Successful small-cap growth-stock fund managers have a problem. Rapidly growing small companies tend not to stay small for long. They become midsize companies that the manager has to sell. To solve this problem, managers invented the curiously named “smid-cap” fund category that holds both small- and mid-cap stocks. One of the first and best funds
Leading figures in the financial sector are shunning Davos this year, as the World Economic Forum fights to compete with a growing number of rival conferences around the world. Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey, Dame Anne Richards of Fidelity International, John Studzinski of Pimco and Hendrik du Toit of Ninety One have all opted
Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies wavered Friday as volatile trading continued in the aftermath of the Securities and Exchange Commission’s approval of the first spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds. The price of Bitcoin has shed 1% over the past 24 hours to $45,950, having notched gains in this period as high as near $48,600—around its best levels
Vanguard’s decision to not offer its users access to bitcoin ETFs has sparked a backlash among some customers, who have decided to close their brokerage accounts and move their money to other platforms. Vanguard users have found themselves unable to buy shares in spot bitcoin ETFs, which started trading on Thursday after the U.S. Securities
Cryptocurrencies saw volatile trading Wednesday as traders awaited a decision from the Securities and Exchange Commission on whether to approve spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds. Digital assets have been buoyed for months by ETF approval hopes, with anticipation reaching fever pitch after the agency’s social media account was breached on Tuesday and falsely posted that the
The chief executive of M&G’s asset management business has urged dialogue between global watchdogs to ensure a consistent regulatory framework for fund tokenisation, after the UK government last year backed an industry-led blueprint on how funds can adopt blockchain technology. In November, the technology working group of HM Treasury’s Asset Management Taskforce — chaired by
Optimism over artificial intelligence powered the stock market in 2023. It also helped some sustainable funds turn in a surprisingly strong performance. Based on data from Morningstar Direct, the top five sustainable U.S. equity mutual funds in Barron’s annual survey outperformed the S&P 500 index, returning an average 35% against a gain of 26%, including
Do well by doing good? Don’t count on it. Funds that invest using environmental, social, and governance, or ESG, criteria underperformed for a second consecutive year. According to data from Morningstar Direct, sustainable U.S. equity funds were up an average 21.6%, including dividends, through Dec. 31, trailing the S&P 500 total returns index by about
When ChatGPT burst into the public consciousness in early 2023, financial services firms initially reacted by banning their employees from using it. A year later, many executives are heralding generative AI as transformative for their business. AI as a key theme for 2024 may seem obvious. But what are the other trends that will affect
Why Microsoft’s stock is a better investment than Apple
Apple Inc. has long been the most valuable U.S. company, but Microsoft Corp. seems poised to overtake it. A look back at the companies’ financial performance and a look ahead at expected revenue and profits make the case that Apple is no longer a growth stock and that Microsoft is the better long-term investment. Late