The Big Picture

DECEMBER 13, 2023

Tyler Cowen and his colleague Alex Tabarrok write some interesting posts over at Marginal Revolution. Sometimes I agree with them, sometimes I disagree with them. Recently, a post utterly perplexed me: “One doesn’t get a favorable impression of crypto from Number Go Up but in fact one doesn’t learn much about crypto at all. Indeed, Faux’s book isn’t really about crypto it’s about the rise and collapse of a bubble and the consequent madness of crowds.

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Private Equity Insights

DECEMBER 15, 2023

EQT AB is leading the bidding as private equity firms compete for a stake in the media rights business of the Bundesliga, Germany’s main football competition, people with knowledge of the matter said. The Nordic investment firm has so far presented the highest offer with an initial proposal valuing the unit at about €12.7bn ($14bn), according to the people.

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Bidding Private Equity Firms Private Equity Firms Stakes 276

The Motley Fool

DECEMBER 13, 2023

When to sign-up for Social Security is a highly personal decision. It's also an important one. Your age at sign up determines how much money you get for the rest of your life. There's no wrong age, but there are definitely some that could give you a lot more money than others. Below, we'll look at some of the most popular claiming ages and who they're a good fit for so you can decide which one is right for you.

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The Motley Fool

DECEMBER 11, 2023

Image source: Getty Images Electric cars are becoming increasingly popular, but their high price tags are enough to give even some of the most environmentally conscious drivers pause. Add in the cost of financing and auto insurance , and an electric vehicle can feel completely out of reach. But if you can stomach the initial costs, there are several ways that electric cars can save you money.

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The Motley Fool

DECEMBER 12, 2023

Image source: Getty Images If you've been struggling to cover the cost of auto insurance , you're not alone. A May survey by Policygenius found that 43% of insured drivers were paying more for car insurance during the spring of 2023 than they were a year prior. If you're tired of having to cut back on other bills to keep up with your auto insurance premiums, don't just resign yourself to the high costs you're facing today.

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Companies 264

The Motley Fool

DECEMBER 13, 2023

Nio (NYSE: NIO) and Rivian (NASDAQ: RIVN) both saw their shares skyrocket to all-time highs during the buying frenzy in growth stocks in 2021. However, both electric vehicle (EV) makers subsequently shed nearly 90% of their value as their revenue growth cooled off and rising interest rates popped their bubbly valuations. The broader slowdown of the EV market exacerbated that pain.

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The Motley Fool

DECEMBER 15, 2023

Warren Buffett manages a massive stock portfolio worth about $366 billion for Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE: BRK.A) (NYSE: BRK.B) , but he's been slowly culling his equity positions in 2023. The Oracle of Omaha and his team sold $32.8 billion worth of shares during the first nine months of the year, and spent just $9.1 billion purchasing new shares in that same period.

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Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Conglomerates Stakes Shareholders 246

The Motley Fool

DECEMBER 15, 2023

Social Security is a vital source of income for millions of retirees, and many workers will one day depend on benefits. Yet Americans consistently score poorly on quizzes assessing their knowledge of Social Security, including aspects of the program that impact their income on an annual basis. For instance, Social Security benefits will get a cost-of-living increase in 2024, and some workers will pay more taxes into the Social Security program.

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The Motley Fool

DECEMBER 15, 2023

The start of a new year is a good time to focus on financial matters. And it pays to carve out some time at the beginning of 2024 to tackle a few key retirement moves. This holds true whether you're a few years away from wrapping up your career or still have decades to go. Here are a few specific tasks worth tackling in January. 1. Increase your retirement savings rate Getting a raise at work isn't a given.

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The Motley Fool

DECEMBER 15, 2023

Image source: Getty Images As we get closer to Dec. 25, you may still have a few gifts left to buy. But don't feel discouraged; there's still time to shop for presents your favorite people will adore. Before shopping online or driving to the mall, consider which retailers will have what you need. Not every retailer offers fast shipping or is open late, so keep that in mind to ensure your expectations are realistic.

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The Motley Fool

DECEMBER 15, 2023

The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJINDICES: ^DJI) tracks 30 large U.S. stocks. Inclusion is limited to companies that have excellent reputations, demonstrate sustained growth, and generate widespread interest among investors. To that end, the index is commonly regarded as a collection of blue chip stocks, though it also serves as one of three major barometers for the overall U.S. stock market, with the other two being the S&P 500 (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC) and the Nasdaq Composite (NASDAQINDEX: ^IXI

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The Motley Fool

DECEMBER 15, 2023

If you ask people what concerns they have about retirement, many will likely point to health issues cropping up. But there's another concern that tends to plague retirees, and it's running out of money. The unfortunate reality is that there's no 401(k) or IRA balance that guarantees that your money won't run out. You could whittle a $3 million nest egg down to $0 if you aren't careful enough.

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The Motley Fool

DECEMBER 15, 2023

MicroStrategy (NASDAQ: MSTR) and Riot Platforms (NASDAQ: RIOT) represent two different ways to invest in Bitcoin 's (CRYPTO: BTC) rally of about 150% this year. MicroStrategy is a software company that started hoarding Bitcoin over the past three years. Riot is a leading Bitcoin mining company that mines BTC with its massive fleet of high-end miners.

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The Motley Fool

DECEMBER 15, 2023

The last couple of years have been brutal for social media giant Meta Platforms (NASDAQ: META). After spending billions on its metaverse ambitions, Meta lost sight of its core advertising business -- and investors didn't like that. Specifically, famed venture capitalist Brad Gerstner of Altimeter Capital wrote an open letter to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and the board of directors, urging the company to "get fit.

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The Motley Fool

DECEMBER 15, 2023

Bill Ackman is one of the best investors of our generation and he controls a $10 billion portfolio at Pershing Square. But this isn't just any portfolio, it's incredibly concentrated into only seven stocks and six companies. In this video, Travis Hoium goes through Ackman's portfolio and what he might be seeing in the allocations being made. *Stock prices used were end-of-day prices of Dec. 12, 2023.

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The Motley Fool

DECEMBER 15, 2023

Investing in the stock market is one of the easiest and most effective ways to build life-changing wealth, but choosing the right investments is critical. Some investments promise to make you rich overnight, but they carry so much risk you're likely to lose more than you gain. Other investments may be extremely low-risk but experience such low returns it's difficult to grow your savings.

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The Motley Fool

DECEMBER 15, 2023

Image source: Getty Images Signing a mortgage today is not the same as signing a mortgage three years ago. In 2020, mortgage lenders were offering almost ridiculously low interest rates to entice buyers during a financial crisis. But mortgage rates have hovered around 7% for much of 2023. And when you combine that with elevated home prices, it has the makings of a real affordability crisis.

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Taxes Funds 246

The Motley Fool

DECEMBER 15, 2023

Eli Lilly (NYSE: LLY) is the top healthcare stock in the world, with a valuation of around $550 billion. Its recently approved weight-loss treatment Zepbound has unlocked a new and exciting growth opportunity for the business. What should investors expect from Eli Lilly over the next five years, and is the stock still worth investing in despite its high valuation?

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The Motley Fool

DECEMBER 15, 2023

Growth stocks are having a big week in the markets. Some of the more speculative plays that depend on access to affordable capital are leading the way. One of those speculative companies is electric heavy truck maker Nikola (NASDAQ: NKLA). The leading market indexes rose more than 2.5% this week, as of early Friday. Yet Nikola shares have skyrocketed nearly 30%, according to data provided by S&P Global Market Intelligence.

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The Motley Fool

DECEMBER 15, 2023

CRISPR Therapeutics (NASDAQ: CRSP) received great news last week. Its gene-editing therapy, which it has been developing with Vertex Pharmaceuticals , obtained approval from the Food and Drug Administration for sickle cell disease. It's a turning point for the business, which now has its first approved product. But what's next for the business, and where does CRISPR Therapeutics go from here?

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Liabilities Debt Portfolios Returns 246

The Motley Fool

DECEMBER 15, 2023

Social Security will go down as one of the most important social programs in U.S. history. For millions of Americans, it's their financial lifeline in retirement, providing guaranteed income during people's golden years. As we near the end of 2023, it's never too early to start understanding and planning for upcoming changes to Social Security and how much it may impact your planning.

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Accounting Investing 246

The Motley Fool

DECEMBER 15, 2023

Passive income isn't hard to find in the stock market. Dividend stocks provide truly passive cash flow in the form of quarterly or annual payments that often increase with each passing year. Income investors can also use those regular payments to supercharge overall returns if they choose to automatically reinvest them. That way, you can accumulate more shares during market downturns and fewer shares when stocks are rallying.

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The Motley Fool

DECEMBER 15, 2023

It seems like everyone loves Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL). Well, at least 29% of those reading this do. That is the global market share for the smartphone maker, putting it in the lead over competitors such as Samsung and Alphabet 's Google. With strong marketing, quality products, and locked-in users, Apple has established itself as the premium smartphone maker around the world, which has been quite a lucrative business.

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Stakes Returns Investors Companies 246

The Motley Fool

DECEMBER 15, 2023

Shares of Broadcom (NASDAQ: AVGO) rallied 17.2% this week through Thursday trading, according to data from S&P Global Market Intelligence. The semiconductor giant, which just closed on a transformative acquisition of software giant VMware at the end of November, reported its fiscal fourth-quarter earnings last week. Apparently, analysts liked what they heard, and raised their price targets on the stock accordingly.

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The Motley Fool

DECEMBER 15, 2023

Advanced Micro Devices (NASDAQ: AMD) has had one incredible year. The price of its shares has almost doubled in 2023, increasing 98% as of this writing. Indeed, when ranking all S&P 500 components by year-to-date performance, AMD ranks seventh -- overshadowed only by 2023 fireballs like Nvidia and Meta Platforms. At any rate, as the year draws to an end, investors want to know if the good times will continue for AMD.

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Prospects Investors Returns Companies 246

The Motley Fool

DECEMBER 14, 2023

We knew it was coming. We just didn't know when. Costco (NASDAQ: COST) Chief Financial Officer Richard Galanti's rhetoric in recent earnings calls, when asked about whether the company would pay out another special dividend, has been that it's "probably a question of when, not if." The day has finally come. Costco announced on Thursday it would pay a special cash dividend of $15 per share on Jan. 12, 2024 to shareholders of record as of the close of business on Dec. 28.

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The Motley Fool

DECEMBER 14, 2023

Cathie Wood is the founder and chief executive officer of Ark Invest, an asset management company focused on disruptive technologies like blockchain and cryptocurrency. Wood and her team are optimistic about the decentralized finance market, in general, but they're especially bullish on Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC). Ark published a Bitcoin valuation model earlier this year that outlined three price trajectories the digital currency could follow through the end of the decade.

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The Motley Fool

DECEMBER 14, 2023

Fool.com contributor Parkev Tatevosian reviews the phenomenal year Palantir Technologies (NYSE: PLTR) had in 2023 and whether it is likely to replicate the success in 2024. *Stock prices used were the afternoon prices of Dec. 12, 2023. The video was published on Dec. 14, 2023. Should you invest $1,000 in Palantir Technologies right now? Before you buy stock in Palantir Technologies, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks

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The Motley Fool

DECEMBER 14, 2023

The rally in renewable energy stocks continued on Thursday and it extended to everything from utilities to product suppliers. Yesterday's Federal Reserve meeting and the expectation of lower interest rates in 2024 and 2025 have given the market a boost and energy assets have become some of the favorites today. Both NextEra Energy (NYSE: NEE) and its subsidiary NextEra Energy Partners (NYSE: NEP) jumped as much as 3.3% and 8.5%, respectively, in morning trading.

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The Motley Fool

DECEMBER 14, 2023

One of the biggest decisions you'll make in retirement is when to claim Social Security benefits. Most people can claim their retirement benefits starting in the month they turn 62 years old. Claiming early gives you access to that additional income upfront, but it comes at a significant cost. You'll receive a reduce payout compared to if you waited until full retirement age.

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Taxes 246

The Motley Fool

DECEMBER 14, 2023

The good news is that Walt Disney (NYSE: DIS) is no longer trading lower this year. The bad news is that shares of the entertainment giant are only 7% higher in 2023 through Wednesday's close, still losing sorely to the bubbly market. Investors aren't exactly impressed with the House of Mouse these days. Analyst profit targets have been heading lower in recent weeks, contrasting the buoyancy in more popular stocks.

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Shareholders Returns Investors Accounting 246

The Motley Fool

DECEMBER 14, 2023

Investing in Aurora Cannabis (NASDAQ: ACB) generally hasn't paid off for investors. But what if you waited until 2020, when the markets briefly crashed and valuations were incredibly low for many stocks? Would buying Aurora at the time have been a good move for investors? Here's a look at what it was trading at back then, and what an investment in the cannabis producer in March 2020 would be worth today.

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The Motley Fool

DECEMBER 14, 2023

Solar and electric-vehicle (EV) stocks Enphase Energy (NASDAQ: ENPH) , SolarEdge Technologies (NASDAQ: SEDG) , and Lucid Group (NASDAQ: LCID) were rallying big on Thursday, rising 13.2%, 16.2%, and 13.9%, respectively, as of 12:10 p.m. ET. Solar and EV stocks are generally rallying in a catch-up trade following yesterday's Federal Reserve meeting and press conference with Chairman Jay Powell.

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The Motley Fool

DECEMBER 15, 2023

Fool.com contributor Parkev Tatevosian reviews Fisker Automotive (NYSE: FSR) and its longer-term prospects to answer whether investors should buy the electric vehicle (EV) stock for 2024. *Stock prices used were the afternoon prices of Dec. 13, 2023. The video was published on Dec. 15, 2023. Should you invest $1,000 in Fisker right now? Before you buy stock in Fisker, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors

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