology ETF (IYW) was down 0.3%, while iShares Expanded Tech Sector ETF (IGM) slipped 0.2%.

The State Street SPDR S&P Semiconductor (XSD) was 0.3% lower, and iShares Semiconductor (SOXX) rose 0.1%.

Financial

The State Street Financial Select Sector SPDR (XLF) gained 0.5%. Direxion Daily Financial Bull 3X Shares (FAS) climbed 2.2%, and its bearish counterpart, Direxion Daily Financial Bear 3X Shares (FAZ), fell 1.9%.

Commodities

Crude oil was 0.2% lower, and the United States Oil Fund (USO) dropped 0.4%. Natural gas rose 2.1%, and the United States Natural Gas Fund (UNG) advanced 2.5%.

Gold on Comex slipped 0.2%, and the State Street SPDR Gold Shares (GLD) shed 0.3%. Silver gained 0.4%, and iShares Silver Trust (SLV) was down 0.4%.

Consumer

The State Street Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR (XLP) added 0.3%. The Vanguard Consumer Staples ETF (VDC) and iShares Dow Jones US Consumer Goods (IYK) were also edging higher.

The State Street Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR (XLY) added 0.6%. VanEck Retail ETF (RTH) gained 0.4%, and the State Street SPDR S&P Retail (XRT) rose 0.5%.

Health Care

The State Street Health Care Select Sector SPDR (XLV) was up 0.7%, and iShares US Healthcare (IYH) and Vanguard Health Care ETF (VHT) advanced; iShares Biotechnology ETF (IBB) rose 0.5%.

Industrial

The State Street Industrial Select Sector SPDR (XLI) was 0.8% higher. Vanguard Industrials Index Fund (VIS) and iShares US Industrials (IYJ) also rose.

Cryptocurrency

In midday activity, bitcoin (BTC-USD) was down 1.7%. Among cryptocurrency ETFs, ProShares Bitcoin ETF (BITO) shed 0.7%, ProShares Ether ETF (EETH) rose 1.3%, and ProShares Bitcoin & Ether Market Cap Weight ETF (BETH) dipped 0.3%.

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24.

QYLD Turns Mag 7 Tech Stocks Into an 11% Dividend Yield

2025-12-10 14:48:19 by Michael Williams from 24/7 Wall St.

Global X Nasdaq 100 Covered Call ETF (NASDAQ:QYLD) transforms the Nasdaq-100's top technology stocks into an 11% monthly dividend by selling covered call options against its holdings. Unlike traditional dividend ETFs, QYLD generates income exclusively through option premiums. The fund sells near-the-money call options on its entire portfolio each month, collecting premiums from buyers who purchase the right to buy shares at specific strike prices. This strategy produces consistent monthly income but caps upside participation when tech stocks rally sharply.

The fund's $8 billion portfolio concentrates heavily in technology at 57% of the total ETF, and communication services at 17%. The top holdings - Nvidia, Apple, Microsoft, Broadcom, Amazon, Alphabet, Tesla, and Meta Platforms - represent over half the fund and drive most option premium generation.

This infographic illustrates how QYLD generates an 11% dividend yield from Nasdaq-100 holdings through covered calls, detailing its portfolio, income trends, and inherent risks, along with a comparison to JEPI.

Evaluating Income Sustainability

QYLD's 11.5% yield depends entirely on market volatility, not underlying dividends. The fund's top holdings pay minimal natural yields: NVDA offers just 0.02%, AAPL 0.37%, and MSFT 0.70%. Amazon pays no dividend. This means QYLD's monthly distributions fluctuate based on option premium levels, which compress during low-volatility periods.

Recent dividend history reveals declining payouts. Monthly distributions averaged $0.198 in 2021 but have dropped 17% to approximately $0.169 currently. This decline reflects lower implied volatility in tech stocks as markets stabilized following pandemic-era swings. When volatility decreases, call options command lower premiums, directly reducing QYLD's distributable income.

The fund's structure also creates total return concerns. While delivering high current income, QYLD's net asset value has eroded 23% from its December 2021 peak of $22.82 to the current $17.54. This capital depreciation occurs because covered calls cap participation in bull market rallies. When tech stocks surge—as they did throughout 2023-2024—QYLD surrenders upside gains beyond strike prices. Investors receive steady income but miss appreciation that Invesco QQQ Trust (NASDAQ:QQQ) holders capture fully.

The concentration in highly valued tech stocks adds risk. NVDA trades at 46 times earnings with a beta of 2.28, creating extreme volatility that generates premiums but exposes the fund to sharp drawdowns. The April 2025 drop to $14.48 demonstrated this downside vulnerability.

Income reliability remains strong—QYLD has paid monthly since 2013 without interruption. However, distribution amounts fluctuate with market conditions, and the declining trend suggests caution for investors expecting stable 11% yields indefinitely.

Alternative to Consider

JPMorgan Equity Premium Income ETF (NASDAQ:JEPI) offers a more diversified approach to option income generation. Rather than concentrating in tech-heavy Nasdaq stocks, JEPI writes calls on a broader S&P 500-based portfolio with lower volatility stocks. The fund currently yields approximately 7.4% with more stable monthly distributions and less exposure to mega-cap tech concentration risk. JEPI combines equity-linked notes with covered calls, providing flexibility to adjust option strategies based on market conditions while maintaining consistent income generation.

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25.

Exchange-Traded Funds, Equity Futures Lower Pre-Bell Wednesday Ahead of Fed's Policy Decision

2025-12-10 13:51:54 by MT Newswires from MT Newswires

The broad market exchange-traded fund SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY) was down 0.1% and the actively traded Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ) was 0.2% lower in Wednesday's premarket activity, ahead of the Federal Reserve's announcement of its policy decision.

US stock futures were also lower, with S&P 500 Index futures down 0.1%, Dow Jones Industrial Average futures slipping 0.1%, and Nasdaq futures retreating 0.2% before the start of regular trading.

US mortgage applications rose 4.8% in the week ended Dec. 5, driven by stronger refinancing activity that outweighed weaker purchase demand, Mortgage Bankers Association data showed Wednesday.

The US employment cost index rose 0.8% in Q3, below expectations for a 0.9% increase and compared with a 0.9% gain previously.

The October wholesale inventories post at 10 am ET, followed by the weekly EIA petroleum status report at 10:30 am ET.

The Fed's rate decision announcement is scheduled for 2 pm ET, followed by the 2:30 pm press conference by Chair Jerome Powell.

In premarket activity, bitcoin was down by 1.3%. Among cryptocurrency ETFs, the cryptocurrency fund ProShares Bitcoin Strategy ETF (BITO) was 1.2% lower, ProShares Ether ETF (EETH) retreated 0.5%, and ProShares Bitcoin & Ether Market Cap Weight ETF (BETH) declined marginally by 0.02%.

Power Play:

Technology

The State Street Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLK) retreated 0.2%, and the iShares US Technology ETF (IYW) was 0.1% lower, while the iShares Expanded Tech Sector ETF (IGM) was up 0.4%. Among semiconductor ETFs, the State Street SPDR S&P Semiconductor ETF (XSD) gained 0.3%, while the iShares Semiconductor ETF (SOXX) declined by 0.1%.

Braze (BRZE) shares were up more than 15% in recent premarket activity after the company reported overnight a year-over-year rise in fiscal Q3 adjusted earnings and sales while raising its fiscal 2026 guidance.

Winners and Losers:

Financial

The State Street Financial Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLF) advanced 0.1%. Direxion Daily Financial Bull 3X Shares (FAS) was up 0.3%, while its bearish counterpart Direxion Daily Financial Bear 3X Shares (FAZ) was 0.2% lower.

Aegon (AEG) shares were down more than 8% pre-bell after the company said it plans to relocate its head office to the US, with plans to assess a potential divestment of Aegon UK, among other options.

Health Care

The State Street Health Care Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLV) advanced 0.1%. The Vanguard Health Care Index Fund ETF Shares (VHT) was up 0.3%, while the iShares US Healthcare ETF (IYH) was inactive. The iShares Biotechnology ETF (IBB) was down 0.1%.

Dyne Therapeutics (DYN) stock was up more than 7% premarket after the company said late Tuesday it priced an upsized underwritten public offering of 19 million shares at $18.44 per share for gross proceeds of about $350 million.

Consumer

The State Street Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLP) was up 0.1% while the Vanguard Consumer Staples Index Fund ETF Shares (VDC) was flat. The iShares US Consumer Staples ETF (IYK) was inactive. The State Street Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLY) gained 0.1%. The VanEck Retail ETF (RTH) was inactive, while the State Street SPDR S&P Retail ETF (XRT) was up 0.01%.

GameStop (GME) shares were down more than 6% pre-bell after the company reported lower Q3 revenue.

Energy

The iShares US Energy ETF (IYE) was inactive, while the State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLE) was up by 0.3%.

Uranium Energy (UEC) stock was down more than 2% before Wednesday's opening bell after the company reported a fiscal Q1 loss and no revenue.

Industrial

The State Street Industrial Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLI) advanced 0.3% while the Vanguard Industrials Index Fund (VIS) was inactive. The iShares US Industrials ETF (IYJ) was up 0.3%.

Rocket Lab (RKLB) stock was up more than 1% before the opening bell after the company said Tuesday it is speeding up a dedicated Electron satellite deployment mission for the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology to launch no earlier than Thursday afternoon New Zealand time.

Commodities

Front-month US West Texas Intermediate crude oil was up 0.6% at $58.58 per barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Natural gas was down 2% at $4.48 per 1 million British Thermal Units. The United States Oil Fund (USO) gained 0.5%, while the United States Natural Gas Fund (UNG) fell by 1.2%.

Gold futures for February were down by 0.3% at $4,225.70 an ounce on the Comex, and silver futures advanced by 1.6% to $61.51 an ounce. SPDR Gold Shares (GLD) retreated by 0.4%, and the iShares Silver Trust (SLV) was 0.4% higher.

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26.

Prediction: IonQ Stock Will Be Worth This Much By Year-End 2026

2025-12-10 11:25:00 by Adam Spatacco, The Motley Fool from Motley Fool

Quantum computing might just be the hottest ticket on the artificial intelligence (AI) train. Throughout 2025, shares of the Defiance Quantum ETF have gained nearly 40% -- almost double that of the Invesco QQQ Trust, which tracks the Nasdaq-100.

Among the most popular quantum computing pure-play stocks is IonQ (NYSE: IONQ), whose shares have soared by 39% over the last year. While IonQ has quite a bit of momentum behind it, I predict that shares will plummet next year.

Let's explore what fueled IonQ stock to begin with, and then assess why the stock could be headed for a sharp correction in 2026.

Why IonQ stock soared in 2025

From a macro perspective, quantum computing stocks took off this year as growth investors looked to rotate capital into new AI-driven themes. For three years, unprecedented sums of capital have flowed toward semiconductors, data centers, cloud computing, and enterprise software.

Quantum computing is promising to revolutionize mission-critical industries across the board, with McKinsey & Company forecasting up to $2 trillion in additional economic value as a result of the technology.

When it comes to IonQ specifically, the company's trapped-ion architecture has unique integrations with the three largest cloud hyperscalers: Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, and Alphabet's Google Cloud Platform (GCP).

Moreover, the company has consistently beat Wall Street revenue expectations in recent quarters -- lending to the idea that the company could be on the verge of a commercial breakthrough.

Against this backdrop, hopeful investors have flocked to IonQ in hopes that the company will become a leader in the quantum computing space and emerge as a titan of the AI boom.

IonQ's charade might not last much longer

While IonQ's revenue growth is accelerating, so too is the company's outstanding share count.

At the moment, IonQ is hemorrhaging cash and has not outlined a thorough plan to reach profitability. In reality, IonQ has taken full advantage of its frothy valuation -- continuously issuing shares at its premium valuation in order to raise capital. Subsequently, the company has used this liquidity buffer to fund $2.5 billion of acquisitions.

By next year, I think more investors are going to figure out the strategy IonQ is employing. As a result, investors may grow tired of investing in the idea of a quantum breakthrough and begin demanding more concrete developments featuring real commercial products.

Prediction: IonQ stock will plummet in 2026

As of market close on Dec. 5, IonQ's market capitalization was $18.7 billion -- roughly the same combined size as competing platforms Rigetti Computing and D-Wave Quantum. In many ways, IonQ reminds me of Cisco in the late 1990s. At the peak of the dot-com bubble, Cisco was briefly the most valuable company in the world.

As the chart illustrates, Cisco's market value rose by nearly tenfold during its run-up throughout dot-com euphoria. However, when the bubble burst in early 2000, Cisco had a pretty epic fall -- losing roughly 73% of its value.

Since the dawn of the AI revolution, IonQ's market cap has risen by more than 2,000%. Given the company has little to show for its acquisition spending spree and with no profits on the horizon, I don't imagine IonQ sustains its rally for much longer.

While history doesn't repeat every moment the same way, it often rhymes. Should IonQ follow a similar trajectory to that of Cisco and lose about 70% of its value, the company would be worth about $5 billion next year.

To me, IonQ stock is too speculative to own and risks smart investors holding the bag in an otherwise profitable AI landscape.

Adam Spatacco has positions in Alphabet, Amazon, and Microsoft. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Alphabet, Amazon, Cisco Systems, IonQ, and Microsoft. The Motley Fool recommends the following options: long January 2026 $395 calls on Microsoft and short January 2026 $405 calls on Microsoft. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Prediction: IonQ Stock Will Be Worth This Much By Year-End 2026 was originally published by The Motley Fool

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27.

Should You Buy the Invesco QQQ ETF With the Nasdaq Near an All-Time High? History Offers a Clear Answer.

2025-12-10 09:26:00 by Anthony Di Pizio, The Motley Fool from Motley Fool

The Nasdaq stock exchange is often the preferred destination for early-stage companies looking to go public, because it offers lower listing fees and fewer barriers compared to alternatives like the New York Stock Exchange. That's why technology giants like Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) and Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) chose to list on the Nasdaq when their businesses started gaining momentum in the late 1990s.

Companies like Amazon and Nvidia have since become trillion-dollar giants on the back of hypergrowth themes like cloud computing, e-commerce, and artificial intelligence (AI). Thanks to their incredible scale, they dominate the Nasdaq-100 index, which features 100 of the largest nonfinancial companies listed on the Nasdaq, and is often a proxy for the performance of the tech sector.

The Nasdaq-100 plummeted by as much as 7% in November, but it has almost fully recovered. In fact, a gain of less than 2% from here will put the index at a new all-time high. The Invesco QQQ Trust (NASDAQ: QQQ) is an exchange-traded fund (ETF) that tracks the Nasdaq-100 by holding the same stocks and maintaining similar weightings, so is it a good buy right now? History offers a clear answer.

Packed with leaders in AI, autonomous driving, robotics, and more

Although the Invesco QQQ ETF is home to 100 different companies, its top 10 holdings alone represent a staggering 55.3% of the value of its entire portfolio. Therefore, not only does it offer a high degree of exposure to technology and technology-adjacent industries, but it's also highly concentrated, with just a select few names having an outsized influence over its performance.

Stock	Invesco ETF Portfolio Weighting
1. Nvidia	9.36%
2. Apple	8.75%
3. Microsoft	7.52%
4. Alphabet	7.51%
5. Broadcom	6.23%
6. Amazon	5.13%
7. Tesla	3.48%
8. Meta Platforms	3.01%
9. Netflix	2.27%
10. Palantir Technologies	2.09%

Data source: Invesco. Portfolio weightings are accurate as of Dec. 4, 2025, and are subject to change.

Nvidia and Broadcom are leading suppliers of chips and components for data centers, which are critical for AI development. Nvidia has also created software and hardware platforms for autonomous vehicles and robots, which could fuel its next phase of growth once the AI infrastructure buildout slows down.

Microsoft, Alphabet, and Amazon have each developed their own AI assistants, but they also operate the three largest cloud computing platforms in the world, which offer a range of services to help businesses develop and deploy AI software. Those services include access to state-of-the-art data centers and ready-made large language models (LLMs), which can be used to accelerate their progress.

Tesla, on the other hand, is one of the world's top manufacturers of electric vehicles (EVs), but investors are more focused on the company's futuristic product platforms like its autonomous robotaxi, the Cybercab, and its humanoid robot called Optimus. The Cybercab is expected to enter mass production in 2026, and Optimus could follow shortly after. Both products could be orders of magnitude more valuable to Tesla than its EV business.

But with other holdings like streaming giant Netflix, e-commerce titan Shopify, food delivery powerhouse DoorDash, and small business software juggernaut Intuit, the Invesco QQQ ETF isn't all about advanced technologies like AI. In fact, it also holds many stocks from outside the tech sector entirely, including Costco Wholesale, PepsiCo, and Starbucks.

History suggests there is rarely a bad time to invest

The Invesco QQQ ETF has delivered a compound annual return of 10.5% since its inception in 1999, even after accounting for every sell-off, correction, and bear market -- including those triggered by earth-shattering events like the dot-com crash, the global financial crisis, and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Past performance isn't always a reliable indicator of future results, but the Nasdaq-100 tends to trend higher over time, so there is rarely a bad moment to buy the Invesco QQQ ETF as long as investors intend to hold it for a long-term period of at least five years (but the longer, the better). Betting against this index means betting against some of the greatest innovations of our time, many of which have permanently reshaped our lives.

The chart displays the returns of the top five stocks in the Invesco ETF over the past decade alone. The evidence suggests it pays to stay bullish and optimistic:

Although AI has fueled blistering returns in some of those stocks over the last few years, other technologies like autonomous vehicles, robotics, and even quantum computing are likely to take over as the dominant drivers of upside sometime in the next 10 years or so. Simply put, technology is constantly evolving, so investors shouldn't be deterred from buying the Invesco QQQ ETF just because the Nasdaq-100 is near an all-time high.

Anthony Di Pizio has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Costco Wholesale, DoorDash, Intuit, Meta Platforms, Microsoft, Netflix, Nvidia, Palantir Technologies, Shopify, Starbucks, and Tesla. The Motley Fool recommends Broadcom and Nasdaq and recommends the following options: long January 2026 $395 calls on Microsoft and short January 2026 $405 calls on Microsoft. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Should You Buy the Invesco QQQ ETF With the Nasdaq Near an All-Time High? History Offers a Clear Answer. was originally published by The Motley Fool

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28.

Zacks Investment Ideas feature highlights: Intercontinental Exchange, Circle Group, Nasdaq 100 Index ETF and CoreWeave

2025-12-10 09:16:00 by Zacks Equity Research from Zacks

For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL – December 10, 2025 – Today, Zacks Investment Ideas feature highlights Intercontinental Exchange ICE, Circle Group CRCL, Nasdaq 100 Index ETF QQQ and CoreWeave CRWV.

Understanding the Concept of Price Action vs. News Failure

Want to Win? Follow the Money, Not the News

If there’s one thing that the 2024 Presidential election taught us, it’s that markets and real money on the line supersede opinions, predictions, and gut feel. For instance, the majority of polls, and highly followed political polls such as ‘The Hill,’ ‘Silver Bulletin’ and ‘Real Clear Politics,’ each had Democratic Presidential Candidate Kamala Harris winning the 2024 Presidential election. Conversely, betting markets such as Kalshi and Polymarket consistently had Donald Trump with an edge in the weeks and months leading up to the election.

In hindsight, betting markets beat antiquated polling methods which are often filled with opinion, bias, and the predictions from a handful of pollsters. The accuracy of betting markets such as Polymarket and Kalshi marked a turning point in how people set odds for elections, sports, and other events. In fact, Polymarket secured a $2 billion investment from legacy financial giant Intercontinental Exchange as a result, along with investments from other prominent venture capital firms like Peter Thiel’s ‘Founder’s Fund.’

Price Action is King Markets. Markets Will Talk if You’re Willing to Listen

On Wall Street, as in betting markets, determining signal over noise means looking at price action. Price action leaves out opinions and illustrates real money being put to work. In other words, price action is all signal.

The Concept of Price Action Versus News (News Failure)

The moment when price action screams the loudest is when news hits a stock. What investors will find is that it’s not so much the news that’s important, but instead, the market’s reactions to the news.

Below are two recent examples:

1. On July 18^th, President Trump signed the GENIUS Act – a long-awaited legal framework for stablecoins. Circle Group, the largest US-based stablecoin provider, had been rallying in anticipation of the “bullish news.” However, the day the news finally hit, CRCL shares suffered a nasty bearish reversal and never looked back. In other words, despite the perceived good news, the price action hinted to investors to be cautious.

2. On April 7^th, President Trump threatened further tariffs against China as the trade war escalated. However, the Nasdaq 100 Index ETF finished green for the session – a clear news failure or tell.

CoreWeave: A Bullish News Failure

On Monday morning, AI company CoreWeave announced it would raise $2 billion through convertible senior notes. Typically, stocks fall on news like this as it means dilution for shareholders. However, on Monday the stock finished nearly flat after initially falling ~8% on the news. Tuesday, the stock traded up 5%, and above where the news was announced – signaling a bullish news failure.

Bottom Line

Follow the money, not the noise. Whether in politics or equities, markets offer real-time truth-based signals from where capital is actually flowing.

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Media Contact

Zacks Investment Research

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Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Inherent in any investment is the potential for loss. This material is being provided for informational purposes only and nothing herein constitutes investment, legal, accounting or tax advice, or a recommendation to buy, sell or hold a security. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. It should not be assumed that any investments in securities, companies, sectors or markets identified and described were or will be profitable. All information is current as of the date of herein and is subject to change without notice. Any views or opinions expressed may not reflect those of the firm as a whole. Zacks Investment Research does not engage in investment banking, market making or asset management activities of any securities. These returns are from hypothetical portfolios consisting of stocks with Zacks Rank = 1 that were rebalanced monthly with zero transaction costs. These are not the returns of actual portfolios of stocks. The S&P 500 is an unmanaged index. Visit https://www.zacks.com/performance for information about the performance numbers displayed in this press release.

Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report

Intercontinental Exchange Inc. (ICE) : Free Stock Analysis Report

Invesco QQQ (QQQ): ETF Research Reports

CoreWeave Inc. (CRWV) : Free Stock Analysis Report

Circle Internet Group, Inc. (CRCL) : Free Stock Analysis Report

This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

Zacks Investment Research

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29.

Understanding The Concept of Price Action Versus News (News Failure)

2025-12-09 20:12:00 by Andrew Rocco from Zacks

Want to Win? Follow the Money, Not the News

If there’s one thing that the 2024 Presidential election taught us, it’s that markets and real money on the line supersede opinions, predictions, and gut feel. For instance, the majority of polls, and highly followed political polls such as ‘The Hill’, ‘Silver Bulletin’, and ‘Real Clear Politics’, each had Democratic Presidential Candidate Kamala Harris winning the 2024 Presidential election. Conversely, betting markets such as Kalshi and Polymarket consistently had Donald Trump with an edge in the weeks and months leading up to the election.

In hindsight, betting markets beat antiquated polling methods which are often filled with opinion, bias, and the predictions from a handful of pollsters. The accuracy of betting markets such as Polymarket and Kalshi marked a turning point in how people set odds for elections, sports, and other events. In fact, Polymarket secured a $2 billion investment from legacy financial giant Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) as a result, along with investments from other prominent venture capital firms like Peter Thiel’s ‘Founder’s Fund.’

Price Action is King Markets. Markets Will Talk if You’re Willing to Listen

On Wall Street, as in betting markets, determining signal over noise means looking at price action. Price action leaves out opinions and illustrates real money being put to work. In other words, price action is all signal.

The Concept of Price Action Versus News (News Failure)

The moment when price action screams the loudest is when news hits a stock. What investors will find is that it’s not so much the news that’s important, but instead, the market’s reactions to the news.

Below are two recent examples:

1.      On July 18^th, President Trump signed the GENIUS Act – a long-awaited legal framework for stablecoins. Circle Group (CRCL), the largest US-based stablecoin provider, had been rallying in anticipation of the “bullish news.” However, the day the news finally hit, CRCL shares suffered a nasty bearish reversal and never looked back. In other words, despite the perceived good news, the price action hinted to investors to be cautious.

Image Source: TradingView

2.      On April 7^th, President Trump threatened further tariffs against China as the trade war escalated. However, the Nasdaq 100 Index ETF (QQQ) finished green for the session – a clear news failure or tell.

Image Source: TradingView

CoreWeave: A Bullish News Failure

On Monday morning, AI company CoreWeave (CRWV) announced it would raise $2 billion through convertible senior notes. Typically, stocks fall on news like this as it means dilution for shareholders. However, on Monday the stock finished nearly flat after initially falling ~8% on the news. Tuesday, the stock traded up 5%, and above where the news was announced – signaling a bullish news failure.

Image Source: TradingView

Bottom Line

Follow the money, not the noise. Whether in politics or equities, markets offer real-time truth-based signals from where capital is actually flowing.

Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report

Intercontinental Exchange Inc. (ICE) : Free Stock Analysis Report

Invesco QQQ (QQQ): ETF Research Reports

CoreWeave Inc. (CRWV) : Free Stock Analysis Report

Circle Internet Group, Inc. (CRCL) : Free Stock Analysis Report

This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

Zacks Investment Research

---

30.

This Dividend Aristocrat Turned $100k Into $4 Million in 25 Years

2025-12-09 19:05:54 by Omor Ibne Ehsan from 24/7 Wall St.

When you first think about a Dividend Aristocrat stock, it's likely not Canadian Natural Resources (NYSE:CNQ). People usually assume Dividend Aristocrats are slow-growing cash cows that will keep you ahead of inflation with dividends, and perhaps a bit more on top of that. Very rarely do you assume a Dividend Aristocrat would have the bearings to outperform even the Nasdaq-100 over the past 25 years.

That's a perfect sign that you're underestimating the power of compounding. These dividend stocks look boring on the surface, but their snowballing dividends can make you outperform even growth stocks in the long run.

Let's take a look at what made it possible with CNQ and whether or not you can expect similar returns in the next 25 years with this stock.

Canadian Natural Resources' dividend strategy

Canadian Natural Resources is one of the world's largest independent crude oil and natural gas producers. It operates across the entire oil and gas value chain, from exploration to marketing. The company also owns midstream infrastructure.

The magic behind its outperformance over the long run is the rising dividend and the company's ability to capitalize whenever there's an increase in oil and gas prices.

CNQ stock is up over 180% in the past five years and still comes with a forward dividend yield of nearly 5%. It has been raising its dividends for 25 years straight and has returned over CAD 6 billion in the first nine months of 2025.

What's even more impressive is that the 5-year dividend growth rate is at 22.37% annually. The forward payout ratio is still 64%. If there's ever trouble in the oil and gas markets, there's ample breathing room.

CNQ raised dividends through 2020 (when oil prices briefly dipped into the negatives). It also kept paying dividends through the 2014 oil price collapse.

The numbers behind its "snowballing returns" from 2000 to 2025

If you invested $100k in mid-2000 and kept reinvesting dividends, your overall return would be 3,925.28%. This means your original investment would top $4 million today. If you put the same amount of money into the Invesco QQQ Trust (NASDAQ:QQQ) and reinvested the meager dividends, you'd end up with $823,680 today.

The Dot Com bubble slowed down the QQQ significantly, whereas the 2014-2016 oil slowdown also caused CNQ stock to underperform for a long stretch.

Regardless, long-term investors still made progress as they reinvested dividends, and the company eventually made a recovery in earnest.

Can it repeat its magic again?

CNQ stock is unlikely to hand you another 40x in the next 25 years, but it is still worth owning since it comes with great yields and still has upside potential.

The company's performance in the past 25 years was due to oil prices rising significantly in the early 2000s, which coincided with the company building out massive oil sands mining and thermal operations, transitioning from higher-decline conventional assets to 57% long-life, low-decline production with only an 11% corporate decline rate. This gave it a large early head start.

Average crude oil prices jumped from $19.69 in 1999 to $98.69 in 2008. So far in 2025, it is much lower at $64.39. If you adjust for inflation, crude oil prices are actually lower today than they were in late 2000.

This shows the company can keep expanding and paying dividends even if the broader energy market is flat or trending downwards.

Why I'd buy CNQ stock hand over fist today

The demand for oil and gas should remain strong, at least for a North American company like Canadian Natural Resources. There is an ongoing push towards re-industrialization and onshoring. Plus, the drive towards renewable energy has been nowhere near as aggressive as previously thought. Countries are relying heavily on oil and gas, even more so than before.

Sanctions on certain countries after 2022 make it even more likely that CNQ stock is well-positioned to deliver. European countries have turned to North America for their energy needs. Both the U.S. and Canada are seeing an oil and gas export boom to Europe, with analysts saying Canada's current Prime Minister's aim is "...to author a sequel to the oil boom that Canada experienced between the start of the century and 2014. He’s never put it so plainly, but it’s clearly the target."

In short, CNQ can keep growing in the coming decades and keep outperforming most other dividend stocks. Analysts expect EPS to double from 2025 to 2029.

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31.

Exchange-Traded Funds Rise as US Equities Mixed After Midday

2025-12-09 18:29:50 by MT Newswires from MT Newswires

Broad Market Indicators

Broad-market exchange-traded funds IWM and IVV edged higher. Actively traded Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ) added 0.2%.

US equity indexes were mixed, with energy, consumer discretionary, and utilities topping the sector charts in midday trading on Tuesday.

Energy

iShares US Energy ETF (IYE) and the State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR (XLE) each gained 0.9%.

Technology

The State Street Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLK) rose 0.3%; iShares US Technology ETF (IYW) was up 0.2%, while iShares Expanded Tech Sector ETF (IGM) advanced 0.4%.

The State Street SPDR S&P Semiconductor (XSD) was little changed, and iShares Semiconductor (SOXX) fell 0.1%.

Financial

The State Street Financial Select Sector SPDR (XLF) rose 0.1%. Direxion Daily Financial Bull 3X Shares (FAS) shed 0.3%, and its bearish counterpart, Direxion Daily Financial Bear 3X Shares (FAZ), added 0.3%.

Commodities

Crude oil was 1.2% lower, and the United States Oil Fund (USO) dropped 0.9%. Natural gas declined 4.9%, and the United States Natural Gas Fund (UNG) fell 4.3%.

Gold on Comex rose 0.3%, and the State Street SPDR Gold Shares (GLD) added 0.4%. Silver gained 4%, and iShares Silver Trust (SLV) was up 3.9%.

Consumer

The State Street Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR (XLP) added 0.1%. The Vanguard Consumer Staples ETF (VDC) and iShares Dow Jones US Consumer Goods (IYK) were edging higher.

The State Street Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR (XLY) added 0.4%. VanEck Retail ETF (RTH) dropped 0.2%, and the State Street SPDR S&P Retail (XRT) gained 0.9%.

Health Care

The State Street Health Care Select Sector SPDR (XLV) fell 0.4%, and iShares US Healthcare (IYH) and Vanguard Health Care ETF (VHT) dropped; iShares Biotechnology ETF (IBB) slipped 1%.

Industrial

The State Street Industrial Select Sector SPDR (XLI) fell 0.1%. Vanguard Industrials Index Fund (VIS) and iShares US Industrials (IYJ) were in the red.

Cryptocurrency

In midday activity, bitcoin (BTC-USD) was up 3.9%. Among cryptocurrency ETFs, ProShares Bitcoin ETF (BITO) added 3.8%, ProShares Ether ETF (EETH) rose 7.5%, and ProShares Bitcoin & Ether Market Cap Weight ETF (BETH) was 4.1% higher.

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32.

Exchange-Traded Funds, Equity Futures Mixed Pre-Bell Tuesday Ahead of Fed Policy Meeting

2025-12-09 13:45:12 by MT Newswires from MT Newswires

The broad market exchange-traded fund SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY) was up 0.02%, while the actively traded Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ) was down by 0.1% in Tuesday's premarket activity as markets traded mixed ahead of the Fed's monetary policy meeting.

US stock futures were also mixed, with S&P 500 Index futures up 0.02%, Dow Jones Industrial Average futures advancing 0.01%, and Nasdaq futures gaining 0.04% before the start of regular trading.

The National Federation of Independent Business small business optimism index posted a 0.8-point increase for November to 99.

The policy-setting Federal Open Market Committee is scheduled to begin its two-day meeting Tuesday, concluding with a monetary policy statement at 2 pm ET Wednesday.

The Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey for October will be released at 10 am ET.

In premarket activity, bitcoin was down by 0.2%. Among cryptocurrency ETFs, the cryptocurrency fund ProShares Bitcoin Strategy ETF (BITO) was 0.1% lower, Ether ETF (EETH) retreated 0.5%, and Bitcoin & Ether Market Cap Weight ETF (BETH) declined by 0.6%.

Power Play:

Financial

Financial Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLF) advanced 0.1%. Direxion Daily Financial Bull 3X Shares (FAS) was up 0.4%, while its bearish counterpart Direxion Daily Financial Bear 3X Shares (FAZ) was 0.1% lower.

SLM (SLM) shares were down more than 12% pre-bell after Morgan Stanley downgraded the company to equalweight from overweight and cut its price target to $31 from $36.

Winners and Losers:

Industrial

Industrial Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLI) advanced 0.02% while the Vanguard Industrials Index Fund (VIS) and the iShares US Industrials ETF (IYJ) were inactive.

Core & Main (CNM) stock was up more than 6% before the opening bell after the company reported higher fiscal Q3 adjusted earnings and net sales.

Health Care

The Health Care Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLV) advanced 0.2%. The Vanguard Health Care Index Fund (VHT), the iShares US Healthcare ETF (IYH), and the iShares Biotechnology ETF (IBB) were inactive.

CVS Health (CVS) stock was up more than 3% premarket after the company raised its 2025 adjusted EPS guidance range to $6.60 to $6.70 and its revenue guidance to at least $400 billion.

Technology

Technology Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLK) advanced 0.1%, and the iShares US Technology ETF (IYW) was 0.2% higher, while the iShares Expanded Tech Sector ETF (IGM) was flat. Among semiconductor ETFs, SPDR S&P Semiconductor ETF (XSD) retreated by 0.02%, while the iShares Semiconductor ETF (SOXX) was 0.3% lower.

SailPoint (SAIL) shares were down more than 2% in recent premarket activity after the company reported its fiscal Q3 financial results and updated its guidance for fiscal 2026.

Consumer

The Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLP) was up 0.1%, while the Vanguard Consumer Staples Fund (VDC) advanced 0.3% The iShares US Consumer Staples ETF (IYK) was inactive, and the Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLY) lost 0.2%. The VanEck Retail ETF (RTH) was inactive, while the SPDR S&P Retail ETF (XRT) gained 0.2%.

Home Depot (HD) shares were down more than 1% pre-bell after the company said it continues to expect fiscal 2025 adjusted diluted earnings per share to fall approximately 5% year over year and sales to grow about 3%.

Energy

The iShares US Energy ETF (IYE) was inactive, while the Energy Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLE) was up by 0.3%.

Commodities

Front-month US West Texas Intermediate crude oil was up 0.3% at $59.07 per barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Natural gas was down 3.4% at $4.75 per 1 million British Thermal Units. The United States Oil Fund (USO) gained 0.3%, while the United States Natural Gas Fund (UNG) fell by 2.2%.

Gold futures for February were up by 0.4% at $4,232.40 an ounce on the Comex, and silver futures advanced by 1.3% to $59.14 an ounce. SPDR Gold Shares (GLD) gained by 0.3%, and the iShares Silver Trust (SLV) was 1% higher.

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33.

Bitget sees record 4,468% surge in tokenized U.S. stock futures volume

2025-12-08 19:16:56 by Anand Sinha from TheStreet

Bitget, the cryptocurrency trading exchange, has recorded a staggering 4,468% surge in futures trading volume during the recent earnings season.

As per the recently released analytics, spot trading volume for tokenized U.S. stocks grew 452% month-over-month (MoM) and futures trading volume jumped by 4,468% from mid-October to the end of November, marking the strongest period of activity since these products launched on Bitget.

Related: ‘MicroStrategy is a massive whale’, says Bitget CEO on institutional Bitcoin adoption

Futures markets reflected extraordinarily aggressive trading activity centered around mega-cap tech stocks, with Tesla (Nasdaq: TSLA), Meta (Nasdaq: META), Strategy (Nasdaq: MSTR), Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL), and the Nasdaq-100 ETF (QQQ) dominating activity.

• META: 40,774% volume surge MoM
• MSFT: 24,339% volume surge MoM
• MSTR: 11,684% volume surge MoM

The top five US Stock Futures by trading volume turned out to be:

• TSLA: $2.54 billion
• META: $2.05 billion
• MSTR: $1.43 billion
• AAPL: $1.03 billion
• QQQ: $460 million

Strategy’s high volume demonstrates sustained interest in crypto-related products, the report said.

Spot trading behavior reflects balanced approach

The spot trading participation showed a more balanced and diversified allocation approach.

Nvidia (Nasdaq: NVDA) spot trading volume grew 1,888% MoM. Other bellwethers like Tesla (Nasdaq: TSLA), Amazon (Nasdaq: AMZN), and Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) also secured top positions.

Traders invested in tokenized ETFs, including the Nasdaq-100 and the S&P 500, to gain broad market exposure while diversifying away from single-stock risk.

The long-term Treasury ETF saw its trading volume surge by 69,573% MoM, indicating a "sophisticated defensive positioning strategy" by infusing funds into a "safe-haven asset," the report said.

More News:

• Exclusive: Bitget plans major push into institutional trading, payments in 2025
• Bitget's Gracy Chen believed in Ethereum when no one did
• Bitget Wallet makes surprising push into tokenized gold trading

Asian investors take advantage of 24-hour model

Bitget said its 5×24 trading model proved critical in enabling global investors, particularly those based in Asian countries, to leverage the continuous access to their strategic advantage.

The U.S. pre-market hours (08:00-10:00 UTC) recorded the highest-volume trading window outside of regular U.S. hours. The period is critical to Asian investors as it aligns with their local afternoon, the report said.

The Bitget report attributed the extraordinary growth in trade indicators to three structural drivers:

• Nature of the assets being traded
• Accessibility of 24-hour markets
• Behavior of a diverse global user base.

“What we’re seeing is the emergence of a fully democratized global equity market,” said Bitget CEO Gracy Chen.

"Tokenized equities are no longer experimental. They are becoming a mainstream asset class shaped by global capital and global behavior."

“When investors across continents can participate in earnings season in real time—using USDT, with 24-hour access and without geographic barriers—the market becomes broader, more liquid, and fundamentally more sophisticated," she added.

Related: Bitget CEO on blockchain’s next big use case: ‘AI is a 10-year narrative..’

This story was originally published by TheStreet on Dec 8, 2025, where it first appeared in the MARKETS section. Add TheStreet as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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34.

Is the QQQ ETF the Smartest Investment You Can Make Today?

2025-12-08 18:20:00 by Patrick Sanders, The Motley Fool from Motley Fool

While everyone has their own investing style, my preferred method of investing is primarily exchange-traded funds, coupled with a handful of individual stocks. ETFs provide a world of investment opportunities, as there are several thousand funds from which to choose. And they come in every size and flavor imaginable, so you can decide to follow a major index or zero in on a specific sector or theme.

My favorite in this space is a fund full of large-cap tech stocks that are major players in developing artificial intelligence (AI) platforms and infrastructure. They are deeply involved in advancing data analytics, automation, cloud computing, machine learning, and generative AI -- functions that are used in every industry to power the global economy.

And because the fund has 100 stocks, investors get instant diversification. Whichever companies come out on top in the AI race, there are companies in this fund that will play key roles. Let's take a closer look at this fund -- the Invesco QQQ Trust (NASDAQ: QQQ).

About the QQQ ETF

The Invesco QQQ Trust tracks the Nasdaq-100 index, which includes the 100 largest non-financial stocks in the Nasdaq. The fund, which began in March 1999, has an expense ratio of 0.20% or $20 annually per $10,000 invested.

I like the QQQ because of the heavy exposure to technology stocks, which comprise 64% of the fund. Consumer discretionary companies make up 18.3% of the QQQ, with no other sector holding more than 4%. That's helped the QQQ consistently outperform the Nasdaq Composite, particularly over the long term.

Time Period	QQQ Total Return	Nasdaq Composite Total Return
1 year	21.3%	21.2%
3 years	117.2%	109.2%
5 years	111.3%	96.6%
10 years	497.8%	409.9%
20 years	966.1%	789.7%

Data source: YCharts. 

And that difference is real money over time. For instance, a $10,000 investment in the QQQ 20 years ago would be worth $106,600 today, while that same investment in the Nasdaq Composite would only generate $89,000 in the same period.

What stocks are in the QQQ?

Let's look specifically at the top 10 holdings, as they make up 53% of the fund.

Stock	Fund Weighting	Year-to-Date Performance
Nvidia	9.16%	36.6%
Apple	8.85%	11.8%
Microsoft	7.47%	13.5%
Broadcom	6.21%	64.3%
Amazon	5.20%	4%
Alphabet Class A	3.90%	67.4%
Alphabet Class C	3.65%	66.7%
Tesla	3.42%	11%
Meta Platforms	2.91%	13.4%
Netflix	2.28%	15.5%

Data source: Invesco, YCharts. 

As the chart shows, the QQQ is a who's who of top tech stocks. All of them, except Netflix, design and develop AI chips, and Netflix has what's arguably the leading streaming video site that relies on AI to improve streaming quality, recommend titles, and even personalize the thumbnails of suggested content to attract users.

You've also got the leading cloud computing providers (Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud), huge advertisers, and industry leaders in smartphones, autonomous driving, and robotics. All are gigantic industries that are developing the new infrastructure of the economy. And QQQ gives you access to them all.

The positives outweigh the risks

Of course, with any investment, you're going to have some risk. Tech stocks have been falling in recent weeks due to legitimate concerns that we're approaching -- or perhaps already in -- an AI bubble that could pop similarly to the dot-com bubble or the housing bubble. Tech companies are putting hundreds of billions of dollars into AI infrastructure, but some of these deals are seen as circular -- such as Nvidia and Microsoft's $15 billion investment in Anthropic, which will, in turn, spend billions on Nvidia chips and Microsoft cloud computing capacity.

And I agree that not every AI company will be a winner. There are hundreds of AI start-ups, but it's impossible to predict how many of them will be successful -- or even exist five years from now. Remember how many companies faded away in the dot-com bubble?

However, the companies in the QQQ are already established, with substantial resources, and are already profitable. The companies that make up the top holdings in the fund have a median market capitalization of $2.44 trillion. They generate billions of dollars in revenue and profits every quarter. They aren't going anywhere.

In my book, investing in the QQQ provides above-average returns, exposure to the best tech stocks that are doing groundbreaking AI work, and protection from companies haven't begun to scale and turn a profit. That's why I'm keeping my money in QQQ, and not losing sleep about the so-called AI bubble.

Patrick Sanders has positions in Invesco QQQ Trust and Nvidia. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Meta Platforms, Microsoft, Netflix, Nvidia, and Tesla. The Motley Fool recommends Broadcom and recommends the following options: long January 2026 $395 calls on Microsoft and short January 2026 $405 calls on Microsoft. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Is the QQQ ETF the Smartest Investment You Can Make Today? was originally published by The Motley Fool

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35.

Exchange-Traded Funds Mixed as US Equities Fall After Midday

2025-12-08 18:09:23 by MT Newswires from MT Newswires

Broad Market Indicators

Broad-market exchange-traded fund IWM edged higher, and IVV fell. Actively traded Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ) eased 0.2%.

US equity indexes fell in midday trading on Monday as government bond yields and the dollar climbed.

Energy

iShares US Energy ETF (IYE) and the Energy Select Sector SPDR (XLE) each lost 1%.

Technology

Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLK) rose 0.9%; iShares US Technology ETF (IYW) gained 0.6%, while iShares Expanded Tech Sector ETF (IGM) advanced 0.3%.

SPDR S&P Semiconductor (XSD) climbed 0.8%, and iShares Semiconductor (SOXX) rose 1.1%.

Financial

The Financial Select Sector SPDR (XLF) fell 0.7%. Direxion Daily Financial Bull 3X Shares (FAS) slipped 1.6%, and its bearish counterpart, Direxion Daily Financial Bear 3X Shares (FAZ), rose 1.6%.

Commodities

Crude oil was 1.6% lower, and the United States Oil Fund (USO) dropped 1.7%. Natural gas declined 6.6%, and the United States Natural Gas Fund (UNG) fell 6.3%.

Gold on Comex dropped 1.4%, and SPDR Gold Shares (GLD) shed 0.2%. Silver lost 1.1%, and iShares Silver Trust (SLV) declined 0.5%.

Consumer

Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR (XLP) fell 0.7%. The Vanguard Consumer Staples ETF (VDC) and iShares Dow Jones US Consumer Goods (IYK) also declined.

Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR (XLY) fell 1.4%. VanEck Retail ETF (RTH) dropped 0.4%, and SPDR S&P Retail (XRT) gained 0.1%.

Health Care

Health Care Select Sector SPDR (XLV) fell 0.8%, and iShares US Healthcare (IYH) and Vanguard Health Care ETF (VHT) dropped; iShares Biotechnology ETF (IBB) slipped 0.3%.

Industrial

Industrial Select Sector SPDR (XLI) fell 0.1%. Vanguard Industrials Index Fund (VIS) and iShares US Industrials (IYJ) edged lower.

Cryptocurrency

In midday activity, bitcoin (BTC-USD) was down 1.7%. Among cryptocurrency ETFs, ProShares Bitcoin ETF (BITO) added 0.6%, ProShares Ether ETF (EETH) rose 3%, and ProShares Bitcoin & Ether Market Cap Weight ETF (BETH) was 1.3% higher.

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36.

Is a Global Margin Call Coming? How a Bank of Japan Rate Hike Could Trigger the Next Market Shock

2025-12-08 17:18:55 by Barchart Insights from Barchart

On the date of publication, Barchart Insights did not have (either directly or indirectly) positions in any of the securities mentioned in this article. All information and data in this article is solely for informational purposes. This article was originally published on Barchart.com

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37.

IVZ Hits 52-Week High on Pending QQQ Reclassification: Is It a Buy?

2025-12-08 16:23:00 by Zacks Equity Research from Zacks

Invesco’s IVZ shares touched a new 52-week high of $26.39 in Friday’s trading session, supported by investor optimism around the Invesco QQQ exchange-traded fund’s (ETF) pending reclassification alongside the prospect of higher fees and improved efficiency.

Over the past six months, IVZ stock has gained 78.7%, outperforming the industry, the Zacks Finance Sector and the S&P 500 index. Also, the company’s shares have fared better than its close peers, T. Rowe Price TROW and Franklin Resources, Inc. BEN.

Six-Month Price Performance

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

QQQ has operated under a legacy unit investment trust (UIT) structure since its 1999 launch, which helped establish the fund but now restricts reinvesting dividends, securities lending and other efficiencies. As ETFs have evolved, UITs have become costlier and less flexible. The reclassification aims to align QQQ with today’s open-end ETF model to unlock operational efficiencies and reduce expense ratio. This is also expected to drive revenues.

The move aligns with the IVZ’s efforts to grow assets under management (AUM). The metric witnessed a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.5% in the last five years ending in 2024. The uptrend continued in the first nine months of 2025.

In April 2025, the company collaborated with MassMutual’s subsidiary, Barings, to boost private credit offerings. Prior to that, the 2019 acquisition of OppenheimerFunds resulted in a substantial rise in the company's AUM, making it one of the leading global asset managers. Invesco has also been capitalizing on the rising demand for passive products, which constituted 47.4% of total AUM as of Sept. 30, 2025.

Other Factors That Support Invesco’s Growth

Improving Operating Efficiency: Invesco has been undertaking initiatives to improve operating efficiency. The company exceeded its target of realizing net cost synergies from the OppenheimerFunds acquisition and achieved $200 million in annualized net savings well ahead of schedule.
 
In August 2025, it announced a deal to sell Intelliflo, which it had acquired in 2018, to Carlyle Group to boost efficiency. While adjusted operating expenses increased in 2023 and in the first nine months of 2025, the metric declined 2.2% in 2024. Thus, management’s continuous efforts to manage its expenses prudently will likely lead to higher operating leverage going forward.

Robust Global Presence: Apart from a strong presence in the United States, Invesco maintains a solid foothold in Europe, Canada and the Asia-Pacific. As of Sept. 30, 2025, the company’s client AUM outside the United States constituted 31% of total AUM. The acquisition of Europe-based Source, a leading, independent specialist provider of ETFs, will drive Invesco’s global presence.
 
Also, the sale of the majority stake in the India business to establish a joint venture will strengthen IVZ’s Asia presence, while allowing capital allocation to more profitable projects. 

These and other diversification efforts will likely help the company generate further momentum from its business outside the United States.

Solid Balance Sheet Position: As of Sept. 30, 2025, Invesco had total debt, including debt of consolidated investment products (CIP), of $9.94 billion, significantly higher than cash and cash equivalents of $973.1 million.

Additionally, the company maintains a stable outlook and investment-grade long-term senior debt ratings of A3, BBB+ and A from Moody’s Investors Service, S&P Ratings and Fitch Ratings, respectively. This renders the company favorable access to the debt market.
 
This enables Invesco to pursue efficient capital distributions. In April 2025, the company announced a 2.4% hike in its quarterly dividend to 21 cents per share. The company has been consistently raising its quarterly dividends. The company hiked dividends six times during the last five years, with a dividend payout ratio of 44%.

Dividend Yield

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

Similarly, T. Rowe Price and Franklin Resources increased their dividends five times each over the past five years.

Also, IVZ has a share repurchase plan. As of Sept. 30, 2025, almost $257.2 million of the buyback authorization remained. Going forward, the company expects to repurchase shares regularly.

Bullish Analyst Sentiments for IVZ

Over the past month, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings of $1.95 per share for 2025 has moved marginally upward, while that for 2026 has risen 3.2% to $2.58.   

Estimate Revision Trend

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

The projected figures imply growth of 14% and 32.2% for 2025 and 2026, respectively.

Attractive Valuation for Invesco

From a valuation perspective, IVZ stock is currently trading at a forward 12-month price/earnings (P/E) of 10.34X. This is below the industry’s 12.73X.

Forward 12-Month P/E

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

On the other hand, T. Rowe Price and Franklin Resources have a forward P/E of 10.38X and 9.02X, respectively. This reflects that Invesco is expensive compared to Franklin, while relatively cheaper than T. Rowe Price.

Roadblocks for Invesco

Muted Top Line: Invesco's top-line growth has been weak. Though total operating revenues increased in 2024 and the first nine months of 2025, the metric has been recording a downtrend since the second half of 2020.

Despite having a robust institutional pipeline, diverse product offerings, alternative investment strategies and solid retail channels, revenues are likely to be under pressure in the near term due to a challenging operating backdrop.

Significant Intangible Assets: As of Sept. 30, 2025, Invesco’s goodwill and net intangible assets remained considerably high, totaling $14.2 billion (49.9% of total assets). 

Several factors may initiate the impairment of the book value of such assets, due to which their value may have to be written down. This is expected to affect the company’s financials adversely. In 2023, amortization and impairment of intangible assets-related charges significantly hampered the company’s financials, resulting in a net loss.

Final Thoughts on Invesco Stock

QQQ reclassification, solid global presence and a strong balance sheet are likely to support Invesco’s financials. Moreover, improving operating efficiency will further aid profitability. This is reflected in bullish analyst sentiments. Additionally, an attractive valuation is a positive.
 
However, a subdued top line amid a tough operating backdrop and significant exposure to intangible assets on the balance sheet remain concerns.

Investors should assess how Invesco addresses these issues before investing in it. IVZ stock thus remains a cautious bet for investors now. Those who own it can continue holding it for long-term gains.

IVZ currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report

Franklin Resources, Inc. (BEN) : Free Stock Analysis Report

T. Rowe Price Group, Inc. (TROW) : Free Stock Analysis Report

Invesco Ltd. (IVZ) : Free Stock Analysis Report

This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

Zacks Investment Research

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38.

Exchange-Traded Funds, Equity Futures Higher Pre-Bell Monday Amid Interest Rate Cut Hopes

2025-12-08 13:50:43 by MT Newswires from MT Newswires

The broad market exchange-traded fund SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY) was up 0.2% and the actively traded Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ) was 0.4% higher in Monday's premarket activity as investors hope the Federal Reserve will announce a rate cut this week.

US stock futures were also higher, with S&P 500 Index futures up 0.2%, Dow Jones Industrial Average futures slipping 0.02%, and Nasdaq futures gaining 0.3% before the start of regular trading.

In premarket activity, bitcoin was up by 0.4%. Among cryptocurrency ETFs, the cryptocurrency fund ProShares Bitcoin Strategy ETF (BITO) was 2.7% higher, Ether ETF (EETH) advanced 3.7%, and Bitcoin & Ether Market Cap Weight ETF (BETH) gained 0.1%.

Power Play:

Technology

Technology Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLK) advanced 0.4%, and the iShares US Technology ETF (IYW) was flat, while the iShares Expanded Tech Sector ETF (IGM) was up 0.7%. Among semiconductor ETFs, SPDR S&P Semiconductor ETF (XSD) gained 0.1%, while the iShares Semiconductor ETF (SOXX) rose by 0.3%.

Confluent (CFLT) shares were up more than 26% in recent premarket activity, while International Business Machines (IBM) stock was more than 1% lower after the companies said that IBM will buy Confluent at an enterprise value of $11 billion.

Winners and Losers:

Industrial

Industrial Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLI) advanced 0.1%, while the Vanguard Industrials Index Fund (VIS) was flat, and the iShares US Industrials ETF (IYJ) was inactive

ITT (ITT) stock was down more than 4% before the opening bell after the company said it launched an underwritten public offering of 7 million shares.

Health Care

The Health Care Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLV) advanced 0.1%. The Vanguard Health Care Index Fund (VHT) was up 0.2%, while the iShares US Healthcare ETF (IYH) and the iShares Biotechnology ETF (IBB) were inactive.

BioNTech (BNTX) stock was up more than 3% premarket after the company and OncoC4 said Saturday that their experimental therapy, gotistobart, showed a "meaningful" overall survival benefit in certain metastatic squamous non-small cell lung cancer patients during the non-pivotal stage of the global phase 3 trial.

Energy

The iShares US Energy ETF (IYE) retreated by 0.1%, while the Energy Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLE) was down by 0.2%.

NextEra Energy (NEE) stock was up more than 2% before Monday's opening bell after NextEra Energy Resources said that it has agreed to acquire Symmetry Energy Solutions from Energy Capital Partners.

Financial

Financial Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLF) advanced 0.1%. Direxion Daily Financial Bull 3X Shares (FAS) was up 0.2%, while its bearish counterpart Direxion Daily Financial Bear 3X Shares (FAZ) was 0.2% lower.

Robinhood Markets (HOOD) shares were up more than 1% pre-bell after the company said Sunday it has agreed to acquire PT Buana Capital Sekuritas, an Indonesian brokerage, and PT Pedagang Aset Kripto, a licensed digital asset trader, as part of its broader push into Southeast Asia.

Consumer

The Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLP) was down 0.1%, while the Vanguard Consumer Staples Fund (VDC) was flat. The iShares US Consumer Staples ETF (IYK) gained 0.1%, and the Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLY) lost 0.1%. The VanEck Retail ETF (RTH) was inactive, while the SPDR S&P Retail ETF (XRT) was up 0.6%.

Tesla (TSLA) shares were down more than 1% pre-bell after Morgan Stanley downgraded the electric vehicle manufacturer to equalweight from overweight and said it expects an "EV winter" to affect demand and earnings across the EV sector.

Commodities

Front-month US West Texas Intermediate crude oil was down 1.4% at $59.25 per barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Natural gas was down 4.3% at $5.06 per 1 million British Thermal Units. The United States Oil Fund (USO) retreated 1.3%, while the United States Natural Gas Fund (UNG) fell by 4%.

Gold futures for February were down by 0.1% at $4,238.10 an ounce on the Comex, and silver futures retreated by 0.7% to $58.63 an ounce. SPDR Gold Shares (GLD) gained by 0.2%, and the iShares Silver Trust (SLV) was 0.2% lower.

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39.

Prediction: The Quantum Computing Bubble Will Burst in 2026, and These 3 Stocks Will Go Down With It

2025-12-08 12:05:00 by Adam Spatacco, The Motley Fool from Motley Fool

For the last three years, one theme has dominated the stock market: artificial intelligence (AI). Since the end of 2022 -- when OpenAI kicked off the AI revolution with the commercial launch of ChatGPT -- shares of the Roundhill Generative AI & Technology ETF and the Invesco QQQ Trust have soared by 137% and 84%, respectively -- each handily outperforming the S&P 500 (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC).

This level of prolonged momentum, and the resultant higher valuations of some of the tech stocks that drove it, have led some on Wall Street to assert that AI stocks are in a bubble. Indeed, it's hard to deny that the market has become frothy.

However, many of the biggest gainers in these technology ETFs -- namely, the "Magnificent Seven" -- arguably trade at relatively reasonable valuations when compared to their current and expected growth rates.

So while I do not think the AI sector itself is in bubble territory, I think prices in one specific area of the technology sector have flown too close to the sun after a recent period of abnormally high returns. I'm talking about quantum computing.

In particular, I see three specific quantum computing stocks that smart investors should avoid now.

Quantum computing stocks are soaring...

The biggest gainers in the quantum computing space over the past few years have been pure plays such as IonQ (NYSE: IONQ), Rigetti Computing (NASDAQ: RGTI), and D-Wave Quantum (NYSE: QBTS). Since the dawn of the AI revolution, each of them has skyrocketed by more than 1,000%.

As the chart above illustrates, the majority of these gains have taken place throughout 2025. So, what happened this year?

The answer is... nothing. None of the quantum computing pure plays have achieved meaningful technological breakthroughs, nor have they gained significant customer traction at the enterprise level.

Instead, IonQ, Rigetti, and D-Wave are pouring billions of dollars into acquisitions and developing new computing architectures using trapped ions and superconducting techniques.

The main catalyst behind the rise of quantum computing stocks has been the hype-driven narratives circulating in online forums and on social media. Risk-seeking day traders are riding the momentum in IonQ, Rigetti, and D-Wave -- turning these potential long-term opportunities into meme stocks.

...but history shows these valuations are unsustainable

One of the most obvious parallels to the current situation in the tech sector is the early era of the internet. During the late 1990s, Wall Street got caught up in the notion that every type of business would turn to the internet for growth.

Virtually any company that added a "dot-com" to its name seemed to fetch a premium valuation. Stock prices soared based on aggressive and unrealistic forecasts rooted in user growth, clicks, and page views, as opposed to concrete financials or measurable operating benchmarks.

These same dynamics are increasingly visible in quantum computing stocks. Though IonQ, Rigetti, and D-Wave have little traction and large ongoing cash burn rates, each boasts a price-to-sales (P/S) ratio well above what was common for the darlings of the dot-com bubble.

Prior to the dot-com bubble bursting in early 2000, companies like Microsoft, Amazon, and Cisco witnessed peak P/S multiples in the range of 31 to 51. Online marketplace eBay soared to 144 times sales at its record high.

Quantum computing pure plays are trading at valuation multiples much higher than that.

Not only were the prominent dot-com era companies unable to sustain their premium valuations, a fair number of them eventually went bankrupt because they lacked either a commercially viable product, a clear strategy to reach profitability, or both.

When will the quantum computing bubble pop?

Nobody has a reliable crystal ball that can tell us precisely when -- or if -- this apparent quantum computing bubble will burst. However, given everything, I think it's more likely than not that a sharp correction is in store for IonQ, Rigetti, and D-Wave.

Indeed, I think such a reversal may already be in motion. A number of insiders at D-Wave -- including its CEO, CFO, and other board members have been selling shares. So has the CEO of Rigetti.

I suspect that these executives fully understand that the current trajectory of quantum computing stocks is unsustainable, and they are capitalizing on the outsized momentum and taking profits in the expectation that shares will plummet.

With all that in mind, I expect quantum computing stocks are going to crater in 2026, and the pure plays run the biggest risk of becoming falling knives. So investing in IonQ, Rigetti, or D-Wave now puts you at risk of becoming a bag holder.

Adam Spatacco has positions in Amazon and Microsoft. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Amazon, Cisco Systems, IonQ, Microsoft, and eBay. The Motley Fool recommends the following options: long January 2026 $395 calls on Microsoft and short January 2026 $405 calls on Microsoft. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Prediction: The Quantum Computing Bubble Will Burst in 2026, and These 3 Stocks Will Go Down With It was originally published by The Motley Fool

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40.

Questcorp Mining Announces Flow Through Offering

2025-12-08 08:15:00 by Newsfile

Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - December 8, 2025) - Questcorp Mining Inc. (CSE: QQQ) (OTCQB: QQCMF) (FSE: D910) (the "Company" or "Questcorp") announces that it will offer (the "Offering") up to 5,769,231 flow-through units (each, an "FT Unit"), at a price of $0.13 per FT Unit, for gross proceeds of up to $750,000, by way of non-brokered private placement. Each FT Unit will consist of one common share of the Company, issued as a flow-through share within the meaning of the Income Tax Act (Canada), and one-half-of-one share purchase warrant (each whole warrant, a "Warrant"). Each Warrant will entitle the holder to purchase an additional common share of the Company at a price of $0.20 for a period of twenty-four months.

The Company anticipates the net proceeds raised from the Offering will be used to conduct exploration of the Company's North Island Copper Property, located on Vancouver Island, British Columbia.

The Company may pay finders' fees to eligible parties who have assisted in introducing subscribers to the Offering. All securities issued in connection with the Offering will be subject to restrictions on resale for a period of four-months-and-one-day in accordance with applicable securities laws. Completion of the Offering remains subject to receipt of regulatory approval.

Final Tranche Closing

The Company also announces that it has closed the final tranche of its previously announced non-brokered private placement and has issued a further 1,266,667 units (each, an "NFT Unit"), at a price of $0.15 per NFT Unit, for gross proceeds of $190,000. Each NFT Unit consists of one common share, and one-half of one Warrant.

No finders' fees were paid in connection with closing of the final tranche. All securities issued in the final tranche are subject to restrictions on resale until April 9, 2026 in accordance with applicable securities laws.

About Questcorp Mining Inc.

Questcorp Mining Inc. is engaged in the business of the acquisition and exploration of mineral properties in North America, with the objective of locating and developing economic precious and base metals properties of merit. The Company holds an option to acquire an undivided 100% interest in and to mineral claims totaling 1,168.09 hectares comprising the North Island Copper Property, on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, subject to a royalty obligation. The Company also holds an option to acquire an undivided 100% interest in and to mineral claims totaling 2,520.2 hectares comprising the La Union Project located in Sonora, Mexico, subject to a royalty obligation.

This news release includes certain "forward-looking statements" under applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon a number of estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable, are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors which may cause the actual results and future events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, but are not limited to: general business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties, uncertain capital markets; and delay or failure to receive board or regulatory approvals. There can be no assurance that the geophysical surveys will be completed as contemplated or at all and that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/277245

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41.

Invesco Doesn’t QQQuite Have the Votes for ETF’s Transition

2025-12-08 05:01:00 by Emile Hallez from The Daily Upside

The phone calls will keep coming for shareholders in one of the world’s largest ETFs, if they haven’t voted already.

Invesco is in the process of turning its flagship $400B QQQ fund from a unit investment trust to an open-end fund, and it needs shareholders’ proxy votes to do it. If approved, the change would also make Invesco the trustee, a switch from current trustee BNY Mellon, and approve an investment advisory agreement between the ETF and Invesco. Much of the fund’s fee revenue goes to BNY and Nasdaq, and about a quarter goes to its extremely generous marketing budget (hence its prominence placements in sports advertising like March Madness).

Invesco has long been sitting on top of a potential gold mine, without much of an adze.

SUBSCRIBE:  Receive more of our free ETF Upside newsletter. READ ALSO: ETFs May Be Blurring the Line Between Gambling and Investing and What Netflix’s Deal With Warner Bros. Highlights About Leveraged ETFs

Why Investors Care

Asking fund shareholders to vote on any proxy measure is an arduous process. And many may not care much whether Invesco can control where the fee revenue goes. But there are two big reasons why they would want to vote in favor of the modernization proposal:

• Invesco is floating a 10% fee reduction as part of the package, lowering it to just 18 basis points from 20.
• The calls and notices from third-party solicitors urging investors to vote will stop once they have cast that ballot, according to Invesco. That’s no small issue, as one MarketWatch columnist wrote that she’s been called at least two dozen times.

Try Again: The proxy process lets the ETF adjourn meetings to solicit and collect more votes, so it’s probably just a matter of time before the measure passes. According to Friday’s SEC filing, the proposal had support of 50%, though it needs 51% to be approved. Of those who voted, 92% supported the measure, which indicates that somewhere north of 54% of shares have cast votes. 

So, the calls will eventually stop for all shareholders, and people will likely see fewer QQQ ads soon. According to the proxy materials, Invesco plans to chop ad spend on the ETF by at least half. “However, Invesco believes that at the trust’s current size and scale, any potential negative impacts associated with less marketing of the trust will be more than offset by the benefits realized by shareholders through the lower expense ratio,” the firm said in the proposal.

This post first appeared on The Daily Upside. To receive exclusive news and analysis of the rapidly evolving ETF landscape, built for advisors and capital allocators, subscribe to our free ETF Upside newsletter.

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42.

Constructing your 2026 portfolio: 5 investing checklist to-do's

2025-12-07 19:00:23 by Yahoo Finance Video from Yahoo Finance Video

Yahoo Finance Markets and Data Editor Jared Blikre and Slatestone Wealth chief market strategist Kenny Polcari take a look at market (^DJI, ^GSPC, ^IXIC) and sector action year to date to examine how investors should be constructing their 2026 portfolios. Watch the video above to learn more about the action items investors should have on their pre-2026 portfolio checklists, sectors and artificial intelligence (AI) stock picks, and some predictions for the new year. To watch more expert insights and analysis on the latest market action, check out more Asking for a Trend.

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43.

Comparing Two of the Top Buy-and-Hold ETFs for Retail Investors: QQQ vs. VOO

2025-12-06 16:20:01 by Jake Lerch, The Motley Fool from Motley Fool

The Invesco QQQ Trust, Series 1 (QQQ) stands out for its tech-heavy focus and recent performance, while the Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO) offers broader diversification, lower fees, and a higher yield.

Both QQQ and VOO are among the most popular exchange-traded funds in the U.S., but they serve different investment priorities. QQQ tracks the NASDAQ-100 Index and emphasizes large-cap technology, while VOO tracks the S&P 500 Index, representing the broader U.S. stock market. Here’s how they compare on cost, returns, risk, and what’s inside.

Snapshot (cost & size)

Metric	QQQ	VOO
Issuer	Invesco	Vanguard
Expense ratio	0.20%	0.03%
1-yr return (as of 2025-11-28)	21.5%	13.5%
Dividend yield	0.5%	1.1%
Beta	1.10	1.00
AUM	$403.0 billion	$1.5 trillion

Beta measures price volatility relative to the S&P 500; beta is calculated from five-year weekly returns. The 1-yr return represents total return over the trailing 12 months.

VOO looks more affordable with its 0.03% expense ratio, undercutting QQQ’s 0.20% fee, and also stands out for a higher dividend yield, which could appeal to investors seeking income alongside growth.

Performance & Risk Comparison

Metric	QQQ	VOO
Max drawdown (5 y)	-35.12%	-24.52%
Growth of $1,000 over 5 years	$2,067	$1,889

What's Inside

VOO tracks the S&P 500 Index, holding 505 companies and offering exposure across sectors: 36% in technology, 13% in financial services, and 11% in consumer cyclicals. Its top positions include NVIDIA (NASDAQ:NVDA), Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL), and Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT), each representing less than 0.1% of the fund. With over 15 years in the market, VOO may appeal to investors seeking broad, low-cost coverage of the U.S. large-cap universe.

In contrast, QQQ provides a more concentrated bet on large-cap growth, with 54% in technology, 17% in communication services, and 13% in consumer cyclicals. Its largest holdings—NVIDIA, Apple, and Microsoft—carry slightly higher individual weights than in VOO. QQQ’s narrower focus means greater sensitivity to tech sector swings, while VOO’s breadth spreads risk more widely.

For more guidance on ETF investing, check out the full guide at this link.

Foolish Take

Simply put, these are two of my favorite ETFs. The Invesco QQQ Trust, Series 1 (QQQ) and the Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO) are both compelling investment options, but let's break down what makes each one stand out.

To start, let's focus on one key difference: Each fund's expense ratio. The QQQ has an expense ratio of 0.20%, which is reasonable and below the average ETF expense ratio of around 0.45%. However, the VOO offers a rock-bottom expense ratio of 0.03%. That's about as low of an expense ratio as you'll ever see, and it gives the VOO the edge in this key category.

Second, let's examine performance and composition. The QQQ is more heavily weighted to megacap tech stocks. That has its benefits and drawbacks. In the long term, its concentration in technology stocks has powered the QQQ's excellent performance history. The QQQ boasts a 10-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 19.2% -- easily besting the VOO's CAGR of 14.4%. Yet, on the other side of the ledger, QQQ's heavy concentration of big tech stocks makes it more volatile during market corrections and bear markets. The QQQ's max five-year drawdown of -35% is significantly steeper than the VOO's -24%.

In sum, both of these ETFs are excellent choices for just about any investment portfolio. Perhaps the only significant downside to these ETFs are their meager dividend yields (1.1% for VOO and 0.5% for QQQ), which may cause income-oriented investors to look elsewhere. Otherwise, these ETFs' broad diversification, low expense ratios, and excellent long-term performance history make them ETFs that every investor should know.

Glossary

ETF (Exchange-Traded Fund): An investment fund traded on stock exchanges, holding a basket of assets like stocks or bonds.
Expense ratio: The annual fee, as a percentage of assets, that a fund charges to cover operating costs.
Dividend yield: The annual dividends paid by a fund or stock, expressed as a percentage of its price.
Beta: A measure of an investment’s volatility compared to the overall market, typically the S&P 500.
AUM (Assets Under Management): The total market value of assets that a fund manages on behalf of investors.
Max drawdown: The largest percentage drop from a fund’s peak value to its lowest point over a specific period.
Growth of $1,000: The increase in value of a $1,000 investment over a given time, including price changes and dividends.
Large-cap: Companies with a large market capitalization, generally considered stable and established.
Sector: A group of companies that operate in the same area of the economy, such as technology or financial services.
Index: A statistical measure representing a group of stocks, used to track market performance (e.g., S&P 500, NASDAQ-100).
Diversification: Spreading investments across various assets or sectors to reduce risk.
Drawdown: A decline in investment value from its peak to its lowest point before recovering.

Jake Lerch has positions in Invesco QQQ Trust and Nvidia. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Apple, Microsoft, Nvidia, and Vanguard S&P 500 ETF. The Motley Fool recommends the following options: long January 2026 $395 calls on Microsoft and short January 2026 $405 calls on Microsoft. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Comparing Two of the Top Buy-and-Hold ETFs for Retail Investors: QQQ vs. VOO was originally published by The Motley Fool

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44.

What Could Be One of the Best ETFs to Own in 2026?

2025-12-05 20:29:00 by Todd Shriber, The Motley Fool from Motley Fool

Issuers of exchange-traded funds (ETFs) are nothing if not inventive. One of the ways they find success with new products is to tie them to established, successful funds.

The Invesco NASDAQ Next Gen 100 ETF (NASDAQ: QQQJ) is an example of that phenomenon. This ETF follows the Nasdaq Next Generation 100 Index, which is equivalent to a "junior varsity" of the Nasdaq-100. In essence, this fund is the lower-market-capitalization cousin of the Invesco QQQ Trust (NASDAQ: QQQ) and the Invesco NASDAQ 100 ETF (NASDAQ: QQQM).

More than DNA defines this ETF

Obviously, the next-gen fund has noteworthy relatives, but this ETF has its own story to tell and some of that message explains why this $723 million fund could be a winner in 2026.

First, this Invesco ETF is classified as a mid-cap growth fund meaning its holdings are significantly smaller by market capitalization than the stocks residing in the aforementioned ETFs tracking the Nasdaq-100. Don't fret about that because this ETF allocates a third of its weight to tech stocks, positioning it as a complement to mega-cap-heavy growth funds.

So if mid-cap stocks keep pace with their larger peers in 2026 and that resurgence is led by growth names, the next-gen ETF could be uniquely positioned to deliver big returns. As things stand today, the fund is up more than 19% year-to-date, easily outpacing traditional mid-cap growth ETFs in the process.

There may be reasons to consider this fund before 2026 arrives. The Nasdaq-100 rebalances later this month and for the index nerds out there -- hey, I'm one -- that's meaningful as it relates to this ETF for multiple reasons. First, some stocks will leave the fund to join the Nasdaq-100 while others will leave that gauge and join this ETF.

Second, history confirms that the stocks banished from the Nasdaq-100 often go on to notch better performances than those added to the index. In other words, this fund may be getting the superior end of the ETF equivalent of a trade in the sports world.

Todd Shriber has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

What Could Be One of the Best ETFs to Own in 2026? was originally published by The Motley Fool

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45.

Exchange-Traded Funds Mixed, US Equities Higher Midday

2025-12-05 18:24:14 by MT Newswires from MT Newswires

Broad Market Indicators

Broad-market exchange-traded funds, including IWM and IVV, were mixed, with the latter trading higher, while actively traded Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ) was up 0.3%.

US equity indexes were higher Friday after the Federal Reserve's preferred measure for underlying inflation trends fell in September, and expectations for price pressures in a University of Michigan survey retreated.

Energy

iShares US Energy ETF (IYE) gained 0.4%, and the Energy Select Sector SPDR (XLE) was up 0.5%.

Technology

Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLK) rose 0.5%, iShares US Technology ETF (IYW) was 0.4% higher, and iShares Expanded Tech Sector ETF (IGM) was up 0.5%.

SPDR S&P Semiconductor (XSD) rose 1%, and iShares Semiconductor (SOXX) was 1.2% higher.

Financial

The Financial Select Sector SPDR (XLF) was up 0.5%. Direxion Daily Financial Bull 3X Shares (FAS) gained 1.4%, while its bearish counterpart Direxion Daily Financial Bear 3X Shares (FAZ) retreated 1.4%.

Commodities

Crude oil was 1.2% higher, and the United States Oil Fund (USO) gained 1%. Natural gas was up 7.7%, and the United States Natural Gas Fund (UNG) added 7.2%.

Gold on Comex gained 0.1%, and SPDR Gold Shares (GLD) rose 0.1%. Silver fell 2.2%, and iShares Silver Trust (SLV) was 2.4% up.

Consumer

Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR (XLP) gained 0.2%. The Vanguard Consumer Staples ETF (VDC) was fractionally up, while iShares Dow Jones US Consumer Goods (IYK) fell 0.4%.

Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR (XLY) rose 0.4%. VanEck Retail ETF (RTH) was 0.6% higher, and SPDR S&P Retail (XRT) increased 1.7%.

Health Care

Health Care Select Sector SPDR (XLV) lost 0.3%, and iShares US Healthcare (IYH) and Vanguard Health Care ETF (VHT) were also lower; iShares Biotechnology ETF (IBB) was 0.6% lower.

Industrial

Industrial Select Sector SPDR (XLI) fell 0.3%. Vanguard Industrials Index Fund (VIS) eased 0.2% and iShares US Industrials (IYJ) was up 0.2%.

Cryptocurrency

In midday activity, bitcoin (BTC-USD) was down 3.3%. Among cryptocurrency ETFs, ProShares Bitcoin ETF (BITO) lost 3.4%, ProShares Ether ETF (EETH) lost 4%, and ProShares Bitcoin & Ether Market Cap Weight ETF (BETH) was 4.1% lower.

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46.

Capturing AI Gains Without Overexposure: ETFs to Consider

2025-12-05 15:02:00 by Yashwardhan Jain from Zacks

The market’s rally has been fueled by AI for quite some time now, with the “Magnificent Seven” significantly outperforming the S&P 500 and accounting for much of the gains. This outperformance is highlighted by the performance of the S&P 500 Information Technology Index, which has added 24.80% year to date, much higher than the broader S&P 500’s 16.6% gain over the same period.

But this dominance has also sparked a debate on Wall Street, as stretched valuations and AI-bubble fears prompt investors to rethink exposure.

However, per BlackRock, AI is expected to remain a dominant market force in 2026, as quoted on Reuters. At the same time, the firm cautions that increased speculative trading and rising leverage could make the path ahead volatile.

As per Helen Jewell, CIO of fundamental equities EMEA at BlackRock, AI-linked investments may continue to generate strong returns, but intermittent concerns over valuations and the sector’s outlook could lead to bouts of heightened volatility, according to the abovementioned article.

As of Nov. 21, 2025, the Mag 7 saw third-quarter earnings rise 28.3% year over year on 18.1% higher revenues, compared with 94.8% of S&P 500 companies reporting 15.6% earnings growth on 8.3% higher revenues. The outlook for the Mag 7 remains strong, with Wall Street analysts raising earnings growth expectations for the year ahead (Read: Mag 7 Beats S&P 500 in Q3: Buy These 3 ETFs to Tap Their Strength).

Beat Overexposure With a Diversified Playbook

AI investing is undeniably exciting, and the momentum might continue to drive market gains. However, the risk of concentrated rallies in select names makes the market vulnerable to larger drawdowns. Investing heavily in tech to capitalize on AI’s growth potential exposes investors to systemic and concentration risks, particularly as valuations climb and concerns of an AI-driven bubble rise.

Diversification, therefore, becomes especially crucial when chasing the AI boom. “Invest smart or risk getting burned” is especially true in this case, as AI-focused ETFs can deliver impressive gains but also come with heightened volatility.

By spreading investments across multiple sectors and funds, investors can capture the upside of the AI rally while avoiding the pitfalls of overconcentration. A diversified approach helps preserve long-term growth potential and reduces vulnerability to sudden market shocks, allowing investors to participate in AI’s momentum without taking on unnecessary risk.

In short, AI may keep powering strong gains but a well-diversified portfolio remains your most reliable safety net, a way to tap into AI’s upside without taking on unnecessary risk.

ETFs to Explore

Below, we have highlighted a few funds that provide diversified tech exposure.

Equal Weight Technology ETFs

Investors can consider Invesco S&P 500 Equal Weight Technology ETF RSPT and State Street SPDR NYSE Technology ETF XNTK.

S&P 500 ETFs

Investing in S&P 500 ETFs also provides broad exposure to the tech sector. With roughly 35% of the index allocated to information technology, and NVIDIA NVDA, Apple AAPL and Microsoft MSFT among its top holdings, the S&P 500 offers built-in diversification across major tech leaders.

Vanguard S&P 500 ETF VOO, SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust SPY, iShares Core S&P 500 ETF IVV and State Street SPDR Portfolio S&P 500 ETF SPYM can be considered.

Investors can also consider increasing exposure to Invesco QQQ QQQ. The fund has a diversified exposure, allocating about 65.05% to technology, followed by consumer discretionary and health care, with an allocation of 17.61% and 4.91%, respectively.

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Apple Inc. (AAPL) : Free Stock Analysis Report

Microsoft Corporation (MSFT) : Free Stock Analysis Report

NVIDIA Corporation (NVDA) : Free Stock Analysis Report

Invesco QQQ (QQQ): ETF Research Reports

SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY): ETF Research Reports

Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO): ETF Research Reports

iShares Core S&P 500 ETF (IVV): ETF Research Reports

State Street SPDR NYSE Technology ETF (XNTK): ETF Research Reports

Invesco S&P 500 Equal Weight Technology ETF (RSPT): ETF Research Reports

State Street SPDR Portfolio S&P 500 ETF (SPYM): ETF Research Reports

This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

Zacks Investment Research

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47.

Exchange-Traded Funds, Equity Futures Higher Pre-Bell Friday Ahead of Key Inflation Report

2025-12-05 13:52:13 by MT Newswires from MT Newswires

The broad market exchange-traded fund SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY) was up 0.2% and the actively traded Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ) was 0.4% higher in Friday's premarket activity ahead of the delayed personal income and outlays report.

US stock futures were also higher, with S&P 500 Index futures up 0.2%, Dow Jones Industrial Average futures slipping 0.1%, and Nasdaq futures gaining 0.3% before the start of regular trading.

The delayed personal income and outlays report for September, which includes the Fed's preferred inflation metric, will be released at 10 am ET.

Also releasing at 10 am ET is the preliminary University of Michigan consumer sentiment report for December and the Factory Orders report for October, followed by the weekly Baker Hughes oil-and-gas rig count at 1 pm ET.

In premarket activity, bitcoin was down by 1.4%. Among cryptocurrency ETFs, the cryptocurrency fund ProShares Bitcoin Strategy ETF (BITO) was 1.2% lower, Ether ETF (EETH) retreated 0.3%, and Bitcoin & Ether Market Cap Weight ETF (BETH) was flat.

Power Play:

Consumer

The Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLP) was marginally down by 0.01%, while the Vanguard Consumer Staples Fund (VDC) was 0.1% lower. The iShares US Consumer Staples ETF (IYK) was inactive, and the Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLY) gained by 0.01%. The VanEck Retail ETF (RTH) and the SPDR S&P Retail ETF (XRT) were inactive.

Victoria's Secret (VSCO) shares were up more than 13% pre-bell after the company posted a narrowed fiscal Q3 adjusted loss and higher net sales.

Winners and Losers:

Technology

Technology Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLK) advanced by 0.5%, and the iShares US Technology ETF (IYW) was 0.2% higher, while the iShares Expanded Tech Sector ETF (IGM) was up 0.2%. Among semiconductor ETFs, SPDR S&P Semiconductor ETF (XSD) gained by 0.6%, while the iShares Semiconductor ETF (SOXX) rose by 0.8%.

Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) shares were down more than 9% in recent premarket activity after the company posted a lower-than-expected fiscal Q1 revenue outlook.

Health Care

The Health Care Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLV) advanced 0.1%. The Vanguard Health Care Index Fund (VHT) was up 0.1%, while the iShares US Healthcare ETF (IYH) rose 5.4%. The iShares Biotechnology ETF (IBB) was 0.1% higher.

Cooper (COO) stock was up more than 13% premarket after the company posted higher fiscal Q4 non-GAAP earnings and net sales.

Financial

Financial Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLF) was flat. Direxion Daily Financial Bull 3X Shares (FAS) was 0.1% lower, while its bearish counterpart, Direxion Daily Financial Bear 3X Shares (FAZ), was flat.

SoFi Technologies (SOFI) shares were down more than 7% pre-bell after the company said it is offering $1.50 billion worth of common stock.

Energy

The iShares US Energy ETF (IYE) was 2.1% higher, while the Energy Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLE) was down by 0.1%.

BP (BP) stock was down more than 2% before Friday's opening bell after the Financial Times reported Thursday that the company is in advanced talks to sell its Castrol lubricants business to infrastructure investment group Stonepeak.

Industrial

Industrial Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLI) retreated by 0.1%, while the Vanguard Industrials Index Fund (VIS) and the iShares US Industrials ETF (IYJ) were inactive.

Southwest Airlines (LUV) stock was down more than 1% before the opening bell after the company said in a Friday filing that it now expects 2025 earnings before interest and taxes, excluding special items, of about $500 million, compared with $600 million to $800 million previously.

Commodities

Front-month US West Texas Intermediate crude oil was down 0.2% at $59.52 per barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Natural gas gained 1.5% to reach $5.14 per 1 million British Thermal Units. The United States Oil Fund (USO) retreated 0.2%, while the United States Natural Gas Fund (UNG) rose 2.5%.

Gold futures for February were up by 0.3% at $4,253.90 an ounce on the Comex, and silver futures advanced by 1.9% to $58.56 an ounce. SPDR Gold Shares (GLD) gained by 0.4%, and the iShares Silver Trust (SLV) was 1.7% higher.

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48.

Exchange-Traded Funds Mixed, US Equities Higher in Midday Trading as Investors Weigh Jobs Data

2025-12-04 18:27:20 by MT Newswires from MT Newswires

Broad Market Indicators

Broad-market exchange-traded funds IWM and IVV were higher, while actively traded Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ) was down 0.2%.

US equity indexes were slightly higher in midday trading Thursday as investors weighed the jobs data amid gains in most government bond yields.

Energy

iShares US Energy ETF (IYE) gained 0.4% and the Energy Select Sector SPDR (XLE) was up 0.5%.

Technology

Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLK) and iShares US Technology ETF (IYW) were 0.3% higher, and iShares Expanded Tech Sector ETF (IGM) was up 0.2%.

SPDR S&P Semiconductor (XSD) rose 1%, and iShares Semiconductor (SOXX) fell 0.7%.

Financial

The Financial Select Sector SPDR (XLF) was up 0.3%. Direxion Daily Financial Bull 3X Shares (FAS) gained 0.9%, while its bearish counterpart Direxion Daily Financial Bear 3X Shares (FAZ) retreated 0.9%.

Commodities

Crude oil was 1.4% higher, and the United States Oil Fund (USO) gained 1.3%. Natural gas was up 0.2%, and the United States Natural Gas Fund (UNG) added 0.1%.

Gold on Comex gained 0.4%, and SPDR Gold Shares (GLD) rose 0.2%. Silver rose 0.2%, and iShares Silver Trust (SLV) was 2.5% down.

Consumer

Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR (XLP) fell 0.6%. The Vanguard Consumer Staples ETF (VDC) was down 0.7% while iShares Dow Jones US Consumer Goods (IYK) fell 0.6%.

Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR (XLY) fell 0.6%. VanEck Retail ETF (RTH) was 0.4% lower, and SPDR S&P Retail (XRT) decreased 0.2%.

Health Care

Health Care Select Sector SPDR (XLV) lost 0.6%, and iShares US Healthcare (IYH) and Vanguard Health Care ETF (VHT) were down as well; iShares Biotechnology ETF (IBB) was fractionally higher.

Industrial

Industrial Select Sector SPDR (XLI) rose 0.7%. Vanguard Industrials Index Fund (VIS) and iShares US Industrials (IYJ) were in the green as well.

Cryptocurrency

In midday activity, bitcoin (BTC-USD) was down 1.1%. Among cryptocurrency ETFs, ProShares Bitcoin ETF (BITO) lost 0.6%, ProShares Ether ETF (EETH) gained 0.5%, and ProShares Bitcoin & Ether Market Cap Weight ETF (BETH) was 0.5% lower.

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49.

Why High-Income Seekers Are Turning to Autocallable ETFs

2025-12-04 16:55:00 by Neena Mishra from Zacks

Investors seeking higher income have been flocking to ETFs that use derivatives to generate attractive payouts. Auto-callables, long popular among high-net-worth investors for their juicy coupons, are now available to retail investors in a low-cost, transparent ETF structure.

An autocallable is a market-linked investment that provides periodic coupon payments and returns principal at maturity, or earlier if the security is called, provided that the referenced index (such as the S&P 500) does not decline beyond predetermined thresholds.

In simple terms, it functions like a bond whose income and principal repayment depend on the equity market staying above specific levels.

Autocallables offer potentially higher monthly income than traditional fixed-income securities, but with capped upside and the risk that a significant market decline could suspend coupon payments or, in severe cases, result in principal loss.

Calamos launched the first autocallable ETF backed by JPMorgan in June, followed by Innovator Capital Management.

The Calamos Autocallable Income ETF (CAIE) provides exposure to about 52 autocallable notes maturing weekly, enhancing diversification and reducing risk. Coupon levels can vary with market volatility and the current levels are around 14.2 percent.

Last month, Calamos launched the Calamos Nasdaq Autocallable Income ETF (CAIQ), which currently has a coupon of almost 18 percent.

The Innovator Equity Autocallable Income Strategy ETF (ACEI) offers exposure to a laddered portfolio of autocallables linked to US large-cap stocks, with an average coupon of 14.3 percent.

The Innovator Index Autocallable Income Strategy ETF (ACII) holds a laddered portfolio of swaps linked to three major US market ETFs: S&P 500 (SPY), Nasdaq-100 (QQQ), and Russell 2000 (IWM).

The fund’s performance depends on the worst-performing of the three indexes, and it pays a monthly coupon as long as that index stays above a defined coupon barrier.

Investors should remember that these products are suitable only for those who need higher income than traditional bonds, hold a neutral to slightly bullish market outlook, and are comfortable capping upside potential in exchange for steady payouts.

To learn more about these ETFs, please watch the short video above.

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Invesco QQQ (QQQ): ETF Research Reports

SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY): ETF Research Reports

iShares Russell 2000 ETF (IWM): ETF Research Reports

This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

Zacks Investment Research

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50.

Exchange-Traded Funds, Equity Futures Higher Pre-Bell Thursday Amid Hopes for Interest Rate Cut

2025-12-04 13:55:50 by MT Newswires from MT Newswires

The broad market exchange-traded fund SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY) was up 0.1% and the actively traded Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ) was 0.03% higher in Thursday's premarket activity amid hopes of an interest rate cut.

US stock futures were also higher, with S&P 500 Index futures up 0.1%, Dow Jones Industrial Average futures advancing 0.1%, and Nasdaq futures gaining 0.02% before the start of regular trading.

US employers announced plans for 71,321 job cuts in November, down from October but above year-earlier levels, with telecommunications and technology firms reporting the largest reductions, according to Challenger, Gray & Christmas on Thursday.

US initial jobless claims dropped to 191,000 in the week ended Nov. 29 from a revised 218,000, defying expectations for an increase to 220,000.

The September factory orders report posts at 10 am ET, followed by the weekly EIA natural gas bulletin at 10:30 am ET.

Federal Reserve board member Michelle Bowman is slated to speak on Thursday.

In premarket activity, bitcoin was down by 0.1%. Among cryptocurrency ETFs, the cryptocurrency fund ProShares Bitcoin Strategy ETF (BITO) was flat, Ether ETF (EETH) advanced 1.4%, and Bitcoin & Ether Market Cap Weight ETF (BETH) was flat.

Power Play:

Financial

Financial Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLF) advanced 0.1%. Direxion Daily Financial Bull 3X Shares (FAS) was up 0.1%, while its bearish counterpart Direxion Daily Financial Bear 3X Shares (FAZ) was 0.1% lower.

UP Fintech (TIGR) shares were up more than 7% pre-bell after the company reported higher Q3 non-GAAP net income and revenue.

Winners and Losers:

Consumer

The Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLP) was up 0.2%, while the Vanguard Consumer Staples Fund (VDC) was inactive. The iShares US Consumer Staples ETF (IYK) was inactive, and the Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLY) gained 0.2%. The VanEck Retail ETF (RTH) was inactive, while the SPDR S&P Retail ETF (XRT) was flat.

Dollar General (DG) shares were up more than 6% pre-bell after the company reported higher fiscal Q3 earnings and net sales.

Health Care

The Health Care Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLV) advanced 0.1%. The Vanguard Health Care Index Fund (VHT) was 0.03%, while the iShares US Healthcare ETF (IYH) and the iShares Biotechnology ETF (IBB) were inactive.

Philips (PHG) stock was down more than 5% premarket after Reuters reported that executives indicated 2026 organic sales growth is unlikely to double from roughly 2% this year.

Technology

Technology Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLK) retreated 0.03%, and the iShares US Technology ETF (IYW) was 0.02% higher, while the iShares Expanded Tech Sector ETF (IGM) was inactive. Among semiconductor ETFs, SPDR S&P Semiconductor ETF (XSD) declined by 0.02%, while the iShares Semiconductor ETF (SOXX) fell by 0.5%.

Science Applications International (SAIC) shares were up more than 5% in recent premarket activity after the company reported higher-than-expected fiscal Q3 adjusted earnings.

Industrial

Industrial Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLI) advanced 0.1%, while the Vanguard Industrials Index Fund (VIS) and the iShares US Industrials ETF (IYJ) were inactive.

Donaldson (DCI) stock was up more than 2% before the opening bell after the company reported higher fiscal Q1 adjusted earnings and revenue.

Energy

The iShares US Energy ETF (IYE) was inactive, while the Energy Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLE) was up by 0.1%.

Commodities

Front-month US West Texas Intermediate crude oil was up 0.6% at $59.32 per barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Natural gas gained 0.2% to reach $5.01 per 1 million British Thermal Units. The United States Oil Fund (USO) gained 0.4%, while the United States Natural Gas Fund (UNG) was 0.3% higher.

Gold futures for February were down by 0.3% at $4,221.90 an ounce on the Comex, and silver futures fell by 1% to $57.91 an ounce. SPDR Gold Shares (GLD) was flat, and the iShares Silver Trust (SLV) fell by 2%.