This Fund Profits From China Fears (and Yields 9.5%)

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Recent headlines have spurred some readers to write in about China—specifically what rising tensions between Beijing and Washington (no thanks to the former’s ham-fisted spy-balloon fiasco) might mean for their portfolios.

First up, we always need to bear in mind that stocks—and in particular my favorite way to hold stocks (through a high-yielding closed-end fund, or CEF)—really are a long-term investment. I know that sounds obvious, but it can be easy to forget when alarming headlines—a war or a pandemic, say—flash across our screens.

In other words, global chaos is really nothing new for stocks. The difference today is that we’re more connected than ever, so every move made by one of America’s adversaries is emphasized all the more.… Read more

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It used to be that finding a decent yield in the stock market was easy.

Just seven years ago, all you had to do was buy an ETF in a sector that got income hounds’ hearts racing, like the Utilities Select SPDR ETF (XLU) and lock in an easy 4.48% payout:

The “Good Old Days” Are Over for Utility Fans

But do the same today, and you’ll get just 3.1% for your trouble, no thanks to the merciless rise in stocks (and shriveling of yields) driven by a decade of near-zero interest rates.

And sure, a 3.1% payout may still sound okay.…
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If you feel good because your S&P 500 index fund has taken off like a rocket in 2017, you may not want to read this article.

Because the S&P 500 is, in fact, not doing well this year—at least not compared to its peers.

Don’t believe me?

Take a look at the SPDR S&P 500 ETF’s (SPY) performance relative to a global stock fund like the Vanguard Total World Stock ETF (VT):

The World Races Ahead

Not only is a global stock portfolio crushing the S&P 500, but US equities are actually dragging the world’s returns down.

Notice how, in the chart above, the Vanguard FTSE All-World ex-US ETF (VEU) is up 14.6%, versus VT’s 11.1% return for 2017?…
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