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1.

Billionaires Are Buying a Popular AI Index Fund That Could Turn $500 Per Month Into $432,300

2025-08-02 07:45:00 by Trevor Jennewine, The Motley Fool from Motley Fool

Key Points

• Three prominent billionaire money managers bought shares of the Invesco QQQ Trust in the first quarter.

• The Invesco QQQ Trust is heavily invested in technology stocks likely to benefit from artificial intelligence.

• The fund achieved a total return of 1,560% in the last two decades, compounding at 15% annually.

• 10 stocks we like better than Invesco QQQ Trust ›

The Invesco QQQ Trust (NASDAQ: QQQ) is the fifth-most popular exchange-traded fund (ETF) worldwide as measured by assets under management. Several prominent billionaires added to their positions in the first quarter, as detailed below:

• Ken Griffin of Citadel Advisors added 2.2 million shares. The Invesco QQQ Trust now ranks as the third-largest position in the hedge fund, excluding options.
• Israel Englander of Millennium Management added 474,300 shares. The ETF now ranks among the 25 largest positions in the hedge fund, excluding options.
• Steven Cohen of Point72 Asset Management added 7,950 shares. The ETF remains a relatively small position in the hedge fund.

Citadel, Millennium, and Point72 are three of the most profitable hedge funds in history as measured by net gains. That makes all three money managers good sources of inspiration, and individual investors should consider following their lead with this ETF. The Invesco QQQ Trust could turn $500 per month into $432,300 in 20 years.

The Invesco QQQ Trust is heavily invested in technology companies likely to benefit from artificial intelligence

The Invesco QQQ Trust measures the performance of the Nasdaq-100, an index that tracks the 100 largest nonfinancial companies listed on the Nasdaq Stock Exchange. The ETF has more than 60% of its assets invested in technology stocks, many of which are likely to benefit as the artificial intelligence (AI) revolution continues to unfold.

The 10 largest holdings in the Invesco QQQ Trust are listed by weight below:

1. Nvidia: 9.8%
2. Microsoft: 8.7%
3. Apple: 7.2%
4. Amazon: 5.6%
5. Broadcom: 5.3%
6. Alphabet: 5%
7. Meta Platforms: 3.5%
8. Netflix: 2.8%
9. Tesla 2.6%
10. Costco Wholesale: 2.3%

AI spending across hardware, software, and services is forecast to grow at 35.9% annually through 2030, according to Grand View Research. Several companies listed above should benefit.

Amazon, Microsoft, and Alphabet are the three largest public cloud providers, meaning demand for AI infrastructure should be a tailwind. And Nvidia is the undisputed leader in data center GPUs, the most popular type of AI accelerator.

Apple has introduced generative AI capabilities for iPhones. Meta Platforms is leaning on AI to increase user engagement across its social media platforms and improve outcomes for advertisers.

Netflix recently started using generative AI to create content for movies and shows. Broadcom is the market leader in AI networking chips and custom AI accelerators, and Tesla recently launched an autonomous ride-hailing service.

History says the Invesco QQQ Trust can turn $500 invested monthly into $432,300 in 20 years

Excluding dividends, the Invesco QQQ Trust advanced 1,340% during the last two decades, which is equivalent to 14% annually. Including dividends, the index fund achieved a total return of 1,560%, compounding at 15% annually. I will assume a more modest return of 12% annually to introduce a margin of safety.

At that pace, $500 invested monthly in the fund would be worth $105,200 in one decade and $432,300 in two decades. Some investors may prefer to save more or less each month, so the chart below shows how different contribution amounts would grow over time, assuming annual returns of 12%.

Holding Period	$200 Per Month	$400 Per Month	$600 Per Month
10 Years	$42,100	$84,200	$126,300
20 Years	$172,900	$345,800	$518,700

Returns were determined using the investor.gov compound interest calculator.

Investors need two more pieces of information. First, the Invesco QQQ Trust has been very volatile in the past due to its heavy exposure to technology stocks. The index fund fell more than 12% from its record high seven times in the last decade. Similar volatility is likely in the future.

Second, the ETF has an expense ratio of 0.2%, meaning shareholders will pay $20 per year on every $10,000 invested. Comparatively, the average expense ratio on U.S. index funds and mutual funds was 0.34% in 2024.

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Trevor Jennewine has positions in Amazon, Nvidia, and Tesla. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Costco Wholesale, 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.

Billionaires Are Buying a Popular AI Index Fund That Could Turn $500 Per Month Into $432,300 was originally published by The Motley Fool

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2.

Tariffs Pump Cash, Reshoring Pitch Splits Opinion

2025-08-01 20:11:42 by Undercovered Deep Insights from GuruFocus.com

The U.S. just started collecting another big haul now that the August 1 tariff hikes landed. Even countries that cut new deals with Washington didn't get a passJapan and the EU are still paying 15%. Markets dipped, but stocks barely blinked; they're still close to record highs.

• Warning! GuruFocus has detected 5 Warning Signs with NVDA.

Importers are the ones writing the checks, and they're coping however they can: passing costs to customers, trimming margins, finding other suppliers, or cutting their own costs. The bottom line is simplethose tariffs are stuffing the Treasury.

The White House isn't pretending this is only about money. Trump's pitch is that the pain will pull manufacturing back to U.S. soil, that higher import costs will nudge companies to build here again. That's a big assumption, and people are split.

The cash is already showing up: June brought a rare $27 billion surplus, largely thanks to customs duties. Still, the bigger picture is soberingthe U.S. is running a $1.34 trillion deficit year to date, so unless spending gets reined in, the tariff windfall only goes so far.

Tariffs are buying time and filling coffers, but whether this becomes a real reshoring story or just temporary noise depends on follow-through and whether Washington pairs revenue with discipline. Watch if the money keeps coming and if spending gets tightened.

This article first appeared on GuruFocus.

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3.

ETF comparison: SPDR S&P 500 vs. Invesco QQQ

2025-08-01 18:30:00 by Yahoo Finance from Yahoo Finance Video

Yahoo Finance Markets and Data Editor Jared Blikre, who also hosts Yahoo Finance's Stocks in Translation podcast, does an exchange-traded fund (ETF) comparison between the SPDR S&P 500 (SPY) and Invesco QQQ (QQQ) to see how they contrast. Catch more Stocks in Translation, with new episodes every Tuesday and Thursday. To watch more expert insights and analysis on the latest market action, check out more Market Catalysts.

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4.

Exchange-Traded Funds, US Equities Fall After Midday Friday

2025-08-01 17:11:45 by MT Newswires from MT Newswires

Broad Market Indicators

Broad-market exchange-traded funds IWM and IVV fell. Actively traded Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ) was up 0.3%.

US equity indexes sank, with government bond yields and crude oil sliding after nonfarm payrolls showed a sharp deterioration in the labor market and the Trump administration unleashed new punitive import tariffs on international trade partners.

Energy

iShares US Energy ETF (IYE) fell 1.5%, and the Energy Select Sector SPDR (XLE) was 1.7% down.

Technology

Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLK) slipped 1.7%; iShares US Technology ETF (IYW) and iShares Expanded Tech Sector ETF (IGM) also fell.

SPDR S&P Semiconductor (XSD) lost 0.3%, and iShares Semiconductor (SOXX) fell 1%.

Financial

Financial Select Sector SPDR (XLF) dipped 1.7%. Direxion Daily Financial Bull 3X Shares (FAS) shed 5.6%, and its bearish counterpart, Direxion Daily Financial Bear 3X Shares (FAZ), climbed 5.4%.

Commodities

Crude oil fell 3.1%, and the United States Oil Fund (USO) was down 2.9%. Natural gas dipped 0.7%, and the United States Natural Gas Fund (UNG) fell 0.2%.

Gold rose 1.4% on Comex, and SPDR Gold Shares (GLD) were up 1.6%. Silver added 0.4%, and iShares Silver Trust (SLV) was 0.4% up.

Consumer

Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR (XLP) gained 0.8%; Vanguard Consumer Staples ETF (VDC) and the iShares Dow Jones US Consumer Goods (IYK) were also higher.

Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR (XLY) fell 2.2%, and VanEck Retail ETF (RTH) and SPDR S&P Retail (XRT) were in the red.

Health Care

Health Care Select Sector SPDR (XLV) added 0.3%, and iShares US Healthcare (IYH) and Vanguard Health Care ETF (VHT) were also higher. iShares Biotechnology ETF (IBB) slipped 0.2%.

Industrial

Industrial Select Sector SPDR (XLI) was 1.4% lower. Vanguard Industrials (VIS) and iShares US Industrials (IYJ) also declined.

Cryptocurrency

In midday activity, bitcoin (BTC-USD) shed 1.2%. Among cryptocurrency ETFs, ProShares Bitcoin ETF (BITO) fell 1.5%, ProShares Ether ETF (EETH) lost 3.8%, and ProShares Bitcoin & Ether Market Cap Weight ETF (BETH) was down 2.2%.

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5.

Stocks Slump on Tariffs and Weak US Job Growth

2025-08-01 14:10:12 by Rich Asplund from Barchart

On the date of publication, Rich Asplund 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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6.

Exchange-Traded Funds, Equity Futures Lower Pre-Bell Friday Amid Revived Trade War Fears

2025-08-01 12:18:43 by MT Newswires from MT Newswires

The broad market exchange-traded fund SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY) was down 0.8% and the actively traded Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ) was 1% lower in Friday's premarket activity amid revived fears of a trade war.

US stock futures were also lower, with S&P 500 Index futures down 1.1%, Dow Jones Industrial Average futures slipping 1.1%, and Nasdaq futures retreating 1.3% before the start of regular trading.

July's employment situation report will be released at 8:30 am ET, followed by the S&P Global US final July PMI manufacturing report at 9:45 am ET.

The ISM manufacturing index for July, the construction spending report for June, and the University of Michigan consumer sentiment report for July will be released at 10 am ET.

The weekly Baker Hughes domestic oil-and-gas rig count is slated for a 1 pm ET release.

In premarket activity, bitcoin was down by 1.7%. Among cryptocurrency ETFs, the cryptocurrency fund ProShares Bitcoin Strategy ETF (BITO) was 1.9% lower, Ether ETF (EETH) fell 7.8%, while Bitcoin & Ether Market Cap Weight ETF (BETH) was up 2.9%.

Power Play:

Financial

Financial Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLF) retreated 0.9%. Direxion Daily Financial Bull 3X Shares (FAS) was down 2.8%, while its bearish counterpart Direxion Daily Financial Bear 3X Shares (FAZ) was 2.7% higher.

Patria Investments (PAX) shares were down more than 6% pre-bell Friday after the company reported lower-than-expected Q2 distributable earnings and revenue.

Winners and Losers:

Consumer

The Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLP) was down 0.2%, while the Vanguard Consumer Staples Fund (VDC) was 0.2% lower. The iShares US Consumer Staples ETF (IYK) was inactive, and the Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLY) lost 2.5%. The VanEck Retail ETF (RTH) was inactive, while the SPDR S&P Retail ETF (XRT) declined 0.7%.

Newell Brands (NWL) shares were down nearly 2% pre-bell after the company reported lower Q2 normalized earnings and net sales.

Health Care

The Health Care Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLV) declined 0.5%. The Vanguard Health Care Index Fund (VHT) was down 0.2% while the iShares US Healthcare ETF (IYH) was flat. The iShares Biotechnology ETF (IBB) fell 1.2%.

Moderna (MRNA) stock was down more than 5% premarket, continuing from its 8% fall at Thursday's close. The company posted a narrower Q2 loss amid lower revenue.

Technology

Technology Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLK) retreated 0.6%, and the iShares US Technology ETF (IYW) was 0.9% lower, while the iShares Expanded Tech Sector ETF (IGM) was up 0.2%. Among semiconductor ETFs, SPDR S&P Semiconductor ETF (XSD) fell 2%, while the iShares Semiconductor ETF (SOXX) was down 1.7%.

DXC Technology (DXC) shares were up more than 2% in recent premarket activity after the company reported higher-than-expected fiscal Q1 non-GAAP earnings and revenue.

Energy

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

Northern Oil and Gas (NOG) stock was up over 2% before Friday's opening bell after the company reported higher-than-expected Q2 adjusted earnings and revenue.

Industrial

Industrial Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLI) retreated 1%, the Vanguard Industrials Index Fund (VIS) was down 1%, while the iShares US Industrials ETF (IYJ) was inactive.

CNH Industrial (CNH) stock was up more than 1% before the opening bell after the company reported higher-than-expected Q2 earnings and revenue.

Commodities

Front-month US West Texas Intermediate crude oil was down 0.9% at $68.64 per barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Natural gas retreated 0.9% to $3.08 per 1 million British Thermal Units. United States Oil Fund (USO) was 0.8% lower, while the United States Natural Gas Fund (UNG) declined 0.3%.

Gold futures for August were 0.1% higher at $3,352 an ounce on the Comex, while silver futures were down 0.5% at $36.53 an ounce. SPDR Gold Shares (GLD) advanced by 0.2%, and the iShares Silver Trust (SLV) was 0.8% lower.

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7.

Monster AI Earnings & Economic Resilience to Power Up Growth ETFs

2025-08-01 10:30:00 by Sanghamitra Saha from Zacks

The S&P 500 and tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite advanced on July 31, 2025, thanks to blockbuster earnings from Meta META and Microsoft MSFT. This shows renewed investor confidence in Big Tech’s AI-driven growth.

Meta shares soared 11% on July 31, 2025, after topping earnings estimates and issuing stronger-than-expected guidance, even as the company ramps up AI-related investments. Microsoft stock gained 4% on July 31,2025, following its stellar results, pushing its market cap past the $4 trillion mark.

HSBC upgraded Meta Platforms to Buy from Hold with a price target of $900, up from $610. KeyBanc upgraded Microsoft to Overweight from Sector Weight with a $630 price target following the fiscal Q4 report.

Pickup in PCE Inflation

On the macro front, the Federal Reserve’s preferred inflation gauge — the Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) index — showed price growth accelerated in June, keeping inflation above the Fed’s 2% target.

Fed Stays Put

Higher inflation followed Wednesday’s Fed decision to leave interest rates unchanged, with two members dissenting. Fed Chair Jerome Powell emphasized that no decision had been made regarding a rate cut in September, overruling President Trump’s claim that a cut was imminent. Market odds for a September cut dropped to below 40%, down from roughly 60% prior to the meeting, according to CME Group data.

Easing Trade Tensions

In trade developments, concerns over a looming trade war eased as a series of agreements were struck. A key deal with South Korea, announced late Wednesday, sets a 15% tariff on Korean imports, while U.S. exports will face no duties.

Trump on Thursday also said he was granting Mexico a 90-day reprieve on higher tariffs, saying he would extend Mexico's current tariff rates to allow for more time for negotiations.

US Economy Rebounds in Q2

After a surprise contraction in the first quarter, the U.S. economy rebounded strongly in the second quarter of 2025. According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis's (BEA) advance estimate, gross domestic product (GDP) grew at an annualized rate of 3% between April and June. This topped Bloomberg economists’ forecast of 2.6% growth.

ETFs in Focus

Vanguard S&P 500 ETF VOO, Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF VTI, Invesco QQQ Trust Series I QQQ, Vanguard Growth ETF VUG — represent exchange-traded funds (ETFs) from various investing spectrums of the U.S. market that should gain in the current economic situation.

Note that the monster earnings from Meta and Microsoft solidify the fact that the AI rally is here to stay. Moreover, easing trade tensions and U.S. economic resilience are supporting a successful AI run.

While ETFs like VOO and QQQ are broader in nature, they are packed with Big Tech stocks, which make them a must-have in one’s portfolio. Other growth ETFs may include iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF IWF, Vanguard Information Technology ETF VGT and iShares S&P 500 Growth ETF IVW.

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

Microsoft Corporation (MSFT) : Free Stock Analysis Report

Invesco QQQ (QQQ): ETF Research Reports

Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF (VTI): ETF Research Reports

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

iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF (IWF): ETF Research Reports

Vanguard Information Technology ETF (VGT): ETF Research Reports

Vanguard Growth ETF (VUG): ETF Research Reports

iShares S&P 500 Growth ETF (IVW): ETF Research Reports

Meta Platforms, Inc. (META) : Free Stock Analysis Report

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

Zacks Investment Research

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8.

VOO Slips, TLT Rises as July Jobs Report Disappoints

2025-08-01 09:30:00 by Sumit Roy from etf.com

Stocks tumbled and bonds surged Friday after a surprisingly weak jobs report raised concerns about the strength of the U.S. labor market, while boosting hopes the Federal Reserve will cut rates as soon as next month.

The Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO) fell as much as 2% at its lows, while the Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ) dropped as much as 2.3%. The declines pared year-to-date gains for the popular equity ETFs to 6.5% for VOO and 8.5% for QQQ.

The iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF (TLT) rose as much as 1.5% in morning trading. Year to date, TLT is up 2.8%.

Non-farm payrolls increased by just 73,000 in July, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, well below the 104,000 jobs economists were expecting. 

June, May Payrolls Slashed

Sharp downward revisions to prior months’ data spooked investors. June job gains were slashed to a mere 14,000 from an initially reported 147,000, while May’s total was cut to 19,000 from 144,000.

In effect, job growth was barely positive for much of the summer.

The unemployment rate ticked up to 4.2% from 4.1%, in line with forecasts. That marks the 15th-straight month the rate has hovered between 4% and 4.2%, after ranging between 3.4% and 3.6% from mid-2022 to mid-2023.

Analysts pointed to several potential culprits behind the labor market slowdown, including the Trump administration’s aggressive tariffs, cuts to federal government employment under the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), and a continued crackdown on immigration.

Trump Rips Powell

President Trump weighed in on the report via Truth Social, taking aim at Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell.

“Too Little, Too Late. Jerome ‘Too Late’ Powell is a disaster. DROP THE RATE! The good news is that Tariffs are bringing Billions of Dollars into the USA!” Trump posted.

The Fed kept rates unchanged earlier this week at a range of 4.25% to 4.5%, where they’ve been for all of 2025. Notably, two members of the Fed Board of Governors dissented, the first time that’s happened since 1993.

Bond ETFs rallied on the news, with investors increasingly betting on a September rate cut. The iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF (AGG) climbed 0.7% on Friday. Year to date, AGG is up 4.4% and TLT is up 2.8%.

AGG 1-Year Net Fund Flows

Source: etf.com & FactSet

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9.

MSFT META- Spending Like Mad, But Blowing Away Estimates

2025-08-01 05:01:00 by MoneyShow

Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) shares just soared, hitting a new all-time high and topping the $4 trillion market cap mark, after the company posted a beat-and-raise quarter. Meanwhile, Meta Platforms Inc. (META) also hit new all-time highs after it posted a double-beat and raised its forecast, notes Tom Bruni, editor-in-chief of The Daily Rip by Stocktwits.

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

MSFT’s earnings per share of $3.65 and revenues of $76.4 billion topped the $3.37 and $73.8 billion anticipated by analysts. Its implied operating margin of 46.6% topped consensus estimates by 90 basis points despite $30 billion in capital expenditures.

(Editor’s Note: Tom will be speaking at the 2025 MoneyShow Toronto, scheduled for Sept. 12-13. Click HERE to register for a FREE pass.)

It continues to face data center infrastructure shortages, and it’s throwing money at the problem until the supply-demand balance improves. Its Intelligent Cloud unit revenue rose 26% year-over-year, and management revealed the size of its Azure business in dollars for the first time ever. It’s over $75 billion (and rose 34% YOY).

At META, earnings per share of $7.14 on $47.5 billion in revenue topped the $5.92 and $44.8 billion expected. Its third-quarter sales forecast of $47.5 billion to $50.5 billion also topped consensus estimates of $46.1 billion.

Like Microsoft, Meta is investing heavily in expanding its Artificial Intelligence (AI) capacity. It said compensation related to hiring will be the “second-largest driver of growth” and contribute to a 2026 YOY expense growth rate that’s higher than 2025’s.

See also: Market Minute 7/29/25: Investors Eye $85B Mega-Deal, UNH Warning

As long as these companies continue to post strong growth – and print cash from their core business – investors are likely to be okay with these capital expenditures. For context, check out the chart above showing their quarterly CAPEX impact on cash flow. That’s a lot of zeros, but Wall Street is loving it!

More From MoneyShow.com:

• ALKS: Positive Narcolepsy Drug Trial Puts this Biotech Name in Focus
• CQP: A High-Yield Stock Profiting From Solid LNG Demand
• MoneyMasters Podcast 8/1/25: Why Trading Has Gone Social (and What it Means for You!)

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10.

SPYD Attracts $759M in Assets as Fed Keeps Rates Unchanged

2025-07-31 22:00:00 by DJ Shaw from etf.com

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11.

September Rate Cut Odds Collapse After Powell Pushback

2025-07-31 20:31:36 by Undercovered Deep Insights from GuruFocus.com

September rate-cut odds plunged after the Fed held rates at 4.25%4.50% and Jerome Powell declined to give any signal on a cut, even as President Trump launched a blistering attack calling him too late, too angry, too stupid, & too political.

Powell stressed the Fed has made no decisions about September and kept the tone cautious, pointing to still-elevated inflation and the need for more data, which undercut market confidence and sent futures traders sharply lowering odds of a September cut.

Markets trimmed the probability from roughly 65% a day earlier to about 46% per the CME FedWatch tool, and hotter-than-expected core PCE inflation readings pushed some models nearer to just 39%, reinforcing the view that rate relief isn't imminent.

Trump reignited his feud with Powell on Truth Social, accusing him of costing the country trillions, attacking the Fed's independence and blasting recent policy in a post that labeled Powell too late and too political, underscoring the growing political noise around monetary policy even as the central bank tries to emphasize data dependence.

Why it matters: The sharp pullback in cut expectations highlights growing investor uncertainty and leaves positioning vulnerable if inflation stays sticky or if the Fed leans even more data-dependent.

Investors will be watching the September 1617 FOMC meeting and incoming inflation prints for clues on whether the narrative shifts again.

This article first appeared on GuruFocus.

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12.

Inflation Surprise Pushes Rate Cut Odds Down

2025-07-31 19:52:21 by Undercovered Deep Insights from GuruFocus.com

The Fed's preferred inflation gauge came in hotter than expected and knocked down hopes for a September rate cut, with core PCE up 0.3% month over month and 2.8% year over year versus a 2.7% consensus, and headline PCE also rising 0.3% and accelerating to 2.6% year over year, showing inflation is not edging closer to the 2.0% target.

That hotter reading was accompanied by a modest rebound in personal spending to 0.3% month over month and a surprise uptick in personal income of 0.3% versus the 0.2% forecast, while disposable income rose 0.3% and the personal saving rate held steady at 4.5%.

Art Hogan at B. Riley warns that the impact of tariffs is now showing up in the data and that the second highest inflation print this year underscores how sticky prices remain. Markets reacted by dialing back rate cut odds as investors digest that the Fed has little cover to ease policy soon.

Why it matters: Sticky inflation and rising income suggest the central bank may stay on hold longer, keeping borrowing costs elevated and forcing investors to recalibrate positioning ahead of the next FOMC meeting. Investors will be watching incoming inflation and spending data for clues on when the Fed might pivot.

This article first appeared on GuruFocus.

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13.

Exchange-Traded Funds, US Equities Mixed After Midday

2025-07-31 17:20:58 by MT Newswires from MT Newswires

Broad Market Indicators

Broad-market exchange-traded fund IWM declined, while IVV rose. Actively traded Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ) was up 0.4%.

US equity indexes traded mixed after midday Thursday as Mag-7 stalwarts helped lift the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq Composite.

Energy

iShares US Energy ETF (IYE) and the Energy Select Sector SPDR (XLE) were little changed.

Technology

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

SPDR S&P Semiconductor (XSD) lost 0.2%, and iShares Semiconductor (SOXX) fell 2%.

Financial

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

Commodities

Crude oil fell 0.8%, and the United States Oil Fund (USO) was down 1.4%. Natural gas dipped 0.7%, and the United States Natural Gas Fund (UNG) fell 0.2%.

Gold shed 0.2% on Comex, and SPDR Gold Shares (GLD) were up 0.8%. Silver lost 2.7%, and iShares Silver Trust (SLV) was 0.6% down.

Consumer

Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR (XLP) was down 0.2%; Vanguard Consumer Staples ETF (VDC) and the iShares Dow Jones US Consumer Goods (IYK) were in the red.

Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR (XLY) was softer, and VanEck Retail ETF (RTH) and SPDR S&P Retail (XRT) were mixed, with the latter falling 0.2%.

Health Care

Health Care Select Sector SPDR (XLV) lost 0.8%, and iShares US Healthcare (IYH) and Vanguard Health Care ETF (VHT) were also lower. iShares Biotechnology ETF (IBB) added 1.2%.

Industrial

Industrial Select Sector SPDR (XLI) was 0.4% higher. Vanguard Industrials (VIS) and iShares US Industrials (IYJ) also advanced.

Cryptocurrency

In midday activity, bitcoin (BTC-USD) rose 0.4%. Among cryptocurrency ETFs, ProShares Bitcoin ETF (BITO) gained 1.5%, ProShares Ether ETF (EETH) added 0.9%, and ProShares Bitcoin & Ether Market Cap Weight ETF (BETH) was up 1%.

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14.

MoneyMasters Podcast 8-1-25- Why Trading Has Gone Social and What it Means for You

2025-07-31 16:30:00 by MoneyShow

Trading has gone social – and retail investors are now a market force Wall Street can’t ignore!

In this episode of the MoneyShow MoneyMasters Podcast, we dive into how platforms like Wolf Financial, Stocktwits, and Blossom are transforming the way everyday investors find ideas, build conviction, and connect in real time.

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

Gav Blaxberg (Wolf Financial), Tom Bruni (Stocktwits), and Tim Johnson (Blossom) reveal what’s trending right now, from meme stock comebacks to covered call ETFs, and how transparency, sentiment data, and social validation are reshaping modern investing behavior.

Whether you’re an active trader or a long-term investor, this episode will change how you think about idea flow, conviction, and community in markets.

See also: Market Minute 7/30/25: As Fed Questions Swirl, Riskier Bonds Shine

Reminder: Tom and Tim will be speaking at the 2025 MoneyShow Toronto, scheduled for Sept. 12-13 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre North. Click here to register.

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• SPX: Confidence and JOLTS Solid, But Fed and Earnings Loom)
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• Market Minute 7/29/25: Investors Eye $85B Mega-Deal, UNH Warning

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15.

4 Reasons to Buy Invesco QQQ Trust Like There's No Tomorrow

2025-07-31 12:35:00 by Neil Patel, The Motley Fool from Motley Fool

Key Points

• Investors should be bullish on technological trends if they're considering the Invesco QQQ Trust.

• This ETF has produced a monster total return of 449% in the past decade.

• You don’t need to be an expert in financial analysis or corporate strategy to reap this ETF's rewards.

• 10 stocks we like better than Invesco QQQ Trust ›

Exchange-traded funds (ETFs) are an excellent choice for many investors looking to gain exposure to the stock market. This is especially true for those who have no interest in picking individual businesses.

Many ETFs track the S&P 500 index, the most closely watched proxy for the performance of the overall stock market. And it has historically done a good job of compounding capital.

However, I believe there are better options available. The Invesco QQQ Trust (NASDAQ: QQQ) immediately comes to mind. Here are four reasons to buy this ETF like there's no tomorrow.

1. Tech exposure

Unlike the S&P 500, the Invesco QQQ Trust contains the companies in the Nasdaq-100 index. These are the 100 biggest nonfinancial businesses that trade on the Nasdaq exchange.

Investors need to dig deeper to understand what exactly they'd be owning. It's worth highlighting that the technology sector represents a whopping 61% of the assets in the Invesco QQQ Trust. This part of the market has certainly produced many winners.

Consequently, investors will essentially be betting on various technological trends, which has worked out well in the past. The "Magnificent Seven" group reigns supreme in the QQQ. These companies have benefited from some powerful secular tailwinds, like digital advertising, digital payments, cloud computing, streaming entertainment, and e-commerce. We also can't forget about artificial intelligence, which could bring in a new phase of growth.

Investors will also gain meaningful exposure to the consumer discretionary sector, as it has a 19% weighting in the portfolio.

2. Strong performance

The Invesco QQQ Trust's performance has crushed the S&P 500's. In the past decade, the former has put up a total return of 449%, which would've grown a starting $10,000 investment into almost $55,000 today (as of July 25). On an annualized basis, the return of 18.6% is truly exceptional. This gain certainly puts it ahead of the vast majority of professional money managers.

No one knows what the future will hold. The worst thing investors can do, though, is expect that forward returns will exactly resemble those of the past. The QQQ could end up doing worse over the next 10 years, depending on many factors like the state of the economy, innovation trends, earnings growth, and interest rates.

3. Low fees

Investing in the stock market doesn't have to cost you an arm and a leg. The Invesco QQQ Trust proves this point. It carries an expense ratio of just 0.20%. For a $10,000 investment, only $20 every year goes to the ETF sponsor. You keep more of your money over time.

This flies in the face of how the investment management industry typically works. Some investors have no problem paying high fees to fund managers who actively manage portfolios. But their track records are abysmal, as most lose to the market over the long run. Here's where the Invesco QQQ Trust shines.

4. Hassle-free

It's important that investors pay close attention to what the Invesco QQQ Trust owns, its performance, and its fee structure.

But another compelling aspect of buying and holding this ETF is that it's a hassle-free and low-maintenance approach to investing in the stock market. This strategy requires no time commitment and no advanced knowledge of financial modeling or business strategy. This frees up time for other things in life that are more important.

Putting money to work in the Invesco QQQ Trust is a great decision. Your portfolio will thank you.

Do the experts think Invesco QQQ Trust is a buy right now?

The Motley Fool’s expert analyst team, drawing on years of investing experience and deep analysis of thousands of stocks, leverages our proprietary Moneyball AI investing database to uncover top opportunities. They’ve just revealed their 10 best stocks to buy now — did Invesco QQQ Trust make the list?

When our Stock Advisor analyst team has a stock recommendation, it can pay to listen. After all, Stock Advisor’s total average return is up 1,049% vs. just 182% for the S&P — that is beating the market by 867.25%!*

Imagine if you were a Stock Advisor member when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $638,629!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $1,098,838!*

The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join Stock Advisor.

See the 10 stocks »

*Stock Advisor returns as of July 29, 2025

Neil Patel has positions in Invesco QQQ Trust. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

4 Reasons to Buy Invesco QQQ Trust Like There's No Tomorrow was originally published by The Motley Fool

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16.

Exchange-Traded Funds, Equity Futures Higher Pre-Bell Thursday Buoyed by Microsoft, Meta Results

2025-07-31 12:27:39 by MT Newswires from MT Newswires

The broad market exchange-traded fund SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY) was up 0.8% and the actively traded Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ) was 1.2% higher in Thursday's premarket activity after Meta (META) and Microsoft (MSFT) reported better-than-expected financial results.

US stock futures were also higher, with S&P 500 Index futures up 0.9%, Dow Jones Industrial Average futures gaining 0.2%, and Nasdaq futures rising 1.2% before the start of regular trading.

US companies announced 62,075 job cuts in July, up from June and last year's levels, with the tech sector leading layoffs and economic conditions cited as the top reason, according to Challenger, Gray & Christmas on Thursday.

Reports releasing at 8:30 am ET include the weekly jobless claims bulletin, the personal income and outlays report for June, and the Q2 employment cost index.

The Chicago PMI will be released at 9:45 am ET, followed by the weekly EIA natural gas report at 10:30 am ET.

In premarket activity, bitcoin was up by 1.3%. Among cryptocurrency ETFs, the cryptocurrency fund ProShares Bitcoin Strategy ETF (BITO) was 1.4% higher, Ether ETF (EETH) rose 2.3%, and Bitcoin & Ether Market Cap Weight ETF (BETH) fell 1%.

Power Play:

Consumer

The Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLP) was down 0.5%, while the Vanguard Consumer Staples Fund (VDC) was 0.4% lower. The iShares US Consumer Staples ETF (IYK) was inactive, and the Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLY) gained 0.8%. The VanEck Retail ETF (RTH) was inactive, while the SPDR S&P Retail ETF (XRT) retreated by 0.01%.

TAL Education Group (TAL) shares were up more than 10% pre-bell after the company reported higher fiscal Q1 non-GAAP earnings and revenue.

Winners and Losers:

Technology

Technology Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLK) advanced 1.4%, and the iShares US Technology ETF (IYW) was 2.1% higher, while the iShares Expanded Tech Sector ETF (IGM) was inactive. Among semiconductor ETFs, SPDR S&P Semiconductor ETF (XSD) was inactive, while the iShares Semiconductor ETF (SOXX) fell by 0.9%.

WeRide (WRD) shares were up more than 8% in recent Thursday premarket activity after the company reported a narrower Q2 loss and higher revenue.

Financial

Financial Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLF) retreated 0.5%. Direxion Daily Financial Bull 3X Shares (FAS) was down 1.6%, while its bearish counterpart Direxion Daily Financial Bear 3X Shares (FAZ) was 1.8% higher.

Lincoln National (LNC) shares were up more than 4% pre-bell Thursday after the company posted higher Q2 adjusted income from operations.

Health Care

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

Cigna Group (CI) stock was up more than 2% premarket after the company reported higher Q2 financial results.

Energy

The iShares US Energy ETF (IYE) was inactive, while the Energy Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLE) was down by 0.9%.

Cameco (CCJ) stock was up nearly 2% before Thursday's opening bell after the company reported higher Q2 adjusted earnings and revenue.

Industrial

Industrial Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLI) declined 0.3% while the Vanguard Industrials Index Fund (VIS) was down 0.8%, while the iShares US Industrials ETF (IYJ) was inactive.

Xylem (XYL) stock was up more than 1% before the opening bell after the company reported higher Q2 adjusted earnings and revenue.

Commodities

Front-month US West Texas Intermediate crude oil was down 0.5% at $69.63 per barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Natural gas retreated 0.8% to $3.02 per 1 million British Thermal Units. United States Oil Fund (USO) was 0.8% lower, while the United States Natural Gas Fund (UNG) advanced 0.1%.

Gold futures for August were 0.1% higher at $3,357.60 an ounce on the Comex, while silver futures were down 2.9% at $36.64 an ounce. SPDR Gold Shares (GLD) advanced by 1.1%, and the iShares Silver Trust (SLV) was 0.8% lower.

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17.

1 No-Brainer Technology Vanguard ETF to Buy Right Now for Less Than $1,000

2025-07-31 08:05:00 by Justin Pope, The Motley Fool from Motley Fool

Key Points

• The Vanguard Information Technology ETF is a pure play on the technology sector.

• It's heavily invested in semiconductors and software, but holds over 300 individual stocks.

• Its low fees, strong performance, and the trusted Vanguard name could make it a better choice than the Invesco QQQ.

• 10 stocks we like better than Vanguard Information Technology ETF ›

Investing in exchange-traded funds (ETFs) has proven to be an effective way to grow a portfolio. And Vanguard is arguably the top ETF company, offering a wide range of funds and a sterling reputation in the investment world. So exploring Vanguard ETFs is a no-brainer investment strategy.

One of the best things about ETFs is that they greatly reduce the guesswork. An ETF represents multiple equities that follow a theme and trade under a single ticker symbol. ETFs create instant diversification for a portfolio, generally making them less risky than picking individual stocks. That option could come in handy when investing in the technology sector, where innovation happens so quickly that stocks tend to be more volatile.

Add it all up, and the Vanguard Information Technology ETF (NYSEMKT: VGT) becomes a no-brainer ETF to invest in for under $1,000. It could even be the best technology ETF you can buy.

A high-octane play on technology

The Vanguard Information Technology ETF is a pure-play on the technology sector. It holds stakes in 319 stocks, all of which are in the technology space. Even the Invesco QQQ (NASDAQ: QQQ), arguably the most popular technology ETF, isn't a pure technology ETF. It's roughly 60% technology, with the remainder allocated to other market sectors.

One could argue that the past 20 years have been a digital golden era, marked by the emergence of the internet, followed by the rise of cloud computing. The Vanguard Information Technology ETF began trading in 2004 and has generated stellar annualized returns of 13.7% over its lifetime, as well as a staggering 21.3% over the past decade.

Now, it could be artificial intelligence (AI) that continues to drive outsized growth and returns. Experts believe that AI will generate trillions of dollars in economic value over the next decade and beyond, positioning this ETF to continue thriving.

Taking a closer look

One of the best features of the Vanguard Information Technology ETF is that, since it's 100% allocated to the technology sector, Vanguard breaks down the fund's holdings into submarkets rather than broader market sectors. It provides investors with valuable insights into the types of technology businesses the ETF holds.

For instance, its top six largest submarkets are:

Submarket	ETF Weight
Semiconductors	30.4%
Systems software	21.8%
Application software	15.1%
Technology hardware, storage	15%
Communications equipment	3.6%
IT consulting & other services	3.6%

Data source: The author created this table using data from Vanguard.

If you look at the Vanguard Information Technology ETF from the standpoint of individual companies, here are its top 10 holdings:

Company	ETF Weight
1. Nvidia	16.74%
2. Microsoft	14.89%
3. Apple	13.03%
4. Broadcom	4.57%
5. Oracle	2.05%
6. Palantir Technologies	1.64%
7. Cisco Systems	1.58%
8. International Business Machines (IBM)	1.56%
9. Salesforce	1.47%
10. Advanced Micro Devices (AMD)	1.31%

Source: Vanguard.

You can see that the ETF focuses heavily on semiconductors (chips) and different types of software, with outsized exposure to Nvidia, Microsoft, and Apple. It makes sense from the standpoint that chips are essentially technology's building blocks, and AI and most other technological innovations are software in some form or another.

Why the Vanguard Information Technology ETF may be a better choice than the Invesco QQQ

The Invesco QQQ Trust is very popular, so you may be sitting here wondering which is the better choice. There are no rules against investing in both. That said, the Vanguard Information Technology ETF's low expense ratio is one of my favorite features.

It's only 0.09%, or $0.90 of that $1,000 you're investing. Meanwhile, the Invesco QQQ's 0.20% expense ratio isn't anything excessive, but you are paying more than twice as much of your money to the ETF's management team. Again, it doesn't seem like much at face value, but as you invest more money and the years pass, those fees can certainly add up.

The Vanguard Information Technology ETF checks all the boxes:

• Trusted name
• Strong past performance
• Low fees
• Concentrated technology exposure, yet diversified among its holdings (after the top three)

It's hard to go wrong here, making it a no-brainer for investors to buy and hold as part of a long-term portfolio.

Should you buy stock in Vanguard Information Technology ETF right now?

Before you buy stock in Vanguard Information Technology ETF, consider this:

The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and Vanguard Information Technology ETF wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years.

Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $630,291!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $1,075,791!*

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*Stock Advisor returns as of July 29, 2025

Justin Pope has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Advanced Micro Devices, Apple, Cisco Systems, International Business Machines, Microsoft, Nvidia, Oracle, Palantir Technologies, and Salesforce. 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 No-Brainer Technology Vanguard ETF to Buy Right Now for Less Than $1,000 was originally published by The Motley Fool

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18.

Exchange-Traded Funds Rise, US Equities Mixed After Midday

2025-07-30 17:02:10 by MT Newswires from MT Newswires

Broad Market Indicators

Broad-market exchange-traded funds IWM and IVV rose. Actively traded Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ) was up 0.3%.

US equity indexes were mixed while most government bond yields rose after midday on Wednesday as the economy grew more than forecast in Q2 and job additions in July outpaced market consensus.

Energy

iShares US Energy ETF (IYE) and the Energy Select Sector SPDR (XLE) each declined 0.8%.

Technology

Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLK) was up 0.3%; iShares US Technology ETF (IYW) and iShares Expanded Tech Sector ETF (IGM) also edged higher.

SPDR S&P Semiconductor (XSD) added 0.5%, while iShares Semiconductor (SOXX) advanced 0.9%.

Financial

Financial Select Sector SPDR (XLF) rose 0.3%. Direxion Daily Financial Bull 3X Shares (FAS) moved 0.9% ahead, and its bearish counterpart, Direxion Daily Financial Bear 3X Shares (FAZ), dropped 1.2%.

Commodities

Crude oil rose 1.4%, and the United States Oil Fund (USO) was up 1.3%. Natural gas slipped 2.8%, and the United States Natural Gas Fund (UNG) dipped 3.7%.

Gold rose 0.8% on Comex, and SPDR Gold Shares (GLD) were down 0.9%. Silver lost 1.4%, and iShares Silver Trust (SLV) was 1.3% lower.

Consumer

Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR (XLP) fell 0.4%; Vanguard Consumer Staples ETF (VDC) and the iShares Dow Jones US Consumer Goods (IYK) were also in the red.

Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR (XLY) was 0.2% lower, and VanEck Retail ETF (RTH) and SPDR S&P Retail (XRT) were mixed, with the latter falling 0.2%.

Health Care

Health Care Select Sector SPDR (XLV) added 0.2%, and iShares US Healthcare (IYH) and Vanguard Health Care ETF (VHT) also advanced. iShares Biotechnology ETF (IBB) added 1%.

Industrial

Industrial Select Sector SPDR (XLI) was 0.1% lower. Vanguard Industrials (VIS) and iShares US Industrials (IYJ) were mixed, with the latter falling fractionally.

Cryptocurrency

In midday activity, bitcoin (BTC-USD) rose 0.2%. Among cryptocurrency ETFs, ProShares Bitcoin ETF (BITO) gained 0.2%, ProShares Ether ETF (EETH) added 0.8%, and ProShares Bitcoin & Ether Market Cap Weight ETF (BETH) was up 0.2%.

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19.

Exchange-Traded Funds, Equity Futures Higher Pre-Bell Wednesday Ahead of Fed Rate Decision

2025-07-30 12:38:32 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) advanced 0.2% in Wednesday's premarket activity, ahead of the Federal Reserve's latest rate decision due later in the day.

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

US mortgage applications declined 3.8% in the week ended July 25 as both refinancing and purchase activity fell despite a drop in rates, Mortgage Bankers Association data showed Wednesday.

ADP's monthly measure of private payrolls showed a 104,000 increase in July, above expectations compiled by Bloomberg for an increase of 76,000.

Advance estimate for Q2 gross domestic product showed 3.0% growth, compared with expectations for a 2.6% increase and following a 0.5% drop in Q1.

The pending home sales index for June will be released at 10 am ET, followed by the weekly EIA domestic petroleum inventories report at 10:30 am ET.

The Fed is due to announce its latest monetary policy decision at 2 pm ET, with Chair Jerome Powell scheduled to hold a press conference at 2:30 pm.

In premarket action, bitcoin was up by 0.5%. Among cryptocurrency ETFs, the cryptocurrency fund ProShares Bitcoin Strategy ETF (BITO) was 0.6% higher, Ether ETF (EETH) rose 0.9%, while the Bitcoin & Ether Market Cap Weight ETF (BETH) was flat.

Power Play:

Consumer

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

New Oriental Education & Technology Group (EDU) shares were down more than 10% pre-bell after the company provided lower-than-expected guidance for fiscal Q1 and 2026.

Winners and Losers:

Technology

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

Check Point Software Technologies (CHKP) shares were down more than 5% in recent premarket activity even after the company reported higher Q2 non-GAAP earnings and revenue.

Health Care

The Health Care Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLV) advanced 0.4%. The Vanguard Health Care Index Fund (VHT) and the iShares US Healthcare ETF (IYH) were inactive. The iShares Biotechnology ETF (IBB) was steady.

Evotec (EVO) stock was up more than 3% premarket after the company said it signed a nonbinding agreement with Sandoz for the potential sale of the Just-Evotec Biologics EU site in Toulouse, France, for roughly $300 million in cash.

Industrial

Industrial Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLI) added 0.3%, while the Vanguard Industrials Index Fund (VIS) and the iShares US Industrials ETF (IYJ) were inactive.

Vertiv (VRT) stock was up more than 6% before the opening bell after the company reported higher Q2 adjusted earnings and net sales, and raised its 2025 guidance.

Financial

Financial Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLF) retreated 0.1%. Direxion Daily Financial Bull 3X Shares (FAS) was down 0.6%, while its bearish counterpart Direxion Daily Financial Bear 3X Shares (FAZ) was 0.5% higher.

Banco Santander (SAN) shares were down over 2% pre-bell Wednesday after the company reported Q2 earnings and revenue.

Energy

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

Expand Energy (EXE) stock was up 0.8% before Wednesday's opening bell after the company reported higher Q2 adjusted earnings and revenue late Tuesday.

Commodities

Front-month US West Texas Intermediate crude oil was up 0.1% to $69.28 per barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Natural gas fell 1.5% to $3.09 per 1 million British Thermal Units. United States Oil Fund (USO) was 0.3% lower, while the United States Natural Gas Fund (UNG) retreated 2.5%.

Gold futures for August were 0.02% higher at $3,381.80 an ounce on the Comex, while silver futures were down 0.7% to $38.02 an ounce. SPDR Gold Shares (GLD) advanced by 0.1%, and the iShares Silver Trust (SLV) was 0.7% lower.

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20.

Exchange-Traded Funds, US Equities Lower After Midday

2025-07-29 17:11:36 by MT Newswires from MT Newswires

Broad Market Indicators

Broad-market exchange-traded funds IWM and IVV declined. Actively traded Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ) was up 0.1%.

US equity indexes fell in midday trading on Tuesday, a day ahead of the release of quarterly results from Mag-7 constituents and the Federal Reserve's July monetary policy statement.

Energy

iShares US Energy ETF (IYE) and the Energy Select Sector SPDR (XLE) each added about 0.1%.

Technology

Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLK) was up 0.3%; iShares US Technology ETF (IYW) and iShares Expanded Tech Sector ETF (IGM) also edged higher.

SPDR S&P Semiconductor (XSD) dipped 0.4%, while iShares Semiconductor (SOXX) added 0.4%.

Financial

Financial Select Sector SPDR (XLF) slipped 0.3%. Direxion Daily Financial Bull 3X Shares (FAS) eased 0.2%, and its bearish counterpart, Direxion Daily Financial Bear 3X Shares (FAZ), gained 0.3%.

Commodities

Crude oil rose 1.6%, and the United States Oil Fund (USO) was up 0.9%. Natural gas gained 3%, and the United States Natural Gas Fund (UNG) moved 1.6% ahead.

Gold rose 0.3% on Comex, and SPDR Gold Shares (GLD) were up 0.2%. Silver added 0.2%, and iShares Silver Trust (SLV) was 0.1% higher.

Consumer

Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR (XLP) rose 0.8%; Vanguard Consumer Staples ETF (VDC) and the iShares Dow Jones US Consumer Goods (IYK) were higher.

Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR (XLY) was 0.8% lower, and VanEck Retail ETF (RTH) and SPDR S&P Retail (XRT) were mixed, with the latter falling 1.4%.

Health Care

Health Care Select Sector SPDR (XLV) lost 0.5%, and iShares US Healthcare (IYH) and Vanguard Health Care ETF (VHT) were also in the red. iShares Biotechnology ETF (IBB) fell 0.5%.

Industrial

Industrial Select Sector SPDR (XLI) was 1.2% lower. Vanguard Industrials (VIS) and iShares US Industrials (IYJ) were down.

Cryptocurrency

In midday activity, bitcoin (BTC-USD) fell 0.2%. Among cryptocurrency ETFs, ProShares Bitcoin ETF (BITO) dipped 0.4%, ProShares Ether ETF (EETH) lost 1.2%, and ProShares Bitcoin & Ether Market Cap Weight ETF (BETH) fell 0.6%.

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21.

The Trump Tariff Playbook: Why the Bears Got it Wrong

2025-07-29 13:42:00 by Andrew Rocco from Zacks

Seven months into 2025, and President Donald Trump’s ‘Liberation Day’ is the story of the year on Wall Street thus far. On April 2^nd, Trump signed an executive order imposing ‘reciprocal tariffs’ on America’s trading partners, with a minimum 10% tariff on all US imports. Although Donald Trump had talked about how the United States has been getting ripped off on trade for more than three decades, Wall Street investors were caught off guard by the magnitude and aggressiveness of Trump’s tariff plan. The rest is history: panic ensued, with the Nasdaq 100 dumping more than 5% in a single session. Within a week, the major US indices would fall into bear market territory, with tariff-sensitive stocks like Apple (AAPL), Nike (NKE), Nvidia (NVDA), and Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) getting slammed the hardest.

Image Source: TradingView

While the tariff correction was painful due to its speed, Wall Street bulls’ fortunes would turn for the better on April 9^th when President Trump announced a 90-day pause on tariffs and proclaimed, “THIS IS A GREAT TIME TO BUY!” The Nasdaq 100 Index (QQQ) would jump a mind-boggling 12% in a single session, leading to a relentless grind to fresh all-time highs. The 90-day pause signaled to investors that Trump was using the excessive tariffs as leverage for more optimal trade deals. Fast-forward to today, and the US has signed preliminary trade deals with the UK, Japan, Vietnam, Indonesia, China, and the European Union (EU). Below are five misconceptions the bears had that were wrong, including:

1.       Myth: “Trading Rivals Will Not Come to the Negotiation Table”:

 

Reality: The US has massive trade deficits with numerous countries across the world. Because the US is the largest consumer of goods worldwide, rival countries selling goods to the US had more to lose in a trade war, providing President Trump and his negotiating team with leverage. Meanwhile, US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick has come up with ingenious deal frameworks for countries like Japan that are unwilling to open their markets. Japan will ‘buy’ its way into the US market (a 15% tariff instead of 25%) with a massive $550 billion investment into the United States (of which the US will keep 90% of the profits).

 

2.       Myth: “Trump Tariffs will lead to rampant inflation for Americans.”

 

Reality: While inflation could rear its ugly head in the future, the US ‘Truflation’ number is at a tepid 2.01% - lower than when Trump was elected.

Image Source: Truflation

 

3.       Myth: “Tariffs will cause a recession in 2025.”

 

Reality: While the odds of a 2025 recession were once as high as 66% on the Polymarket betting website, they have since slid to just 17% as tariff fears have subsided. Additionally, the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta’s GDPNow model forecasts a 3.1% growth rate.

Image Source: Polymarket

 

4.       Myth: “Foreign companies will not ‘eat’ tariffs.”

 

Reality: Thus far, Trump’s tariffs are working as intended. Honda (HMC) and Toyota (TM) have relocated much of their production to the United States to circumvent tariffs. Meanwhile, numerous foreign automakers have been forced to lower export prices to avoid being priced out of the vast US market.

Image Source: GIR

 

5.       Myth: “Tariff revenue will be insignificant.”

 

Reality: The US government is now generating roughly $20 billion per month in tariff revenue, and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says that $300 billion per year is possible.

Image Source: Axios

Bottom Line

Words talk, data screams. Thus far, Trump’s Tariffs have defied the skeptics and the talking heads. There is no recession on the horizon, inflation is in check, and tariff revenue is soaring.

 

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

Apple Inc. (AAPL) : Free Stock Analysis Report

Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (AMD) : Free Stock Analysis Report

NIKE, Inc. (NKE) : Free Stock Analysis Report

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NVIDIA Corporation (NVDA) : Free Stock Analysis Report

Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (HMC) : Free Stock Analysis Report

Invesco QQQ (QQQ): ETF Research Reports

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

Zacks Investment Research

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22.

Exchange-Traded Funds, Equity Futures Higher Pre-Bell Tuesday Ahead of Jobs Report

2025-07-29 12:29:44 by MT Newswires from MT Newswires

The broad market exchange-traded fund SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY) was up 0.3% and the actively traded Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ) was 0.5% higher in Tuesday's premarket activity, ahead of the Job Openings report.

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

The Federal Reserve's two-day policy session begins later in the day.

The international trade in goods bulletin for June and the June retail and wholesale inventories reports will be released at 8:30 am ET.

The Case-Shiller Home Price Index and the FHFA House Price Index, both for May, post at 9 am ET.

The Conference Board consumer confidence bulletin and the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey report for June will be released at 10 am ET.

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

Power Play:

Technology

Technology Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLK) advanced 0.6%, and the iShares US Technology ETF (IYW) was 0.4% higher, while the iShares Expanded Tech Sector ETF (IGM) rose 1.2%. Among semiconductor ETFs, SPDR S&P Semiconductor ETF (XSD) was up 1%, while the iShares Semiconductor ETF (SOXX) gained 0.9%.

Corning (GLW) shares were up more than 5% in recent premarket activity after the company reported higher Q2 core earnings and sales.

Winners and Losers:

Health Care

The Health Care Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLV) retreated 0.6%. The Vanguard Health Care Index Fund (VHT) declined 0.2%, while the iShares US Healthcare ETF (IYH) fell 1.7%. The iShares Biotechnology ETF (IBB) was inactive.

UnitedHealth Group (UNH) stock was down more than 2% premarket after the company reported lower Q2 adjusted earnings.

Industrial

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

United Parcel Service (UPS) stock was down more than 3% before the opening bell after the company reported lower Q2 non-GAAP earnings and revenue.

Consumer

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

Stellantis (STLA) shares were down more than 3% pre-bell after the company reported lower H1 adjusted earnings and revenue.

Financial

Financial Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLF) advanced 0.2%. Direxion Daily Financial Bull 3X Shares (FAS) was up 0.7%, while its bearish counterpart Direxion Daily Financial Bear 3X Shares (FAZ) was 0.7% lower.

Barclays (BCS) shares were up more than 1% pre-bell Tuesday after the company reported higher Q2 earnings and total income.

Energy

The iShares US Energy ETF (IYE) was up 0.02%, while the Energy Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLE) gained 0.03%.

Baker Hughes (BKR) stock was down more than 3% before Tuesday's opening bell after the company agreed to acquire Chart Industries (GTLS) for $210 per share in cash, or a total enterprise value of $13.60 billion. Chart Industries shares were up over 16% pre-bell.

Commodities

Front-month US West Texas Intermediate crude oil was down 0.03% at $66.69 per barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Natural gas rose 2.9% to $3.08 per 1 million British Thermal Units. United States Oil Fund (USO) was 0.5% lower, while the United States Natural Gas Fund (UNG) retreated 0.8%.

Gold futures for August were 0.2% higher at $3,373.50 an ounce on the Comex, while silver futures were up 0.1% at $38.28 an ounce. SPDR Gold Shares (GLD) retreated by 0.02%, and the iShares Silver Trust (SLV) was 0.1% lower.

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23.

Seven Rules About Stock Market Bubbles Real AND Imagined

2025-07-29 05:01:00 by MoneyShow

Bubble talk is heating up again. Google tells me that searches for “stock bubble” have reached the highest level in four years. Instead of getting caught up in nonsense, let’s establish a few universal truths for speculating about – and investing in – a so-called market bubble, writes Callie Cox, chief market strategist at Ritholtz Wealth Management.

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

Stock market bubbles are so misunderstood. They come out of nowhere, blow bigger than anybody expects, and pop when the biggest haters come around to them. So, let’s talk about my seven bubble rules.

Rule #1: You do not say the word “bubble.” The stock market trades away from earnings and economic data all the time. Bubbles can only be spotted in hindsight because you know how the story ends. Nobody knows how much is too much. That’s why you should just strike “bubble” from your investing vocabulary. Don’t even go there.

Rule #2: You do not say the word “bubble.” Yes, I’m invoking Fight Club here. From here on out, we will only refer to it as the b-word.

Rule #3: Prices will rise higher than you think. B-words tend to form when stock prices shoot higher. But that doesn’t mean a b-word is forming just because stock prices shoot higher.

Also, record highs rarely mean stocks have reached a dangerous top and are ripe for a crash. Since 1950, 80% of S&P 500 record highs have led to at least one more record high in the following week. And in the past, if you’ve bought stocks at record highs, you’ve enjoyed respectable returns over several timeframes.

Rule #4: Prices do not define value. You can’t judge a market on price alone. Doing so ignores a lot of crucial context as to why prices are so high.

Even PE ratios alone can’t tell you much about the stock market’s future. The tech-heavy Nasdaq’s PE ratio is near a five-year high. But you could argue that’s a fair value if Artificial Intelligence (AI) promises to turbocharge profits and tariffs aren’t as scary as some fear.

Rule #5: Prices do not define the idea. This is where b-word talk can get heady. Often, market excess aligns with a new idea or innovation that captures the hearts and minds of the world. Today, that idea is AI. The promise of AI is one of the reasons the S&P 500 has notched two straight years of 20% gains and has managed to stay afloat in a year of chaos.

Rule #6: Keep your balance. Let’s say the haters are right and the market is indeed in a b-word, soon to pop in a grand fashion. Even then, you don’t need to be afraid. You have agency here. You can hedge around your stock holdings through bonds and cash to make sure you’re prepared if prices fall.

See also: TSLA & GOOGL: Which One is TRULY Focused on Cars

Rule #7: Remember your humanity. The most important rule. Investing is never easy. It’s also natural for us to anchor on past experiences. No wonder your mind is rewinding to the 2000s malaise or the early meme stock days. You don’t have to participate in the b-word talk. In fact, I’m giving you a pass today to tune it all out.

More From MoneyShow.com:

• Gold: As Metal Pulls Back, Miners Hold Firm
• ETHA: An Ethereum ETF to Buy as Market Acceptance Grows
• Market Minute 7/28/25: Markets Cheer EU, China Deal Progress

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24.

AI Could Be U.S. Debt's Silver Bullet

2025-07-28 19:21:00 by Undercovered Deep Insights from GuruFocus.com

Apollo chief economist Torsten Slk reckons AI could be the secret weapon to tackle America's debt. In a weekend note he leans on Congressional Budget Office projections showing that if AI adoption drives steady GDP growth and holds inflation down, the U.S. could cut borrowing costs and narrow budget deficits.

• Warning! GuruFocus has detected 6 Warning Sign with META.

Slk points to productivity gains, automation and efficiency boosts across industries as the engines of higher output, while a calmer price backdrop would let the Fed keep rates lower.

Over time, those twin effects could stabilize a debt trajectory that under current trends is set to climb. Why it matters: With Washington wrestling trillion?dollar deficits, AI innovation may offer a market?friendly fiscal fix. Investors will be watching how AI's impact shows up in upcoming growth and inflation data.

This article first appeared on GuruFocus.

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25.

Dow Eyes Record High After EU Deal

2025-07-28 19:06:26 by Undercovered Deep Insights from GuruFocus.com

Dow Jones (DJIA) is flirting with a record high after President Trump and EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen unveiled a framework deal slashing threatened 30% tariffs on EU goods to 15% and exempting key exports like aircraft and chip equipment.

• Warning! GuruFocus has detected 7 Warning Sign with NKE.
• List of 52-Week Lows
• List of 3-Year Lows
• List of 5-Year Lows

The EU also pledged $600 B in new U.S. investments and another $750 B into energy projects over three years. The Dow opened Monday less than 0.5% below its all?time peak ahead of a packed week that features the July 2930 FOMC meeting and a wave of corporate earnings.

Last year the U.S. ran a $235.6 B goods deficit with its largest trading partner, so easing trade friction and fresh capital inflows could help narrow that gap and underpin market gains. Why it matters: Clearer trade rules and massive investment commitments may boost business confidence and spending. Investors will be watching FOMC minutes on Wednesday and upcoming earnings for signs this rally can sustain.

This article first appeared on GuruFocus.

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26.

Exchange-Traded Funds Fall, US Equities Mixed After Midday

2025-07-28 17:09:50 by MT Newswires from MT Newswires

Broad Market Indicators

Broad-market exchange-traded funds IWM and IVV were lower. Actively traded Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ) rose 0.3%.

US equity indexes were mixed in midday trading Monday after a trade deal was announced with the European Union, and President Donald Trump sharply cut back a deadline for Russia to agree to a ceasefire in Ukraine.

Energy

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

Technology

Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLK) gained 0.5%; iShares US Technology ETF (IYW) and iShares Expanded Tech Sector ETF (IGM) also edged higher.

SPDR S&P Semiconductor (XSD) rose 1.3%, while iShares Semiconductor (SOXX) added 1.6%.

Financial

Financial Select Sector SPDR (XLF) slipped 0.6%. Direxion Daily Financial Bull 3X Shares (FAS) dropped 1.8%, and its bearish counterpart, Direxion Daily Financial Bear 3X Shares (FAZ), climbed 1.7%.

Commodities

Crude oil rose 2%, and the United States Oil Fund (USO) was up 2.2%. Natural gas dipped 3.2%, and the United States Natural Gas Fund (UNG) shed 2.5%.

Gold slipped 0.7% lower on Comex, and SPDR Gold Shares (GLD) were 0.7% down. Silver shed 0.2%, and iShares Silver Trust (SLV) fell fractionally.

Consumer

Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR (XLP) dipped 0.7%; Vanguard Consumer Staples ETF (VDC) and the iShares Dow Jones US Consumer Goods (IYK) both pointed lower.

Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR (XLY) rose 0.8%, and VanEck Retail ETF (RTH) and SPDR S&P Retail (XRT) were mixed, with the latter falling 0.2%.

Health Care

Health Care Select Sector SPDR (XLV) lost 0.2%, and iShares US Healthcare (IYH) and Vanguard Health Care ETF (VHT) were also in the red. iShares Biotechnology ETF (IBB) fell 0.2%.

Industrial

Industrial Select Sector SPDR (XLI) moved 0.3% lower. Vanguard Industrials (VIS) and iShares US Industrials (IYJ) were also down.

Cryptocurrency

In midday activity, bitcoin dropped 0.9%. Among cryptocurrency ETFs, ProShares Bitcoin ETF (BITO) rose 0.9%, ProShares Ether ETF (EETH) added 4.6%, and ProShares Bitcoin & Ether Market Cap Weight ETF (BETH) rose 2%.

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27.

Why Is the Dow Lagging? The Market Is Buying Risk, and Not Much Else.

2025-07-28 15:25:04 by Connor Smith from Barrons.com

The S&P 500 is on track for another record, but market breadth is terrible. Only 171 stocks in the index are rising with the index up 0.1%. Top performers include Super Micro Computer, Nike, Advanced Micro Devices, and Tesla.

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28.

Food Network New York City Wine & Food Festival Presented by Invesco QQQ Unveils Star-Packed 2025 Lineup for October 15–19 Festival

2025-07-28 14:00:00 by Business Wire

Tickets On Sale July 30^th for NYC’s Premier Wine & Food Festival Featuring Bobby Flay, Jean-Georges Vongerichten, José Andrés, Alex Guarnaschelli, Martha Stewart, Brooklyn Beckham, Brie Larson, Kwame Onwuachi, Alice Waters and More.
Set in the Historic Seaport in Partnership with Event Zero Foundation, James Beard Foundation, a21 and Seaport Entertainment Group.

NEW YORK, July 28, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Food Network New York City Wine & Food Festival presented by Invesco QQQ (NYCWFF) today announces its spectacular 18th annual programming lineup in its new home, the Seaport, one of New York City’s most historic and dynamic neighborhoods. Now anchored at the Invesco QQQ Festival Campus in the Seaport, the annual Festival promises an enhanced guest experience in a dynamic new setting. This move reflects NYCWFF’s continued evolution while honoring its long-standing partnership with Food Network and its mission to celebrate the very best in food, drink and entertainment. The 2025 Festival will feature 60+ events and more than 300 of today’s top chefs, culinary personalities, mixologists, winemakers, content creators and celebrities—from walk-around tastings and cocktail parties to exclusive dinners, brunches, master classes and the return of FoodieCon®. To purchase tickets, visit https://www.nycwff.org/.

This year, the Festival begins a bold new chapter with acclaimed chef and restaurateur Jean-Georges Vongerichten joining as Culinary Host. As part of his role, he’ll help spotlight the culinary community at the Seaport’s Tin Building and Pier 17 through a series of special dining experiences and chef collaborations. His participation complements a lineup that brings together James Beard Award-winners, Michelin-recognized chefs, beloved Food Network personalities, rising culinary talents and purpose-driven partners across dynamic tastings, panels, pop-ups and more.

Since its inception, the Festival has raised more than $14.8 million for charitable causes and this year’s Festival will support the Event Zero Foundation’s mission to inspire and guide event organizers, businesses and communities toward sustainable practices as well as the James Beard Foundation’s mission to lead chefs and the broader culinary industry towards a new standard of excellence.

"2025 marks a transformative milestone for NYCWFF as we move to the historic Seaport, launching a bold new chapter of immersive, waterfront culinary experiences," said Lee Brian Schrager, Festival Founder and Chief Communications Officer and SVP of Corporate Social Responsibility for Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits. "This vibrant neighborhood is the perfect backdrop for our reimagined Festival, blending the charm of old New York with the energy of today’s culinary innovation. I’ve wanted to bring the Festival to the Seaport since it opened 15 years ago, and I’m thrilled we’re finally here, with all our signature events within two blocks. It feels great to be in a true neighborhood that celebrates creativity, community and culinary excellence. It’s a fresh start and an opportunity to reintroduce the Festival in an exciting new way. I’m especially excited to collaborate with my longtime friend Jean-Georges on this new chapter and deeply grateful to the chefs, partners and passionate fans who continue to support us year after year. As always, Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits will be the exclusive beverage provider, giving guests the opportunity to taste and sip some of the finest wines and spirits from around the globe."

"As stewards of the hospitality industry, a21 is inspired to not just be a part of this celebration of food and community, but to help steer the event to grander prestige," said Brett Friedman, Founder and CEO of a21. "With the addition of the James Beard Foundation and Event Zero Foundation, the event will evolve through its vibrant talent while creating a positive impact throughout the city with an emphasis on sustainability in the culinary industry."

Premier Events Return With A Star-Studded Lineup

The Festival will kick-off the weekend at the Invesco QQQ Festival Campus in the Seaport with A Taste of the Tin Building, hosted by Jean-Georges Vongerichten and Gregory Gourdet, and featuring music by celebrity favorite DJ Cassidy. This immersive evening will take place inside Jean-Georges’ dazzling culinary marketplace, the Tin Building, rooted in global flavors, cultural discovery and bold creativity, making it the perfect place to launch a weekend of extraordinary taste. The iconic fan-favorite that has served as the cornerstone of NYCWFF for over 16 years, Blue Moon Burger Bash returns, hosted by Rachael Ray and Brooklyn Beckham, presented by Pat LaFrieda Meats. The festival’s iconic burger bacchanal, amped up in partnership with features the best burgers across the boroughs, plus a special hot dog recipe created by Rachael Ray and Brooklyn Beckham’s Cloud23 hot sauce. The Festival’s marquee slate continues with the fan-favorite Grand Tasting, the ultimate tour of NYC’s best bites and restaurants, Southern Glazer’s vast selection of wines and spirits and Food Network personalities. And because there are not enough hours in a day to feast your senses on everything at Grand Tasting, this year the Festival is offering a new Grand Tasting evening session hosted by Food Network star chefs Bobby Flay and Brooke Williamson with the option to add on VIP Experience to a special steak focused event at Carne Mare hosted by Andrew Carmellini.

An incredible variety of themed tastings and celebrations follow, including Asian Night Market hosted by Padma Lakshmi and Jean-Georges Vongerichten; A Taste of Tomorrow, an elegant evening spotlighting James Beard Foundation Award–winning chefs and fine wines, hosted by Marcus Samuelsson; Caviar, Cocktails & Champagne hosted by Antonia Lofaso at the WSA Building; and Catch of the Day, a seafood-centric feast presented by Modelo and hosted by Andrew Zimmern that pays homage to the host venue’s history as the site of the original Fulton Fish Market. Red sauce lovers can rejoice at Sunday Supper, presented by Peroni and hosted by influencers "The Pasta Queen" Nadia Caterina Munno and Lil Mo Mozzarella. Whether you’re craving elevated luxury or street food swagger, NYCWFF’s signature events promise unforgettable moments for every appetite.

Creator Connect: FoodieCon® 2025

Back by popular demand, this year’s FoodieCon® — a specially curated space where social culinary creators take center stage — features live demos, panels, discussions and tastings led by tastemakers including "The Pasta Queen" Nadia Caterina Munno, Olivia Tiedemann, Brian Can’t Stop Eating, Karissa Dumbacher, The Golden Balance, Cheffin with Zach, The Vegan Bubby Elle and more. Guests will have facetime with their favorite foodie creators in an engaging format with bites provided by NYC’s trendiest restaurants.

Cookbooks IRL

2025 also introduces a host of exciting cookbook authors, from legendary culinarians to unexpected fresh faces. The year’s most talked-about cookbook authors and culinary storytellers will be hosting exclusive signings, menus and demo-led tastings inspired by the books themselves. Confirmed titles include Party People by Brie Larson and Courtney McBroom, Entertaining by Martha Stewart, I Regret Almost Everything: A Memoir by Keith McNally, Russ & Daughters by Niki Russ Federman and Josh Russ Tupper, Parm to Table by Christian Petroni, The Blue Food Cookbook by Andrew Zimmern, Padma’s All American by Padma Lakshmi and A School Lunch Revolution: A Cookbook by Alice Waters.

An Elevated Table: Exclusive Intimate Dinners

This year, NYCWFF debuts its most exclusive dinner series yet—a handpicked collection of one-night-only culinary experiences hosted by the world’s most celebrated chefs. These intimate evenings offer rare access to top talent over bespoke menus and expert wine and spirit pairings provided by Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits.

Highlights include Alice Waters and Dan Kluger, Paul Carmichael and Kwame Onwuachi, Michael White and Andrew Zimmern, Daniel Boulud and George Ruan, and a once-in-a-lifetime dinner for 12 with José Andrés. Additional exclusive dining experiences feature Rachael Ray, Eric Ripert, Tony Shalhoub, Vikas Khanna, Alain Ducasse, Alex Guarnaschelli and more.

The festival’s Headquarter Hotel centrally located within walking distance to the Invesco QQQ Festival Campus in the Seaport, The Wall Street Hotel, provides attendees with luxurious digs for the duration of the festivities.

The Bank of America Ticket Presale runs through Tuesday, July 29 for eligible cardholders. Bank of America is the official bank partner of NYCWFF and cardholders can access special benefits including priority entry and exclusive discounts at https://nycwff.org/event-type/bofa/

General Tickets On Sale: Wednesday, July 30 at https://nycwff.org.

Follow @NYCWFF Instagram, Facebook and X, and @NYCWineFoodFestival on TikTok.

For more information, please email nycwff@thedooronline.com. Images and interviews are available upon request.

Food Network New York City Wine & Food Festival presented by Invesco QQQ

The Food Network New York City Wine & Food Festival is hosted by and benefits Event Zero Foundation and the James Beard Foundation. Over the past 17 years, the Festival has generated more than $14.8 million in net proceeds for its charitable causes. Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits is the exclusive provider of wine and spirits at the Festival. In November 2022, BizBash named the Festival the #1 Food & Restaurant Industry event in New York for the 10th year in a row. More information on the Festival can be found at nycwff.org. Follow @NYCWFF on Facebook, X and Instagram and on TikTok at @NYCWineFoodFestival.

Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits

Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits is the world’s preeminent distributor of beverage alcohol, building brands for moments that matter. The multi-generational, family-owned Company has operations in 47 U.S. markets and Canada, as well as brokerage operations through its Southern Glazer’s Travel Retail Sales & Export Division in the Caribbean, Central and South America. In 2024, Southern Glazer’s was recognized by Newsweek as one of America’s Greatest Workplaces for Diversity and America’s Greatest Workplaces for Women. Southern Glazer’s urges all retail customers and adult consumers to market, sell, serve, and enjoy its products responsibly. For more information visit www.southernglazers.com. Follow us on Facebook, X and Instagram @sgwinespirits.

a21

a21 is a full-service live experience agency, specializing in event operations, production, marketing, corporate sales, and brand activations for live experiences. Founded in 2006, a21’s portfolio includes internationally recognized events and festivals in South Florida and throughout the US: Food Network South Beach & New York City Wine & Food Festivals, Sunfest, Palm Beach Wine & Food Festival, Pebble Beach Food & Wine Festival, Los Angeles Wine & Food Festival, Atlanta Food & Wine Festival, Heritage Fire, and Whiskies of the World National Tours, AMP's suite of Art Fairs, International Wine & Spirits Competition and more. Learn more at https://www.teama21.com/.

*Invesco is not affiliated with the Food Network New York City Wine & Food Festival or any of the individuals, brands or companies mentioned; nor should this be construed as an endorsement for any of the individuals, brands or companies mentioned.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250728997728/en/

Contacts

nycwff@thedooronline.com

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29.

Exchange-Traded Funds, Equity Futures Higher Pre-Bell Monday Amid US-EU Tariff Deal Reports

2025-07-28 12:48:41 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 amid media reports of a US-EU tariff deal.

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

The Dallas Fed Manufacturing Survey for July will be released at 10:30 am ET.

In premarket activity, bitcoin was down by 0.3%. Among cryptocurrency ETFs, the cryptocurrency fund ProShares Bitcoin Strategy ETF (BITO) was 1.5% higher, Ether ETF (EETH) rose 6.3%, and Bitcoin & Ether Market Cap Weight ETF (BETH) gained 0.2%.

Power Play:

Health Care

The Health Care Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLV) retreated 0.02%. The Vanguard Health Care Index Fund (VHT) was up 0.2% while the iShares US Healthcare ETF (IYH) slipped 0.8%. The iShares Biotechnology ETF (IBB) was inactive.

Revvity (RVTY) stock was down more than 8% premarket after the company reported lower fiscal Q2 adjusted earnings.

Winners and Losers:

Technology

Technology Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLK) gained 0.4%, and the iShares US Technology ETF (IYW) was 0.5% higher, while the iShares Expanded Tech Sector ETF (IGM) was up 0.1%. Among semiconductor ETFs, SPDR S&P Semiconductor ETF (XSD) advanced 0.02%, while the iShares Semiconductor ETF (SOXX) rose by 1%.

WeRide (WRD) shares were up more than 6% in recent premarket activity after the company said that its Robotaxi has received an autonomous driving permit in Saudi Arabia, allowing the company to operate an autonomous vehicle business and deploy its Robotaxis in the country.

Industrial

Industrial Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLI) advanced 0.2% while the Vanguard Industrials Index Fund (VIS) was inactive, while the iShares US Industrials ETF (IYJ) was up 0.3%.

KBR (KBR) stock was up more than 1% before the opening bell after the company said TAQA Transmission awarded the company a Program Management Consultancy services contract.

Consumer

The Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLP) was down 0.1%, while the Vanguard Consumer Staples Fund (VDC) was 0.1% lower. The iShares US Consumer Staples ETF (IYK) declined by 0.7%, and the Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLY) gained 0.4%. The VanEck Retail ETF (RTH) was inactive, while the SPDR S&P Retail ETF (XRT) rose 1.5%.

Tesla (TSLA) shares were up 1.3% pre-bell after Samsung awarded the company an artificial intelligence semiconductor manufacturing contract worth about 22.765 trillion South Korean won ($16.50 billion).

Energy

The iShares US Energy ETF (IYE) was inactive, while the Energy Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLE) was up by 0.5%.

Eni (E) stock was up more than 1% before Monday's opening bell after the Financial Times quoted Eni Chief Executive Claudio Descalzi as saying that it expects its green businesses to generate operating profits comparable to those from oil and gas by 2035, with profits from renewables and related activities estimated to surpass traditional energy by 2040.

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.

Commodities

Front-month US West Texas Intermediate crude oil was up 1.4% at $66.05 per barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Natural gas declined 1.6% to $3.06 per 1 million British Thermal Units. United States Oil Fund (USO) was 1.5% higher, while the United States Natural Gas Fund (UNG) retreated 0.5%.

Gold futures for August were flat at $3,392.60 an ounce on the Comex, while silver futures were down 0.3% at $38.26 an ounce. SPDR Gold Shares (GLD) retreated by 0.02%, and the iShares Silver Trust (SLV) was 0.1% lower.

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30.

Trump Signals China Deal Could Be Close

2025-07-28 12:28:20 by Undercovered Deep Insights from GuruFocus.com

Donald Trump surprised many when he hinted that a China trade deal is already in place. He didn't share details but joked, We've kind of reached one already, but let's see how it unfolds before meeting EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Scotland.

This week, top U.S. and Chinese negotiators head to Stockholm with a mid August deadline to extend their tariff truce. China's Vice Premier He Lifeng and U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent will tackle everything from keeping tariffs paused to U.S. worries about fentanyl trafficking and sanctioned oil purchases.

Beneath the headlines is a battle over key technologies. China's rare?earth magnets are crucial for electric vehicles, wind turbines and military gear. The U.S. wants to diversify supply chains and limit dependence while holding tight on cutting?edge AI semiconductors.

These talks follow Trump's recent deal with the EU, which saw Europe agree to a 15% tariff on exports to the U.S. in exchange for $600 B in U.S. investments in energy and defense. Still, new U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods from chips to pharmaceuticals could kick in if negotiators can't lock down a firm agreement.

This article first appeared on GuruFocus.

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31.

Federal Reserve meeting, July jobs report, and Big Tech earnings: What to watch this week

2025-07-27 11:37:56 by Josh Schafer from Yahoo Finance

The stock market is at record highs as investors brace for what's expected to be the busiest week of the summer on Wall Street. 

The S&P 500 (^GSPC) notched a record close in each of the past five trading sessions, rising about 1.5% for the week. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite (^IXIC) rose about 1.3% and also closed out the week at record levels. Meanwhile, the Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) added 1% on the week. 

In the week ahead, a Federal Reserve meeting, the July jobs report, and earnings from Big Tech stalwarts Apple (AAPL), Amazon (AMZN), Microsoft (MSFT), and Meta (META) will drive the direction of markets to kick off August.

A busy week of corporate earnings awaits, with 164 members of the S&P 500 expected to report quarterly results. Boeing (BA), Coinbase (COIN), Exxon Mobil (XOM), Chevron (CVX), and Starbucks (SBUX) will be among the companies highlighting the schedule.

Updates on job openings, activity in the services and manufacturing sectors, and consumer confidence are also on the calendar, while the first reading of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for the second quarter is slated for Wednesday.

Investors will also be keyed in on trade-related updates, with Friday serving as President Trump's latest deadline to reach a flurry of deals. One major breakthrough came Sunday, as the US and EU reached a framework agreement with a 15% baseline tariff on EU goods. Trump called it “the biggest of them all.”

Read more: The latest news and updates on Trump's tariffs

Fed up front 

Before Big Tech earnings and economic data take center stage, investors will be closely tracking the Federal Reserve's July monetary policy decision. While Federal Governor Christopher Waller has signaled he may vote to lower the fed funds rate at the July meeting, investors are betting an interest rate cut in the coming week is almost certainly not in the cards.

Markets are currently pricing in just a 3% chance the Fed cuts interest rates at its July meeting, per the CME FedWatch Tool. Looking out further, markets see a 64% chance the Fed will cut rates by at least a quarter of a percentage point by the end of its September meeting. 

With no interest rate move expected in July, JPMorgan chief US economist Michael Feroli wrote in a note to clients that the focus this week will likely shift to any dissents among the Federal Open Market Committee's (FOMC) voting members. 

"We wouldn’t take too much signal from two dissents, as we think it would say more about auditioning for the Fed chair appointment than about economic conditions," Feroli wrote. 

Data dump

The week ahead will bring updates on economic growth in the second quarter, the Fed's preferred inflation gauge, and the labor market. 

On Wednesday, the Bureau of Economic Analysis is slated to release the advance estimate for second quarter gross domestic product (GDP). Expectations are that the US economy rebounded in the second quarter, growing at an annualized rate of 3% in the quarter after activity contracted at 0.5% rate to start the year.

On Thursday, the latest reading of the Fed's preferred inflation gauge, "core" PCE, is expected to show inflation increased 0.3% over the prior month in June. This would mark an acceleration from the 0.2% increase seen in May. 

On annual basis, economists surveyed by Bloomberg expect core PCE to clock in at 2.7%, unchanged from May. 

On Friday, the Bureau of Labor Statistics will provide a fresh look at the national employment situation. 

The July jobs report is expected to show 101,000 nonfarm payroll jobs were added to the US economy, with the unemployment rate inching higher to 4.2%, according to data from Bloomberg. In June, the US economy added 144,000 jobs, while the unemployment rate unexpectedly fell to 4.1%.

"We continue to anticipate that coming reports on the labor market, inflation and growth will evolve in a way that keeps Fed policy on hold through year end," BNP Paribas senior US economist Andrew Husby wrote in a note to clients on Friday. 

Earnings scorecard

After about a third of the S&P 500 have reported their earnings, the index is pacing for earnings growth of 6.4%, up from the 5% expected on June 27, per FactSet data.

At the same time, estimates for year-over-year earnings growth in the final two quarters of 2025 and the full year 2026 have been moving higher. As of July 25, FactSet data showed analysts expect the S&P 500 to grow earnings by 13.9% in 2026, up from the 13.8% that had been expected a month ago.

This reflects that not only are companies topping Wall Street's estimated earnings growth in the prior quarter, as most typically do, but they are also maintaining constructive outlooks for the rest of the year. 

Citi US equity strategist Scott Chronert pointed out in a Friday note to clients that this is helping support the recent rally in stocks. "The beat-and-hold versus a beat-and-lower, which has been common in recent quarters, has been good enough for the index to melt up to new highs," Chronert wrote. 

"The question from here is how much more good news do we need to sustain [these] levels."

When Apple, Meta, Amazon, and Microsoft report, AI spending will be in particular focus for investors after Alphabet recently said its capital expenditures would climb another $10 billion to $85 billion in 2025.

The speculative surge

As speculative trades have bubbled in recent weeks, highlighted by a soaring unprofitable tech trade and the return of meme stocks, whether or not markets are reaching a near-term top has once again become a pressing question for investors. 

A recent research note from Goldman Sachs says not so fast. 

Goldman's "speculative trading indicator" — which incorporates trading volumes in unprofitable stocks, penny stocks, and richly valued companies compared to their actual sales — has surged in recent weeks and is now only below levels seen during the dot-com bubble and the 2021 SPAC craze. 

Goldman Sachs senior equity strategist Ben Snider pointed out surges like this have "signaled above-average near-term equity returns but a poor medium-term outlook for stocks."

Weekly Calendar

Monday

Economic data: Dallas Fed manufacturing activity, July (-12.7 prior)

Earnings: Tilray (TLRY), Waste Management (WM), Whirlpool (WHR)

Tuesday

Economic data: S&P CoreLogic 20-city home price index, year-over-year, May (+3.42% prior); Conference Board consumer confidence, July (95.9 expected, 93 prior); Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey, June (7.77 million prior); Dallas Fed services activity, July (-4.4 prior)

Earnings: Boeing (BA), Booking Holdings (BKNG), Caesars (CZR), Cheesecake Factory (CAKE), Merck (MRK), PayPal (PYPL), Procter & Gamble (PG), Spotify (SPOT), Starbucks (SBUX), SoFi (SOFI), UnitedHealth Group (UNH), UPS (UPS), Visa (V)

Wednesday

Economic data: Federal Reserve monetary policy decision (no interest rate change expected); GDP annualized quarter-over-quarter annualized, second quarter advanced estimate (+2.5% expected, -0.5% prior); ADP private payrolls, July (+75,000 expected, -33,000 prior); Core PCE price index quarter-over-quarter, second quarter (+3.5% expected); Pending home sales month-over-month, June (0% expected, +1.8% prior); MBA Mortgage Applications, week ended July 25 (+0.8% prior); Minnesota Chicago PMI, July (44.0 expected, 47.4 prior)

Earnings: Meta (META), Microsoft (MSFT), Arm (ARM), Altria (MO), Carvana (CVNA), Ford (F), Generac (GNRC), Harley Davidson (HOG), Hershey (HSY), Humana (HUM), The Kraft Heinz Company (KHC), Qualcomm (QCOM), Robinhood (HOOD)

Thursday

Economic data: Challenger jobs cuts, year-over-year, July, (-1.6% prior); Personal income, June (+0.2% expected, -0.4% prior); Personal spending, June (+0.4% expected, -0.1% prior); Core PCE price index, month-over-month, June (+0.3% expected, +0.1% prior); Core PCE price index, year-over-year, June (+2.7% expected, +2.7% prior); Employment cost index, second quarter (+0.8% expected, +0.9% prior); Initial jobless claims, week ending July 26 (223,000 expected, 217,000 prior)

Earnings: Apple (AAPL), Amazon (AMZN), Bristol Myers Squibb (BMY), Cigna (CI), Coinbase (COIN), CVS Health (CVS), Mastercard (MA), Norwegian Cruise Line (NCLH), Reddit (RDDT), Roblox (RBLX), Roku (ROKU), Strategy (MSTR)

Friday

Economic calendar: Nonfarm payrolls, July (+109,000 expected, +147,000 prior); Unemployment rate, July (4.2% expected, 4.1% prior); Average hourly earnings, month-over-month, July (+0.3% expected, +0.2% prior); Average hourly earnings, year-over-year, July (+3.8% expected, +3.7% prior); Average weekly hours worked, July (34.3 expected, 34.2 prior); Labor force participation rate, July (62.3% expected, 62.3% prior); ISM manufacturing, July (49.5 expected, 49 prior); S&P Global US manufacturing, July final (49.5 expected, 49 prior); Construction spending, month-over-month, June (+0.1% expected, -0.3% prior); University of Michigan consumer sentiment, July final (61.8 prior)

Earnings: Chevron (CVX), Colgate-Palmolive (CL), Exxon Mobil (XOM)

Josh Schafer is a reporter for Yahoo Finance. Follow him on X @_joshschafer.

Click here for the latest economic news and indicators to help inform your investing decisions

Read the latest financial and business news from Yahoo Finance

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32.

CHICAGO GOURMET 2025 POWERED BY INVESCO QQQ: PREMIER CULINARY FEST, TICKETS ON SALE JULY 25

2025-07-25 19:00:00 by PR Newswire

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33.

Exchange-Traded Funds, US Equities Higher After Midday Friday

2025-07-25 17:10:56 by MT Newswires from MT Newswires

Broad Market Indicators

Broad-market exchange-traded funds IWM and IVV were higher. Actively traded Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ) rose 0.4%.

US equity indexes scaled new all-time peaks in midday trading Friday as investors weighed corporate earnings while gaining confidence that Jerome Powell will complete his term at the Federal Reserve and a trade deal will be struck with the European Union.

Energy

iShares US Energy ETF (IYE) and the Energy Select Sector SPDR (XLE) both fell 0.3%.

Technology

Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLK) added 0.3%; iShares US Technology ETF (IYW) and iShares Expanded Tech Sector ETF (IGM) also edged higher.

SPDR S&P Semiconductor (XSD) shed 0.2%, while iShares Semiconductor (SOXX) lost 0.2%.

Financial

Financial Select Sector SPDR (XLF) was 0.5% up. Direxion Daily Financial Bull 3X Shares (FAS) climbed 1.7%, and its bearish counterpart, Direxion Daily Financial Bear 3X Shares (FAZ), dropped 1.4%.

Commodities

Crude oil fell 1%, and the United States Oil Fund (USO) was down 1%. Natural gas rose 0.2%, and the United States Natural Gas Fund (UNG) shed 0.1%.

Gold slipped 1.3% lower on Comex, and SPDR Gold Shares (GLD) were 1.2% down. Silver shed 2.3%, and iShares Silver Trust (SLV) fell 2.3%.

Consumer

Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR (XLP) dipped 0.1%; Vanguard Consumer Staples ETF (VDC) and the iShares Dow Jones US Consumer Goods (IYK) both pointed lower.

Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR (XLY) added 0.9%, and VanEck Retail ETF (RTH) and SPDR S&P Retail (XRT) gained as well.

Health Care

Health Care Select Sector SPDR (XLV) rose 0.2%, and iShares US Healthcare (IYH) and Vanguard Health Care ETF (VHT) were also higher. iShares Biotechnology ETF (IBB) fell 0.4%.

Industrial

Industrial Select Sector SPDR (XLI) moved 0.7% ahead. Vanguard Industrials (VIS) and iShares US Industrials (IYJ) were also up.

Cryptocurrency

In midday activity, bitcoin dropped 2%. Among cryptocurrency ETFs, ProShares Bitcoin ETF (BITO) lost 2.1%, ProShares Ether ETF (EETH) fell 2.7%, and ProShares Bitcoin & Ether Market Cap Weight ETF (BETH) lost 2.7%.

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34.

Solid Corporate Earnings Results Support Stocks

2025-07-25 15:12:09 by Rich Asplund from Barchart

On the date of publication, Rich Asplund 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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35.

Exchange-Traded Funds, Equity Futures Higher Pre-Bell Friday Buoyed by Tech Earnings

2025-07-25 12:24:44 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 0.1% higher in Friday's premarket activity, buoyed by tech earnings momentum.

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.

The June durable goods orders bulletin will be released at 8:30 am ET, followed by the weekly Baker Hughes domestic oil-and-gas rig count at 1 pm ET.

In premarket action, bitcoin was up by 1.9%. Among cryptocurrency ETFs, the cryptocurrency fund ProShares Bitcoin Strategy ETF (BITO) was 1.9% lower, Ether ETF (EETH) was down 0.5%, and Bitcoin & Ether Market Cap Weight ETF (BETH) fell 2.4%.

Power Play:

Health Care

The Health Care Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLV) advanced 0.2%. The Vanguard Health Care Index Fund (VHT) was up 0.5% while the iShares US Healthcare ETF (IYH) was inactive. The iShares Biotechnology ETF (IBB) was flat.

Centene (CNC) stock was down more than 9% premarket after the company swung to a Q2 adjusted loss.

Winners and Losers:

Technology

Technology Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLK) retreated 0.01%, and the iShares US Technology ETF (IYW) was flat, while the iShares Expanded Tech Sector ETF (IGM) was inactive. Among semiconductor ETFs, SPDR S&P Semiconductor ETF (XSD) was inactive, while the iShares Semiconductor ETF (SOXX) fell by 0.4%.

Intel (INTC) shares were down more than 7% in recent premarket activity after the chipmaker said overnight it decided against proceeding with planned projects in Germany and Poland.

Industrial

Industrial Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLI) advanced 0.2% while the Vanguard Industrials Index Fund (VIS) and the iShares US Industrials ETF (IYJ) were inactive.

Gorman-Rupp (GRC) stock was up more than 2% before the opening bell after the company reported higher Q2 non-GAAP adjusted earnings and net sales.

Consumer

The Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLP) was down 0.1%, while the Vanguard Consumer Staples Fund (VDC) was 0.5% higher. The iShares US Consumer Staples ETF (IYK) was inactive, and the Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLY) advanced 0.2%. The VanEck Retail ETF (RTH) and the SPDR S&P Retail ETF (XRT) were inactive.

Lear (LEA) shares were down more than 2% pre-bell after the company reported lower Q2 adjusted earnings.

Financial

Financial Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLF) advanced 0.2%. Direxion Daily Financial Bull 3X Shares (FAS) was up 0.5%, while its bearish counterpart Direxion Daily Financial Bear 3X Shares (FAZ) was 0.2% lower.

OneMain (OMF) shares were up more than 1% pre-bell Friday after the company reported higher Q2 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%.

Ovintiv (OVV) stock was up more than 1% before Friday's opening bell after the company reported higher-than-expected Q2 adjusted earnings and revenue late Thursday.

Commodities

Front-month US West Texas Intermediate crude oil was up 0.4% at $66.26 per barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Natural gas gained 1.2% to reach $3.13 per 1 million British Thermal Units. United States Oil Fund (USO) was 0.2% higher, while the United States Natural Gas Fund (UNG) advanced 0.9%.

Gold futures for August declined 1% to $3,398.30 an ounce on the Comex, while silver futures were down 0.8% at $38.91 an ounce. SPDR Gold Shares (GLD) retreated by 0.9%, and the iShares Silver Trust (SLV) was 0.8% lower.

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36.

Powell Under Fire As Housing Slows

2025-07-25 09:28:31 by Undercovered Deep Insights from GuruFocus.com

The 10?year Treasury yield slipped after President Trump took to Truth Social Wednesday to blast Fed Chair Jerome Too Late Powell for keeping rates at 4.25%4.50%, saying a 300 bps cut could save the U.S. $1 T a year.

He pointed to June's single?family home sales dropping to a 627,000 SAAR pace, down 6.6% Y/Y, unsold inventory swelling to a 9.8?month supply and 30?year mortgage rates hovering near 7%.

• Warning! GuruFocus has detected 7 Warning Sign with FOXA.

Traders jumped on his comments: the 2?year yield tumbled 7 bps, the 10?year eased 6 bps, the 2s/10s curve steepened by 60 bps, the dollar slid about 0.3% and the Russell 2000 popped 1%.

Any hint of political meddling in Fed policy could shake confidence in bonds and the dollar.Investors will be glued to Powell's September testimony for clues on when rate cuts might land.

This article first appeared on GuruFocus.

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37.

Alphabet and ServiceNow Smash Earnings: Why the Best Is Yet to Come

2025-07-24 17:01:30 by Luke Lango from InvestorPlace

After last night’s knockout earnings reports from tech titans Alphabet (GOOGL) and ServiceNow (NOW), we don’t think Silicon Valley’s message to Wall Street could be any clearer. 

The AI Boom just continues to accelerate.

And if you’re still on the sidelines, it’s time to ask yourself a hard question: what exactly are you waiting for?

InvestorPlace - Stock Market News, Stock Advice & Trading Tips

Let’s be real. Over the past 2.5 years, the stock market hasn’t exactly been balanced. It’s been wildly lopsided, reflecting a tale of two economies. One is crawling: old-school industrials, tired consumer brands, and limp small-caps stuck in a perpetual game of macro ping-pong. The other is sprinting – driven by the leaps and bounds we’ve seen from artificial intelligence.

We can use the Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ) and iShares Russell 2000 ETF (IWM) as a gauge here. The former tracks the Nasdaq 100: heavily weighted toward mega-cap AI leaders. The latter reflects a broad swath of small-cap stocks, typically more exposed to U.S. macro conditions, higher interest rates, and legacy industries.

Just look at the difference in performance over the past few years…

The scoreboard doesn’t lie. Stocks follow earnings. And all the earnings growth is being sewn by AI-fueled tech giants like Alphabet and enterprise AI leaders like ServiceNow.

Big Tech is booming because that’s where all the earnings growth is happening.

Last night proved that this trend is not slowing down. It’s going vertical – and that’s great news for AI stock investors.

Gemini, Veo, Cloud: How AI Is Driving Alphabet’s New Growth Curve

We see Alphabet’s second-quarter earnings report as nothing short of a mic drop.

Its core ad business rebounded nicely, with Google Search revenue growth accelerating from 10% in Q1 to 12% in Q2. It’s the same story with YouTube – up 13% year-over-year. Yet, that’s not even what blew the roof off…

The real action was on the AI side.

Let’s start with Google Cloud, where revenue growth reaccelerated to 32%, up from Q1’s 28%. Operating income for the segment jumped to $2.8 billion from just under $1.2 billion in Q2 2024. That’s a 133% increase over the past year.

Gemini, the company’s flagship AI platform, now has over 450 million monthly users. Daily requests are up more than 50% since Q1. AI Overviews in Search reached over 2 million monthly users across 200-plus countries. And Veo3, Google’s AI video generator, has already generated 70 million videos – in just two months.

Where things get even crazier? Enterprise adoption. Google Cloud has signed more billion-dollar deals in the first half of 2025 than it did in all of 2024. Token usage in AI apps has doubled in only two months, and enterprise usage of Gemini has soared a massive 35X year-over-year.

All of this has driven Google Cloud’s backlog to an eye-popping $106 billion. And in response, Alphabet hiked its capex guidance by another $10 billion… Because it literally can’t build AI infrastructure fast enough to meet demand.

Clearly, the AI Boom at Alphabet is stronger than ever – and now the company is racing to spend even more money to keep up with the red-hot demand for all its new AI products and services. 

ServiceNow: Enterprise AI Demand Is Catching Fire

If Alphabet’s results reflect the consumer side of the AI Boom, ServiceNow’s earnings are proof that enterprise demand is just as explosive.

The company just posted another classic “beat-and-raise” quarter. Revenue is up more than 20%. Profits are up more than 30%; and management offered guidance for that kind of growth to continue for the next few quarters, too.

Driving this surge is – you guessed it – AI.

AI Pro Plus, ServiceNow’s AI license tier, saw deal count grow more than 50% quarter-over-quarter. Major customers like Exxon (XOM), Nvidia (NVDA), and Standard Chartered are all now rolling out ServiceNow AI agents across their global operations. And the firm just closed its largest-ever enterprise AI deal: a single $20 million contract for its Now Assist platform. 

In short, these real AI workflows are quickly being embedded into trillion-dollar companies’ operations, with ServiceNow becoming the go-to for enterprise AI solutions. 

Demand is stronger than ever right now. And there’s no signs that’ll change anytime soon. 

Follow the Earnings: Why AI Stocks Are Still the Smart Money Bet

Let’s zoom out.

Over the past year, investors have repeatedly questioned whether the AI Boom is sustainable. 

Is it just another tech bubble? Can this kind of growth really continue?

If you’re wondering the same, you’ll find that the answer is in the numbers.

Alphabet’s and ServiceNow’s explosive results prove that AI adoption is still in the very early innings. User growth is accelerating. Product demand is soaring. Revenue is climbing. Backlogs are ballooning. And the market is rewarding it.

Capital flows where earnings are strongest. And right now, all the growth is concentrated in AI and tech… Which means all the stock price growth will be, too.

Sure, some still believe this is just a temporary hype cycle. They cling to the idea that the market will “broaden out” and that leadership will eventually rotate.

Maybe someday it will. But right now, the earnings pie is being baked and eaten in Silicon Valley. 

That’s where you want your capital to be.

Ignore the Noise; Buy the Trend

Now, we’ll be blunt. We think those investors who think the AI boom is a hype-fueled bubble waiting to burst are dead wrong. 

What we’re seeing unfold isn’t a temporary rotation of capital. It’s a rewiring of the global economy to be built on tech. 

So, where does this all lead?

Straight into what renowned futurist Eric Fry calls the Age of Chaos: a high-stakes period where powerful shifts in tech, geopolitics, and the economy could make – or break – fortunes.

Fry isn’t new to this game. He’s recommended more than 40 stocks that went on to soar 1,000%-plus, successfully navigating both bull and bear cycles.

Now, he’s back with what may be his most vital call of the decade.

Eric just released his “Sell This, Buy That” blueprint for navigating today’s AI-fueled mania. He’s naming seven tickers – four he says to ditch immediately… and three urgent buys he believes could be life-changing in the months and years ahead, including:

• A little-known robotics firm whose revenue has soared 15X since 2019 – and one that he believes could outmaneuver Tesla in the physical AI arms race
• An under-the-radar online retailer that Fry thinks could be the next Amazon… with 700% growth potential
• And a safer AI alternative to Nvidia: one he says could protect your capital and capture massive upside

He’s even giving away the names and tickers for free – plus all the research behind them.

Click here to access Eric Fry’s seven “Sell This, Buy That” trades for the Age of Chaos.

The AI Boom is real. Earnings are soaring. But not all tech stocks are built to survive this next phase.

Eric Fry says the next 12 to 24 months could be the most volatile of our lifetimes – and this may be your best shot to get positioned before a new economic order unfolds.

The post Alphabet and ServiceNow Smash Earnings: Why the Best Is Yet to Come appeared first on InvestorPlace.

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38.

MoneyMasters Podcast 7-24-25- Are America's Markets Still Exceptional

2025-07-24 16:30:00 by MoneyShow

This week, Alicia Levine, head of investment strategy and equities at BNY Wealth, joins the MoneyShow MoneyMasters Podcast to break down what’s really driving the market to new highs – and why American exceptionalism isn’t dead yet.

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

We cover why Big Tech still has room to run, which other sectors she’s bullish on, and how trade deals and tariffs are quietly shaping inflation and growth.

Alicia also shares why gold is rallying, what investors often get wrong about geopolitical risk, and why long-term opportunities still favor the US over international markets.

See also: TTE: A High-Yielding Energy Play We Can't Pass Up

Reminder: Alicia will be speaking at the 2025 MoneyShow/TradersEXPO Orlando, scheduled for Oct. 16-18 at the Omni Orlando Resort at ChampionsGate. Click here to register.

More From MoneyShow.com:

• The Fed, Gold, and the US Dollar: Where Things Stand
• FDS: Fiscal Q3 Estimates Missed, But Longer-Term Growth on Track
• KARO: A Singapore Tech Name with a Top-Notch "Zen Rating"

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39.

Exchange-Traded Funds Higher, Equity Futures Mixed Pre-Bell Thursday Amid Corporate Earnings Reports

2025-07-24 12:18:56 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 0.3% higher in Thursday's premarket activity as markets assess corporate earnings releases.

US stock futures were mixed, with S&P 500 Index futures up 0.1%, Dow Jones Industrial Average futures slipping 0.4%, and Nasdaq futures gaining 0.3% before the start of regular trading.

The weekly jobless claims bulletin and the Chicago Fed National Activity Index for June will be released at 8:30 am ET.

The S&P Global flash composite PMI for July posts at 9:45 am, followed by the new home sales report for June at 10 am ET, and the weekly EIA natural gas report at 10:30 am ET.

The Kansas City Fed Manufacturing Index for July is slated for an 11 am ET release.

In premarket activity, bitcoin was up by 0.3%. Among cryptocurrency ETFs, the cryptocurrency fund ProShares Bitcoin Strategy ETF (BITO) was 0.3% higher, Ether ETF (EETH) gained 1.3%, and Bitcoin & Ether Market Cap Weight ETF (BETH) advanced 0.01%.

Power Play:

Technology

Technology Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLK) advanced 0.2%, and the iShares US Technology ETF (IYW) was 0.8% higher, while the iShares Expanded Tech Sector ETF (IGM) was up 0.6%. Among semiconductor ETFs, SPDR S&P Semiconductor ETF (XSD) gained 0.4%, while the iShares Semiconductor ETF (SOXX) rose by 0.3%.

STMicroelectronics (STM) shares were down more than 13% in recent premarket activity after the company reported lower Q2 non-GAAP earnings and net revenue.

Winners and Losers:

Financial

Financial Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLF) retreated 0.2%. Direxion Daily Financial Bull 3X Shares (FAS) was down 0.4%, while its bearish counterpart Direxion Daily Financial Bear 3X Shares (FAZ) was 0.4% higher.

Stewart Information Services (STC) shares were up more than 5% pre-bell after the company posted higher Q2 adjusted earnings and revenue.

Consumer

The Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLP) declined by 0.01%, while the Vanguard Consumer Staples Fund (VDC) was down 1.4%. The iShares US Consumer Staples ETF (IYK) was inactive, and the Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLY) lost 1.2%. The VanEck Retail ETF (RTH) and the SPDR S&P Retail ETF (XRT) were inactive.

Darling Ingredients (DAR) shares were down nearly 2% pre-bell after the company reported lower-than-expected fiscal Q2 earnings and net sales.

Energy

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

TotalEnergies SE (TTE) stock was down more than 3% before Thursday's opening bell after the company posted lower Q2 adjusted earnings and revenue.

Health Care

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

Labcorp (LH) stock was up nearly 2% premarket after the company posted higher Q2 adjusted earnings and revenue.

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.

Dover (DOV) stock was up more than 2% before the opening bell after the company reported higher Q2 adjusted earnings from continuing operations and revenue.

Commodities

Front-month US West Texas Intermediate crude oil was up 0.9% at $65.84 per barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Natural gas gained 0.1% to reach $3.08 per 1 million British Thermal Units. United States Oil Fund (USO) was 0.4% higher, while the United States Natural Gas Fund (UNG) advanced 0.7%.

Gold futures for August declined 0.9% to $3,424.60 an ounce on the Comex, while silver futures were down 0.5% at $39.31 an ounce. SPDR Gold Shares (GLD) retreated by 0.8%, and the iShares Silver Trust (SLV) was 0.7% lower.

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40.

Should Vanguard Growth ETF (VUG) Be on Your Investing Radar?

2025-07-24 10:20:06 by Zacks Equity Research from Zacks

Launched on 01/26/2004, the Vanguard Growth ETF (VUG) is a passively managed exchange traded fund designed to provide a broad exposure to the Large Cap Growth segment of the US equity market.

The fund is sponsored by Vanguard. It has amassed assets over $179.85 billion, making it the largest ETFs attempting to match the Large Cap Growth segment of the US equity market.

Why Large Cap Growth

Large cap companies usually have a market capitalization above $10 billion. Considered a more stable option, large cap companies boast more predictable cash flows and are less volatile than their mid and small cap counterparts.

Qualities of growth stocks include faster growth rates compared to the broader market, as well as higher valuations and higher than average sales and earnings growth rates. Also, growth stocks are a type of equity that carries more risk compared to others. When you consider growth versus value, growth stocks are usually the clear winner in strong bull markets but tend to fall flat in nearly all other environments.

Costs

Investors should also pay attention to an ETF's expense ratio. Lower cost products will produce better results than those with a higher cost, assuming all other metrics remain the same.

Annual operating expenses for this ETF are 0.04%, making it the least expensive products in the space.

It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 0.44%.

Sector Exposure and Top Holdings

ETFs offer a diversified exposure and thus minimize single stock risk but it is still important to delve into a fund's holdings before investing. Most ETFs are very transparent products and many disclose their holdings on a daily basis.

This ETF has heaviest allocation to the Information Technology sector--about 50.90% of the portfolio. Consumer Discretionary and Telecom round out the top three.

Looking at individual holdings, Microsoft Corp (MSFT) accounts for about 11.76% of total assets, followed by Nvidia Corp (NVDA) and Apple Inc (AAPL).

The top 10 holdings account for about 59.24% of total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

VUG seeks to match the performance of the CRSP U.S. Large Cap Growth Index before fees and expenses. The CRSP US Large Cap Growth Index represents the growth companies of the CRSP US Large Cap Index.

The ETF has added roughly 9.98% so far this year and is up about 20.04% in the last one year (as of 07/24/2025). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $329.49 and $450.40.

The ETF has a beta of 1.18 and standard deviation of 21.78% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 166 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.

Alternatives

Vanguard Growth ETF holds a Zacks ETF Rank of 1 (Strong Buy), which is based on expected asset class return, expense ratio, and momentum, among other factors. Because of this, VUG is a great option for investors seeking exposure to the Style Box - Large Cap Growth segment of the market. There are other additional ETFs in the space that investors could consider as well.

The iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF (IWF) and the Invesco QQQ (QQQ) track a similar index. While iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF has $113.80 billion in assets, Invesco QQQ has $358.67 billion. IWF has an expense ratio of 0.19% and QQQ charges 0.20%.

Bottom-Line

While an excellent vehicle for long term investors, passively managed ETFs are a popular choice among institutional and retail investors due to their low costs, transparency, flexibility, and tax efficiency.

To learn more about this product and other ETFs, screen for products that match your investment objectives and read articles on latest developments in the ETF investing universe, please visit Zacks ETF Center.

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

Vanguard Growth ETF (VUG): ETF Research Reports

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

iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF (IWF): ETF Research Reports

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

Zacks Investment Research

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41.

Should iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF (IWF) Be on Your Investing Radar?

2025-07-24 10:20:05 by Zacks Equity Research from Zacks

Looking for broad exposure to the Large Cap Growth segment of the US equity market? You should consider the iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF (IWF), a passively managed exchange traded fund launched on 05/22/2000.

The fund is sponsored by Blackrock. It has amassed assets over $113.80 billion, making it one of the largest ETFs attempting to match the Large Cap Growth segment of the US equity market.

Why Large Cap Growth

Companies that fall in the large cap category tend to have a market capitalization above $10 billion. Considered a more stable option, large cap companies boast more predictable cash flows and are less volatile than their mid and small cap counterparts.

Qualities of growth stocks include faster growth rates compared to the broader market, as well as higher valuations and higher than average sales and earnings growth rates. Additionally, growth stocks have a greater level of risk associated with them. Compared to value stocks, growth stocks are a safer bet in a strong bull market, but don't perform as strongly in almost all other financial environments.

Costs

When considering an ETF's total return, expense ratios are an important factor, and cheaper funds can significantly outperform their more expensive counterparts in the long term if all other factors remain equal.

Annual operating expenses for this ETF are 0.19%, making it one of the cheaper products in the space.

It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 0.41%.

Sector Exposure and Top Holdings

Even though ETFs offer diversified exposure that minimizes single stock risk, investors should also look at the actual holdings inside the fund. Luckily, most ETFs are very transparent products that disclose their holdings on a daily basis.

This ETF has heaviest allocation to the Information Technology sector--about 52.20% of the portfolio. Consumer Discretionary and Telecom round out the top three.

Looking at individual holdings, Nvidia Corp (NVDA) accounts for about 12.69% of total assets, followed by Microsoft Corp (MSFT) and Apple Inc (AAPL).

The top 10 holdings account for about 58.68% of total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

IWF seeks to match the performance of the Russell 1000 Growth Index before fees and expenses. The Russell 1000 Growth Index measures the performance of the large-capitalization growth sector of the U.S. equity market.

The ETF return is roughly 8.91% so far this year and it's up approximately 19.17% in the last one year (as of 07/24/2025). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $320.42 and $436.59.

The ETF has a beta of 1.14 and standard deviation of 20.93% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 389 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.

Alternatives

IShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF holds a Zacks ETF Rank of 1 (Strong Buy), which is based on expected asset class return, expense ratio, and momentum, among other factors. Because of this, IWF is a great option for investors seeking exposure to the Style Box - Large Cap Growth segment of the market. There are other additional ETFs in the space that investors could consider as well.

The Vanguard Growth ETF (VUG) and the Invesco QQQ (QQQ) track a similar index. While Vanguard Growth ETF has $179.85 billion in assets, Invesco QQQ has $358.67 billion. VUG has an expense ratio of 0.04% and QQQ charges 0.20%.

Bottom-Line

While an excellent vehicle for long term investors, passively managed ETFs are a popular choice among institutional and retail investors due to their low costs, transparency, flexibility, and tax efficiency.

To learn more about this product and other ETFs, screen for products that match your investment objectives and read articles on latest developments in the ETF investing universe, please visit Zacks ETF Center.

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

iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF (IWF): ETF Research Reports

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

Vanguard Growth ETF (VUG): ETF Research Reports

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

Zacks Investment Research

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42.

Why Global ETFs Could Surge Amid U.S.-Japan Trade Deal

2025-07-24 10:20:00 by Sanghamitra Saha from Zacks

The recent trade breakthrough between the United States and Japan — slashing auto tariffs from 25% to 15% — could usher in a fresh rally in global equities, especially in the auto sector. There is a surge in optimism, which could be reflected in global equity-based exchange-traded funds (ETFs) with broad international exposure, particularly those weighted heavily in automakers, industrials and global exporters.

The Stoxx Europe Autos Index soared 4.2% on July 23, 2025, marking its best daily gain since February. Japanese auto giants like Toyota (+14%), Honda (+11%), and Nissan (+8%) also saw strong upward momentum, on the news of the deal.

Hope for EU Deal Fuels Optimism

Following the Japan deal, eyes have now turned to the European Union. Markets are increasingly pricing in the possibility of a similar trade agreement between the United States and EU, particularly after President Trump signaled that the European negotiations are imminent.

“The Japan deal has significantly raised hopes that the EU might also be able to reach a trade deal,” Deutsche Bank strategists noted, as quoted on CNBC. Citi economists highlighted that Japan secured the tariff reduction without an export cap, potentially setting a precedent for Europe.

If the United States agrees to reduce tariffs on EU auto exports to 15%, as it did for Japan, ETFs with exposure to European automakers like iShares Europe ETF IEV or SPDR EURO STOXX 50 ETF FEZ could see sizable inflows.

Improved Trade Backdrop Strengthens Business Confidence

Multinationals have faced prolonged uncertainty due to escalating tariffs. German software giant SAP revealed that U.S. tariff pressures were causing delays in client decisions, especially among industrials and manufacturers. But with signs that trade relations are normalizing, that phase of uncertainty is likely to recede.

Lower tariffs and greater clarity are expected to enhance capital expenditure, global supply chain flows, and cross-border investment, benefiting international industrial ETFs like the iShares Global Industrials ETF EXI.

U.S. and Global ETFs Set for Momentum Shift

Along with ETFs on Europe and Asia, U.S.-based ETFs are also positioned to gain. Funds like SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust SPY and Invesco QQQ Trust QQQ stand to benefit as American companies engaged in global trade see improved margins and renewed demand.

At the same time, broad global ETFs such as the iShares MSCI World ETF URTH and SPDR MSCI ACWI ex-US ETF CWI offer diversified exposure to rising optimism across multiple regions, including Japan, Europe, and other major trading partners now in the negotiation pipeline.

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

Invesco QQQ (QQQ): ETF Research Reports

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

iShares Europe ETF (IEV): ETF Research Reports

SPDR EURO STOXX 50 ETF (FEZ): ETF Research Reports

iShares MSCI World ETF (URTH): ETF Research Reports

iShares Global Industrials ETF (EXI): ETF Research Reports

SPDR MSCI ACWI ex-US ETF (CWI): ETF Research Reports

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

Zacks Investment Research

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43.

Wall Street Rallies on Trade Optimism: Growth ETFs to Buy

2025-07-24 10:00:00 by Sanghamitra Saha from Zacks

Stocks climbed on July 23, 2023, fueled by optimism that the United States would secure more trade agreements ahead of an approaching tariff deadline. The market was energized by news of recent and upcoming deals, helping push key indexes toward new highs.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose by 507.85 points (1.14%) to close at 45,010.29, narrowly missing a record by just four points. The S&P 500 gained 0.78% to finish at a record high of 6,358.91, marking its 12th all-time closing high this year and setting a new intraday record as well. Meanwhile, the Nasdaq Composite climbed 0.61% to settle at 21,020.02, its first-ever close above 21,000, as quoted on CNBC.

New U.S.-Japan Trade Deal Sparks Optimism

Investor sentiment improved after President Trump revealed late Tuesday on Truth Social that the United States had finalized a “massive Deal” with Japan, which includes reciprocal 15% tariffs on Japanese exports to the United States. Trump also noted that negotiations with the European Union were underway.

Progress with the EU and Other Countries

Markets received a further lift after the Financial Times reported that the United States is nearing a 15% tariff agreement with the EU, as quoted on the above-mentioned CNBC article. These trade developments came as part of a broader push by the United States to finalize agreements before the August 1 tariff deadline. Deals with Indonesia, China, and the United Kingdom have also recently been outlined.

Market Confidence in Tariff Strategy

Trump’s earlier announcement in April of sweeping tariffs had briefly rattled markets, but since then, investor confidence has been regained. Louis Navellier, founder and CIO at Navellier & Associates cited strong revenue generation, increased domestic investment, and minimal inflationary disruption are key market drivers.

Wednesday marked the second consecutive session where the S&P 500 closed at a record high. A total of 42 stocks in the index hit new 52-week highs, reflecting the growing bullish sentiment across Wall Street.

ETFs to Gain

Against this backdrop, below we highlight a few high-growth exchange-traded funds (ETFs) that could gain ahead as tariff threats look less severe than previously feared. We have highlighted low P/E growth ETFs that are still cheap in valuation, as the investing backdrop is still somewhat edgy. Note that the popular growth ETF Invesco QQQ Trust QQQ currently has a price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of 39.98X.

Invesco S&P 500 Pure Growth ETF RPG – 25.99X

The underlying S&P 500 Pure Growth Index measures the performance of securities that exhibit strong growth characteristics in the S&P 500 Index. The fund charges 35 bps in fees.

Vanguard U.S. Momentum Factor ETF VFMO – 24.4X

The Vanguard U.S. Momentum Factor ETF seeks to provide long-term capital appreciation by investing in stocks with strong recent performance. The fund charges 13 bps in fees.

First Trust Mid Cap Growth AlphaDEX Fund FNY – 25.48X

The NASDAQ AlphaDEX Mid Cap Growth Index is an enhanced index, which employs the AlphaDEX stock selection methodology to select stocks from the NASDAQ US 600 Mid Cap Growth Index. The fund charges 70 bps in fees.

Invesco S&P MidCap 400 Pure Growth ETF RFG – 20.06X

The underlying S&P MidCap 400 Pure Growth Index measures the performance of securities that exhibit strong growth characteristics in the S&P MidCap 400 Index. The fund charges 35 bps in fees.

 

 

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

Invesco QQQ (QQQ): ETF Research Reports

Invesco S&P 500 Pure Growth ETF (RPG): ETF Research Reports

Invesco S&P MidCap 400 Pure Growth ETF (RFG): ETF Research Reports

First Trust Mid Cap Growth AlphaDEX ETF (FNY): ETF Research Reports

Vanguard U.S. Momentum Factor ETF (VFMO): ETF Research Reports

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

Zacks Investment Research

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44.

Banks Jump into AI Earlier Than Expected

2025-07-24 09:55:59 by Undercovered Deep Insights from GuruFocus.com

In a key development, banking institutions and regulators jumped on AI so quickly and are teaming up with Microsoft (MSFT)-backed OpenAI to tackle everything from hallucinations to fraud risks.

At a Fed conference in Washington Sam Altman confessed he didn't expect the financial sector or government to be so eager to experiment. He flagged voice print logins in banking as a lurking fraud hazard that needs stronger checks.

• Warning! GuruFocus has detected 9 Warning Signs with CLF.

He warned that skipping AI adoption could be an existential threat for businesses and predicts the next decade will bring smarter risk assessments underwriting processes and customer support systems that still keep humans in the loop.

When banks lean in on AI you'll see faster loan approvals tighter security and help for overstretched customer service teams.

Keep an ear out for bank and Fed announcements on pilot programs and new guidelines. Those updates will reveal which firms are moving to the front of the pack.

This article first appeared on GuruFocus.

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45.

Exchange-Traded Funds, US Equities Higher After Midday

2025-07-23 17:03:40 by MT Newswires from MT Newswires

Broad Market Indicators

Broad-market exchange-traded funds IWM and IVV rose. Actively traded Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ) was fractionally higher.

US equity indexes rose in midday trading on Wednesday, with volatility declining and Treasury yields gaining after President Donald Trump unveiled a trade deal with Japan in which the import tariff was lower than anticipated.

Energy

iShares US Energy ETF (IYE) and the Energy Select Sector SPDR (XLE) both rose about 1%.

Technology

Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLK) added 0.3%; iShares US Technology ETF (IYW) and iShares Expanded Tech Sector ETF (IGM) edged higher as well.

SPDR S&P Semiconductor (XSD) shed 0.5%, while iShares Semiconductor (SOXX) lost 0.9%.

Financial

Financial Select Sector SPDR (XLF) was 0.5% up. Direxion Daily Financial Bull 3X Shares (FAS) climbed 1.4%, and its bearish counterpart, Direxion Daily Financial Bear 3X Shares (FAZ), dropped 1.3%.

Commodities

Crude oil fell 0.2%, and the United States Oil Fund (USO) was up 0.7%. Natural gas declined 5%, and the United States Natural Gas Fund (UNG) dipped 5.1%.

Gold was 1.4% lower on Comex, and SPDR Gold Shares (GLD) were 1.3% down. Silver shed 0.2%, and iShares Silver Trust (SLV) fell 0.4%.

Consumer

Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR (XLP) rose fractionally; Vanguard Consumer Staples ETF (VDC) and the iShares Dow Jones US Consumer Goods (IYK) were mixed, with the latter pointing lower.

Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR (XLY) fell 0.3%, and VanEck Retail ETF (RTH) and SPDR S&P Retail (XRT) edged lower.

Health Care

Health Care Select Sector SPDR (XLV) rose 1.4%, and iShares US Healthcare (IYH) and Vanguard Health Care ETF (VHT) were also higher. iShares Biotechnology ETF (IBB) gained 1.8%.

Industrial

Industrial Select Sector SPDR (XLI) rose 1.7%. Vanguard Industrials (VIS) and iShares US Industrials (IYJ) also climbed.

Cryptocurrency

In midday activity, bitcoin was down 1.3%. Among cryptocurrency ETFs, ProShares Bitcoin ETF (BITO) lost 1.2%, ProShares Ether ETF (EETH) slipped 2.4%, and ProShares Bitcoin & Ether Market Cap Weight ETF (BETH) dropped 0.9%.

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46.

Invesco’s QQQ Gambit Seen Unlocking $150 Million in Revenue

2025-07-23 14:19:02 by Katie Greifeld from Bloomberg

(Bloomberg) -- Invesco Ltd.’s move to convert its famed tech fund QQQ into an open-ended structure could translate into a $150 million yearly windfall for the asset manager. 

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Chief Financial Officer Allison Dukes said on the company’s earnings call Tuesday that transforming the Invesco QQQ Trust Series 1 from a unit investment trust into an ETF could benefit net revenue and adjusted operating income by about four basis points — or roughly $150 million, Bloomberg Intelligence estimates. In its current format, Invesco sees virtually none of the fee revenue that QQQ generates, but ETF conversion would allow the firm to reorder the revenue breakdown.

While QQQ owners still need to vote to approve the change, the proposal has investors and analysts lining up behind the stock. TD Cowen upgraded the asset manager following last Thursday’s proxy statement, while Evercore analyst Glenn Schorr wrote Tuesday that “the move to collect fees on the Q’s” should give shareholders a reason to feel optimistic about revenue trends going forward. And given that the revenue boost would come with little incremental cost, it’s little wonder to see sentiment on the stock surging, according to Bloomberg Intelligence’s Neil Sipes.

“If approved, the shift would lift fee-generating organic growth and boost earnings by about 10%, enhancing Invesco’s capacity for balance sheet improvement and strategic investments, including M&A,” Sipes said. “These are all welcome developments.”

Invesco shares were up nearly 2% in early trading Wednesday, following a 5.2% jump Tuesday even though the firm missed estimates for second quarter inflows and earnings per share. That comes after Friday’s torrid session, which saw the stock surge by more than 15% in its biggest one-day rally since 2022, in the wake of the company filing the proxy statement on Thursday evening. 

If approved, Invesco would lower QQQ’s 0.2% expense ratio to 0.18%, according to the filing and earnings call. The firm has called a special meeting on Oct. 24 to hold the vote. A quorum of more than 50% of holders of outstanding voting shares is needed. That could be a very tall hurdle to clear, according to Todd Sohn of Strategas Securities.

“Getting the message out to act to the massive investor base of QQQ holders from the last 25+ years might be difficult,” said Strategas senior ETF strategist Sohn. “People forget, messages fall through the cracks. Things slip all the time.”

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©2025 Bloomberg L.P.

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47.

From SpaceX to xAI: How ETFs Are Packaging Private Assets

2025-07-23 14:03:00 by Neena Mishra from Zacks

Last week, The Wall Street Journal reported that the Trump administration is likely to issue an executive order that would open the retirement market to private assets.

Shares of the largest private capital firms—such as Blackstone, Apollo, and KKR—jumped following the news, as the move could potentially bring in hundreds of billions of dollars in new assets. Meanwhile, institutional investors like pensions and endowments are scaling back their exposure to private markets.

ETF providers have already been exploring ways to package private assets in ETF wrappers and sell them to retail investors—often at much higher fees than plain vanilla ETFs. In this article, we delve into ETFs that provide private market exposure, with a particular focus on private equity.

A little-known ETF saw its assets surge after adding SpaceX, while a closed-end fund has experienced a wild ride, trading at an extreme premium that highlights intense investor interest in the space company. In contrast, an ETF that added Anthropic and xAI has failed to garner any attention.

The Private Assets Market

Private assets—debt and equity investments in privately held companies—have experienced rapid growth in recent years. Institutional investors and ultra-high-net-worth individuals have increasingly sought them out for their potential to deliver higher returns.

According to BlackRock, private markets could grow from $13 trillion to over $20 trillion by 2030.

Proponents of democratizing access to private assets argue that the number of public companies has declined significantly—from more than 8,000 in the 1990s to about 4,000 today, according to the Center for Research in Security Prices. Many highly valuable companies are choosing to remain private rather than go public.

Critics, however, point to the downsides: higher costs, greater risks, less transparency, and illiquidity. They also argue that private securities may appear less volatile only because their prices aren’t updated in real time like those of publicly traded assets. AQR’s Cliff Asness calls this illusion of low volatility “volatility laundering.”

Investors Want a Slice of the Hottest Private Companies: SpaceX and OpenAI

Elon Musk founded SpaceX in May 2002—before becoming involved with Tesla TSLA. The company now holds a de facto monopoly on rocket launches, offering unmatched frequency and cost efficiency. Its satellite internet division, Starlink, is reportedly a major source of cash flow. According to Bloomberg, its latest funding round valued the company at around $400 billion.

OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT, is valued at approximately $300 billion. Despite reports of tensions with long-time partner Microsoft MSFT, recent high-profile staff departures, and uncertainty over its conversion into a for-profit entity, OpenAI remains the hottest AI company in the world.

Robinhood’s recent offering of tokenized shares of OpenAI and SpaceX to users in Europe sent its stock soaring. However, OpenAI later condemned the tokens, which do not provide actual equity ownership to everyday consumers.

Private Equity in an ETF Wrapper

Private assets are generally illiquid and hard to value, making them traditionally unsuitable for ETFs, which offer daily liquidity and pricing.

The SEC limits open-ended funds to holding no more than 15% in illiquid investments. An investment is classified as illiquid if it can’t be sold within seven days without significantly affecting its market price.

The SPDR SSGA IG Public & Private Credit ETF PRIV takes a novel approach, targeting up to 35% exposure to private credit. Apollo acts as a liquidity provider by selling private credit instruments to the fund and committing to repurchase them at State Street’s request.

Other ETF providers have developed innovative strategies to gain private market exposure. Broadly, these ETFs fall into three categories:

ETFs that own private companies through special purpose vehicles (SPVs) or directly

ETFs that invest in publicly traded private equity firms

ETFs that target public companies with private equity–like characteristics

XOVR: Exposure to SpaceX, But at What Price?

The ERShares Private-Public Crossover ETF XOVR is the first ETF to hold a private company. It added SpaceX on December 3 via a special purpose vehicle (SPV). The Wall Street Journal noted that such SPVs may charge fees as high as 25% of gains, but it remains unclear how those fees impact the valuation of XOVR’s SpaceX holdings.

Additionally, there’s little transparency regarding how the ETF determines “fair value” for its SpaceX position, as required by the SEC.

On December 10, the fund marked up its SpaceX holding from $135 to $185 per share, claiming a 37% gain in one week. The valuation has not changed since, despite Elon Musk’s public feud with Donald Trump and Trump’s threat to “terminate” federal contracts with Musk’s companies.

The fund has about $460 million in assets, with $334 million flowing in after the SpaceX addition. The ETF has returned roughly 7.2% year-to-date, slightly trailing the SPDR S&P 500 ETF’s SPY 8%. Meanwhile, the Invesco QQQ QQQ is up almost 11% during the same period. NVIDIA NVDA is XOVR’s top holding at around 10%, while SpaceX makes up 7.2%.

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

AGIX: Direct Exposure to xAI and Anthropic — and It Beats QQQ

The KraneShares Artificial Intelligence & Technology ETF AGIX offers rare direct exposure to Musk’s xAI and Amazon-backed Anthropic—unlike XOVR, which invests via an SPV. AGIX holds equity stakes in both companies as a shareholder on their cap tables.

AGIX added Anthropic on March 5 and xAI on July 18, 2025. These holdings currently account for 3.6% and 4.5% of the portfolio, respectively. KraneShares states that the fund’s private holdings are valued daily by its Fair Value Committee using all available information.

Despite significantly outperforming QQQ since its inception in July 2024, the fund has attracted limited investor interest. AGIX is up approximately 31.5% since launch, compared to an 18.3% gain for the Nasdaq-100 and 15.2% for the S&P 500.

The fund currently has $33.7 million in assets, with less than $8 million flowing in since the Anthropic addition. Meta META and Microsoft are its top holdings.

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

DXYZ: A Closed-End Fund for SpaceX with a Wild Ride

The Destiny Tech 100 DXYZ, often mistaken for an ETF, is a closed-end fund that aims to invest in the top 100 venture-backed private tech companies. It currently holds 22 companies, with SpaceX making up 52% of the portfolio.

Since its March 2024 debut, DXYZ has surged over 250%, but its performance has been extremely volatile. It frequently trades at a massive premium to its net asset value (NAV).

After an early spike of over 1,000%—driven by speculators seeking exposure to hot unicorns—the fund plummeted, giving back most of its gains. It is down nearly 45% year-to-date and remains well below its all-time high.

As of March 31, 2025, DXYZ reported an NAV of $6.31 per share, yet it trades at over $33. The fund updates the fair value of its holdings on a quarterly basis, so while the latest NAV is unknown, the premium could still be close to 500%.

Investors should remember that a closed-end fund’s price can deviate significantly from its NAV based on market demand—unlike ETFs and mutual funds.

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

ETFs That Hold Private Equity Companies

The Invesco Global Listed Private Equity ETF PSP and ProShares Global Listed Private Equity ETF PEX have been around for years. PSP manages about $323 million in assets, while PEX has around $15 million. Their expense ratios are relatively high at 1.79% and 2.99%, respectively.

Both funds have significantly underperformed the S&P 500 and the Vanguard Total World Stock ETF VT since their inception. PSP is up 128% over the past ten years, and PEX has risen 93%, whereas the S&P 500 index is up more than 261%, and VT has gained 164%.

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

A newer option is the VanEck Alternative Asset Manager ETF GPZ, which offers exposure to private equity, venture capital, direct lending, infrastructure, and real estate firms such as Blackstone, Brookfield, and KKR.

ETFs That Mimic Private Equity–Like Returns

The Pacer PE/VC ETF PEVC invests in publicly traded companies that exhibit risk and return profiles similar to private equity and venture capital–backed firms. Alphabet GOOG, Microsoft, and Meta Platforms are its top holdings.

The KraneShares Man Buyout Beta Index ETF BUYO targets small- and mid-cap U.S. stocks that resemble companies typically held by buyout and PE funds.

BlackRock’s Push into Private Markets

BlackRock, the world’s largest asset manager, is making a major push into private markets. It has invested nearly $28 billion to acquire private equity firm Global Infrastructure Partners, private-assets data provider Preqin, and private credit manager HPS Investment Partners.

Earlier this month, BlackRock also announced plans to acquire ElmTree Funds, a real estate–focused private equity firm.

The asset manager recently revealed it will launch a 401(k) target date fund next year with a 5% to 20% allocation to private investments. CEO Larry Fink has frequently emphasized the importance of expanding retail access to private markets—potentially through ETFs.

Bottom Line

Private assets have become Wall Street’s latest buzzword, and ETF providers are racing to package them within the ETF wrapper. But as these products hit the market, investors will need to carefully evaluate whether the offerings live up to the hype.

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

Alphabet Inc. (GOOG) : Free Stock Analysis Report

Microsoft Corporation (MSFT) : Free Stock Analysis Report

NVIDIA Corporation (NVDA) : Free Stock Analysis Report

Tesla, Inc. (TSLA) : Free Stock Analysis Report

Invesco QQQ (QQQ): ETF Research Reports

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

ProShares Global Listed Private Equity ETF (PEX): ETF Research Reports

Invesco Global Listed Private Equity ETF (PSP): ETF Research Reports

Vanguard Total World Stock ETF (VT): ETF Research Reports

Meta Platforms, Inc. (META) : Free Stock Analysis Report

KraneShares Artificial Intelligence and Technology ETF (AGIX): ETF Research Reports

KraneShares Man Buyout Beta Index ETF (BUYO): ETF Research Reports

Pacer PE/VC ETF (PEVC): ETF Research Reports

VanEck Alternative Asset Manager ETF (GPZ): ETF Research Reports

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

Zacks Investment Research

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48.

Will Nasdaq ETFs Continue Their Rally Going Into Q2 Earnings?

2025-07-23 14:00:00 by Sweta Killa from Zacks

The Nasdaq Composite Index has been soaring, making a series of new records in recent sessions, driven by strong corporate earnings, AI-driven optimism and expectations of policy support from the Federal Reserve. 

As such, the ETFs tracking the index have also gained momentum. These include Invesco QQQ QQQ, Invesco NASDAQ 100 ETF QQQM, First Trust NASDAQ-100 Equal Weighted Index Fund QQEW, Invesco NASDAQ Next Gen 100 ETF QQQJ and Direxion NASDAQ-100 Equal Weighted Index Shares QQQE.

Strong Start to Q2 Earnings Season

The second-quarter earnings season got off to a strong start, with companies not only beating estimates but also providing a favorable outlook for current business trends, which should help solidify earnings expectations for the third quarter and beyond. The S&P 500 earnings from 62 companies reported so far are up 9.3% from the same period last year on 5.8% higher revenues, with 82.3% beating EPS estimates and an equal proportion beating revenue estimates, per Earnings Trend report.

Among the Mag 7, Tesla TSLA and Alphabet GOOGL will report results today. Total Q2 earnings are expected to be up 11.7% on 11.3% higher revenues (read: 5 Sector ETFs Set to Power Q2 Earnings Growth).

According to FactSet, more than 60 S&P 500 companies have reported so far, with roughly 85% beating analyst expectations.

AI Boom Powers Growth Bets

The generative AI wave continues to be Nasdaq’s growth engine. Demand for data centers, GPUs, AI-focused software, and automation tools is driving investor enthusiasm across the board. Companies like Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), Broadcom (AVGO) and Palantir (PLTR) are seeing a surge in interest as investors look for exposure to the next phase of the AI revolution.

Rate Cut Hopes Add Fuel

With inflation data remaining relatively benign and economic growth stabilizing, markets are increasingly pricing in at least one rate cut by the Fed later this year. Lower interest rates benefit high-growth tech stocks, which are more sensitive to borrowing costs. Fed Chair Jerome Powell is expected to speak later this week, and any dovish signals could further support the rally.

Global Appetite for U.S. Tech

International investors are returning to U.S. tech in a big way. With geopolitical tensions and economic uncertainty in China and Europe, Wall Street, particularly large-cap U.S. tech, is seen as a relative safe haven. This global rotation is boosting capital inflows into Nasdaq-tracking ETFs like QQQ and QQQM.

ETFs in Focus

Invesco QQQ (QQQ) 

Invesco QQQ provides exposure to the 100 largest domestic and international non-financial companies listed on the Nasdaq by tracking the Nasdaq 100 Index. It is one of the largest and most popular ETFs in the large-cap space, with an AUM of $357.1 billion and an average daily volume of 44 million shares. Invesco QQQ charges investors 20 bps in annual fees and has a Zacks ETF Rank #1 (Strong Buy) with a Medium risk outlook (read: Signs of Fatigue in Wall Street Rally? ETF Strategies to Follow). 

Invesco NASDAQ 100 ETF (QQQM)

Invesco NASDAQ 100 ETF is identical to QQQ, tracking the NASDAQ-100 Index, but comes with lower annual fees of 15 bps. It holds 104 securities in its basket, with a higher concentration on the top three firms. Invesco NASDAQ 100 ETF has accumulated $55.1 billion in its asset base and trades in an average daily volume of 3 million shares. It has a Zacks ETF Rank #1.

First Trust NASDAQ-100 Equal Weighted Index Fund (QQEW) 
 
Holding 100 stocks, First Trust NASDAQ-100 Equal Weighted Index Fund provides equal exposure to stocks on the Nasdaq-100 Equal Weighted Index. It has amassed $1.9 billion in its asset base while trading in moderate volumes of 49,000 shares a day, on average. First Trust NASDAQ-100 Equal Weighted Index Fund charges 55 bps in annual fees and carries a Zacks ETF Rank #3 with a Medium risk outlook.

Invesco NASDAQ Next Gen 100 ETF (QQQJ)

Invesco NASDAQ Next Gen 100 ETF follows the NASDAQ Next Generation 100 Index, which comprises securities of the next generation of Nasdaq-listed non-financial companies, i.e., the largest 100 Nasdaq-listed companies outside of the NASDAQ-100 Index. In total, the product holds 111 securities. Invesco NASDAQ Next Gen 100 ETF charges 15 bps in annual fees and sees a good trading volume of nearly 80,000 shares a day. With an AUM of $629.1 million, QQQJ has a Zacks ETF Rank #3.

Direxion NASDAQ-100 Equal Weighted Index Shares (QQQE)

Direxion NASDAQ-100 Equal Weighted Index Shares provides an equal-weight exposure to the NASDAQ-100 Index by tracking the NASDAQ-100 Equal Weighted Index. It has amassed $1.2 billion and trades in an average daily volume of 94,000 shares. Direxion NASDAQ-100 Equal Weighted Index Shares charges 35 bps in annual fees and has a Zacks ETF Rank #3 with a Medium risk outlook.

Bottom Line

With major earnings from tech titans on deck, Nasdaq’s momentum will likely be tested, but for now, the bulls are firmly in control.
 

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First Trust NASDAQ-100 Equal Weighted ETF (QQEW): ETF Research Reports

Direxion NASDAQ-100 Equal Weighted Index Shares (QQQE): ETF Research Reports

Invesco NASDAQ Next Gen 100 ETF (QQQJ): ETF Research Reports

Invesco NASDAQ 100 ETF (QQQM): ETF Research Reports

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

Zacks Investment Research

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49.

Exchange-Traded Funds, Equity Futures Higher Pre-Bell Wednesday Amid US-Japan Deal

2025-07-23 12:49:17 by MT Newswires from MT Newswires

The broad market exchange-traded fund SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY) was up 0.4% and the actively traded Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ) was 0.2% higher in Wednesday's premarket activity amid a US-Japan tariff agreement that reduced duties.

US stock futures were also higher, with S&P 500 Index futures up 0.4%, Dow Jones Industrial Average futures advancing 0.5%, and Nasdaq futures gaining 0.2% before the start of regular trading.

US mortgage applications edged up 0.8% in the week ended July 18 as a rise in purchase activity offset a decline in refinancing despite rates climbing to a four-week high, Mortgage Bankers Association data showed Wednesday.

The existing home sales report for June will be released at 10 am ET, followed by the weekly EIA domestic petroleum inventories report at 10:30 am ET.

In premarket activity, bitcoin was down by 0.7%. Among cryptocurrency ETFs, the cryptocurrency fund ProShares Bitcoin Strategy ETF (BITO) was 0.6% lower, Ether ETF (EETH) gained 0.3%, and Bitcoin & Ether Market Cap Weight ETF (BETH) was flat.

Power Play:

Consumer

The Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLP) was up 0.1%, while the Vanguard Consumer Staples Fund (VDC) was flat. The iShares US Consumer Staples ETF (IYK) was inactive, and the Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLY) gained 0.3%. The VanEck Retail ETF (RTH) was inactive, while the SPDR S&P Retail ETF (XRT) rose 0.4%.

Hasbro (HAS) shares were up more than 2% pre-bell after the company reported higher-than-expected Q2 adjusted earnings and revenue.

Winners and Losers:

Industrial

Industrial Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLI) advanced 1.1% while the Vanguard Industrials Index Fund (VIS) was flat and the iShares US Industrials ETF (IYJ) was inactive.

GE Vernova (GEV) stock was up more than 4% before the opening bell after the company reported higher-than-expected Q2 earnings and revenue.

Health Care

The Health Care Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLV) advanced 0.6%. The Vanguard Health Care Index Fund (VHT) was up 0.2% while the iShares US Healthcare ETF (IYH) was inactive. The iShares Biotechnology ETF (IBB) gained 0.9%.

Thermo Fisher Scientific (TMO) stock was up more than 3% premarket after the company reported higher-than-expected fiscal Q2 adjusted earnings and revenue.

Technology

Technology Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLK) gained 0.02%, and the iShares US Technology ETF (IYW) was 0.1% lower, while the iShares Expanded Tech Sector ETF (IGM) was up 0.01%. Among semiconductor ETFs, SPDR S&P Semiconductor ETF (XSD) was down 1.4%, while the iShares Semiconductor ETF (SOXX) fell 1%.

TE Connectivity (TEL) shares were up more than 3% in recent premarket activity after the company reported higher fiscal Q3 non-GAAP earnings and revenue.

Energy

The iShares US Energy ETF (IYE) was up 0.3%, while the Energy Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLE) was up by 0.5%.

Range Resources' (RRC) stock was up more than 2% before Wednesday's opening bell after the company reported Q2 adjusted earnings and revenue late Tuesday.

Financial

Financial Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLF) advanced 0.5%. Direxion Daily Financial Bull 3X Shares (FAS) was up 1.5%, while its bearish counterpart Direxion Daily Financial Bear 3X Shares (FAZ) was 1.3% lower.

Moody's (MCO) shares were up nearly 1% pre-bell Wednesday after the company posted higher Q2 adjusted earnings and revenue.

Commodities

Front-month US West Texas Intermediate crude oil was down 0.7% at $64.86 per barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Natural gas fell 1.2% to $3.21 per 1 million British Thermal Units. United States Oil Fund (USO) was 1% lower, while the United States Natural Gas Fund (UNG) fell 1.5%.

Gold futures for August declined 0.1% to $3,441.30 an ounce on the Comex, while silver futures were up 0.5% at $39.77 an ounce. SPDR Gold Shares (GLD) retreated by 0.1%, and the iShares Silver Trust (SLV) was 0.2% higher.

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50.

Should Direxion NASDAQ-100 Equal Weighted Index Shares (QQQE) Be on Your Investing Radar?

2025-07-23 10:20:04 by Zacks Equity Research from Zacks

The Direxion NASDAQ-100 Equal Weighted Index Shares (QQQE) was launched on 03/21/2012, and is a passively managed exchange traded fund designed to offer broad exposure to the Large Cap Growth segment of the US equity market.

The fund is sponsored by Direxion. It has amassed assets over $1.26 billion, making it one of the average sized ETFs attempting to match the Large Cap Growth segment of the US equity market.

Why Large Cap Growth

Companies that find themselves in the large cap category typically have a market capitalization above $10 billion. They tend to be stable companies with predictable cash flows and are usually less volatile than mid and small cap companies.

Growth stocks have higher than average sales and earnings growth rates. While these are expected to grow faster than the broader market, they also have higher valuations. Further, growth stocks have a higher level of volatility associated with them. Compared to value stocks, growth stocks are a safer bet in a strong bull market, but don't perform as strongly in almost all other financial environments.

Costs

Investors should also pay attention to an ETF's expense ratio. Lower cost products will produce better results than those with a higher cost, assuming all other metrics remain the same.

Annual operating expenses for this ETF are 0.35%, putting it on par with most peer products in the space.

It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 0.60%.

Sector Exposure and Top Holdings

Even though ETFs offer diversified exposure that minimizes single stock risk, investors should also look at the actual holdings inside the fund. Luckily, most ETFs are very transparent products that disclose their holdings on a daily basis.

This ETF has heaviest allocation to the Information Technology sector--about 40.10% of the portfolio. Consumer Discretionary and Telecom round out the top three.

Looking at individual holdings, Datadog Inc - Class A (DDOG) accounts for about 1.16% of total assets, followed by Synopsys Inc (SNPS) and Applied Materials Inc (AMAT).

The top 10 holdings account for about 10.69% of total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

QQQE seeks to match the performance of the NASDAQ-100 Equal Weighted Index before fees and expenses. The NASDAQ-100 Equal Weighted Index consists of companies in the NASDAQ-100 Index but each of the securities is initially set at a weight of 1.00% of the Index. The NASDAQ-100 Index includes 100 of the largest non-financial securities listed on NASDAQ based on capitalization.

The ETF return is roughly 11.52% so far this year and it's up approximately 12.01% in the last one year (as of 07/23/2025). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $76.98 and $99.91.

The ETF has a beta of 1.07 and standard deviation of 19.85% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 102 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.

Alternatives

Direxion NASDAQ-100 Equal Weighted Index Shares carries a Zacks ETF Rank of 3 (Hold), which is based on expected asset class return, expense ratio, and momentum, among other factors. Thus, QQQE is a reasonable option for those seeking exposure to the Style Box - Large Cap Growth area of the market. Investors might also want to consider some other ETF options in the space.

The Vanguard Growth ETF (VUG) and the Invesco QQQ (QQQ) track a similar index. While Vanguard Growth ETF has $179.21 billion in assets, Invesco QQQ has $358.16 billion. VUG has an expense ratio of 0.04% and QQQ charges 0.20%.

Bottom-Line

Passively managed ETFs are becoming increasingly popular with institutional as well as retail investors due to their low cost, transparency, flexibility and tax efficiency. They are excellent vehicles for long term investors.

To learn more about this product and other ETFs, screen for products that match your investment objectives and read articles on latest developments in the ETF investing universe, please visit Zacks ETF Center.

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Direxion NASDAQ-100 Equal Weighted Index Shares (QQQE): ETF Research Reports

Applied Materials, Inc. (AMAT) : Free Stock Analysis Report

Synopsys, Inc. (SNPS) : Free Stock Analysis Report

Invesco QQQ (QQQ): ETF Research Reports

Vanguard Growth ETF (VUG): ETF Research Reports

Datadog, Inc. (DDOG) : Free Stock Analysis Report

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

Zacks Investment Research