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The oil & gas industry comprises upstream companies that explore and produce energy, midstream pipeline companies that transport and store energy, and downstream companies that refine oil and gas into finished products. Additionally, there are companies that provide oilfield drilling equipment and services. Some also manufacture and maintain equipment used in production. The industry’s biggest

Movie theater companies own and operate cinemas and concession stands in both local and national chain models. As a component of the consumer discretionary sector, movie theaters tend to perform well when customers have disposable income and poorly when the economy is struggling or during times of market turbulence. The COVID-19 pandemic devastated movie theaters

Coming up with decent gift ideas isn’t always straightforward. Younger children usually desire the latest fad that they’ll probably soon lose interest in, while older generations tend to buy what they need and are notoriously difficult to satisfy. In many ways, you can’t go wrong with gifting shares in a company. Sure, it may not

Mortgage rates moved up Wednesday, putting an end to the week-long decline that took the 30-year average more than 60 basis points below the 20-year high it hit in late September. Wednesday’s notable reversal has returned the average to near 7%. Today’s National Mortgage Rate Averages The 30-year average added 16 basis points Wednesday, to

“Retirement accounts with ill-conceived beneficiary designations could potentially cost your family tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of dollars if done wrong,” according to Dan Stewart, president of Revere Asset Management. Social Security benefits have an automatic survivor benefit, but beneficiary designations are crucial for retirement plans, such as IRAs. For 401(k) plans

FANG is an acronym for four companies: Facebook (now named Meta Platforms, Inc.) (FB), Amazon.com, Inc. (AMZN), Netflix, Inc. (NFLX), and Alphabet Inc. (GOOGL). These companies represent a variety of different sectors, ranging from communication services to technology to consumer discretionary, but are often grouped together because they historically have been among the fastest-growing, most

Globally focused exchange-traded funds (ETFs) provide a straightforward way to geographically diversify a portfolio. The global economy contracted in 2020 due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. While it began to recover in 2021, growing an estimated 6.1%, the war in Ukraine, inflation, and recession fears are contributing to a global growth slowdown in

The defense industry produces modern weaponry, including combat vehicles, ships, bombers, and fighter jets. Companies in the industry also offer cybersecurity, information technology (IT), analytics, robotics, and intelligence systems. Its primary customer is the U.S. government, but it also sells its products and services to foreign governments and law enforcement agencies. Russia’s ongoing invasion of

Many investors historically have turned to safe haven assets such as precious metals in times of economic and political turmoil. One way to gain exposure is by owning companies in the metals and mining industry, which are involved in the exploration, extraction, and sale of metals and other minerals. These materials are used in a

What Is BRIC? BRIC is an acronym for Brazil, Russia, India, and China. The BRIC economies, or the “Big Four,” were collectively seen as emerging economic powerhouses. Economist Jim O’Neill, chair of Goldman Sachs Asset Management, introduced the acronym in his 2001 paper, “Building Better Global Economic BRICs.” After the 2008-2009 financial crisis the economic