Finance

Two-stocks better than one? Repacking pair trades

Published

6 months ago

November 9, 2024

Business Finance News

"Two-stocks" better than one? Repackaging "pair trades"

The exchange-traded fund industry is trying to make pair-trade strategies more accessible to everyday investors.

Tidal Financial Group’s Michael Venuto filed last month for eight two-stock ETFs: going long one stock and short the other.

“They should come out probably in about two or three months,” Venuto, the firm’s chief investment officer and co-founder, said on CNBC’s “Halftime Report” this week.

These new ETFs aim to simplify long-short trades by bundling both positions into one product and eliminating the need for separate trades, according to the Tidal Financial website.

VettaFi’s Todd Rosenbluth noted the convenience these ETFs bring to investors.

“Instead of having to short something yourself, the ETF is going to do that for you. And so, there’s a convenience factor that’s out there,” the firm’s head of research said on CNBC’s “ETF Edge” this week.

This streamlined approach could attract investors looking for ease of access in balancing market positions.

Rosenbluth also pointed out the potential popularity of these ETFs.

“I think the ETF adoption is going to continue, even if we have some of these niche-oriented products sitting side by side with Vanguard 500 in a portfolio,” Rosenbluth said.

Finance

Insiders at UnitedHealth are scooping up tarnished shares

Published

2 days ago

May 16, 2025

Business Finance News

Key Points

UnitedHealth Group saw some of its insiders step in and purchase declining shares this week.
Kristen Gil, a director at the firm, bought 3,700 shares worth roughly $1 million on Thursday.
Shares of UnitedHealth plunged nearly 11% to $274.35 on Thursday following a report in The Wall Street Journal that the Department of Justice is conducting a criminal investigation into possible Medicare fraud.

Finance

Federal Reserve will reduce staff by 10% in coming years, Powell memo says

Published

2 days ago

May 16, 2025

Business Finance News

U.S. Federal Reserve in Washington, DC, on January 30, 2024.

Mandel Ngan | Afp | Getty Images

The Federal Reserve will look to reduce its headcount by 10% over the next couple of years, including offering deferred resignation to some older employees, central bank chair Jerome Powell said in a memo.

“Experience here and elsewhere shows that it is healthy for any organization to periodically take a fresh look at its staffing and resources. The Fed has done that from time to time as our work, priorities, or external environment have changed,” Powell said in a memo obtained by CNBC.

The central bank chief added that he has instructed leaders throughout the Fed “to find incremental ways to consolidate functions where appropriate, modernize some business practices, and ensure that we are right-sized and able to meet our statutory mission.” One method for shrinking the staff will be to offer a voluntary deferred resignation program to employees of the Federal Reserve Board who would be fully eligible to retire at the end of 2027.

The central bank said in its 2023 annual report that it had just under 24,000 employees. A 10% reduction would bring that number below 22,000.

The memo comes as the Trump administration has pushed for cost cuts across civil service agencies, spearheaded by Elon Musk and the so-called Department of Government Efficiency. Musk has previously called the Fed “absurdly overstaffed.” Powell’s memo did not mention Musk or DOGE as a factor in the decision to shrink headcount.

The planned staff cuts were first reported by Bloomberg News.

— CNBC’s Matt Cuddy contributed reporting.