State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust SPY

The Motley Fool 13 nov

Micron Technology has experienced extreme volatility since October, with the stock moving 5% or more on a third of trading days and dropping 30% in five days ending Nov. 5. Despite strong fiscal Q4 results showing 380% revenue growth and 87% gross margins, the author recommends sizing positions at no more than 5% of a portfolio to manage the risk of potential 50% declines, suggesting the stock trades on sentiment about memory chip price cycles rather than fundamentals.

The Motley Fool 9 nov

The article warns investors against market timing during bear markets, emphasizing that missing the market's best days can drastically reduce long-term returns. Historical data shows that an investor who missed just 10 of the S&P 500's best days over 30 years would see returns drop from 10.3% to 7.4% annually. The key lesson: staying invested through market downturns, rather than trying to time the market, is the most reliable strategy for building wealth.

Zacks Investment Research 6 nov

The article warns investors about ETF overlap, where holding multiple ETFs can result in unintended duplicate exposure to the same stocks rather than true diversification. Using examples like SPY and VTI, it demonstrates how popular funds can have 88% overlap by weight. The piece provides guidance on identifying overlap using tools, building a properly diversified portfolio with 3-5 ETFs across different asset classes, and rebalancing annually.

Zacks Investment Research 5 nov

Buffer ETFs, which offer downside protection while capping upside gains, are experiencing surging demand as investors navigate market volatility from AI spending uncertainty, elections, and geopolitical tensions. These defined-outcome ETFs use options strategies to provide a trade-off between protection and potential returns, appealing particularly to risk-averse and near-retirement investors seeking alternatives to traditional fixed-income products.

The Motley Fool 4 nov

A $5,000 investment in the Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO) made 15 years ago would be worth approximately $39,980 today with dividend reinvestment, representing nearly 15% average annual gains. However, the article cautions that this exceptional performance was boosted by an unusually strong period including AI proliferation and pandemic stimulus, and more typical 10% annual returns would still grow the investment to nearly $21,000 over 15 years.