All in Investing

ESG: The Future of Investing

As society moves towards more sustainable measures and public consciousness increases, ESG components will become more prevalent and a determinant in investing. Pivotal investment companies, such as Morgan Stanley, are already prioritizing ESG in their strategies and integrating monetized measurements to provide a competitive advantage. Currently, ESG proceedings are primarily symbolic over substantive. Many ESG topics will not have prompt impact but over time, companies can reap the benefits from the longevity of their ESG investments (Insights, 2020). However, as research and technology prevail and society looks forward, tangible initiatives will transpire and ESG investing will promise a future edge for progressive investors.

The Rise of SPACs

A new investment vehicle recently invaded markets, having a profound effect on traditional investing. A SPAC, or Special Purpose Acquisition Company, has drawn enormous attention in recent months. SPACs are becoming extremely popular with nearly everyone who has large sums of money and willing to invest. From NBA All-Star Shaquille O’Neal, to Republican giant Paul Ryan, to world-renown investor Bill Ackman, SPACs are a must have. According to Peter Atwater, founder of research firm Financial Insyghts, “If you don’t have your own SPAC, you’re nobody” (Ramkumar and Farrell, 2021). These new investment vehicles have uprooted traditional capital raising.

Is This As Good As It Is Going To Get?

As the year 2020 will live in infamy for the negative health implications it brought to the globe, 2020 will also be remembered for the most contradicting state of global capital markets which investors have ever seen. As 2021 begins, the S&P 500 Index hit an all-time high of 3,870.90 on January 26th, while the ensuing coronavirus has been exponentially increasing in cases per day (Yahoo Finance, 2021). Reactions from investors have been contradictory as they have been put into a dilemma on the basis of fundamental analysis, ethics, and capital allocation.

Another 2020 Rollercoaster: The Marijuana Industry 

The United States marijuana industry has been forced to overcome a series of highs and lows this year just like practically every other major industry. The variety in circumstances has made predicting marijuana stock outcomes increasingly difficult this year. From forest fires, the COVID-19 pandemic, to new legalizations, here is a 2020 industry re-cap.

Sports Bettors Have Become Traders, and Stocks Are Rising, But Can It Last?

The coronavirus pandemic and ensuing global lockdown has impacted our lives in more ways than we can imagine. Some of the effects have been quite obvious, such as the transition to online learning for students or the inability to attend large scale events like movies or concerts. Other effects, however, have been less apparent, and are still not yet fully known. Perhaps one of the most novel pieces of fallout from the coronavirus on society within the last few weeks is the migration of gamblers and sports betters into the stock market as more conventional wagering methods remain inaccessible. With sports betting alone being a $150 billion industry in 2019, the shift of much of this money into stocks has had major effects on market behaviors. This wave of bullish sentiment from “entertainment investors” has contributed significantly to the recent rebound of stock indexes like the NASDAQ and the Dow. However, as coronavirus cases and related deaths continue to rise, the gap between stock prices from the overall health of the economy has continued to grow, leading to increased volatility within markets.