2026 began with a dramatic upheaval in geopolitics. On Jan. 3, U.S. special operations forces executed a predawn military operation in Caracas that captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, flying him to New York to face federal drug-trafficking and terrorism charges.... Read more
When gold is glittering, miners can shine even brighter. Gold has had a strong start to the year, with futures traded in New York up about 6% year to date. /Gold miners have done even better, with the Philadelphia Gold... Read more
As 2026 gets underway, many investors are wondering how to position their portfolios for growth while managing volatility in an increasingly complex environment. From geopolitical unrest to a frothy tech sector and shifting interest-rate expectations, there are many trends to... Read more
The Russia-Ukraine war has now stretched well past 1,400 days since Russia’s full-scale invasion began, remaining one of the longest sustained conflicts in Europe in recent memory. Meanwhile, the Israel-Palestine conflict continues unabated, contributing to enduring instability in the Middle... Read more
Naturally, S&P 500 performance ebbs and flows, but throughout market cycles, exposure to large-cap U.S. stocks has been a reliable component of diversified portfolios. While many investors associate exchange-traded funds, or ETFs, with S&P 500 index exposure, mutual funds that... Read more
Why does Warren Buffett prefer stocks over an asset like gold? The simple answer: cash flow. With gold, you only earn capital gains when you sell it for a profit. However, you don’t need to sell your stocks to earn... Read more
Geopolitical tensions have brought a lot of uncertainty to the markets, but investors know one thing for certain: Those tensions will cause countries to put more money into their defense systems and militaries. When a significant amount of capital flows... Read more
Macroeconomic cycles are often defined by the environments in which certain assets tend to perform best. For example, real assets such as commodities and natural resource stocks have historically held up better during inflationary periods. Since September 2024, however, U.S.... Read more
2025 was a challenging year for Bitcoin bulls. By Dec. 31, Bitcoin was down 6.3% on the year, following a 121% gain in 2024 and a 155% gain in 2023. “We are cautiously optimistic on Bitcoin heading into 2026 thanks... Read more
If tax efficiency is a top priority, there are quite a few ways to shield more of your investment gains from Uncle Sam. Asset location should come first. Americans have access to several tax-sheltered accounts, including workplace 401（k） plans, Roth... Read more
There’s no inherent advantage to sticking with a single fund manager, but some of the largest providers offer enough value to make loyalty worthwhile. Vanguard is one of them. Nowhere is this more evident than in the firm’s bond lineup.... Read more
Artificial intelligence stocks and gold miners outperformed in 2025, but the broader market as a whole had a heck of a year, with roughly 16% returns for the S&P 500. While that figure is smaller in the near term, it... Read more