How Does the Current Crypto Craze Affect the Fintech Sector? February 18, 2021
Until a Bitcoin exchange traded fund comes to market in the U.S., and it’s still not clear when that’s going to happen, fintech ETFs like the
The actively managed ARKF invests in equity securities of companies that ARK believes are shifting financial services and economic transactions to technology infrastructure platforms, ultimately revolutionizing financial services by creating simplicity and accessibility while driving down costs.
ARKF’s crypto exposure is sourced via names such as Square (NYSE: SQ) and PayPal (NASDAQ: PYPL), among others.
“FinTech companies such as PayPal, Visa, Square, Mastercard and others are expanding cryptocurrency (crypto) and blockchain capabilities but several factors could limit widespread acceptance in the near term,” says Fitch Ratings. “We expect strategic crypto investments to have a limited near-term effect on credit profiles, given modest capital dep
February 18, 2021
Clean energy and fintech are two of the premier disruptive technologies, yet in many cases, investors must get to them through individual funds. The
DTEC tracks the Indxx Disruptive Technologies Index, which identifies companies using disruptive technologies across ten thematic areas, including Healthcare Innovation, Internet of Things, Clean Energy and Smart Grid, Cloud Computing, Data and Analytics, FinTech, Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity, 3D Printing, and Mobile Payments.
In fact, DTEC’s fintech and renewable energy components are propping the fund up in 2021, sending it to a year-to-date gain of 8.50%.
Adyen, one of DTEC’s fintech components, added 17% last week after announcing that net profits for the second half of 2020 rose on higher revenue and payments volumes. The Dutch online payments processor, which handles transactions for companies such as EBay and McDonald’s, expects to see continued growth, even as worldwide vaccinat
New Year, New Markets: The Case for Preferred Securities February 17, 2021
As markets continue to process results of the 2020 election and its potential impact on regulation and policy, one thing is certain: the zero rate environment isn’t likely to go away anytime soon. As yield-starved investors face dwindling opportunities in bonds, financial professionals need to find more attractive income-generating opportunities with acceptable levels of risk.
In the upcoming webcast,
New Year, New Markets: The Case for Preferred Securities, Mark Lieb, Founder, President and Chief Executive Officer, Spectrum Asset Management; Jessica Bush, Portfolio Manager, Principal Global Asset Allocation; and Matthew Cohen, Head of Principal ETF Specialist Team, Principal Global Investors, will outline the benefits of including preferred securities in income-focused portfolios.
The Globe and Mail Shirley Won Published February 18, 2021
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Investors seeking to enhance returns for their retirement portfolio might consider a core-satellite strategy to build a nest egg.
Low-fee, broadly diversified stock-and-bond index exchange-traded funds (ETFs) make ideal long-term, core holdings. Some examples include iShares Core S&P/TSX Capped Composite ETF XIC-T, BMO S&P/TSX Capped Composite ETF ZCN-T and Vanguard U.S. Total Market ETF VUN-T.
But adding thematic, smaller-cap, industry sector or developing-market equity ETFs can provide the extra fuel to potentially beat market indexes. In some cases, they are also better as shorter-term, tactical plays.
The future of Blockchain is about innovation, and will lead to massive industry disruption. Cisco agrees that the Blockchain is at the core of what they do and could benefit from a network effect. How business data is assimilated and processed, and even how people and clients communicate, is at the core of Cisco, yet embracing Crypto appears to be a challenge. Institutional adoption of Crypto, as measured by the price of Bitcoin and news flow, provides a single metric as evidence that momentum of the benefits of the blockchain are building. Sadly, many companies will remain solely focused on a past way of doing business and fail to innovate for their shareholders. Cisco should not be one of those. Like the past decade, many companies will continue massive buybacks or increases in dividends as a way to return capital to their shareholders. However, technology companies are not banks, and the failure to innovate and embrace disruption will cause failure to capture growth from major par