The Ridgewood Blog Brings a Free Market Laissez-faire Point of View to Local, New Jersey State and National Issues.
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WASHINGTON, D.C. – In a striking turnaround, the U.S. economy posted 3% GDP growth in Q2 2025, handily beating the Dow Jones estimate of 2.3% and reversing a disappointing 0.5% decline in Q1. The stronger-than-expected performance was fueled by a dramatic drop in imports and renewed consumer strength, despite trade tensions and lingering concerns over inflation and interest rates.
Historic moment! In April this year, the first 2x leveraged XRP ETF in the United States was listed on NYSE Arca, bringing unprecedented high-yield opportunities to short-term investors.As XRP price volatility intensifies, more and more investors turn to stable and low-threshold cloud mining to lock in profits – Bow Miner cloud mining platform is becoming the first choice for smart investors around the world! Compared with complex futures ETF operations, Bow Miner provides a simpler and more stable way to increase wealth, allowing you to easily achieve up to $35,700 in daily income!
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Early online trading tools for regular and institutional investors were at best basic. The user experience was characterized by clumsy interfaces, slow data flows, and restricted analytical tools. Fast forward to now, the trading scene is almost unrecognizable. Modern platforms now deliver social trading capabilities, artificial intelligence-powered insights, real-time data, and slick design. However, despite these advancements, not all platforms offer what traders truly desire.
Continue reading Behind the Interface: What Traders Really Need from Today’s Tech
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Ridgewood NJ, Wall Street is buzzing after U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent hinted that the government’s stakes in mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac could eventually be rolled into a new U.S. sovereign wealth fund. The proposal has sparked debate among top investors, including billionaire hedge fund manager Bill Ackman, who called the idea “superb”—provided it fairly accounts for shareholder rights.
Continue reading Treasury Secretary’s Bold Plan for Fannie Mae & Freddie Mac Shakes Wall Street
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Ridgewood NJ, Investment giant BlackRock is making headlines as it pivots away from environmental, social, and governance (ESG) initiatives and refocuses on maximizing returns for its clients. This shift comes amid growing criticism of ESG policies and a broader trend of financial firms distancing themselves from so-called “woke” investing.
Continue reading BlackRock Shifts Focus: Moving Away from ESG and “Woke” Policies
A recent report by Bernstein Research predicts that Bitcoin (BTC) could reach as high as $200,000 by the end of 2025. The 160-page analysis, called the “Black books,” says that Bitcoin miners will continue to combine their operations.
Bernstein also expects Wall Street will hold more Bitcoin than its creator, Satoshi Nakamoto by the end of 2024.
Matthew Sigel, head of digital asset research at VanEck, pointed out that “ten global asset managers now own ~$60Bn wrapped as regulated [exchange-traded funds] compared with $12Bn in September 2022.”
Continue reading Bitcoin Could Hit $200,000 by 2025: Bernstein Report
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Ridgewood NJ, in the evolving world of pension politics, BlackRock has undergone a significant transformation. Once a leading advocate for prioritizing environmental, social, and governance (ESG) considerations over investment returns, BlackRock has notably pulled back from its previous stance. The investment giant, which once spearheaded the push for ESG, now appears more skeptical than many of its peers.
Continue reading BlackRock Shifts Focus: From ESG Champion to Skeptic
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Ridgewood NJ, Despite the hype surrounding AI IPOs and biotech startups over the past year, none have made quite the splash on like Cava.
Continue reading Despite the AI and Bio Tech Hype , a Restaurant Chain is the Hottest IPO this Year
Hedge fund investments have long been considered a lucrative yet complex avenue for investors seeking high returns. With their diverse range of strategies and often sophisticated approaches to generating profits, hedge funds present unique challenges and opportunities for those looking to maximize their investment returns.
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Ridgewood NJ, once upon a time, merely mentioning AI on a Wall Street earnings call was enough to send investors into a frenzy. But as the dust settles, a more discerning reality is emerging.
Continue reading Wall Street Says “Show Me” on AI Technology Earnings
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New York NY, Ted Pick, a prominent figure in the banking industry, is known for his bold and risk-taking approach to markets, which has propelled him through the ranks. During a meeting, Pick admitted to being a “drinker” after showing up 15 minutes late, attributing his tardiness to a late night out. He humorously noted that the situation “could be worse” and playfully called out other senior bankers who had been with him the previous night.
Continue reading Morgan Stanley Hands the CEO Reins to Old School Wall Streeter Ted Pick
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New York NY, the relocation of a small portion of the American financial industry from New York and California to the US South has been measured anecdotally, often one office at a time, over the past few years. Elliott Management decamped for West Palm Beach. AllianceBernstein to Nashville. Charles Schwab landed in suburban Dallas. But now, there are hard and ugly numbers quantifying the scope of this nascent exodus. Bloomberg has calculated that both New York and California have in the past three years lost firms that managed close to $1 trillion in assets . The departures from the Northeast and West Coast have meant the loss of thousands of high-paying jobs, straining city and state finances by sapping tax revenue. Commercial property markets also have lost valuable tenants just as they’ve been struggling with the new realities of hybrid work. Yes, New York City area remains the most powerful center for asset management. But in the South, the new arrivals are fueling a boom.
If you’re dipping your toes into the thrilling pool of trading for the first time, you might be wondering if using auto traders is legal. It’s a legitimate worry, especially when significant sums of money are at stake, and there’s this scary possibility of losing it all in one go. Pinning down an exact answer to that question can be tricky because it depends on factors like where you live. But generally speaking, laws usually focus more on the act of trading itself rather than what gadgets or software you use to do it. In this article, we’ll dissect this question and highlight why an auto trader could become your secret weapon in crafting a killer trading strategy.
Continue reading Are Automated Traders Such As MetaTrader 4 Legal?
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Washington DC,(8:34 AM) the Producer Price Index for final demand declined 0.5 percent in March, seasonally adjusted, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Final demand prices were unchanged in February and increased 0.4 percent in January. (See table A.) On an unadjusted basis, the index for final demand advanced 2.7 percent for the 12 months ended in March.
Continue reading Producer Price Index Gives More Evidence of Cooling Inflation
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Tenafly NJ, an indictment was unsealed today charging Sung Kook (Bill) Hwang, the founder and head of a private investment firm known as Archegos, and Patrick Halligan, Archegos’s Chief Financial Officer, with racketeering conspiracy, securities fraud, and wire fraud offenses in connection with interrelated schemes to unlawfully manipulate the prices of publicly traded securities in Archegos’s portfolio and to defraud many leading global investment banks and brokerages. Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco, U.S. Attorney Damian Williams for the Southern District of New York and Assistant Director-in-Charge Michael J. Driscoll of the FBI’s New York Field Office made the announcement. Both defendants were arrested earlier today and will be presented this afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jennifer E. Willis. The case has been assigned to U.S. District Judge Andrew L. Carter, Jr.