archiveinvesting

The U.S. Federal Reserve increased its key interest rate a total of 11 times between March 2022 and July 2023. And while the central bank hasn't made additional increases lately – and some think it may even move toward cuts soon – the bottom line is that the current rate environment makes fixed-income instruments much more attractive than most dividend stocks.Consider that the average yield of a stock in the S&P 500 index of the largest U.S. companies is just 1.7% at present, while 10-year U.S. Treasury bonds provide 4.7%...

In his 2022 book, "Chip War: The Fight for the World's Most Critical Technology," author Chris Miller highlighted a crucial vulnerability in the global semiconductor supply chain, with significant implications for the U.S. as a modern superpower.He points out that a significant portion of the world's semiconductor manufacturing capability is concentrated outside the U.S.: 37% of the world's new computing power is produced by chips from Taiwan, 44% of global memory chips are produced by two Korean companies, and all of the world's extreme ultraviolet lithography machines, crucial for manufacturing...

Increasingly, Americans are concerned with making sure their money is aligned with their moral principles. According to KPMG, 37% of American consumers consider environmental sustainability when making a purchase, and 33% also consider social responsibility when buying something.When it comes to investing, the percentages are even more dramatic. One study from 2022 estimated that nearly 9 out of every 10 investors cared about deploying socially responsible strategies as they plan for retirement. Those numbers are on the rise year after year, too, as proof this trend isn't going away. Socially...