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'Nobody more qualified' than Iger to become ambassador to China: Former film exec

Former production executive Chris Fenton weighs in on Disney Chairman Bob Iger being considered as U.S. ambassador to China and China's influence on Hollywood.

Latest Stories

  • Biden's Green Energy Boom Could Send These Electric Vehicle Stocks Soaring

    2020 was an absolutely unbelievable year for electric vehicle stocks, but with a new administration set to take the wheel, this year could be even bigger

  • Your next stimulus check: Congress to speed along $1,400 payments this week

    Speaker Pelosi and other leaders want quick approval. How soon could you get more money?

  • Are You Ready For The 'FANGMAN'? — What To Know About The New Acronym On The Block

    After the FANGs, FAANGs and MAGAs, another acronym taking the investment world by storm is FANGMAN. This acronym is used by traders to refer to stocks of seven of the biggest tech companies in the world.The combined market capitalization of these stocks is about $7.9 trillion, which is roughly 25% of the total market capitalization of S&P 500 companies. To put things in perspective, the combined market cap of these seven stocks is more than the GDP of Japan, Germany or India, which are the third, fourth and fifth largest economies of the world, respectively.The ConstituentsThe stocks in the FANGMAN group are: * Facebook, Inc. Common Stock (NASDAQ: FB) * Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) * Netflix Inc (NASDAQ: NFLX) * Alphabet Inc Class A (NASDAQ: GOOGL) * Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ: MSFT) * Apple Inc (NASDAQ: AAPL) and * NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ: NVDA)Buoying S&P 500 Performance: 2020 was a year marred by the COVID-19 pandemic that led to economic contraction worldwide due to disruptions to businesses and other activities. The stock market, given its forward-looking approach, weathered the setback and ended the year with gains.For instance, the S&P 500 Index ended 2020 at a record high and in the process generated a return of 16.2% for the year. The FANGMAN stocks played a big role int that as they outperformed the broader gauge: * Facebook: 33% * Amazon: 76.3% * Netflix: 67.1% * Alphabet: 30.9% * Microsoft: 42.5% * Apple: 82.3% * Nvidia: 129.3%Related Link: 10 Things Apple Investors May Wish For In 2021 FANGMAN, A Predictor of Stock Market Moves? Given the outsized weighting in different indices, it is logical to view FANGMAN stocks as a good predictor of which way the broader market is headed.FANGMAN Invariably Outperforms Market: For those investors who are looking for above-market returns, or "high-alpha" stocks, FANGMAN could be the better bet. These stocks outperform the broader market, thanks to their transformational business models, high growth and financial might, among other things.FANGMAN In Bubble Territory? From the perspective of topline growth, earnings potential and prospects, it is evident that the lofty valuations are justified. Higher P/E multiples of some of these stocks imply investors are willing to pay a premium to partake in their growth.Investors see them as compelling, as they are most levered to the digital transformation that is picking up pace.But the stretched valuations of these stocks could conjure up fears of a deep correction.One of the biggest risks faced by these companies is regulatory scrutiny. Analysts see the changing of the guard at the White House as a slight negative for these high-flying names."To be blunt, it's a clear negative for Big Tech as ultimately with a Senate now likely controlled by Democrats we would expect much more scrutiny and sharper teeth around FAANG names, with potential (although still a low risk) legislative changes to current antitrust laws now on the table," Wedbush analyst Daniel Ives said in a Jan. 6 note.That said, the analyst remains bullish on tech stocks for 2021, but sees the tech rally will be more tame until the Street gets a better sense of the legislative agenda under President Joe Biden.Related Link: Why This Wedbush Analyst Expects A Year-End Tech Rally Photo by Daisy Anderson from PexelsSee more from Benzinga * Click here for options trades from Benzinga * The Week Ahead In Biotech (Jan 24-30): J&J, Lilly to Kickstart Big Pharma Earnings, Amgen FDA Decision and More * 8 Intel Analysts On Q4 Report: Why Some See Difficult Years Ahead For Chipmaker(C) 2021 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.

  • 3 Top Dividend Stocks With Growth Opportunity; Goldman Sachs Says ‘Buy’

    Investing is all about finding profits, and investors have long seen two main paths toward that goal. Growth stocks, equities that will give a return based mainly on share price appreciation, are one route. The second route lies through dividend stocks. These are stocks that pay out a percentage of profits back to shareholders – a dividend, usually sent out quarterly. The payments vary widely, from less than 1% to more than 10%, but the average, among stocks listed on the S&P 500, is about 2%. Dividends are a nice addition for a patient investor, as they provide a steady income stream. Goldman Sachs analyst Caitlin Burrows has been looking into the real estate trust segment, a group of stocks long-known for dividends that are both high and reliable – and she sees plenty of reason to expect strong growth in three stocks in particular. Running the trio through TipRanks’ database, we learned that all three have been cheered by the rest of the Street as well, as they boast a “Strong Buy” analyst consensus. Broadstone Net Lease (BNL) First up, Broadstone Net Lease, is an established REIT that went public this past September in an IPO that raised over $533 million. The company put 33.5 million shares on the market, followed by another 5 million-plus picked up by the underwriters. It was considered a successful opening, and BNL now boasts a market cap over $2.63 billion. Broadstone’s portfolio includes 628 properties across 41 US states plus the Canadian province of British Columbia. These properties host 182 tenants and are worth an aggregate of $4 billion. The best feature here is the long-term nature of the leases – the weighted average remaining lease is 10.8 years. During the third quarter, the most recent with full financials available, BNL reported a net income of $9.7 million, or 8 cents per share. The income came mainly from rents, and the company reported collecting 97.9% of rents due during the quarter. Looking ahead, the company expects $100.3 million in property acquisitions during Q4, and an increased rent collection rate of 98.8%. Broadstone’s income and high rent collections are supporting a dividend of 25 cents per common share, or $1 annually. It’s a payment affordable for the company, and offering investors a yield of 5.5%. Goldman’s Burrows sees the company’s acquisition moves as the most important factor here. "Accretive acquisitions are the key earnings driver for Broadstone… While management halted acquisitions following COVID-induced market uncertainty (BNL did not complete any acquisitions in 1H20) and ahead of its IPO, we are confident acquisitions will ramp up in 2021, and saw the beginning of this with 4Q20 activity… We estimate that BNL achieves a positive investment spread of 1.8%, leading to 0.8% of earnings growth (on 2021E FFO) for every $100mn of acquisitions (or 4.2% on our 2021E acquisition volumes),” Burrows opined. To this end, Burrows rates BNL a Buy, and her $23 price target implies an upside of ~27% for the year ahead. (To watch Burrow’s track record, click here) Wall Street generally agrees with Burrows on Broadstone, as shown by the 3 positive reviews the stock has garnered in recent weeks. These are the only reviews on file, making the analyst consensus rating a unanimous Strong Buy. The shares are currently priced at $18.16, and the average price target of $21.33 suggests a one-year upside of ~17%. (See BNL stock analysis on TipRanks) Realty Income Corporation (O) Realty Income is a major player in the REIT field. The company holds a portfolio worth more than $20 billion, with more than 6,500 properties located in 49 states, Puerto Rico, and the UK. Annual revenue exceeded $1.48 billion in fiscal year 2019 (the last with complete data), and has kept up a monthly dividend for 12 years. Looking at current data, we find that O posted 7 cents per share income in 3Q20, along with $403 million in total revenue. The company collected 93.1% of its contracted rents in the quarter. While relatively low, a drill-down to the monthly values shows that rent collection rates have been increasing since July. As noted, O pays out a monthly dividend, and has done so regularly since listing publicly in 1994. The company raised its payout in September 2020, marking the 108th increase during that time. The current payment is 23.45 cents per common share, which annualizes to $2.81 cents – and gives a yield of 4.7%. Based on the above, Burrows put this stock on her Americas Conviction List, with a Buy rating and a $79 price target for the next 12 months. This target implies a 32% upside from current levels. Backing her stance, Burrows noted, “We estimate 5.3% FFO growth per year over 2020E-2022E, versus an average of 3.1% fo rour full REIT coverage. We expect key earnings drivers will include a continued recovery in acquisition volumes and a gradual improvement in theater rents (in 2022)." The analyst added, "We assume O makes $2.8 billion of acquisitions in each of 2021 and 2022, versus the consensus expectation of $2.3 billion. [We] believe our acquisition volume assumptions could in fact turn out to be conservative as, eight days into 2021, the company has already made or agreed to make $807.5 mn of acquisitions (or 29% of our estimate for 2021)." Overall, Wall Street takes a bullish stance on Realty Income shares. 5 Buys and 1 Hold issued over the previous three months make the stock a Strong Buy. Meanwhile, the $69.80 average price target suggests ~17% upside from the current share price. (See O stock analysis on TipRanks) Essential Properties Realty Trust (EPRT) Last up, Essential Properties, owns and manages a portfolio of single-tenant commercial properties across the US. There are 214 tenants across more than 1000 properties in 16 industries, including car washes, convenience stores, medical services, and restaurants. Essential Properties boasts a high occupancy rate of 99.4% for its properties. In 3Q20, the company saw revenue increase of 18.2% year-over-year, reaching $42.9 million. Essential Properties finished the quarter with an impressive $589.4 million in available liquidity, including cash, cash equivalents, and available credit. The strong cash position and rising revenues had the company confident enough to raise the dividend in going into Q4. The new dividend payment is 24 cents per common share, up 4.3% from the previous payment. The current rate annualizes to 96 cents, and gives a yield of 4.6%. The company has been raising its dividend regularly for the past two years. In her review for Goldman, Burrows focuses on the recovery that Essential Properties has made since the height of the COVID panic last year. “When shelter in place mandates went into effect in early 2020, only 71% of EPRT’s properties were open (completely or on a limited basis). This situation has improved in the intervening months and now just 1% of EPRT’s portfolio is closed… We expect EPRT’s future earnings growth to be driven by acquisition accretion and estimate 2.8% potential earnings growth from $100 mn of acquisitions,” Burrows wrote. In line with her optimistic approach, Burrows gives EPRT shares a Buy rating, along with a $26 one-year price target, suggesting a 27% upside. All in all, EPRT has 9 recent analyst reviews, and the breakdown of 8 Buys and 1 Sell gives the stock a Strong Buy consensus rating. Shares are priced at $20.46 and have an average price target of $22.89, giving ~12% upside potential from current levels. (See EPRT stock analysis on TipRanks) To find good ideas for dividend stocks trading at attractive valuations, visit TipRanks’ Best Stocks to Buy, a newly launched tool that unites all of TipRanks’ equity insights. Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the featured analysts. The content is intended to be used for informational purposes only. It is very important to do your own analysis before making any investment.

  • Thomas Lee Said ‘Buy’ as Covid-19 Caused Stock Market Meltdown

    Thomas Lee of Fundstrat Global Advisors has a reputation as one of Wall Street’s most aggressive market optimists. His approach paid off after Covid-19 caused a market meltdown last year.

  • Warren Buffett says this is how to protect your finances from the pandemic

    Listening to Buffett, you can pick up these tips for surviving the pandemic financially.

  • Here's how celebrities use mortgages to build wealth (and you can, too)

    A home loan is a powerful financial tool, even if you have the cash to pay outright.

  • Nancy Pelosi’s Husband Bought Stock Options in Apple, Tesla, and Disney

    Paul Pelosi, the businessman spouse of Speaker Nancy Pelosi, bought calls in Apple, Tesla, and Disney, and bought shares of investment firm AllianceBernstein in late December.

  • NIO: There’s a New Bull in Town

    Up more than 1,150% in the past year, Chinese electric-vehicle maker NIO (NIO) turned into one of the best-performing stocks of 2020 -- but one analyst thinks there are more gains to come. Initiating coverage on the "epitome of Chinese luxury brand[s]" and "domestic leader in EV manufacturing," Nomura analyst Martin Heung argues that even after its steep run-up, Nio stock remains a "buy" and has at least another 30% to run (above Friday's closing share price of $61.95). So why does Heung like Nio? In one word: Growth. And in another word: Batteries. On the growth front, Heung observes that EV-friendly infrastructure in China is improving, encouraging more car buyers to make the leap to electrics. "Conservatively," says the analyst, by as early as 2025 16.5% of new cars sold in the Middle Kingdom should be electrics, which implies an overall 31% annual sales growth rate for the industry (and probably a faster growth rate for leaders like Nio). Additionally, at some point electrics should reach critical mass (Heung estimates this will happen at 20% market penetration), which will convince even more car buyers to transition to electrics -- accelerating sales growth further. Helping Nio to maintain a market-leading position in China will be its "batteries as a service" (BaaS) business model, in which Nio sells cars to customers, leases the batteries to run those cars -- and then offers customers the ability to swap out their current batteries for new, fully-charged batteries as a faster alternative to charging the batteries. "By improving swapping time to only three minutes" and by placing such battery swapping stations throughout "most parts of the major cities in China, NIO hopes to redefine the whole user experience of owning an EV," says Heung. Swappable batteries, notes the analyst, helps to eliminate customers' range anxiety at the same time as it reduces wait times at charging stations, improving the customer experience in two different ways. Additionally, when arguably the most expensive and most important part of an electric car -- the battery -- is removed from the equation, customers will no longer need to worry about whether an aged car battery might reduce the resale value of their cars years down the road, removing yet another impediment to making a sale. In this way, Nio's BaaS strategy also helps to differentiate Nio's offerings, and builds a moat around the business. Widening and deepening that moat even further (to steal a phrase from Warren Buffett), Nio is encouraging customers to sign up for long-term, five-year battery leases in exchange for a lower cost per year -- essentially locking customers into its ecosystem for the lease term. All of the above, says Heung, positions Nio to become "the dominant power in China," in electric vehicles, at a time when EV adoption is surging, says the analyst. Even valuing the stock at a 25% discount to the prices investors are paying for its highest profile US rival, Tesla (on a price-to-sales basis), Heung feels these factors justify placing an $80.30 price target on Nio stock. So, that’s Nomura's view. Let’s have a look at what the rest of the Street has in mind for NIO shares. Based on 8 Buys and 6 Holds, the analyst consensus is a Moderate Buy. However, going by the $59.40 average price target, shares are anticipated to be changing hands at a 4% discount. (See NIO stock analysis on TipRanks) To find good ideas for EV stocks trading at attractive valuations, visit TipRanks’ Best Stocks to Buy, a newly launched tool that unites all of TipRanks’ equity insights. Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the featured analyst. The content is intended to be used for informational purposes only. It is very important to do your own analysis before making any investment.

  • Dow Jones Futures: Stock Market Rally Extended As Apple, Tesla Lead Earnings Tsunami

    The stock market is riding a bullish wave, but here comes a tsunami of earnings, led by Apple and Tesla. With the Nasdaq extended, here's what to do.

  • Suze Orman says these are Americans' biggest money blunders

    Avoid making these errors and you'll enjoy a better financial life, the money guru says.

  • Wingcopter raises $22 million to expand to the U.S. and launch a next-generation drone

    German drone technology startup Wingcopter has raised a $22 million Series A – its first significant venture capital raise after mostly bootstrapping. The company, which focuses on drone delivery, has come a long way since its founding in 2017, having developed, built and flown its Wingcopter 178 heavy-lift cargo delivery drone using its proprietary and patented tilt-rotor propellant mechanism, which combines all the benefits of vertical take-off and landing with the advantages of fixed-wing aircraft for longer distance horizontal flight. Wingcopter CEO and founder Tom Plümmer explained to the in an interview that the addition of an SV-based investor is particularly important to the startup, since it's in the process of preparing its entry into the U.S., with plans for an American facility, both for flight testing to satisfy FAA requirements for operational certification, as well as eventually for U.S.-based drone production.

  • These Are The 5 Best Stocks To Buy And Watch Now

    Buying a stock is easy, but buying the right stock without a time-tested strategy is incredibly hard. So what are the best stocks to buy now or put on a watchlist?

  • Bitcoin Return to $40,000 in Doubt as Grayscale Fund Flows Slow

    (Bloomberg) -- Cryptocurrency enthusiasts counting on Bitcoin to bounce back above the $40,000 level face a challenge due to faltering demand for the biggest fund tracking the digital asset, according to JPMorgan Chase & Co.The pace of flows into the $20 billion Grayscale Bitcoin Trust “appears to have peaked” based on four-week rolling averages, JPMorgan strategists led by Nikolaos Panigirtzoglou said in a note Friday. The fund slid 22% over the past two weeks through Jan. 22, outpacing a 17% drop in Bitcoin in the same period.Read: Biggest Crypto Fund’s 40% Premium Evaporates During Meltdown“At the moment, the institutional flow impulse behind the Grayscale Bitcoin Trust is not strong enough for Bitcoin to break out above $40,000,” the strategists said. They added that the “risk is that momentum traders will continue to unwind Bitcoin futures positions.”Bitcoin’s red-hot rally lost momentum after the largest cryptocurrency reached a peak of almost $42,000 on Jan. 8. Proponents argue institutional interest has helped bolster Bitcoin’s use as a hedge against dollar weakness and inflation, while skeptics maintain the latest surge is yet another speculative bubble, akin to the 2017 mania that preceded a rapid collapse.“The near-term balance of risks is still skewed to the downside,” the JPMorgan strategists said.In a separate analysis, Adam James with OKEx Insights found at least some long-term Bitcoin holders -- so-called “whales” -- and miners likely sold to institutional investors during the 2020 rally, as the average age of coins traded rose starting in October and has remained elevated since.“Old-school Bitcoiners sold some of their old bags to new institutional buyers with extremely large new bags to fill,” James wrote. OKEx Insights is affiliated with crypto exchange OKEx.Bitcoin advanced about 2% to $32,700 as of 11:43 a.m. in Tokyo on Monday. The digital coin is still sitting on a gain of some 260% over the past year, despite shedding around $10,000 from this month’s all-time high.For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2021 Bloomberg L.P.

  • Here's How Much Investing $1,000 In Intel Stock 5 Years Ago Would Be Worth Today

    Investors who have owned stocks since 2016 generally have experienced some big gains. In fact, the SPDR S&P 500 (NYSE: SPY) total return in the past five years is 120.4%. But there is no question some big-name stocks performed better than others along the way.A Big Run: Intel Corporation (NASDAQ: INTC) has had a bumpy ride since 2016. But despite lots of struggles along the way, Intel investors have gotten some decent overall returns.The rise of smartphones, online gaming, cloud computing, cryptocurrency and other innovations created a boom in semiconductor demand over the past decade. Unfortunately for Intel, innovation missteps and production delays led to missed opportunities for company in the past five years.Throughout 2018 and 2019, Intel was unable to produce enough CPUs to supply its customers, essentially turning over market share to rival Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMD) and others for free. In 2020, Intel said chip manufacturing issues would once again be delaying production of its 7-nanometer chips, and the company may be forced to rely on third-party manufacturers for the first time.At the beginning of 2016, Intel shares were trading at around $34. The stock hit its low point of the past five years in mid-2016, dipping down to $24.87.From that point, the stock steadily churned higher over the next several years, reaching $50 in early 2018 and $60 for the first time in early 2020.Related Link: Here's How Much Investing ,000 In Morgan Stanley Stock 5 Years Ago Would Be Worth TodayIntel In 2021, Beyond: Intel peaked at $59.29 prior to the COVID-19 pandemic sell-off, which pushed the stock back down to $43.63 in March. Intel revisited its 2020 lows again in late October, but skyrocketed back up to above $57 per share in January after the company announced a new CEO, Pat Gelsinger.Investors who had no knowledge of the massive gains from semiconductor peers like AMD in the past five years would be fairly satisfied with their Intel returns.Intel investors that bought and held on through a volatile five-year period turned a significant profit. In fact, $1,000 worth of Intel stock bought in 2016 would be worth about $2,408 today, assuming reinvested dividends.Looking ahead, analysts expect Intel to grind higher in the next 12 months. The average price target among the 33 analysts covering the stock is $60, suggesting only 4.5% upside from current levels.(Photo: Walden Kirsch/Intel Corporation)See more from Benzinga * Click here for options trades from Benzinga * Option Trader Bets M On Advanced Micro Devices Following CES Presentation(C) 2021 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.

  • Barron's Picks And Pans: Roundtable Picks, GameStop, LKQ, Netflix, Roblox And More

    * This weekend's Barron's cover story offers a slew of stock and bond picks from the latest Barron's Roundtable. * Other featured articles examine how last year's Barron's stock picks fared, what to focus on when investing in China and the latest signs of a speculative frenzy. * Also, the prospects for digital infrastructure stocks, video game IPOs, a video streaming leader, an auto parts supplier and more.Cover story "28 Investment Picks to Beat the Market" by Lauren R. Rublin offers a slew of top stock and bond recommendations for 2021 from Barron's Roundtable members Rupal J. Bhansali, Scott Black, Mario Gabelli and Sonal Desai. See if Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ: MSFT) and Tesla Inc (NASDAQ: TSLA) made the cut.Daren Fonda's "4 Ways to Play a Boom in Digital Infrastructure" points out that cell tower stocks like Crown Castle International Corp (NYSE: CCI) and data center stocks like CoreSite Realty Corp (NYSE: COR) have lagged behind, despite their key role in the digital transformation.In "Barron's Stock Picks Beat the Market Again Last Year. Here's How We Did It," Avi Salzman indicates that Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) and Twitter Inc (NYSE: TWTR) were among the key picks last year that helped Barron's beat the market. See how things turned out for the Barron's 2020 bearish calls though.Even as China is criticized for its social practices (including its treatment of the Uighur ethnic minority), it is making rapid progress on its environmental actions. So says "Investing in China Isn't Easy. Focusing on ESG Can Help" by Leslie P. Norton. Find out whether Barron's believes Tencent Holdings (OTC: TCEHY) is among the stocks that are worth a look now.In Jack Hough's "Roblox's Stock Listing and the Boom Market in Desperate Parents," the focus is on the wave of initial public offerings that is about to hit the market, now that everyone is playing video games. See how Barron's recommends that investors play this IPO boom, starting with Roblox, an online platform offering games created by users."GameStop Stock Is Just the Latest Sign of a Speculative Frenzy" by Randall W. Forsyth discusses how last week's short squeeze on GameStop Corp. (NYSE: GME) stock is the sort of action that was prevalent last August, just before the big techs stocks that drive the Nasdaq Composite topped out.See also: Benzinga's Weekly Bulls And Bears: Eli Lilly, Ford, GameStop, Intel, McDonald's And MoreApple Inc (NASDAQ: AAPL), Facebook, Inc. (NASDAQ: FB) and the rest of the FAANGs helped lift the stock market this past week, according to Ben Levisohn's "Big Tech Stages a Comeback. A Correction Could Be the Market's Next Act." See why Barron's now believes a retreat may be in the cards.In "For All Us Netflix Skeptics, It's Finally Time to Concede," Eric J. Savitz examines how, as Netflix Inc (NASDAQ: NFLX) starts to generate cash, the company has a lot more flexibility. Discover what Barron's thinks could come next from the video streaming colossus. Sports? News? Music? Perhaps even gaming?Teresa Rivas's "LKQ Is Helping Itself to a Higher Price" explains that shares of LKQ Corporation (NASDAQ: LKQ) have been stuck in neutral for years, but 2021 could see things turn around for the specialty automotive parts supplier. See why Barron's says that the pandemic forced the company to do what it should have done long ago and now the stock is a buy.Also in this week's Barron's: * Barron's annual ranking of the top-performing sustainable funds * How Biden's China policy will look different from Trump's * Why Biden shouldn't let the federal debt deter a spending spree * Why the stock market is ignoring coming tax hikes * What the originator of the 4% rule thinks about it now * How the tourism industry is scrambling after new CDC guidelines * The humanitarian crisis at sea that threatens global supply chains * What to know about expiring COVID-19 homeowner protections * Undervalued European stocks poised to beat pre-pandemic earnings in 2021At the time of this writing, the author had no position in the mentioned equities.Keep up with all the latest breaking news and trading ideas by following Benzinga on Twitter.Photo by Dwight Burdette via Wikimedia.See more from Benzinga * Click here for options trades from Benzinga * Notable Insider Buys Of The Past Week: Affirm, HEICO, Vector Group, Biotechs And More * Benzinga's Weekly Bulls And Bears: Eli Lilly, Ford, GameStop, Intel, McDonald's And More(C) 2021 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.

  • How Biden's student loan forgiveness could throw you a big tax bomb

    Saying goodbye to some of your student debt could come at a huge price.

  • Will Carnival, Royal Caribbean Or Norwegian Stock Grow The Most By 2022?

    Every week, Benzinga conducts a survey to collect sentiment on what traders are most excited about, interested in or thinking about as they manage and build their personal portfolios.This week we posed the following question related to cruise line stocks:Over the next year, which cruise line stock will have the largest percentage gain? * Carnival Corp (NYSE: CCL) * Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd (NYSE: RCL) * Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd (NYSE: NCLH)Survey Says About 38% of traders and investors back Carnival to grow the most by 2022. Carnival operates in virtually all major vacation destinations worldwide. Carnival's cruises were shut down completely for most of 2020 due to the pandemic and will likely remain shut down for at least a couple of months in 2021, as well. The stock dropped 57.2% in 2020.Next, 33% of investors believe Royal Caribbean will gain the most. Like Carnival, Royal Caribbean operates as a global cruise vacation company. The company's mainstay brands include Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises, Azamara and Silversea Cruises.Meeanwhile, traders and investors were the least confident in Norweigan's growth prospects over the next year, as 29% of respondents told us shares of Norweigan would grow the most in 2021.Norwegian shares dropped a nearly identical 56.2% in 2020 for nearly identical reasons that the Carnival and Royal Caribbean shares lagged.As far as other travel stocks are concerned, it can be said that low-cost ticket models in the vein of Spirit Airlines Incorporated (NYSE: SAVE), JetBlue Airlines Corporation (NASDAQ: JBLU) or Southwest Airlines Co (NYSE: LUV) have the potential to lead travel demand once the pandemic subsides.As the American and global economy recover, and if vacation travel were to return by summer 2021, budget-conscious travelers may first seek accommodations from the most affordable cruise lines. This survey was conducted by Benzinga in December 2020 and included the responses of a diverse population of adults 18 or older.Opting into the survey was completely voluntary, with no incentives offered to potential respondents. The study reflects results from over 500 adults.See more from Benzinga * Click here for options trades from Benzinga * Benzinga Named One Of The Top Detroit Startup, Tech Companies For 2021 * Will FuelCell, Plug Power Or Blink Charging Stock Grow The Most By 2022?(C) 2021 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.

  • China EV war: Evergrande raises US$3.35 billion in plan to dominate Tesla, NIO and other home rivals

    China Evergrande is taking a step further in its ambitious plan to conquer the global electric vehicle (EV) market by making one of its biggest fundraisings yet from six private investors since switching its focus from the health care business in 2018.China Evergrande New Energy Vehicle Group, the developer's Hong Kong-listed unit, is raising HK$26 billion (US$3.35 billion) selling 952.4 million new shares at HK$27.30 each, according to a Hong Kong stock exchange filing on Sunday. The price represents a 9 per cent discount to the last traded level on Friday, and the stake amounts to about 9.75 per cent of its enlarged capital.Some of the richest Hong Kong and mainland tycoons have agreed to subscribe for the shares, the company said. They include Chan Hoi-wan of developer Chinese Estate Holdings and spouse of Joseph Lau Luen-hung, as well as Liu Ming-hui, the founder of China Gas Holdings. Each will buy HK$3 billion of stake. The buyers have agreed to a 12-month lock-up on their shares.Get the latest insights and analysis from our Global Impact newsletter on the big stories originating in China.The stock placement shows the investors' confidence in the business prospects and can also strengthen its capital base, according to the company's filing. It will help the Group's strategic goal of becoming "the world's largest and most powerful new energy vehicle group," it added.Chinese EV makers like NIO, Xpeng, and Li Auto are rushing to catch an expected upswing in demand as China's economic rebound gains traction after growth quickened to a pre-pandemic pace of more than 6 per cent last quarter. China is also set to become the world's biggest market for EV when 4 million cars, or one in every five vehicles, will be powered by electricity by 2025.The race to the market is preceded by a rush to build a war chest of capital. China Evergrande NEV earlier sold 176.6 million of new shares in September for about HK$4 billion, or HK$22.65 each. Earlier this month, NIO raised about US$1.3 billion from the sale of convertible bonds, while Xpeng got US$1.98 billion of credit lines from five mainland banking groups. Last week, BYD announced a stock placement to raise US$3.9 billon.China Evergrande NEV is controlled by the country's third richest tycoon Hui Ka-yan. His plan is to raise its car production capacity to 500,000 to 1 million vehicles within three to five years, the company said on its website. Its plants in Shanghai and Guangzhou will be capable of rolling out 200,000 units a year each at the beginning, before reaching 1 million by the fifth year, it added.The company's shares have risen 307 per cent over the past 12 months, giving it a market value of about US$34 billion despite incurring huge losses over the past two years. The other four investors who have agreed to take up HK$5 billion each in the stock placement include businessmen from its home base Shenzhen.China Evergrande NEV intends to spend the money on technology research and development, production of new energy vehicle business and repay older debt, it said in the filing.This article originally appeared in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the most authoritative voice reporting on China and Asia for more than a century. For more SCMP stories, please explore the SCMP app or visit the SCMP's Facebook and Twitter pages. Copyright © 2021 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Copyright (c) 2021. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.

  • Will Jumia, Africa's Answer to Amazon And Alibaba, Reach $75 By 2022?

    Every week, Benzinga conducts a sentiment survey to find out what traders are most excited about, interested in or thinking about as they manage and build their personal portfolios.We surveyed a group of over 500 investors on whether shares of Jumia Technologies AG - ADR (NASDAQ: JMIA) will reach $100 by 2022. Jumia Stock Forecast Jumia Technologies is a pan-African e-commerce platform that connects sellers with consumers. It includes a logistics service for shipping and delivering packages from sellers to consumers. The company also has a payment service for transactions among participants in selected markets.Jumia directly provides more than 5,000 jobs and many more through the sellers and logistics partnerships. In a case for future growth, research by Jumia suggests less than 1% e-commerce penetration in Africa versus 12% in the U.S. and 20% in China.Jumia's stock was trading as low as $2.15 in early 2020 and was valued at a few hundred million dollars. After an explosion of growth amid the pandemic, Jumia now trades at around $59 with a market cap of $4.62 billion dollars.It can be said Jumia seeks to become the Amazon.com Inc (NASDAQ: AMZN) of Africa, as the firm attempts to achieve market penetration within Africa similar to that of the FAANG giant.Other e-commerce firms to consider, and who Jumia may choose to model themselves after amid the firm's rise, include Alibaba Group Holding Ltd - ADR, Shopify Inc (NYSE: SHOP), Wayfair Inc (NYSE: W) and Overstock.com Inc (NASDAQ: OSTK). Our study revealed 74% of Benzinga traders and investors think Jumia will reach $100 per share by the end of next year.Traders and investors who participated in our study believe shares of Jumia will continue to grow off an increased desire to receive goods via e-commerce delivery services across the African continent, as well as a shared belief that Jumia will eventually be viewed as a tech company first and foremost, and an e-commerce service provider second.See Also: Best Tech Stocks.This survey was conducted by Benzinga in January 2021 and included the responses of a diverse population of adults 18 or older.Opting into the survey was completely voluntary, with no incentives offered to potential respondents. The study reflects results from over 500 adults.Photo courtesy Jumia.See more from Benzinga * Click here for options trades from Benzinga * Will Carnival, Royal Caribbean Or Norwegian Stock Grow The Most By 2022? * Benzinga Named One Of The Top Detroit Startup, Tech Companies For 2021(C) 2021 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.