Weekend Reading – BlackRock Launches New iBonds, Truth About €1M Broker Insurance & BOW is 4 years old!
Weekend Reading is a collection of Investment Research and Lifestyle topics from all corners of the Web. We source the highest quality insights from Wall Street and Main Street that you may apply to your investment process. Unlike the rest of Bankeronwheels.com, this series is provided without additional guidance. As usual, everything is to be used at your own risk. Below is the type of content we shortlist:
The function of economic forecasting is to make astrology look respectable.
Featured
4 Things I Learned In 4 Years Of Running A Finance Blog (Banker on Wheels)
When I launched Bankeronwheels.com four years ago, my ambition was to spread knowledge to a diverse audience. But over the years, I’ve noticed that we inevitably also attract like-minded people. Part of our audience are wealth management firms, aspiring financial planners, investment bloggers, and entrepreneurial spirits alike. If that’s you, this article is dedicated to you. Here are the four takeaways from four years of blogging.
Portfolio Construction
Asset Allocation
Positive stock-bond correlation: portfolio construction implications (PGIM)
As part of PGIM IAS’s ongoing research on strategic portfolio construction, we have explored the macro drivers, global linkages, and portfolio construction implications of stock-bond correlation.This paper builds on our previous research and addresses what elements of the current economic landscape we think ought to be top of mind for asset allocators and risk managers.
Read more on PGIM
UNDERSTAND FINANCIAL MARKETS
Small stocks, big problems (FT.Com, Click On First Link)
A truism of finance is that risk and returns are correlated. The stocks of smaller companies therefore do better than bigger ones in the long run. This is a foundation stone of both investment theory and practice. Sure, they are more volatile and they can suffer long stretches of dismal performance — such as in the 1960s and late 1990s. But, over time, “small-capitalisation” stocks trump larger stocks in every single major market studied by academics over the decades. Across the world there are hundreds of billions of dollar invested purely on this basis.
Read more on FT.Com, Click On First Link
HOW TO INVEST
Today’s guest is Professor Ken French, the Roth Family Distinguished Professor of Finance at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College. He’s written some of the most influential papers in finance alongside former podcast guest, Professor Eugene Fama. In today’s episode, Ken shares what topic he and Professor Fama disagree on.
Active Investing
FACTOR investing
discretionary investing
- International Intangible Value (Sparkline Capital)
- Taleb’s Barbell Portfolio (Italian Leather Sofa)
- Japan: Have S&P 500 constituents actually outperformed global peers? (Verdad)
- Time to Look at Chinese Stocks Again? (Morningstar)
- Evaluating the Macro Landscape and Finding Great Companies with Jeff Muhlenkamp (Excess Returns - 1 Hr 9 Min)
ALTERNATIVE ASSET CLASSES
Private Equity: Excellent Report Commissioned by Norwegian Ministry of Finance (MSCI)
In Section I of this paper, we describe the evolution of the global market portfolio, a theoretical portfolio that includes investment assets worldwide, weighted according to their market values. In Sections II and III we zoom in on two sub-categories of the global market portfolio: private-equity markets and Chinese public-equity markets, respectively. We discuss the main characteristics of those markets
through our equity and private-capital solutions.
Read more on MSCI
WALL STREET
Visa Inc. - World’s Largest Credit Card Company | A Finance Documentary (FinAIus - 39 Min)
Meet The King of Credit Cards – the world’s largest credit card company! This is the story of Visa’s ascent to global dominance in the financial world. Exploring its origins, innovations, and controversies, we will have an insightful look into the power dynamics and challenges within the credit card industry, highlighting Visa’s unparalleled influence and impact.
SUSTAINABLE investing
BAD BETS
- Truong My Lan: Vietnamese billionaire sentenced to death for $44bn fraud (BBC)
- The biggest bank heist in history (and why you've never heard of it) (The Economist - 19 Min)
- 15 Stocks That Have Destroyed the Most Wealth Over the Past Decade (Morningstar)
- Dave Portnoy: A journey of investing starting in 2019 until now. (unusal whales)
Money, Ego and Deception at FTX (Bloomberg - 1 Hr 48 Min)
RUIN is a feature documentary about Sam Bankman-Fried and the stunning collapse of his cryptocurrency exchange, FTX, as narrated by Bloomberg journalists and some of the central players in the rise of digital assets.
On Nov. 2, 2023, Sam Bankman-Fried was found guilty in Manhattan federal court of seven counts of fraud and conspiracy.
On March 28, 2024, Bankman-Fried was sentenced to 25 years in prison. He plans to appeal.
ETFs
UCITS ETFS
BlackRock expands fixed-maturity range with US Treasury and Italian BTP ETFs (ETF Stream)
BlackRock has expanded its fixed-maturity iBonds range with the launch of US and Italian government bond ETFs. The iShares iBonds Dec 2027 Term $ Treasury UCITS ETF (27IT) and the iShares iBonds Dec 2029 Term $ Treasury UCITS ETF (29IT) are listed on Euronext Amsterdam with total expense ratios (TERs) of 0.10%. 27IT and 29IT track the respective 2027 and 2029 maturities of the ICE Maturity US Treasury UCITS indices which offer exposure to US Treasuries that mature on a defined date.
Read more on ETF Stream
New UCITS ETF launches
| # | ETF | TER | ISIN |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Amundi Prime All Country World UCITS ETF | 0.07% | IE0009HF1MK9 |
| 2 | Xtrackers MSCI World ex USA UCITS ETF 1C | 0,16% | IE0006WW1TQ4 |
| 3 | AMUNDI PRIME USA UCITS ETF Acc | 0,05% | IE000FSN19U2 |
| 4 | AMUNDI PRIME USA UCITS ETF Dist | TBC | IE000IEGVMH6 |
Overview of the US and European ETF markets by leading Issuers. (ETFBook)
ETF Book Provided an updated overview of the US and European ETF markets by leading Issuers. US ETF market: AUM $7.96 trillion – European ETF market: AUM $1.81 trillion. iShares is leading in the US, but Vanguard is closing the gap. In Europe, iShares is much more dominant.
US ETFs
BlackRock is set to launch ten ETFs focused on Treasury inflation-protected securities (TIPS). Ranging in maturity from 2024 to 2033, these ETFs will seek to provide inflation protection to investors concerned with erosion of purchasing power. The new TIPS-defined maturity bond ETFs will carry an expense ratio of 0.1%. [ETF.com]
Wealth Management
Personal Finance
The Truth About €1 Million Broker Guarantees (Banker on Wheels)
This is part 4 of Bankeronwheels.com Definitive Guide to choosing a Stock Broker.
In part 3 of our ultimate guide to choosing a Stock Broker, we explained why in the EU, Broker protections are inadequate. Certain brokers subscribe to a private insurance to provide a higher protection level.
Today, let’s look at what these protections are really worth.
Broker REVIEWS
Dodl By AJ Bell Review – AJ Bell’s Younger Brother (Banker on Wheels)
Our take: If you’re just starting to pedal into the world of investing with small stakes, Dodl could be your ride partner, all while drafting behind its big bro, the Tier 1 brokerage powerhouse, AJBell. But while AJBell rides a well-marked route, Dodl seems a bit lost, like a cyclist without a GPS. And let’s be real—no other broker in the peloton charges a 0.15% custody fee. That’s like breaking away from the pack, but in the wrong direction!
Early Retirement
Health & Wellness
DESIGN YOUR LIFESTYLE
Travel
Of Resilience and Hope: The Story of Teruel (Video) (Bikepacking.com)
Tristan Bogaard’s latest video is a meditative tribute to the beautiful new 600-kilometer Of Resilience and Hope bikepacking route in rural Spain and the challenges and opportunities designer Ernesto Pastor aimed to bring to light in creating it. Find the calming six-minute video with an introduction by Tristan here…
Words, photos, and video by Tristan Boggard.
Read more on Bikepacking.com
Personal Development
Live 10th Anniversary Random Show with Kevin Rose. As many listeners know, Kevin was my very first guest for episode 1, way back in April 2014.
We explore What’s Next, Testing Ozempic, Modern Dating, New Breakthrough Treatments for Anxiety, Bitcoin ETFs, Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul, and Engineering More Awe in Your Life
Tech & Economy
economy
TECH AND SCIENCE
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Get Wise The Most Relevant Independent Weekly Insights For Individual Investors
If you’ve enjoyed our high-quality guides, you will love Europe’s best Wise Investing newsletter even more. Join tens of thousands of individual investors who trust us.
☕ Every Saturday morning with your coffee, enjoy FREE:
✅ Investing guides & tools
✅ Curated insights on investing strategies, ETFs, brokers, early retirement & lifestyle
✅ Exclusive articles crafted for wise investors like you
📩 Bonus: FREE Portfolio Checklist! Sign up today and receive a FREE 2-page checklist to:
- Build & monitor an efficient portfolio
- Clean up your personal finances.
🔒 We respect your privacy and never spam. Try it. Feel free to unsubscribe at any time.
And finally
Good Luck and Keep’em* Rolling!
(* Wheels & Dividends)
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Our Unmissable TOP 10 in 2025 – Did You Catch Them All?
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