Inflation today looks nothing like what it did in the 1970s, but neither do today’s private-label food products (organic frozen pizza, anyone?). That bodes well for store-branded products, which have had a sleepy few years of market-share growth. Private-label sales have historically been correlated with inflation, according to Gary Stibel, chief executive officer of New […]
The market just can’t seem to get quantitative easing—or its reversal—right. Investors are laser-focused on the end date of pandemic-era monetary stimulus. This past week, Federal Reserve officials have suggested that interest rates could go up sooner than expected, and that they are discussing the timing of slowing or “tapering” asset purchases—a policy known as […]
Prime Day has long been about more than Amazon AMZN -0.05% just keeping itself busy over the slow summer. But this may be an inopportune time for the e-commerce titan to fuel its famous “flywheel.” Amazon kicked off its two-day annual sales extravaganza on Monday, touting more than two million deals available across 20 countries. […]
JPMorgan JPM 0.83% Chase & Co. is redoubling efforts to revive a type of mortgage that largely died out after the last financial crisis. The bank is reinvesting in an electronic clearinghouse for “private-label“ mortgages, which are packaged and sold to investors without a guarantee from a government-backed firm like Fannie Mae. The market has […]
Activist investors are showing up in force for the spinoff of Universal Music Group, the powerful record label behind Lady Gaga and Taylor Swift. But there might also be less glamorous ways to make money from a stake in its current owner, Vivendi. VIVHY 0.61% On Tuesday, investors in the French media company will vote […]
Yields on Chinese junk bonds have jumped to levels last hit during the tail end of last year’s market turbulence, signaling growing investor concern about defaults. Last week, the yield on an ICE BofA index of Chinese junk bonds in dollars topped 10% for the first time since May 2020. It closed Friday at 9.93%. […]
Some brand new exchange-traded funds are dabbling in meme stocks, chasing returns in a bid to pull in assets. Still, a few actively managed ETFs are trying to surf the retail meme-stock mania, gambling on their ability to get out in time once the rally eventually fizzles, including the Qraft AI-Enhanced U.S. Next Value ETF […]
Would-be home buyers without big piles of cash are getting left on the sidelines. In the turbocharged housing market, prices are surging and homes on the market are routinely selling for far more than the listing price. Those who can’t afford big down payments are often the ones losing out. Half of existing-home buyers in […]
Shares of Peloton Interactive are down 28% so far this year versus a 12% gain for the S&P 500. Photo: Michael Loccisano/Getty Images They say all things come to those who wait, but Peloton Interactive’s PTON 0.28% investors aren’t a patient bunch. Shares of Peloton are down 28% so far this year versus a 12% […]
Medical Properties Trust Inc. MPW -4.89% is a little-known real-estate investor that helps private-equity firms cash in on their hospital investments. Recent financial documents provide fresh details on the close relationship and deal-making between the firm and its biggest tenant. The documents show Medical Properties Trust’s exposure to Dallas-based Steward Health Care, a hospital chain […]
