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Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
VOO Hits Record High, Joins QQQ in Full Recovery
The S&P 500 surged to all-time highs on Thursday, completing a full rebound from the correction it experienced in March and early April. Midday, the benchmark index traded as high as 6,146.52—slightly above its previous record close of 6,144.15 set on February 19. It also inched closer to its intraday record of 6,147.43 established that same index closed the session at 6,141.02, just a few points short of the all-time highs. With this move, the S&P 500 joins the Nasdaq-100, which hit a new record high of its own earlier this week. The tech-heavy Nasdaq index is tracked by the widely held Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ), while the S&P 500 is mirrored by some of the largest ETFs in the world, including the Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO), the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY) and the iShares Core S&P 500 ETF (IVV). Both indexes have now fully shaken off the steep declines sparked by trade war tensions and tariff fears earlier this year. At its lowest point, the S&P 500 had dropped 18.9% on a closing basis and more than 20% intraday—flirting with bear market territory, though it never officially entered one. The index was down as much as 15% year to date as of April 8. Today, it's up more than 5% for the year. As with the Nasdaq-100, the recent gains have been led by a handful of mega-cap tech names. Microsoft Corp. (MSFT), Nvidia Corp. (NVDA) and Broadcom Inc. (AVGO) have all hit record highs in recent days, helping drive the rebound. However, the rally hasn't been evenly distributed. The Invesco S&P 500 Equal Weight ETF (RSP), which assigns the same weight to each of the index's constituents, is still 4% below its peak and up only 3.6% year to date. Unlike the traditional S&P 500, RSP is far less influenced by the performance of the largest stocks. Meanwhile, not all tech giants are sharing in the gains. Apple Inc. (AAPL), currently the third-largest U.S. company by market cap, remains 23% below its highs amid concerns over its exposure to China and growing investor anxiety that it's falling behind in the AI race. Tesla Inc. (TSLA) is down even more—32% off its December highs—as the company grapples with a rocky rollout of its robotaxi initiative in Austin this | © Copyright 2025 All rights reserved
Bloomberg
4 days ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
Microsoft Plans Major Job Cuts at Xbox Gaming Division
Microsoft Corp. will conduct another round of major layoffs in its Xbox division next week as part of a company-wide reorganization. Managers within Xbox are expecting substantial cuts across the entire group, according to people familiar with the plans who asked not to be identified discussing nonpublic information. The company declined to comment.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Is Xtrackers Net Zero Pathway Paris Aligned US Equity ETF (USNZ) a Strong ETF Right Now?
The Xtrackers Net Zero Pathway Paris Aligned US Equity ETF (USNZ) was launched on 06/28/2022, and is a smart beta exchange traded fund designed to offer broad exposure to the Style Box - All Cap Blend category of the market. Market cap weighted indexes were created to reflect the market, or a specific segment of the market, and the ETF industry has traditionally been dominated by products based on this strategy. Because market cap weighted indexes provide a low-cost, convenient, and transparent way of replicating market returns, they work well for investors who believe in market efficiency. There are some investors, though, who think it's possible to beat the market with great stock selection; this group likely invests in another class of funds known as smart beta, which track non-cap weighted strategies. This kind of index follows this same mindset, as it attempts to pick stocks that have better chances of risk-return performance; non-cap weighted strategies base selection on certain fundamental characteristics, or a mix of such characteristics. This area offers many different investment choices, such as simplest equal-weighting, fundamental weighting and volatility/momentum based weighting methodologies; however, not all of these strategies can deliver superior results. USNZ is managed by Deutsche Bank Ag, and this fund has amassed over $235.48 million, which makes it one of the average sized ETFs in the Style Box - All Cap Blend. Before fees and expenses, this particular fund seeks to match the performance of the SOLACTIVE ISS ESG US NT ZR PATHWY ENH ID. The Solactive ISS ESG United States Net Zero Pathway Enhanced Index comprised of large and mid-capitalization companies in the United States that meet certain environmental, social and governance criteria. Investors should also pay attention to an ETF's expense ratio. Lower cost products will produce better results than those with a higher cost, assuming all other metrics remain the same. Annual operating expenses for USNZ are 0.10%, which makes it one of the least expensive products in the space. It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 1.45%. While ETFs offer diversified exposure, which minimizes single stock risk, a deep look into a fund's holdings is a valuable exercise. And, most ETFs are very transparent products that disclose their holdings on a daily basis. Taking into account individual holdings, Microsoft Corp (MSFT) accounts for about 8.87% of the fund's total assets, followed by Apple Inc (AAPL) and Nvidia Corp (NVDA.O). USNZ's top 10 holdings account for about 36.61% of its total assets under management. The ETF has added roughly 1.02% so far this year and was up about 6.33% in the last one year (as of 06/23/2025). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $31.29 and $38.80 The fund has a beta of 1.00 and standard deviation of 17.43% for the trailing three-year period. With about 336 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk . Xtrackers Net Zero Pathway Paris Aligned US Equity ETF is a reasonable option for investors seeking to outperform the Style Box - All Cap Blend segment of the market. However, there are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider. Vanguard ESG U.S. Stock ETF (ESGV) tracks FTSE US ALL CAP CHOICE INDEX and the iShares ESG Aware MSCI USA ETF (ESGU) tracks MSCI USA ESG Focus Index. Vanguard ESG U.S. Stock ETF has $10.18 billion in assets, iShares ESG Aware MSCI USA ETF has $13.33 billion. ESGV has an expense ratio of 0.09% and ESGU changes 0.15%. Investors looking for cheaper and lower-risk options should consider traditional market cap weighted ETFs that aim to match the returns of the Style Box - All Cap Blend To learn more about this product and other ETFs, screen for products that match your investment objectives and read articles on latest developments in the ETF investing universe, please visit Zacks ETF Center. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Xtrackers Net Zero Pathway Paris Aligned US Equity ETF (USNZ): ETF Research Reports This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research ( Zacks Investment Research Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Is iShares MSCI USA Quality GARP ETF (GARP) a Strong ETF Right Now?
Making its debut on 01/14/2020, smart beta exchange traded fund iShares MSCI USA Quality GARP ETF (GARP) provides investors broad exposure to the Style Box - All Cap Growth category of the market. The ETF industry has long been dominated by products based on market cap weighted indexes, a strategy created to reflect the market or a particular market segment. Market cap weighted indexes offer a low-cost, convenient, and transparent way of replicating market returns, and are a good option for investors who believe in market efficiency. However, some investors believe in the possibility of beating the market through exceptional stock selection, and choose a different type of fund that tracks non-cap weighted strategies: smart beta. These indexes attempt to select stocks that have better chances of risk-return performance, based on certain fundamental characteristics or a combination of such characteristics. Methodologies like equal-weighting, one of the simplest options out there, fundamental weighting, and volatility/momentum based weighting are all choices offered to investors in this space, but not all of them can deliver superior returns. The fund is managed by Blackrock. GARP has been able to amass assets over $478.18 million, making it one of the average sized ETFs in the Style Box - All Cap Growth. This particular fund, before fees and expenses, seeks to match the performance of the MSCI USA QUALITY GARP SELECT INDEX . The MSCI USA Quality GARP Select Index composes of U.S. large and mid-capitalization growth stocks exhibiting favourable value and quality characteristics. Since cheaper funds tend to produce better results than more expensive funds, assuming all other factors remain equal, it is important for investors to pay attention to an ETF's expense ratio. Annual operating expenses for this ETF are 0.15%, making it one of the least expensive products in the space. GARP's 12-month trailing dividend yield is 0.41%. ETFs offer diversified exposure and thus minimize single stock risk, but it is still important to delve into a fund's holdings before investing. Most ETFs are very transparent products and many disclose their holdings on a daily basis. GARP's heaviest allocation is in the Information Technology sector, which is about 48.8% of the portfolio. Its Consumer Discretionary and Financials round out the top three. Taking into account individual holdings, Microsoft Corp (MSFT) accounts for about 5.9% of the fund's total assets, followed by Mastercard Inc Class A (MA) and Nvidia Corp (NVDA). Its top 10 holdings account for approximately 42.23% of GARP's total assets under management. The ETF return is roughly 2.08% and is up roughly 10.83% so far this year and in the past one year (as of 06/23/2025), respectively. GARP has traded between $45.13 and $59.23 during this last 52-week period. The fund has a beta of 1.14 and standard deviation of 26.07% for the trailing three-year period. With about 136 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk . iShares MSCI USA Quality GARP ETF is a reasonable option for investors seeking to outperform the Style Box - All Cap Growth segment of the market. However, there are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider. iShares Morningstar Growth ETF (ILCG) tracks MORNINGSTAR US LARGE-MID CP BRD GRWTH ID and the iShares Core S&P U.S. Growth ETF (IUSG) tracks S&P 900 Growth Index. iShares Morningstar Growth ETF has $2.58 billion in assets, iShares Core S&P U.S. Growth ETF has $22.19 billion. ILCG has an expense ratio of 0.04% and IUSG changes 0.04%. Investors looking for cheaper and lower-risk options should consider traditional market cap weighted ETFs that aim to match the returns of the Style Box - All Cap Growth To learn more about this product and other ETFs, screen for products that match your investment objectives and read articles on latest developments in the ETF investing universe, please visit Zacks ETF Center. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report iShares MSCI USA Quality GARP ETF (GARP): ETF Research Reports This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research ( Zacks Investment Research Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
19-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Microsoft plans to cut thousands of jobs in sales division
-- Microsoft Corp . (NASDAQ:MSFT) is preparing to eliminate thousands of jobs, primarily in its sales division, as part of ongoing workforce reductions while the company increases spending on artificial intelligence. The job cuts are expected to be announced in early July, after Microsoft's fiscal year concludes, according to a report from Bloomberg, citing people with knowledge of the plans. The reductions will not be limited to sales teams, and the timing could change, these sources said. In April, Microsoft informed employees it would shift to using third-party firms to handle more software sales to small and mid-size customers. As Microsoft allocates tens of billions of dollars toward servers and data centers, executives have committed to investors and cautioned employees about controlling expenses in other areas. Microsoft did not provide a comment on the planned job cuts. Related articles Microsoft plans to cut thousands of jobs in sales division - Bloomberg Apple interested in using AI to design custom chips- Reuters, citing exec BofA starts Sandisk at Buy on margin upside, NAND recovery prospects Connectez-vous pour accéder à votre portefeuille
