GitLab reported strong Q3 results with 25% revenue growth and an 18% operating margin, while Microsoft noted solid Q1 results but faced concerns over AI demand and cut sales quotas for Azure. GitLab insiders sold significant shares, raising questions about its future growth amidst AI market dynamics and Microsoft’s heavy infrastructure spending.
As 2025 ends, municipal bonds are rebounding, with Vanguard noting a strong Q3 performance. Heavy issuance led to an oversupply that improved. Investors should consider exposure through Vanguard’s low-cost ETFs, like the Tax-Exempt Bond ETF and the actively managed High-Yield Active ETF for higher yields amid favorable credit conditions.
Bitcoin’s recent volatility has impacted the CoinShares Valkyrie Bitcoin Miners ETF (WGMI), which dropped 17% in October. This decline may present a buying opportunity as miners adapt their revenue to include AI. The ETF’s holdings could offer growth potential in the AI sector, despite challenges in bitcoin mining profitability.
Brands are facing rising customer acquisition costs, driven by increased expenses in online advertising. Traditional digital channels are losing effectiveness, prompting brands to embrace resale as a sustainable growth strategy. Resale not only reduces marketing costs but also enhances customer engagement and environmental impact, positioning it as a valuable asset in the modern economy.
IBM is leading the quantum computing domain, leveraging over $60 billion in annual revenue from cloud and AI to fund R&D. Recent advancements include the 120-qubit Nighthawk processor and plans for fault-tolerant systems by 2029. Unlike speculative competitors, IBM’s established operations ensure stability and long-term growth potential in quantum technologies.
SUMMARY Multiple events underscore the need for active portfolio management, in our view. We believe that the current environment exacerbates some of the inherent risks in popular benchmarks.Active managers with flexible mandates can navigate current market factors, in our view.
When it comes to inflation-fighting fixed income instruments, investors often turn to Treasury Inflation Protected Securities ( TIPS ). Yet senior loans may also do the trick, with higher levels of income to boot. Enter the SPDR Blackstone/ GSO Senior Loan ETF ( SRLN A- ). SRLN invests in senior loans given to businesses operating in North America and outside of North America.
Emerging market exchange traded fund investors should look to ongoing trends like recent China delisting headlines, the evolving situation with Alibaba and Jack Ma, and how Gen-Z will drive the digital transformation in the developing economies for decades.
First Trust Global Portfolios has introduced the first ETF in Europe specifically to provide exposure to companies aligned to the theme of 5G technology. Rupert Haddon, Managing Director, Head of Sales at First Trust Global Portfolios. 5G – from Fifth Generation – refers to the latest generation of cellular mobile communications.
The global economy has lurched towards an even greater reliance on technology and an explosion in online innovation. At the same time, the so-called ‘trade war’ with China has put China and many emerging market economies into overdrive as they grow from export- and natural resource-driven economies to those based on consumption.
Entering 2021, it was widely expected that emerging markets assets would continue penning the redemption story they started late last year. That scenario could prove rewarding for active managers. The Federal Reserve’s commitment to keep rates low could keep on fueling a weaker dollar.
After the U.S., China is home to the most robust collection of companies credibly sporting the disruptive growth and innovative labels. What Happened : Those traits are captured in a new exchange-traded fund: The KraneShares SSE STAR Market 50 Index ETF (NYSE: KSTR ). The newest addition to KraneShares famed lineup of China and emerging market ETFs, KSTR tracks the Shanghai Stock Exchange (SSE) Science and Technology Innovation Board 50 Index. “The Index is comprised of the 50 largest companies listed on the SSE Science and Technology Innovation Board (STAR Market) as determined by market capitalization and liquidity,” according to KraneShares .
A bullish sentiment could be fueling a stronger demand for Chinese equities in 2021. ETF provider DWS offers several funds to satiate appetites for high-quality A-shares and broader equity exposure in China. Check out these the funds below: Xtrackers CSI 300 China A-Shares ETF (NYSEArca: ASHR) : seeks investment results that correspond to the CSI 300 Index.
Quality exposure in 2021 is a must given there’s still a lot of market uncertainty amid the Covid-19 pandemic. One area of value that ETF investors may want to focus on is an aerospace and defense play via ETFs like the iShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense ETF (ITA) .
