Tue.Mar 26, 2024

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Visa and Mastercard Just Agreed to a $30 Billion Settlement. Here's How It Could Impact You

The Motley Fool

Image source: The Motley Fool/Getty Images If you've dined at a restaurant lately, you may have noticed that it cost you more to pay by credit card than in cash. That's because credit card companies charge merchants a fee for the convenience of accepting payments by credit card. And some merchants have adopted the practice of passing those fees onto consumers.

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Are We Living in The Roaring 20s?

A Wealth of Common Sense

In March 2020, at the height of uncertainty at the outset of the pandemic, I wrote about what it took to get to the roaring 1920s. This chart sums it up nicely: Here’s what I wrote at the time: How many people at the time would have predicted during the war/pandemic/recession/depression years that the 1920s would be one of the most innovative, prosperous periods our country had ever seen?

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1 Unstoppable Stock That Could Join Microsoft, Apple, Nvidia, Alphabet, Amazon, and Meta in the $1 Trillion Club

The Motley Fool

The advent of artificial intelligence (AI) last year caught many market watchers by surprise, particularly with how quickly it changed the paradigm among some of the world's most valuable companies. Apple ceded the top spot to Microsoft , which now rules the roost with a market cap of over $3 trillion. Nvidia moved quickly up the charts to assume the No. 3 spot behind Apple with a market cap of $2.3 trillion, spurred on by its gold-standard AI chips.

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Capstone: Middle Market Participants are Optimistic for a Recovery in 2024

Private Equity Professional

Capstone Partners has released its 2023 Middle Market M&A Valuations Index which shows that while equity markets largely shrugged off the rapid succession of interest rate hikes in 2023, middle market merger and acquisition valuations experienced downward pressure. According to Capstone, elevated transaction costs, uncertainty over projected cash flows, and a reserved private equity buyer… This content is for members only.

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4 Reasons to Buy AMD Stock Like There's No Tomorrow

The Motley Fool

Advanced Micro Devices (NASDAQ: AMD) became a favorite on Wall Street last year when a boom in artificial intelligence (AI) highlighted the massive potential of its business. Its stock climbed 87% since last March and has shown no signs of slowing, rising 22% since the start of 2024. The launch of OpenAI's ChatGPT reinvigorated interest in AI and caused countless tech companies to restructure their businesses to prioritize the developing market.

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New Mountain Sells ILC Dover to Ingersoll Rand

Private Equity Professional

Publicly traded Ingersoll Rand has agreed to acquire ILC Dover, a portfolio company of New Mountain Capital, for $2.3 billion in cash plus an earnout based on 2024 operating results. ILC Dover is a designer and manufacturer of flexible fabric and film protective products used in biopharmaceutical, pharmaceutical, medical device, and space applications.

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Meet the Widely Owned Cryptocurrency Cathie Wood Believes Can Skyrocket 5,855% by 2030

The Motley Fool

For more than a century, the average annual return for stocks has stood head-and-shoulder above the annualized returns for Treasury bonds, housing, gold, and oil. But over the past decade, cryptocurrencies have left equities in the dust. Roughly 10 years ago, the combined value of all digital currencies in existence was about $8.4 billion, according to data provided by CoinMarketCap.com.

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How Should a Beginner Invest in Stocks? Start With This Index Fund.

The Motley Fool

Investing in the stock market is one of the best ways to generate long-term wealth, and now that the market is booming, it's a fantastic time to buy. Deciding where to invest, though, can be a daunting task. There are seemingly endless stocks and funds to choose from, and if you invest in the wrong places, you could easily lose more than you gain. Fortunately, it's simpler than you might think to keep your money safer while still earning substantial gains over time.

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OneNotary Raises $5M in Series A Funding

FinSMEs

OneNotary, a San Francisco, CA-based online, on-demand notarization provider, closed a $5M Series A funding round. The round was led by Jackson Square Ventures, with participation from DocuSign Founder Tom Gonser, as well as existing investors DocuSign Ventures, GoodPaper Ventures, Digital Future, and The LegalTech Fund. The company intends to use the funds to accelerate […] The post OneNotary Raises $5M in Series A Funding appeared first on FinSMEs.

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General Motors Is Already Up 22% In 2024. 1 Wall Street Analyst Thinks It'll Run Even Further

The Motley Fool

Near-term concerns about electric car sales are mounting. While the electric vehicle (EV) market in the U.S. is still growing, the pace of growth has slowed considerably due to higher interest rates, concerns about public charging, and increased consumer interest in gasoline-electric hybrid vehicles. With that backdrop, Mizuho Financial Group cut its ratings on several pure electric vehicle makers late Sunday.

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Uzum Raises Over $100M in Funding

FinSMEs

Uzum, a Tashkent, Uzbekistan-based digital services ecosystem company, secured more than $100M in funding through a combination of a Series A funding and debt financing. The company secured over $50M in equity through a Series A funding round consisting wholly of primary investments. The round was led by FinSight Ventures, joined by Xanara Investment Management, a multifamily […] The post Uzum Raises Over $100M in Funding appeared first on FinSMEs.

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5 of the Best Costco Deals for Seniors

The Motley Fool

Image source: Getty Images Is Costco good for retirees? It depends on your budget and your overall personal finances , but for most seniors, Costco can be a good place to shop. Costco offers low prices on everyday items like groceries and surprisingly good deals on higher-end "affordable luxuries." Whether you want to buy furniture, appliances, a new TV, or other big-ticket items, Costco can help people save money at every stage of life.

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0G Receives an Investment From OKX Ventures

FinSMEs

0G, formerly known as Zero Gravity, a company that offers Data Availability (DA) and storage solutions, received an investment from OKX Ventures. The amount of the deal was not disclosed. The company intends to use the funds to expand operations and development efforts. Led by CEO Michael Heinrich, 0G Labs provides Data Availability (DA) and […] The post 0G Receives an Investment From OKX Ventures appeared first on FinSMEs.

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Where Will AMD Stock Be in 2030?

The Motley Fool

Fool.com contributor Parkev Tatevosian forecasts where AMD (NASDAQ: AMD) stock could be in 2030. *Stock prices used were the afternoon prices of March 23, 2024. The video was published on March 25, 2024. Should you invest $1,000 in Advanced Micro Devices right now? Before you buy stock in Advanced Micro Devices, 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 Advanced Micro Devices wasn’t one of them

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Popularium Raises $2M in Seed Funding

FinSMEs

Popolarium, a Los Angeles, CA-based games studio, raised $2M in Seed funding. The round was led by Palm Drive Capital, The Data Economics Company, Eden Chen investing via the a16z Scout Fund, Reverb Ventures and Dave Nemetz, Pareto, Exit Capital, The Society of Entertainment, Bryan Goldberg, Dan Black , Dhani Jones, and Avi Ben-Menahem. The company intends to use the funds to support the […] The post Popularium Raises $2M in Seed Funding appeared first on FinSMEs.

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Forget Nvidia: These 2 "Magnificent Seven" Members Are Considerably Cheaper Artificial Intelligence (AI) Stocks

The Motley Fool

Over the last 30 years, no next-big-thing trend has changed the corporate landscape more than the advent of the internet. However, the arrival of the artificial intelligence (AI) revolution may give history a run for its money. In its simplest form, AI utilizes software and systems to oversee tasks that would normally be delegated to humans. The incorporation of machine learning , which allows software and systems to "learn" over time and become more proficient at their tasks, is what ultimately

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Activeloop Raises $11M in Series A Funding

FinSMEs

Activeloop, a Mountain View, CA-based provider of a database for AI, raised $11M in Series A funding. Backers included Streamlined Ventures, Y Combinator, Samsung Next, Alumni Ventures, and Dispersion Capital. The round brings Activeloop’s total funding to about $20M. The company intends to use the funds to enable the onboarding of further enterprise customers, empowering […] The post Activeloop Raises $11M in Series A Funding appeared first on FinSMEs.

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Novo Nordisk and Nvidia Just Partnered on AI. Is the Stock a Buy?

The Motley Fool

On March 18, Novo Nordisk (NYSE: NVO) and Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) announced a major new collaboration, an artificial intelligence (AI) project that's already making waves in biopharma. In short, Nvidia is going to be building the pharma company a brand-new piece of hardware that could help it realize its ambitions of highly targeted and efficient drug discovery.

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Picogrid Raises $12M in Seed Funding

FinSMEs

Picogrid, an El Segundo, CA-based defense technology startup, raised $12M in Seed funding. The round was led by Initialized Capital with participation from Starburst Ventures, Credo Ventures, Giant Step Capital, Domino Ventures, and Alumni Ventures. The company intends to use the funds to expand operations and its business reach. Led by Zane Mountcastle and Martin Slosarikbegan, Picogrid […] The post Picogrid Raises $12M in Seed Funding appeared first on FinSMEs.

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Cathie Wood Goes Bargain Hunting: 3 Stocks She Just Bought

The Motley Fool

This hasn't been a good year so far for Cathie Wood. The Ark Invest co-founder and CEO has seen many of her favorite stocks slide in an otherwise ascending market. Though 2024 has gotten off to a strong start for most growth investors, Ark Invest's largest exchange-traded fund (ETF) is trading 4% lower year to date. Some of her top holdings are faring even worse.

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Viam Raises $45M in Series B Funding

FinSMEs

Viam, a NYC-based software platform for smart machines, raised $45M in Series B funding. Backers included Union Square Ventures and Battery Ventures. The company, which has raised $87m in total funding, intends to use the funds to continue accelerating enterprise partnerships, driving commercial innovation, and making further developments into the software platform.

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Viking Therapeutics: Buy, Sell, or Hold?

The Motley Fool

When it comes to rising stars in biotech, Viking Therapeutics (NASDAQ: VKTX) should probably be one of the first businesses to come to mind today. The company doesn't yet have any sales revenue, but its pipeline of metabolic disease drugs has more than one highly promising project in the works, and investors likely won't need to wait years and years for those projects to (potentially) be commercialized.

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Fieldguide Raises $30M in Series B Funding

FinSMEs

Fieldguide, a San Francisco, CA-based AI platform for advisory and audit services, raised $30m in Series B funding. The round was led by Bessemer Venture Partners, with participation from 8VC, and AI and SaaS company CEOs. The company intends to use the funds for: Led by Jin Chang, CEO, and Chris Szymansky, CTO, Fieldguide provides […] The post Fieldguide Raises $30M in Series B Funding appeared first on FinSMEs.

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Could Micron Technology Become the Next Nvidia?

The Motley Fool

Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) has been one of the market's hottest chip stocks. The chipmaker was originally known for making gaming GPUs, but the rapid expansion of the artificial intelligence (AI) market over the past few years drove more companies to purchase its high-end data center GPUs to process complex AI tasks. Nvidia's rally of more than 2,000% over the past five years boosted its market cap to $2.4 trillion and minted a lot of millionaires.

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OpenPipe Raises $6.7M in Seed Funding

FinSMEs

OpenPipe, a Seattle, WA-based tool that lets developers create their own application-specific Large Language Models (LLMs), closed a $6.7m seed funding round. The round was led by Costanoa Ventures, with participation from Y Combinator and prominent angel investors, including Logan Kilpatrick, former head of developer relations at OpenAI, Alex Graveley, creator of GitHub Copilot, and […] The post OpenPipe Raises $6.7M in Seed Funding appeared first on FinSMEs.

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Why United Parcel Service Stock Is Sputtering Today

The Motley Fool

United Parcel Service (NYSE: UPS) has exciting long-term targets, but the near term isn't looking so bright. Investors are focused on what is right around the corner, sending UPS shares down nearly 8% as of 1:30 p.m. ET. Speed bumps up ahead Investors went into UPS' annual investor day with high hopes and the company delivered some eye-catching forecasts.

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Tensorplex Labs Raises $3M in Seed Funding

FinSMEs

Tensorplex Labs, a Web3 and artificial intelligence (AI) startup, raised $3m in seed funding. The round was led by Canonical Crypto and Collab+Currency with participation from Digital Currency Group, Quantstamp and Amber Group. The company intends to use the funds to expand the infrastructure for decentralized AI networks. Tensorplex Labs is building foundational railways for […] The post Tensorplex Labs Raises $3M in Seed Funding appeared first on FinSMEs.

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3 Invesco ETFs That Could Help You Retire a Millionaire

The Motley Fool

If you want to retire a millionaire with little effort, consider investing in exchange-traded funds, or ETFs. With an ETF, your money typically gets invested in many different stocks -- sometimes even hundreds or thousands. You don't have to do the work of picking enough individual stocks to diversify your portfolio. Instead, you're automatically diversified with a single purchase.

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tymt™ – A Game Launcher Transforming Gaming Experiences

FinSMEs

Sollefteå, Sweden, December 20th, 2023, Chainwire The Gaming Landscape: An Ongoing Struggle Gaming, an essential part of global culture, connects over a billion people worldwide through entertainment, escape, and social interaction. However, within this vast realm of gaming platforms and titles, a perpetual battle for dominance, revenue, and player engagement persists.

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Checking In on Dollar Stores and Duolingo

The Motley Fool

In this podcast, Motley Fool contributor Matt Frankel and host Dylan Lewis discuss: Family Dollar's plans to close almost 1,000 locations over the next few years and what it says about the state of discount retail and real estate. New York Community Bancorp 's cash infusion and reverse stock split and why it's still not enough to get Matt interested.

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Bertelsmann would consider deal to expand music business BMG, says chief

Financial Times M&A

Europe’s largest media group open to ‘joining forces’ after previous expansion attempts were scuppered by regulators

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3 Social Security Rules You Must Know Before Claiming Benefits

The Motley Fool

If you're gearing up to claim Social Security, you may be excited to finally get some money out of the program you've been paying into all of your life. But it's important to have a good understanding of how Social Security works before signing up to get benefits. With that in mind, here are three basic rules you should commit to memory before putting in your claim. 1.

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What does AI mean for a responsible business?

Financial Times: Moral Money

How to navigate the opportunities and challenges posed by a technology few can afford to ignore

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1 Magnificent S&P 500 Dividend Stock That's Down 63% and Trading at a Once-in-a-Decade Valuation

The Motley Fool

Trading at a lofty average price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of 50 during the past decade, MarketAxess (NASDAQ: MKTX) and its electronic bond trading platform is a perfect example of a stock I loved but couldn't stomach buying in large quantities. With less than 40% of the U.S. corporate bond market electronically traded, MarketAxess' leadership position in its burgeoning niche made it seem like a no-brainer investment.

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Mayfair Capital Partners sells outdoor furniture co POLYWOOD

Private Equity Wire

Mayfair Capital Partners (Mayfair), the private investment division of Oxford Financial Group (Oxford) has sold outdoor furniture specialist POLYWOOD to an investor group led by Arsenal Capital Partners (Arsenal), in partnership with BayPine. Financial terms of the transaction have not been disclosed. Headquartered in Syracuse, Indiana, POLYWOOD produces high-density polyethylene (HDPE) outdoor living products including rocking and occasional chairs, benches, swings, dining sets, and deep seatin

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Billionaire Bill Ackman Has 37% of His Portfolio Invested in 2 Brilliant Stocks

The Motley Fool

Billionaire Bill Ackman manages the hedge fund Pershing Square Capital Management. He achieved a total return of 212% during the five-year period that ended in February 2024, easily outperforming the S&P 500 , which increased 99% during the same period. That makes him a good case study for aspiring investors. With that in mind, Ackman had 37% of his $10.4 billion portfolio split between two companies as of the December quarter.

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PE and VC fundraising to increase despite limited exit opportunities

Private Equity Wire

Nearly two-thirds of PE and VC firms are planning to raise funds in 2024, with the sector anticipating future interest rate cuts from central banks, according to a new survey by Acuity Knowledge Partners (Acuity) canvassing the opinions of 128 private markets firms. The figure is a big increase on the 22% of respondents who planned to raise funds in the last survey.

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