Why Rare Earths Are China's Trump Card in Trade War With US
Rare earths are among the most critical raw materials on the planet, deeply embedded in the technologies that underpin modern life. Yet few people have heard of them or know what they do.
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Yahoo
22 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Billionaires Are Buying a Popular AI Index Fund That Could Turn $500 Per Month Into $432,300
Key Points Three prominent billionaire money managers bought shares of the Invesco QQQ Trust in the first quarter. The Invesco QQQ Trust is heavily invested in technology stocks likely to benefit from artificial intelligence. The fund achieved a total return of 1,560% in the last two decades, compounding at 15% annually. 10 stocks we like better than Invesco QQQ Trust › Invest in Gold Priority Gold: Up to $15k in Free Silver + Zero Account Fees on Qualifying Purchase American Hartford Gold: #1 Precious Metals Dealer in the Nation Thor Metals Group: Best Overall Gold IRA The Invesco QQQ Trust (NASDAQ: QQQ) is the fifth-most popular exchange-traded fund (ETF) worldwide as measured by assets under management. Several prominent billionaires added to their positions in the first quarter, as detailed below: Ken Griffin of Citadel Advisors added 2.2 million shares. The Invesco QQQ Trust now ranks as the third-largest position in the hedge fund, excluding options. Israel Englander of Millennium Management added 474,300 shares. The ETF now ranks among the 25 largest positions in the hedge fund, excluding options. Steven Cohen of Point72 Asset Management added 7,950 shares. The ETF remains a relatively small position in the hedge fund. Citadel, Millennium, and Point72 are three of the most profitable hedge funds in history as measured by net gains. That makes all three money managers good sources of inspiration, and individual investors should consider following their lead with this ETF. The Invesco QQQ Trust could turn $500 per month into $432,300 in 20 years. The Invesco QQQ Trust is heavily invested in technology companies likely to benefit from artificial intelligence The Invesco QQQ Trust measures the performance of the Nasdaq-100, an index that tracks the 100 largest nonfinancial companies listed on the Nasdaq Stock Exchange. The ETF has more than 60% of its assets invested in technology stocks, many of which are likely to benefit as the artificial intelligence (AI) revolution continues to unfold. The 10 largest holdings in the Invesco QQQ Trust are listed by weight below: Nvidia: 9.8% Microsoft: 8.7% Apple: 7.2% Amazon: 5.6% Broadcom: 5.3% Alphabet: 5% Meta Platforms: 3.5% Netflix: 2.8% Tesla 2.6% Costco Wholesale: 2.3% AI spending across hardware, software, and services is forecast to grow at 35.9% annually through 2030, according to Grand View Research. Several companies listed above should benefit. Amazon, Microsoft, and Alphabet are the three largest public cloud providers, meaning demand for AI infrastructure should be a tailwind. And Nvidia is the undisputed leader in data center GPUs, the most popular type of AI accelerator. Apple has introduced generative AI capabilities for iPhones. Meta Platforms is leaning on AI to increase user engagement across its social media platforms and improve outcomes for advertisers. Netflix recently started using generative AI to create content for movies and shows. Broadcom is the market leader in AI networking chips and custom AI accelerators, and Tesla recently launched an autonomous ride-hailing service. History says the Invesco QQQ Trust can turn $500 invested monthly into $432,300 in 20 years Excluding dividends, the Invesco QQQ Trust advanced 1,340% during the last two decades, which is equivalent to 14% annually. Including dividends, the index fund achieved a total return of 1,560%, compounding at 15% annually. I will assume a more modest return of 12% annually to introduce a margin of safety. At that pace, $500 invested monthly in the fund would be worth $105,200 in one decade and $432,300 in two decades. Some investors may prefer to save more or less each month, so the chart below shows how different contribution amounts would grow over time, assuming annual returns of 12%. Holding Period $200 Per Month $400 Per Month $600 Per Month 10 Years $42,100 $84,200 $126,300 20 Years $172,900 $345,800 $518,700 Returns were determined using the compound interest calculator. Investors need two more pieces of information. First, the Invesco QQQ Trust has been very volatile in the past due to its heavy exposure to technology stocks. The index fund fell more than 12% from its record high seven times in the last decade. Similar volatility is likely in the future. Second, the ETF has an expense ratio of 0.2%, meaning shareholders will pay $20 per year on every $10,000 invested. Comparatively, the average expense ratio on U.S. index funds and mutual funds was 0.34% in 2024. Should you buy stock in Invesco QQQ Trust right now? Before you buy stock in Invesco QQQ Trust, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the for investors to buy now… and Invesco QQQ Trust wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $625,254!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $1,090,257!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor's total average return is 1,036% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 181% for the S&P 500. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join Stock Advisor. See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of July 29, 2025 Trevor Jennewine has positions in Amazon, Nvidia, and Tesla. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Costco Wholesale, Meta Platforms, Microsoft, Netflix, Nvidia, and Tesla. The Motley Fool recommends Broadcom and recommends the following options: long January 2026 $395 calls on Microsoft and short January 2026 $405 calls on Microsoft. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Billionaires Are Buying a Popular AI Index Fund That Could Turn $500 Per Month Into $432,300 was originally published by The Motley Fool Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
30 minutes ago
- Yahoo
India vows to protect farmers as Trump's 25% tariff threat sparks opposition fury
By Manoj Kumar and Nikunj Ohri NEW DELHI (Reuters) -India vowed on Thursday to protect its labour-intensive agriculture sector, a central sticking point in bogged-down trade talks with the U.S., as Washington threatened 25% tariffs, triggering outrage from the opposition and a slump in the rupee. Without a deal, the rate will go into effect from Friday and single out India for harsher trade conditions than its major peers, potentially damaging the economy of a strategic U.S. partner in Asia seen as a counterbalance to Chinese influence. Though negotiations are continuing, they have hit a wall due to the United States' insistence that India open its agricultural markets. New Delhi has long shielded the sector, which - with over 40% of the workforce engaged in farming activities - constitutes the most influential voting bloc in the world's most populous nation. "The government attaches the utmost importance to protecting and promoting the welfare of our farmers, entrepreneurs, and (medium and small businesses)," India's trade minister Piyush Goyal said in a statement in the parliament. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a CNBC interview on Thursday that the U.S. trade team was frustrated with India, adding that the future of trade deal between the two nations was now up to India. U.S. President Donald Trump had said on Wednesday that, in addition to the 25% tariff on imports from India, the country would face an unspecified penalty for its dealings with Russia and its membership in the BRICS grouping of nations. "I don't care what India does with Russia," Trump wrote in a Truth Social post on Thursday. "They can take their dead economies down together, for all I care." India's benchmark equity indices, the Nifty 50 and BSE Sensex, fell as much as 0.9% in early trade before paring losses and both closing around 0.4% lower. The rupee closed 0.2% down at 87.5950 to the dollar after touching its lowest level in more than five months earlier in the day. COOLING RELATIONS The government's failure to clinch an agreement with Trump, even as other major world economies like the European Union, Japan and South Korea have struck deals in recent days, sparked anger among India's political opposition. "The government has destroyed our economic policy, has destroyed our defence policy, has destroyed our foreign policy," opposition leader Rahul Gandhi told reporters on Thursday. Economists warned the steep tariff could hurt India's manufacturing ambitions and trim up to 40 basis points off economic growth in the financial year to March 2026. Some doubted whether further negotiations would lead to improved conditions. "While further trade talks may bring the tariff rate down, it appears unlikely that India will secure a significantly better outcome than its eastern neighbours," said Priyanka Kishore, an economist at Asia Decoded. Other countries have negotiated better U.S. tariff rates, with Vietnam agreeing to 20%, Indonesia to 19% and Japan and the EU both facing levies of 15%. On Wednesday, Trump said Washington had reached a trade deal with India's arch-rival Pakistan that Islamabad said would lead to lower tariffs on its exports, though neither side has yet revealed the agreed rate. Since India's short but deadly conflict with Pakistan in May, New Delhi has been unhappy about Trump's closeness with Islamabad and has protested, casting a shadow over trade talks. Despite previous public displays of bonhomie between Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India has hardened its stance towards the United States in recent weeks. Trump has repeatedly taken credit for the India-Pakistan ceasefire he announced on social media on May 10, but India disputes his claim that it resulted from his intervention and trade threats. The U.S., the world's largest economy, currently has a trade deficit of $45.7 billion with fifth-largest economy India. (Additional reporting by Jaspreet Kalra in Mumbai; Writing by Sudipto Ganguly in Mumbai; Editing by Clarence Fernandez, Ros Russell and Joe Bavier) Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
35 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Lockheed Martin (LMT) Sees Sequential Growth in Q2 2025 Sales
Lockheed Martin Corporation (NYSE:LMT) is one of the Best 52-Week Low Blue Chip Stocks to Buy Now. The company reported Q2 2025 results on July 22. In Q2 2025, the company's sales of $18 billion saw a sequential growth as it continues to fuel supply chain improvements and ramp capacity on the required deterrent capabilities. Additionally, the company invested $800 million in infrastructure and innovation for growth and returned $1.3 billion to shareholders in the form of dividends and share repurchases. A military aircraft in flight, showing the strength of the company's combat & air mobility capability. Lockheed Martin Corporation (NYSE:LMT)'s Aeronautics segment saw an increase of $143 million, or 2% YoY, in sales during the quarter ended June 29, 2025. This was mainly because of increased sales of $470 million on the F-35 program as a result of higher volume on production contracts. This increase was partially mitigated by a $360 million unfavorable cumulative adjustment to sales due to the loss on a classified contract. For FY 2025, Lockheed Martin Corporation (NYSE:LMT) expects sales in the range of ~$73,750 million – $74,750 million, and FCF of between ~$6,600 million – $6,800 million. Lockheed Martin Corporation (NYSE:LMT)'s Missiles and Fire Control segment witnessed an increase of $331 million, or 11% YoY, in sales during the quarter ended June 29, 2025. This was mainly due to higher sales of $330 million on tactical and strike missile programs because of production ramp-up on Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM), Long Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM), and precision fires programs. While we acknowledge the potential of LMT as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If you're looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock. READ NEXT: 13 Cheap AI Stocks to Buy According to Analysts and 11 Unstoppable Growth Stocks to Invest in Now Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
