Roxanna Islam

Like many analysts and investors, I’m always searching for the next big idea—whether it’s a new company that creates a path to a whole new industry, an innovative ETF, or a new megatrend. I’m still an advocate of crypto, artificial intelligence, and other disruptive technologies, but sometimes good investment ideas aren’t always obscure. This week I’m looking at the aerospace and defense industry. As part of the industrial sector, the aerospace and defense industry often flies under-the-radar (pun intended) unless there is news of geopolitical conflict and tension. As an industry that is less sensitive to economic cycles, the defense industry can be a good option for investors looking to diversify their holdings while seeking relatively stable performance and growth opportunities beyond mega-cap tech.

Did the launch of spot crypto ETFs help bring crypto into the mainstream and encourage adoption - particularly by closing the gap between advisors and their clients?

As an “old economy” sector, utilities are notable for their steady revenue streams. They also typically serve as a defensive segment of a portfolio. But recent trends in artificial intelligence have helped propel growth in this sector — including using utilities as a thematic play. This note explores the utilities sector, its demand drivers, and several ETFs for investors to choose from.

As an ex-future mobility research analyst, I spent a lot of time looking at financial statements and there was very little to see. New entrants in the space had no revenues (and if they had revenues then they had no profitability) and there was very little proof that they would hit their targets. Several years later, many of these new entrants have left the market, while some clear winners remain. Legacy automakers have taken the reins and while they have benefited from greater economies of scale, they still suffer from some of the same demand, production, and profitability issues. As a result, electric vehicle (EV) and autonomous vehicle (AV) ETFs are mostly down year-to-date with net outflows. But as the industry resets and clear winners emerge, this could be a potential catalyst for further growth. This is a look at the automotive industry, electric vehicles, and how future mobility ETFs have been affected.

Crypto ETF innovation hasn’t stopped. Since the launch of spot ether ETFs this summer, there have been launches reviving the crypto equity universe (e.g., SPDR Galaxy Digital Assets ETFs). There has also been a continued push toward building a spot crypto ETF hierarchy. Issuers like VanEck and 21Shares have filed for spot Solana ETFs. More recently, and Bitwise has filed for a spot XRP ETF. Neither Solana nor XRP have a clear path ahead in the near-term (more on that later). But the big question is, do mainstream investors want more crypto, or does interest end with spot bitcoin ETFs?

Nvidia (NVDA) has been one of the most interesting stocks of the year. The company isn’t new to disruptive technology and has been known for its innovations in computer graphics and gaming years before it became a household name. But recent growth in technology, particularly artificial intelligence has boosted its popularity and its outlook. AnalystsRead More

VettaFi discusses crypto ETF launches.

VettaFi discusses retail and e-commerce ETFs.

Last week, I moderated two panels on real assets and infrastructure for completely different sets of panelists and audiences. Despite the differences, there were many similarities among the two panels. It inspired me to write up some brief takeaways on real assets — an area that is often underappreciated — and how you can access these investments through ETFs. Here are my biggest takeaways based on my own analysis of the panel discussions.

For ETF investors, the onslaught of crypto ETF launches has created some short-sighted excitement. The spot bitcoin ETF launch, in particular, contributed to some buzz around rising bitcoin prices that seemed to cloud the long-term growth drivers of the industry. But post-election, long-term views on crypto have been very bullish. Investors have now returned their interest back to these ETFs.