Stable value investment association

- A + A KUALA LUMPUR (May 26): Mulpha International Bhd is acquiring the Capri On Via Roma shopping centre and associated marina with a combined total built up area of 11,863 square metres in Queensland, Australia for a total cash consideration of A$65.5 million (RM204.69 million). In a bourse filing, Mulpha International via its indirect wholly-owned unit Pindari Capital Capri Retail Pty Limited (PCCR) — in its capacity as trustee for Capri Retail Trust — has entered into a contract of sale with Capri On Via Roma Pty Ltd (in its capacity as trustee for Capri Enterprises Unit Trust) for the exercise. This exercise is expected to enhance the group’s property investment portfolio, with the shopping centre having a well-established tenant mix, said Mulpha International. “It is expected to be synergistic to the group’s existing portfolio, as the group will be able to leverage on its expertise in the area of food and beverage, car parking, leisure and development. The … [Read more...] about Mulpha International to buy shopping centre, associated marina in Australia for A$65.5 mil

A new poll shows Americans are overwhelmingly against Environment, Social, and Governance (ESG) policies in corporations. American investors want corporations to prioritize profits over political and social agendas, the latest Echelon Insights poll produced for the Daily Wire reported . Investment companies use ESG scores to judge a company’s support for climate change, gender and sexual identity, treatment of workers, and a board of directors independent of its CEO. New poll between us at @EchelonInsights w/ @realDailyWire . Only 21% of investors (1,008) believe that ESG investing (environmental, social, and corporate governance) is a politically neutral endeavor. Guess which side its considered to service? @benshapiro @VivekGRamaswamy https://t.co/GMNU1zPeeB — Stephen Kent (@Stephen_Kent89) May 26, 2022 The poll found that 46% of American investors felt that companies should not take public political positions on current national topics. Fifty-six percent of … [Read more...] about POLL: Americans Overwhelmingly Reject Woke Investing Craze Sweeping Through Corporations

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Inflation is becoming a problem. Whether it becomes a long-term structural one or dissipates after the pandemic, no one knows. As the old saw goes, economic forecasts make tarot cards appear respectable. Jack Dorsey recently predicted hyperinflation , an exponential decrease in the value of paper money akin to what happened in the Weimar Republic in the 1920s—or Zimbabwe in 2007 . For that to occur, monetary policy would have to ignore the problem, failing to raise rates as the data required. A Fed that lacks political independence could make this mistake, but it’s a low-probability outcome. Even double-digit inflation—in a throwback to the seventies—is unlikely, but possible. After all, economic conditions, like bellbottoms, go in and out of fashion. The most likely scenario is some prolonged elevation to inflation (in the mid-single digits) as labor shortages and supply-chain problems continue to pressure prices. No … [Read more...] about The Best Inflation Hedge You Already Own

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin 2022 has been a brutal year for investors. Presently, the S&P 500 is down over 16% Year-To-Date (YTD), the Dow is down 12% YTD, the NASDAQ is down an astounding 25% and the Russell 2000 small capitalization index is down 19%. The devastation has been widespread, with a high number of stocks down over 50%. Due to this, the Nasdaq Composite, S&P 500 Growth (SPYG) and Russell 2000 (All and Growth) segments of the market have confirmed their bear market status. The O’Neil methodology tends to use -25% from highs as the threshold for a bear market. Taking the commonly used -20% from highs, the S&P 500 and Russell 2000 Value have also reached the threshold. Only S&P 500 Value and Dow Industrials have not. In our January 28, 2022 Forbes article, we noted that after two consecutive failed Follow-Through Days (FTDs)*, triggered by an undercut of prior established lows, historically (using the S&P 500 since … [Read more...] about Bear Markets & Market Bottoms

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin There seems to be a lot of confusion about whether annuities are good or bad. Some of it stems from viewing the product as complex and too time-consuming to study and understand. But I don’t see annuities being any more complicated than other financial products. For example, one type of annuity is simply like a pension, and there’s almost no one who thinks a pension is bad. Annuities are a type of insurance product. By purchasing one, you’re transferring risk to the insurance company just as you do with home, auto, or life insurance coverage. With annuity products, the insurer is assuming some, if not all, of the longevity or market risk and charging a fee doing so. Risk mitigation is common to all types of annuity products, yet they differ markedly in other ways. Variable Annuities When people talk about contract complexity and high fees, they’re usually referring to variable annuities. I find these products are … [Read more...] about Do Annuities Make Sense For Anyone?

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin What will deliver higher returns over the next 12 months, I bonds or bitcoin? A year ago such a question would have been silly. Today, not so much. Bitcoin BTC has struggled in 2022, down more than 10%. In contrast, I bonds are set to deliver an estimated 9.62% annualized return starting next month. Here’s what you need to know. I Bond Basics First introduced in 1998, I bonds are issued by the U.S. government. Investors purchase I bonds directly from the government via the TreasuryDirect.gov website . Unlike most other U.S. bonds, however, I bonds are designed to protect savers from the ravages of inflation. They accomplish this by adjusting the interest rate twice a year (May and November) based on changes in the CPI. Two factors determine the interest rate on an I bond: A Fixed Rate and an Inflation Rate. Combining these two rates gives us what is known as the Composite Rate. Today the Fixed Rate is … [Read more...] about I Bonds Set To Deliver Historic 9.62% Interest Rate

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Recent monetary policy tightenings have triggered steep declines in many financial markets, including crypto assets which have lost almost $1 trillion in market capitalization in just one week. Extreme market volatility triggered the disintegration of the Terra ecosystem . TerraUSD ( UST ), a dollar- pegged stablecoin, and its sister token LUNA plummeted and delisted, saddling investors with billions in losses and accelerating the wreckage of other cryptocurrencies. This debacle debunked tall claims of an innovative crypto-financial ecosystem supposedly immune to traditional finance (TradeFi) bank runs . Stablecoins, a breed of cryptocurrencies touted for their purported stability, became vulnerable during the week ending May 13th, 2022, showing a glimpse of how things can go horribly wrong. The algorithmic stablecoin UST lost its dollar peg, collapsed, and wiped out nearly $50 billion in market value. The Terra … [Read more...] about Innovative Crypto Stablecoins- Still At Infancy And Experiencing Growing Pains

Major Moves Stocks were mixed today as investors prepared for the busiest week of first quarter earnings season . By the end of the week, more than 45% of the S&P 500 will have reported their earnings and we will have a good idea for the trend of corporate performance. Risks were somewhat compounded today following news that President Trump will make another move to curtail oil exports from Iran. Currently, some oil importers like China, South Korea and Turkey have a "waiver" from the U.S. that they will not face negative consequences for doing business with Iran. President Trump plans not to renew these waivers that expire on May 2. The administration has assumed that Iran's market share can be consolidated by Saudi Arabia and other Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) nations who will increase production. Clearly, the U.S. cannot dictate production levels to OPEC, but it is reasonable to assume that if Iranian exports are reduced, Saudi Arabia will want … [Read more...] about Junk Bonds Keep Dropping as Oil Spikes

The Indian Premier League trophy (Image courtesy: Twitter/@IPL, BCCI) Anxiety pierced through the Indian Premier League (IPL)'s bio-secure bubble on April 26 with leading Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin and some Australian players withdrawing from the league amid the escalating COVID-19 crisis in India even as the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) insisted that the glitzy league will go on. The 34-year-old Ashwin, competing for Delhi Capitals, decided to take a break saying that his family is currently "putting up a fight against COVID-19" and he wants to support them. He hopes to return to the side "if things go in the right direction". However, Andrew Tye (Rajastan Royals) and the duo of Kane Richardson and Adam Zampa (both Royal Challengers Bangalore) withdrew as apprehension set in after a couple of weeks went by smoothly for the league being held in front of empty stands across nine venues. While Zampa and Richardson have not yet spoken about … [Read more...] about IPL 2021 | Early exits as COVID-19 cases surge in India, BCCI says league will go on

- A + A LONDON (May 26): Britain announced a 25% windfall tax on oil and gas producers' profits on Thursday, alongside a £15 billion (US$18.9 billion) package of support for households struggling to meet soaring energy bills. The move, which will give each UK household a £400 discount on their energy bill and more for lowest-income households, marks a change of heart for Prime Minister Boris Johnson's government, which had previously resisted windfall taxes, calling them a deterrent to investment. It is the second emergency policy intervention to help with rising bills this year. Facing intense political pressure to provide more support for people coping with what political opponents and campaigners have called a cost-of-living crisis, finance minister Rishi Sunak said energy firms were making extraordinary profits while Britons struggled. "We will introduce a temporary and targeted energy profits levy but we have built into the new levy a new investment … [Read more...] about UK imposes 25% energy windfall tax to help households as bills surge