Henry liquidated his retirement savings to maintain a $90,000 lifestyle after an AI-driven layoff cut his pay to $50,000, leaving him $45,000 in debt.
His $15,000 personal loan at 35% interest costs roughly $5,250 per year, far exceeding the record-high average credit card APR of 21%.
Ramsey Show hosts urged Henry to sell his car, eliminating a $620 monthly payment, stop all new borrowing, and pick up a side hustle.
Read More: Learn 7 ways to generate income with a $1,000,000+ portfolio (sponsor)
Henry, an HR technology worker from Oklahoma City, called The Ramsey Show and told hosts George Kamel and Jade Warshaw he had been laid off. He said he had been out of work two to three months and was now "making 90,000 and now I'm making 50,000 due to my field significantly shrinking due to automation and AI." Then he described the move that turned a pay cut into a crisis: "I fully liquidated my retirement and maintain the lifestyle I was living."

#henry

Meghan Markle is facing renewed scrutiny following reports that she is preparing to film in Australia. After the **** ss of Sussex and Prince Harry relocated to the UK at the end of August, reports of an upcoming work stint in Australia have led royal commentators to question how the family will manage the transition.
Meghan Markle is set to appear on Junior MasterChef Australia's upcoming season, which will film in Australia in 2027. However, it has not been confirmed whether Prince Harry, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet will be joining her. The Sussex children recently changed schools in the UK after their security team raised concerns about their previous commute. The possibility of another move has now prompted questions about how the family's arrangements could work during Meghan's filming commitment.
On The Sun's Royal Exclusive, the **** ss of Sussex was criticized for the possibility of relocating her kids again. "Career-wise for her, it's, you know, it's good news," host Sarah Hewson said. She continued, "What about for the kids who they've just brought over to the UK, got settled in a new school. Is that going to change anything or do we think the kids will be going?" The Sun's royal editor Matt Wilkinson shared his thoughts. "The children thing is a really interesting thing because we know that they've already changed schools once," he said.
Wilkinson added, "They said they were coming back to the UK for the children's schooling. So these are unanswered questions…" The royal editor was unsure whether it would be "an exceptionally long period for Meghan and Harry." He wondered if the Sussexes will take their kids to another school. "Is it going to be another um you know, traffic crisis outside of school in Sydney or Melbourne or something? But yeah, I would really like a little kind of welcome break…," Wilkinson said.
Hewson felt Harry could take the kids for a trip to Australia if it occurs during school days. "[They could] take the kids to go out and see mum while she's working," the royal correspondent explained.

#harry

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Despite the ongoing affordability and cost-of-living crisis, Americans are trying to save as much money as possible for retirement. According to Fidelity's latest report, (1) the average savings rate for a 401(k) participant hit a record high of 14.4% (employee and employer contributions combined) in the second quarter of 2026.
Despite this ferocious pace of savings, many older Americans are anxious about their retirement prospects. In fact, 75% of pre-retirees over the age of 50 told F&G Annuities & Life (2) they were considering or had already delayed their retirement as of 2026.
Jeff Bezos backs a platform that lets anyone invest in rental homes for as little as $100 — 6 ways to build wealth like a landlord without actually being one
A single line on your car insurance policy could be inflating your premium by up to 30% — here's what to change

#Retirement #savings #according #life

Tensions are reportedly rising behind the scenes at Old Trafford as the Glazer family grow increasingly frustrated with Sir Jim Ratcliffe's leadership. Despite the INEOS founder taking control of football operations earlier this year, the club has slumped to its worst start to a league campaign in nearly four decades.
Ratcliffe acquired a minority stake in United in 2024, a deal worth £1.2 billion that handed his INEOS group total control over football operations. The agreement included an additional £245 million injection to upgrade Old Trafford's fading infrastructure, taking his overall financial commitment to approximately £1.5bn. However, two years on, the anticipated revival has failed to materialise.
Instead of progressing, the Red Devils find themselves embroiled in a deepening crisis. They are currently enduring an eight-game winless run across all competitions, managing just a single Premier League victory so far this term. Hovering a perilous two points above the foot of the table, this represents United's poorest start to a campaign in almost 40 years.
Watching from afar, the Glazer family are reportedly astonished by the rapid decline under the new sporting regime. A source close to the American owners told the Daily Mail that the current situation is "a travesty and not what they expected or were promised." The insider added that the Glazers feel "they have never run the club this way."
The frustration runs deep, with the current hierarchy allegedly viewing the INEOS approach as a complete failure. According to ESPN, the Glazers believe Ratcliffe "couldn't have masterminded a worse situation" at Old Trafford.

#league

Barcelona will be looking to return to winning ways as they take on Deportivo Alaves at Camp Nou this weekend.
This game will present a major challenge for Hansi Flick, who has lost out on multiple defenders due to injury, potentially prompting the German tactician to make some adjustments.
Guillem Victor has emerged as one of the potential beneficiaries of Barcelona's ongoing injury crisis and the La Masia starlet could feature as a right-back against Alaves.
Flick is ready to put his faith in Victor. (Photo by Burak Kara/Getty Images)
As reported by Diario SPORT, Victor is rated highly in the Barcelona camp thanks to the immense potential he has shown in La Masia.

#victor #Barcelona #camp

Michael Carrick has insisted he is "not surprised" to remain in the Manchester United dugout despite the club enduring their most disastrous start to a league season in four decades. The former England international saw his position come under intense scrutiny this week following a dismal 3-0 home defeat at the hands of Bournemouth.
Carrick looked certain to face the axe following Sunday's humiliating loss against the Cherries. That result extended an abysmal winless streak to eight matches in all competition, cementing the club's worst start to a league campaign in 40 years.
However, crisis talks were held on Monday between the 45-year-old and the United hierarchy. Despite widespread anticipation of a managerial change, the boardroom ultimately opted to keep him at the helm.
This backing comes just months after Carrick penned a new permanent two-year deal in the summer. He had earned the permanent role by securing Champions League football, having originally taken over as a short-term successor to Ruben Amorim in January.
When pressed on his survival, the former midfielder maintained a defiant stance. He insisted his sole focus remains on rectifying the current crisis on the pitch rather than fearing for his job.

#united #start

Barcelona look to continue their history-making perfect start to the season and make it three wins out of three in the Champions League as the La Liga leaders travel to France for a massive league phase clash against two-time defending champions Paris Saint-Germain.
Here's how we think Hansi Flick will line up his troops for Tuesday's battle:
Flick is dealing with a defensive injury crisis as Eric Garcia, Jules Kounde and Andreas Christensen have all been ruled out through injury.
Gerard Martín was also a doubt after a knock against Real Betis at the weekend, but he should be good to go as Pau Cubarsí's center-back partner in this one. Xavi Espart will likely move to right-back with Eric and Kounde out, and João Cancelo is expected to start ahead of Alejandro Balde at left-back.
Rodri was a candidate to start at center-back with all the injuries in defense but Martín's presence will allow the Spain captain to remain in his best position, with Fermín López and Pedri expected to round out the midfield trio for this one.

#start #champions #injury

Prince Harry and Prince William's feud might worsen if an ex-royal releases a tell-all book. According to a source, the Duke of Sussex and his wife, Meghan Markle, might still have a lot to say about the Royal Family. It was said that they have kept their allegiance with Sarah Ferguson, who seemed to be planning a tell-all. Harry is allegedly "going all-out to ruin" William through his allies.
Prince William allegedly suspects Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are deliberately keeping Sarah Ferguson on their side. A source told Closer that the Sussexes have been "in touch" with Fergie and Earl Spencer. While the latter already dropped a bombshell Diana memoir, the former **** ss of York might still be in talks.
"While Sarah is insisting she's not going to write a tell-all book, she is apparently in talks, and if the money is right, she is definitely considering a memoir," the insider said. Furthermore, they claimed that Harry and Markle have allegedly been "trying to keep her on their side."
This way, the couple would reportedly have "some sort of control over what comes out." "They are keeping this allegiance firmly behind closed doors, but it's clear Harry is going all-out to ruin his brother, Prince William," they added.
Meanwhile, the senior royals, including King Charles, William, and Middleton, have seemingly been concerned about Ferguson's next move. They have already been dealing with Earl Spencer's memoir, which showed the king in a negative light. Now if Fergie did a tell-all, the royals fear it would be another crisis for the firm. "For Charles, William and Kate, it's another potential ticking time bomb," the source said.

#harry #tell #markle #allegedly

Jamie Dimon has spent much of this year warning that the bond market is a problem waiting to happen. On April 28, at a conference hosted by Norway's sovereign wealth fund, the JPMorgan Chase CEO said there would be "some kind of bond crisis," according to TheStreet.
The debt he had in mind was mostly owed by governments. But Dimon has long argued that the pain lands somewhere else.
In a 2025 Fox Business interview, he said bond market volatility hurts the people raising money, small businesses included. He admitted he could not tell whether trouble was six months or six years away. This time, he named the next group in line.
Also read: Scott Bessent just made a bold move on the bond market
Speaking on the sidelines of a JPMorgan event in London on Oct. 6, Dimon said the worldwide scramble for capital could begin to squeeze corporate borrowers, Bloomberg reported. Investors will keep asking for more, he said. At some point, that feeds into corporate debt and credit spreads.

#debt

This is one of the best letters that I have read in my lifetime ("We lived within our means: I earned $30,000 as a pastor and still retired comfortably"). I used to be a mortgage-loan officer; I would get a couple that each made six figures, but would have difficulty qualifying them for a loan amount they wanted because of their consumer-debt load.
Conversely, I would have a blue-collar "Joe Sixpack" that made substantially less but saved and saved and saved, and who got the loan he needed for a house. People in the U.S. need to wake up and not be compulsive: Quit buying things you really don't need. It's that way with the federal government as well, and based on that.
'People in the U.S. need to wake up': As a mortgage loan officer, I rejected applications from wealthy couples. Here's why.
Google makes a fresh bet on nuclear power as the AI energy crunch intensifies
We'd better get real quick or we're going to have a financial crisis that makes the Great Recession of 2008 look like a picnic.

#makes

American Express (NYSE: AXP) has been a staple of Berkshire Hathaway's (NYSE: BRKA) (NYSE: BRKB) portfolio for decades -- with Warren Buffett essentially completing purchases of the stock by 1995. Buffett's hand-picked successor -- Greg Abel -- expects American Express to remain a long-term compounder and a core Berkshire holding because it's a business Berkshire understands well and trusts its management team.
American Express also features a growing dividend. It doesn't raise it every year, but even during the 2008 financial crisis, when many banks and financial services companies were slashing their payouts, American Express held its quarterly dividend steady at $0.18 per share.
Missed Nvidia in 2009? This Rare Signal Is Flashing Again. In 2009, a "Double Down" signal flashed for a little-known chipmaker called Nvidia. For the first time in years, that same "Total Conviction" signal is flashing for a company 1/100th the size of Nvidia. Continue »
American Express has substantially increased its dividend since then. The next payment of $0.95 per share is payable on Nov. 10 to shareholders on record as of Oct. 9.
Here's how many shares of American Express you'd need to generate $1,000 in yearly dividends, and the three levers American Express pulls to reward long-term shareholders.

#signal

JPMorgan Chase (JPM) CEO Jamie Dimon sharpened his warning about the risks of a global bond sell-off on Tuesday, saying the world's massive competition for capital could begin squeezing corporate borrowers.
Dimon warned that the combination of rising government borrowing costs and spending on the AI boom could spill into corporate credit markets, pushing up the costs for companies to refinance or raise new debt.
"There will be a point where the market will ask for more and more and more, and yeah, at one point that'll feed into corporate debt, corporate credit spreads, and things like that, which is how it normally happens," Dimon said in a Bloomberg interview on the sidelines of a JPMorgan event in London.
"The best thing to do with any of these things is deal with it before it becomes a crisis. If it becomes a crisis, we will deal with it. It just will be in a much less pleasant way," he added.
The warning comes as a global rout in bonds has pushed longer-term borrowing costs sharply higher in recent weeks, with the benchmark US 10-year Treasury yield recently surpassing heights not seen since 2002.

#credit

This is one of the best letters that I have read in my lifetime ("We lived within our means: I earned $30,000 as a pastor and still retired comfortably"). I used to be a mortgage-loan officer; I would get a couple that each made six figures, but would have difficulty qualifying them for a loan amount they wanted because of their consumer-debt load.
Conversely, I would have a blue-collar "Joe Sixpack" that made substantially less but saved and saved and saved, and who got the loan he needed for a house. People in the U.S. need to wake up and not be compulsive: Quit buying things you really don't need. It's that way with the federal government as well, and based on that.
My wife never went back to work after raising our kids. Do I have to share my retirement savings 50/50?
Go ahead and get that poetry degree. Republican law won't prevent people with humanities majors from getting student loans.
We'd better get real quick or we're going to have a financial crisis that makes the Great Recession of 2008 look like a picnic.

#conversely

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 6 (UPI) -- The documentary Dolph Lundgren: Unbreakable, on digital video on demand Tuesday, follows the actor's 40-year career through his recent health crisis. For Lundgren, the ups and downs are evidence of his perseverance.
In a recent Zoom interview with UPI, Lundgren, 68, reflected on his career again. He said he values his ability to bounce back from setbacks.
"Part of life is being around to fight another day," Lundgren said. "It's not all successful, great battles. It's like the small battles that get you to the big one, and that's where you make a name for yourself, or that's where you win the war."
From Arnold to Sly
By 1982, Lundgren was a martial artist with a Masters Degree in chemical engineering from the University of Sydney. He was dating singer Grace Jones, and got his first taste of Hollywood when he joined her on the set of Conan the Destroyer with Arnold Schwarzenegger.

#zoom

Michael Burry called the market's mood "denial," comparing it with 2000 and 2008 and suggesting that phase could last six to nine months.
Ray Dalio warned of a possible U.S. debt crisis within three years as rising interest costs crowd out spending.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent offered a contrasting outlook, saying growth and spending restraint would help the government start "bending the curve."
"The Big Short" investor Michael Burry warned on Tuesday that investors were in "denial" reminiscent of 2000 and 2008, hours after the Nasdaq closed at a record, while Ray Dalio separately cautioned that mounting debt could push the U.S. into a crisis within three years.
"The stock market is quite obviously in its first stage of grief, denial. Per 2000 and 2008, this stage lasts 6-9 months," Burry said on X.

#denial

Michael Douglas has claimed that someone plotted to stab him with a HIV-infected needle at the 1992 Oscars.
In his memoir, One ******* uva Ride, the Basic Instinct actor recalled being met by an FBI agent and a police sergeant when he arrived on the red carpet at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles to present the Best Actress award.
They informed him that there was a "credible threat" to his life.
"We have information that someone will try to stab you with an HIV-infected needle tonight," Douglas recalled the authorities telling him in the book, according to Page Six.
"This was during the height of the AIDS crisis, and getting stabbed with an infected needle would essentially be a death sentence."
According to the Wall Street star, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents were undercover throughout the crowd in an effort to thwart the plot.

#infected #needle #helluva

US bond yields have surged upward over the past month, as yields on both the 10-year Treasury (^TNX) and 30-year Treasury (^TYX) have reached levels not seen since 2002, surpassing 2007 high-water marks in the lead-up to the financial crisis.
Investors have attributed the run-up in yields to a variety of concerns, from the artificial intelligence build-out and the competition for capital to changing foreign ownership of gold versus fixed income.
Read more: How soaring Treasury yields could hit your finances
One overlooked source of upward pressure, argued Macquarie's Thierry Wizman, is not just the impact of the Iran war on the energy market but uncertainty about when the war will end or what the conflict will look like going forward.
"The perception that global conflict is endemic may also be causing long-term inflation expectation[s] to stay elevated," Wizman wrote to clients.

#conflict

By Jana Choukeir and Doina Chiacu
DUBAI/WASHINGTON, Sept 20 (Reuters) - Iran and the United States exchanged new threats on Sunday, with President Donald Trump warning Iran would fail economically or face its leadership being wiped out if it didn't make a deal, and the Iranian ‌military saying it would retaliate harshly to any fresh attack.
The conflict has looked stalemated for months, with no sign either side was ready ‌for concessions even as it has deepened a global energy crisis, cratered swathes of Iran's economy and spilled over into new regional escalations.
In a phone call with a Fox News reporter, Trump said Iran's leaders should make a deal, rot economically or be wiped out, the reporter said.
However, with Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian expected in New York this week for the United Nations General ***** embly, Trump said he would be open to meeting him, the Fox reporter added.

#reporter #Iran #make

The Vanguard Bond Market ETF (NASDAQ:BND) is the largest bond ETF with nearly $162.3 billion in ***** ets. If you invested $10,000 into BND today, it could grow into over $18,000 in 20 years, given its historical 3% annualized return since inception (assuming you reinvest your interest payments). That's likely a lot less than you'd earn if you invested the same amount in an S&P 500 index fund. However, bonds are income generators and portfolio stabilizers, not wealth-building tools.
Here's a look at why you might still want to consider investing in this top bond ETF, despite its low historical returns.
Missed AI's "Act 1"? Act 2 Could Be 15x Bigger. Most investors think they missed the AI boat because they didn't buy Nvidia in 2005. But according to our ***** ysts, we're only at the end of "Act 1"—the R&D phase. "Act 2" is the global rollout. Continue »
Image source: Getty Images.
Vanguard launched BND in early 2007, right before the financial crisis, when interest rates were at their peak:

#bond

The 'half-a-loaf' plan gifts roughly half of excess ***** ets to children, then uses a Medicaid-compliant annuity to bridge the penalty period.
Keeping retained cash in a bank account prevents the penalty clock from starting, since ***** ets above $2,000 disqualify the applicant outright.
One flawed annuity term or miscalculated divisor can unravel the entire plan, making elder law attorney guidance essential before any money moves.
Two retirees, same $1 million, same 4% rule, buy one finished with $1.4 million, the other hit $0 in 12 years. Our free reader guide explains the flaw that separated them, and the income-first method built to avoid it.
Picture a common scenario in a state where this type of crisis planning is welcome: Dad moves into a nursing home with roughly $200,000 sitting above the $2,000 countable-asset limit that most states use for single Nursing Home Medicaid applicants. His family gifts about $100,000 to the children, then uses the other half to buy a short-term Medicaid-compliant annuity that pays the nursing home while the gift penalty runs. When the penalty ends, Medicaid picks up the bill. The children keep the gift.

#annuity #roughly

Marathon Petroleum Corporation (NYSE:MPC) has substantially outperformed the wider market this year, supported by an unusually sharp surge in global refining margins as the prolonged Iran crisis has significantly tightened global refining capacity and reduced supplies of gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel.
With Marathon up by over 150% since the beginning of 2026, there are now concerns that the stock may have topped out. However, the ****** ysts over at Morgan Stanley are convinced that the rally still has further room to run. On September 14, Morgan Stanley ****** yst Joe Laetsch significantly raised the firm's price target on MPC from $265 to $453, while reaffirming an 'Overweight' rating on the shares.
The target boost reflects an upside of over 9% from the current price level and even exceeds the stock's record high of just under $411 per share achieved earlier this month. The Morgan Stanley update comes amid broader Wall Street optimism surrounding the American refining giant, with ****** ysts from Raymon James, UBS, and several others also improving their respective outlooks on MPC.
Morgan Stanley's vote of confidence suggests that Wall Street expects the ongoing refining upcycle to last longer than previously expected, especially given the fresh wave of attacks between Washington and Tehran. Even if the conflict in the Middle East subsides, the region's refined fuel output is expected to remain relatively tight, since the damaged or idled refineries in the Middle East are likely to take some time to return to full operations.
As the largest refiner by volume in the United States, Marathon has significant operating leverage to capitalize on the current high-margin environment. The company already demonstrated its ability to translate the high crack spreads into material earnings when it delivered an almost fourfold increase in profits in the second quarter.

#morgan #marathon #stanley #middle

On September 17, Ferrari N.V. (NYSE:RACE) announced a partnership with the technology company Rakuten Group, Inc., effective January 1, 2027. The announcement gives no scope and no price tag, so it works better as a signal than as a number. The real substance sits in the results Ferrari posted on July 30, when it raised its 2026 guidance because buyers are ordering more personalization than the company expected.
In the second quarter, revenue rose 8%, but operating profit rose 10%, which means each euro of sales is leaving more behind. Ferrari credits a richer mix of cars, with the F80 helping, along with more buyers paying up for personalization. Strip out currency swings, and the gap widens, with revenue up 11% and operating profit up 16%. Deliveries of the Purosangue and the 296 Speciale family grew even in the middle of a planned model changeover.
Cash and demand back that up. Industrial free cash flow jumped 39% to €276 million, and Ferrari also returned more than €800 million to shareholders through a dividend and buybacks. Racing helped too, as higher sponsorships and engine rentals to other Formula 1 teams lifted revenue. Meanwhile, the order book covers 2027 in full, and the new 12Cilindri Manuale is already fully allocated, which is about as strong a demand signal as a carmaker can send. Those trends are why revenue guidance moved up to about €7.60 billion from about €7.50 billion.
Part of the strength is timing. Operating profit got a boost from temporarily lower depreciation and amortization while Ferrari swaps out models, and the company says those charges will climb once the new cars enter production. Net profit also leaned on a 23.0% tax rate, which reflects an estimated benefit from the new Patent Box. Neither says much about how profitable the cars themselves are.
Costs are climbing too. Higher industrial and marketing expenses weighed on operating profit, EBITDA margin slipped to 39.0% from 39.7% a year earlier, and management expects heavier brand, racing and digital spending for the year. Currency is a drag as well, mostly from the dollar and the yen, which is why 11% growth at constant currency shrank to 8% as reported. Deliveries totaled 3,366 cars while the 296 GTS, Roma Spider and SF90 XX family wound down, and sponsorship, commercial and brand revenue grew just 2%. And the whole outlook leans on current visibility into the Middle East crisis, which Ferrari cannot control.

#Ferrari

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The future of America's social safety net is hanging in limbo as the underlying trust fund reserves for Social Security benefits will be depleted in just six years.
And not only is the U.S. government not offering solutions for the funding crisis, it's actually making the problem worse — even if there's money on the table for retirees as a result.
Jeff Bezos backs a platform that lets anyone invest in rental homes for as little as $100 — 6 ways to build wealth like a landlord without actually being one
A single line on your car insurance policy could be inflating your premium by up to 30% — here's what to change

#actually #moneywise #bezos #commission

By Exec-Edge Editorial Staff
Sir Lynton Crosby has spent four decades reading public opinion for people who couldn't afford to get it wrong — prime ministers, presidents, and the boards of some of the world's largest companies. As Executive Chairman of CT Group, the research and strategy firm he co-founded, Crosby has built one of the most quietly influential shops in political and corporate consulting, with offices across eight countries and a client roster that spans government, industry, and advocacy. In recent years, CT Group has turned its research apparatus toward a subject closer to home for the business community it serves: capitalism itself, and why the system's public standing hasn't kept pace with its performance. We spoke with Crosby about what the firm's research found, and what it means for how business leaders talk about the system they operate in.
Exec Edge: CT Group ran a large-scale study on public attitudes toward capitalism. What prompted that?
We had seen a number of signals that some of the trending narratives on how the public felt about the predominant economic system were misleading. But we don't operate on feelings, but instead we respond to data, so we tested it. There's a narrative that's taken hold since the financial crisis — that the public has simply given up on capitalism, that a decade of scandals and populist politics has turned the average voter against the system outright. We fielded a nationally representative survey of 3,000 people, backed by focus groups, to find out if that was actually true or if something more specific was going on. It turned out to be the latter.
Exec Edge: What did the research actually find?

#edge #Research #turned

A home Medicaid excludes from **** et tests during life becomes fully exposed to estate recovery after death, potentially consuming most of an inheritance.
Transfers of a home within 60 months of a Medicaid application trigger a penalty period, and a stroke can eliminate the legal capacity needed to act.
Penalty-free exceptions exist, including spousal transfer, caregiver-child, and protected-relative rules, but qualifying circumstances must be in place well before a crisis.
Two retirees, same $1 million, same 4% rule, buy one finished with $1.4 million, the other hit $0 in 12 years. Our free reader guide explains the flaw that separated them, and the income-first method built to avoid it.
An 82-year-old widower has a stroke. From the hospital he moves to rehabilitation, then to permanent nursing-home care. His paid-off house is worth $340,000. His daughter asks the elder-law attorney whether they can deed her the house or drop it into an irrevocable trust before Medicaid pays a dime. The answer is the one no family wants to hear: probably not, because Dad no longer has the capacity to sign, and his durable power of attorney authorizes bill payment but not gifts or trust transfers.

#home #stroke #free

AGNC Investment (NASDAQ: AGNC) completed its IPO in May 2008 at $20 per share. Today, shares of the mortgage REIT trade at around $10 per share, a staggering 50% below their IPO price.
However, the company's monthly dividends have more than offset the slump in its share price. AGNC has paid out over $50 per share in ****** ulative dividends since its IPO, more than double its IPO price. With dividends reinvested, it has significantly outperformed mortgage REITs and other financial stocks since its IPO.
Missed Nvidia in 2009? This Rare Signal Is Flashing Again. In 2009, a "Double Down" signal flashed for a little-known chipmaker called Nvidia. For the first time in years, that same "Total Conviction" signal is flashing for a company 1/100th the size of Nvidia. Continue »
AGNC Investment's founders formed it in the depths of the financial crisis, seeing an opportunity to create a leading Agency MBS (mortgage-backed securities guaranteed against credit losses by government agencies like Fannie Mae). It invests in Agency MBS on a leveraged basis, primarily through repurchase agreements, and uses dynamic risk management strategies to navigate market risks, including interest rate changes.
The company has had to maneuver around several market cycles, unexpected events, and market volatility over the years, which have weighed on its investment returns and earnings. AGNC Investment has still managed to significantly expand its Agency MBS portfolio (it reached $97.2 billion at the end of the second quarter), financed primarily by selling stock. As a result, its shares outstanding have risen a staggering 7,660% since its IPO. This combination of earnings volatility and dilution is why its share prices have fallen 50% since the IPO.

#since #agency #dividends

Apollo Global Management warned Wednesday that credit default swaps on hyperscaler debt are pricing in more risk. Chief economist Torsten Slok tied the shift to weakening credit fundamentals rather than routine bond-dealer hedging.
Hyperscalers are the cloud computing giants, including Amazon, Microsoft, Google, and Meta, that run the infrastructure behind the AI boom. They face a credit default swap (CDS) gap against bank debt, widened to about 60 basis points since October 2025.
Slok made the case in a Wednesday note reported by CNBC.
"What the market is repricing is hyperscaler credit fundamentals, namely a debt-financed AI capex cycle with rising leverage, negative free cash flow and uncertain payback on depreciating ****** ets."
Dan Alpert, founding managing partner of Westwood Capital, compared the setup to the run-up to the 2008 mortgage crisis. He said banks have since built far bigger equity buffers and are more diversified than they were then.

#slok

Saudi Arabia's oil supply crisis is rapidly becoming Europe's problem.
The September 10 attacks on Saudi Arabia's East-West Pipeline struck the system at multiple locations and damaged at least one pumping station, forcing Riyadh to shut down the Kingdom's critical alternative to the Strait of Hormuz.
The 1,200-kilometer Petroline can carry around 7 million barrels per day from Saudi Arabia's eastern producing regions to Yanbu on the Red Sea. Since the war effectively closed Hormuz, it has become one of the most important pieces of energy infrastructure in the world.
Kpler estimates the pipeline had been moving roughly 4 million bpd around Hormuz before the attack. A prolonged outage could ultimately threaten 3.5–4 million bpd of Saudi crude exports. The figure is below Petroline's nameplate capacity because Saudi Arabia can still export some crude from eastern terminals such as Ras Tanura, despite the severe constraints on Gulf shipping.
The immediate problem is storage.

#hormuz #crude

Stock futures are higher after two days of losses for major indexes as traders await the Federal Reserve's decision on interest rates; the Fed is widely expected to raise its benchmark interest rate for the first time in three years to tame inflation; the European Union could add Canada as an "associate member" amid the country's growing trade war with the Trump administration; shares of SK Hynix and Intel are climbing following a report that the companies could partner to build chips in the U.S.; and retail sales data is due this morning. Here's what you need to know today.
Stock futures are rising this morning ahead of the highly anticipated Federal Reserve decision on interest rates. Dow Jones Industrial Average and S&P 500 futures were each up 0.3% in recent trading while futures tracking the tech-heavy Nasdaq added 0.6%. The major indexes fell Tuesday for the second straight session as oil prices and government bond yields rose. WTI crude oil futures were recently down more more than 2% at $103.50 per barrel after hitting a fresh four-month high yesterday. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note was at 4.97%, after jumping as high as 5.04% in yesterday's session, the highest point since the financial crisis of 2007. Bitcoin was holding steady at $76,100, after the cryptocurrency slumped yesterday as the Clarity Act failed to pass through a cloture vote in the Senate. Gold futures were up 1% to $4,390 an ounce.
The Federal Reserve's policy committee will wrap up its two-day meeting this afternoon amid expectations that the central bank will hike its benchmark rate for the first time in three years to address mounting inflationary pressure. The Federal Open Market Committee's decision is scheduled to be released at 2:00 p.m. ET, along with quarterly economic projections from FOMC members. Fed Chair Kevin Warsh, who took over the top position in May, has said repeatedly the Fed is squarely focussed on bringing inflation down to the Fed's target. Recent inflation data has confirmed that price pressures persist as oil prices rise owing to the Iran war. Investors will be looking for additional insights from Warsh, who is scheduled to speak at a press conference half an hour after the decision is announced. A rate hike is meant to raise borrowing costs, slowing economic activity such that inflation moderates. The challenge the Fed faces is that it can't address the underlying causes of the inflation, including the Iran war, tariffs and rampant corporate spending on AI.

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(Bloomberg) -- Gold was steady as high oil prices continued to fuel inflation concerns and keep interest-rate hike bets a near-certainty ahead of the Federal Reserve's policy decision later Wednesday.
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