Articles by Matthew Benjamin

Technology

The Smartest ETF to Buy With $1,000 Right Now

Sometimes, instead of picking individual stocks, it pays to buy the entire market, especially if most stocks are rising. An easy way to do that is with an exchange-traded fund (ETF) that tracks an entire index like the S&P 500 index or the Nasdaq Composite, both of which are doing well so far in 2025. The S&P 500 is up almost 18% this year, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq has climbed an impressive 24%. But there's another market blowing those two out of the water right now. Look East to help your portfolio go North The Korea Composite Stock Price Index, or Kospi, is up 70% year to date, which means it has outperformed the S&P 500 by more than 50 percentage points. And the iShares MSCI South Korea ETF (EWY 1.47%), which tracks the performance of large- and mid-cap stocks in the South Korean market (analogous to the S&P 500), is a great way to invest in it. That ETF is up an astonishing 88% this year. South Korea's stock market is being driven higher partly by AI, which is sending its tech stocks -- and particularly its chipmakers -- much higher. In addition, the country's new president, Lee Jae Myung, elected in June, promised to end the so-called "Korea discount" -- which refers to the fact that Korea's listed companies have historically suffered from low valuations -- in part by passing new shareholder protections. He also wants to lower the threshold for capital gains taxes on stocks. That's driving investor flows into Korean stocks and ETFs. At the ETF's current price of just about $96 a share, an investment of $1,000 will get you a little more than 10 shares, with enough left over to enjoy a very nice lunch as you contemplate future profits.

Technology

Why Did GM Stock Suddenly Jump 20% Higher?

Over the past eight trading days, the share price of General Motors (GM 0.09%) has popped. The stock closed at $58 a share on Oct. 20, and by Oct. 29 it was just below $70. That's a gain of more than 20% in little more than a week. So, what's going on with the typically staid and boring automaker? Solid third-quarter results, which the company posted on Oct. 21, had a lot to do with it. The company posted earnings per share of $2.80 on revenue of $48.6 billion. Both figures beat Wall Street expectations. But perhaps just as important, GM management reassured investors that the company is making real progress in reducing tariff payments and is also adjusting well to the slowing demand for electric vehicles. The market has been concerned about the impact of tariffs and the sluggish EV business on GM's top and bottom lines. Strong demand for trucks and SUVs In addition, CEO Mary Barra told analysts on the earnings call last week that the company currently can't keep up with demand for full-size SUVs. As a result of strong demand for gas-powered trucks and SUVs, as well as curbed expenses, GM's management raised full-year 2025 guidance on adjusted earnings from a range of $10 billion to $12.5 billion to a higher range of $12 billion to $13 billion. That translates to adjusted earnings per share of as much as $10.50, when it previously expected $10 as its upper limit on EPS. And as we all know, in the long term, share prices follow earnings. Things are suddenly looking up for the American automaker, and investors are taking notice.