Author: user

[ad_1] Investing.com — Bank stocks have returned to levels seen before the 2016 election, Bank of America analysts highlighted in a note Monday.  BofA explains that the sector has struggled, with the Index (BKX) down 10% from its November 2025 peak, while the has dropped only 1% over the same period.  The analysts see this pullback as an opportunity for investors, given improving regulatory conditions and anticipated growth in customer activity such as M&A, IPOs, and loan expansion. “Bank stocks are trading at 11-12x 2025 P/E versus 12-14x pre-pandemic,” BofA wrote, noting the sector is one of the few S&P sub-sectors…

Read More

[ad_1] Image source: Getty Images Since August, the easyJet (LSE: EZJ) share price has been flying. Near 573p, it’s up by around 35%. However, that good performance masks a weaker trend for the whole of 2024. Since January, the move higher has been about 15%. Just like many cyclical stocks, the airline has been volatile.  The beta metric that measures volatility is a high-looking 3.5. A reading of one represents the volatility of the general market, such as the FTSE All-Share index.  So that means easyJet’s stock volatility has been on average three-and-a-half times that of the general market. Therefore, every time some piece of macro-economic…

Read More

[ad_1] (Reuters) – Office equipment manufacturer Xerox (NASDAQ:) will buy Chinese-owned printer and printing software maker Lexmark International in a $1.5 billion deal to bolster its mainstay business, the companies said on Monday. The purchase from Ninestar Corp, PAG Asia Capital and Shanghai Shouda Investment Centre will bring Lexmark back to U.S. ownership. Formed out of IBM (NYSE:) in 1991, Lexmark was sold to a group of Chinese investors in a deal valued at $3.6 billion in 2016. Xerox, a household name globally, has seen its revenue shrink for five straight quarters as demand for printers and related equipment sputtered…

Read More

[ad_1] TAIPEI – Hon Hai (TW:) Precision Industry Co., Ltd., also known as Foxconn (SS:), has announced through its subsidiaries the acquisition of 100% of shares in two new energy companies, deepening its foray into the renewable energy and electric vehicle sectors. The transactions, both dated Monday, involve the purchase of shares in Foxconn New Energy Battery (Zhengzhou) Co., Ltd. and Foxconn New Energy Automobile Industry Development (Henan) Co., LTD., with each deal valued at RMB 600,000,000. The shares were acquired by the subsidiaries HONGFUJIN PRECISION ELECTRONICS (ZHENGZHOU) CO., LTD. and Foxconn Innovation Industry Development Group Co., LTD., respectively. The…

Read More

[ad_1] Fernando Gutierrez-Juarez | Picture Alliance | Getty ImagesIt has been a banner year for spot bitcoin exchange-traded funds, with some of the biggest asset managers introducing ETFs that hold the flagship digital currency. But there are things to consider before adding these ETFs to your portfolio, experts say.  The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission approved the first spot bitcoin ETFs in January. Earlier this month, the 12 spot bitcoin ETFs collectively surpassed $100 billion in assets under management, marking one of the most successful ETF launches in history.Bitcoin ETFs give investors a “traditional way to buy an untraditional asset,”…

Read More

[ad_1] Stock futures started a short trading week mixed as investors considered the path of interest rates next year after the Fed hinted they would stay higher for longer. Futures tied to the S&P 500 (ES=F) hugged the flatline, while those on the tech-heavy Nasdaq (NQ=F) rose 0.3%. Dow Jones Industrial Average futures (YM=F) lost 0.3%. Wall Street is coming off an upbeat Friday but a downbeat — and volatile — week, with all three major averages up above 1% Friday but down around 2% for the week. The Fed is playing the part of the Grinch, signaling that it…

Read More

[ad_1] Traders work on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange on Dec. 10, 2024.Brendan McDermid | ReutersStock futures were mixed early Monday as the market gears up for a holiday-shortened trading week.Futures on the Dow Jones Industrial Average lost about 78 points. S&P 500 futures rose 0.8% and Nasdaq 100 futures climbed 0.4%.Trading is expected to be relatively muted during the week. The New York Stock Exchange closes early Tuesday for Christmas Eve at 1 p.m. ET, and the market is shut on Christmas Day.Investors are hopeful that a so-called Santa Claus rally may help the market end…

Read More

[ad_1] Image source: Getty Images These FTSE 250 growth shares look like brilliant bargains at current prices. Here’s why I think they deserve a close look. Chemring Group Supply chain issues remain a problem across the aerospace and defence industry. Yet booming demand means Chemring Group (LSE:CHG) is one of several defence companies performing strongly. In truth, the company’s share price has disappointed in 2024. It’s currently down by mid-single-digit percentages for the year to date after last week’s update prompted heavy selling. I think it could be one of the global defence industry’s greatest bargains. On Tuesday (17 December),…

Read More

[ad_1] (Reuters) -Automotive companies across Europe have announced plant closures and big layoffs as they struggle with weak demand, high costs, competition from China and a slower-than-expected transition to electric vehicles. Below are layoffs and site closures announced in recent months, beginning with the latest: VOLKSWAGEN Europe’s top carmaker Volkswagen (ETR:) agreed a deal with unions on Dec. 20 to cut 35,000 jobs and to reduce factory output by almost a quarter in Germany, though there no immediate plant closures or layoffs. Volkswagen said earlier in December that its Audi plant in Brussels will cease production by Feb. 28, after…

Read More