SoftBank is going to make some large investments in Latin American companies this year especially in the areas of e-commerce, healthcare, and financial technology, according to Bloomberg. Through a $5 billion Latin America Fund launched in the first quarter of 2019, SoftBank is planning to invest $1 billion in 2020 which will add to last years $1.6 billion.

The company has invested $100 million to $150 million into each of 17 companies and two venture capital firms so far. And now SoftBank is looking at about 650 firms in the region.

We are focused on investing in companies that could achieve long-term profitability, said Andy Freire, Managing Partner at SoftBank Group International, during a roundtable with reporters via Bloomberg.

Some of the investments that SoftBank made in the area include Colombia-based delivery company Rappi, Brazil-based fitness company Gympass, and Argentina-based financial-tech company Uala.

Along with investing in companies, SoftBank will launch an 11-week program with the Correlation One foundation for training and hiring artificial intelligence talent. Plus SoftBank is going to continue investing directly in venture capital firms as it did by taking a $130 million stake in Kaszek Ventures and a $100 million investment in Valor Capital Group last year.

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SoftBank Is Going To Invest $1 Billion From Its Latin America Fund This Year - Pulse 2.0

From the start of 2020, crypto prices made significant recoveries. While analysts were reluctant to call an altcoin season, some assets marked impressive gains.

Altcoins remain riskier and much more volatile in comparison to Bitcoin (BTC). While the leading crypto coin bounced off lows around $7,100 in January to above $10,000, some altcoins made even bigger gains.

If a trader decided to allocate $1,000 into altcoins on January 1, 2020, the average gains of top 20 coins were 43%. This is not an impressive gain for the world of crypto, especially having to wait more than a month. But it is still a positive move, despite taking into account the recent price slump.

But investing in four specific assets would have led to more significant gains. The biggest gainers in the crypto space were Bitcoin SV (BSV) with 274% gains; Tezos (XTZ) with 222%, Chainlink (LINK) with 234%, and Dash (DASH), which is up 254%.

The average gain of these four assets is close to 246%, significantly higher in comparison to the overall top 20 of coins. However, there is a warning those assets have been viewed with some skepticism, especially in the case of BSV.

Still, splitting $250 for each coin would have yielded roughly $2,460. Of course, the exact sum is shifting, especially given that BSV was extremely volatile in the past few days, and actually sank from highs above $360. Also, XTZ has stepped back from its highs, undermining its YTD progress.

Among the top 20 of coins, the gains averaged 185%, and almost any asset bounced off its lows. However, the exact gains depend on catching the exact moment of price lows, and selling off before a deeper correction. Right now, altcoins have accrued significant gains, but a 60% correction is also quite possible.

Altcoins may achieve significantly higher gains in comparison to BTC. But those assets often see their market liquidity diminish within days. Locking in gains from altcoins also means selling before the cycle has ended and corrections set in.

Choosing a selection of older, more established altcoins, brings lower returns. Taking Ethereum (ETH), Litecoin (LTC), Binance Coin (BNB), and Monero (XMR) will bring average returns of 177%, with ETH alone achieving 192% gains.

In the first six weeks of 2020, separate altcoin rallies managed to bring higher gains from lows to highs, though timing the market can never be exact. However, one of the strongest gainers turned out to be coins that face a halving this year, including BCH, BSV, ETC, and DASH. Altcoin selection is a matter of personal preferences, with no clear way to predict which asset would regain its appeal after the prolonged bear market.

What do you think of the altcoin gains in 2020? Share your thoughts in the comments section below!

Images via Shutterstock

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Which Cryptos Should You Have Invested in on NYE For Max Gains? - Bitcoinist

The oil industrys drive to show investors and the world that the sector is taking climate change seriously has reached the largest Russian oil producer, state-controlled Rosneft, which has just pledged to invest US$5 billion in environmentally-friendly projects within the next half decade.

Rosneft will invest in projects to curb carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and for better utilization of associated petroleum gas, Reuters quoted Rosneft as saying on Monday.

The Russian oil firm will also look to reduce its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 8 million tons through 2022, according to Reuters.

Rosnefts commitment to invest in reducing carbon emissions comes days after UK-based supermajor BP, which holds nearly 20 percent in the Russian oil giant, announced plans to become a net zero company by 2050 or sooner.

Last week, BP said that it aims to become a net zero company by 2050 or sooner in the latest pledge for net zero carbon emissions by an oil major. BP will also target to halve the carbon intensity of the products it sells by 2050 or sooner, joining other majors such as Shell and Equinor, which also aim to reduce the carbon footprint of the energy products they sell.

Earlier this month, Equinor unveiled a plan to reduce the net carbon intensity, from initial production to final consumption, of energy produced by at least 50 percent by 2050. Shell has also setshort-term targetsfor reducing the net carbon footprint of the energy products it sells.

In Russia, Ruslan Edelgeriev, the senior adviser on climate change to President Vladimir Putin, said earlier this month that Russia needs to take urgent steps to fight climate change and reduce its dependence on fossil fuels. Russiathe worlds fourth-largest greenhouse gas emitter after China, the U.S., and Indiareduced the use of oil and coal in its energy mix by 4 percent between 2015 and 2018, while the share of natural gas has increased by 3.5 percent annually in each of those years, The Moscow Times quoted Edelgeriev as saying at a news conference in early February.

Russia has a recent plan to adapt to climate change until 2022, but Putin said at his annual press conference in December that nobody really knows the causes of climate change, at least global climate change.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:

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Russia's Biggest Oil Firm To Invest $5B In Green Projects - OilPrice.com

By Dhirendra Kumar When one meets someone new, its better to assume the best about them since most people are honest and sincere. Things work out better if your default attitude is open and trusting. Unfortunately, this is not a safe attitude when buying financial services. As a rule, you should assume that anyone trying to sell a financial service is either hiding something or actively misrepresenting something. This may be only 90-95% true but its better to assume the worst.

Why is buying financial services different from buying, say a jacket or shoes or a car? There are many reasons for this and while some are to do with specific issues with the way business and regulations are conducted in India, there is a much deeper reason that is fundamental to financial services.

Whats fundamentally different about financial services is that the input, product and output of the business is all the same stuffmoney. Literally, the only way they can earn more is by ensuring you get less of it. Think about this carefully. Lets say you want to buy a midsize car. There are choices at various price points. You could buy one from Tata Motors for Rs 8 lakh, or Maruti for Rs 10 lakh, or from Honda at Rs 15 lakh, or from Mercedes at Rs 50 lakh. So is everyone except Tata Motors overcharging? Not really.

For each of these companies, the deal is transparent and clear. You will give an auto company some money and in exchange you get some combination of performance, reliability, safety, gadgetry, prestige and whatever else you look for in a car. If a car company wants to make more money, then it can enhance the attributes that customers value and charge more.

Thats not the way it works in financial services because the only thing thats going around is money. You give money, the provider spends money to create the product, but the product itself is more money, some of which you get back. Some of your money is kept back for expenses, profits, sellers commissions etc. Therefore, unlike cars or jackets or mobile phones or anything else, financial services are a zero sum game.

This has a serious implication which customers generally dont understand. For a given type of financial service, and a given competence with which it is run, the only way the provider can make more money is to give you less of it. If the provider wants more of anything, be it profits or salaries for employees, or more dividends for the owners, then that has to come from reducing what you get. If it wants to increase sales by paying more commissions to agents then that too is paid for by reducing your returns. Everything comes out of your pocket.

This is not a theoretical model of financial services. This drives every interaction you have with your bank, insurer, stockbroker, mutual fund and those trying to sell you their services. And dont count on regulators to protect you. In general, Indias financial regulators are always well behind the curve in stopping malpractices in these products.

The only way to make the right choices when you save, invest and insure yourself is to arm yourself with knowledge and make decisions yourselves without depending on a salesperson. Decades of interacting with customers of financial services and observing these industries has led me to believe that when dealing with them, distrust and suspicion should be your default attitude.

(The author is CEO, Value Research)

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Why you should not trust anyone when you invest - Economic Times

From Our Special Correspondent

Daijiworld Media Network

Bengaluru, Feb 17:The B S Yediyurappa regime is planning to come out with a series of measures to improve the investment climate in Karnataka and thereby attract investments in the industrial sector.

Karnataka Governor Vajubhai Vala, in his address to the joint session of Karnataka legislature, said on Monday said the State Government is coming out with several steps for improving investment climate in the State and it would soon bring out a new industrial policy and set up a bio-incubator to nurture and support start-ups in areas of bio-pharma.

The State Government will announce the new industrial policy soon to promote standalone and grid-connected solar-powered agricultural pumps.

In his 20-page address in Hindi to the joint session of the State legislature, Vala said Karnataka ranked second in the country as an investment destination by attracting investment of Rs71,745 crore up to November 2019.

The State Government has initiated action to unveil the new industrial policy for attracting investment, new technologies, and generation of jobs, with a focus on comprehensive industrial development in tier2 and tier 3 cities, he said.

The bio-incubator to nurture and support startups has been set up in collaboration with Manipal Academy for Higher Education (MAHE).

He said the State Government has already announced a new textile and garment policy 2019 for the development of textile and ready-made sector.

It has also set up the Karnataka Innovation Authority to further strengthen the innovation ecosystem.

Hike in Honorarium:

The Governor said the State Government has enhanced the monthly remuneration of ASHA workers from Rs3500 to 4,000 with effect from November 2019 and has released one-time payment of Rs3000 ASHA workers as an incentive for having transferred data to RCH software application.

The monthly honorarium of the anganwadi workers has been increased from Rs8,000 to Rs10,000 and monthly of anganwadi helpers from Rs4,000 to Rs5,250.

It has decided to distribute Bhagyalakshmi bonds pending for about two years to eligible beneficiaries.

Karnataka secures first rank:

Karnataka stood first in the country in increasing forest cover, reduction in maternal deaths, and to layout a fiscal consolidation roadmap to improve the states finances.

The State is second largest milk producer in the country and a sum of ?691 crore has been released for payment of incentive of Rs5 per litre of milk to nearly nine lakh dairy farmers till the end of December, 2019.

The Governor said 276 Karnataka public schools have been started from Standard 1 to 12 by integrating nearby primary, high schools and Pre University colleges with an objective to enhance the quality of education.

A novel concept of Water Bell has been introduced in shcools to prevent dehydration in school children.With regard to health, Vala said mobile mammography and cervical cancer diagnostic units have been sanctioned to 10 districts where cancer diagnostic facilities are not available in the district hospitals.

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BSY government planning steps to attract investment - Daijiworld.com

The fight for the future of news is local.

For the past two and a half years, this has been at the heart of the Bureau Local.

In 2017 we set out to build a people-powered network that would set the news agenda and spark change from the ground up.

We began working with other reporters and citizens on local-to-national collaborations, sharing localised data, publishing findings across the UK and mobilising our collaborators to share and act on the work.

While this work was needed, valued and has provided effective impact at scale, we quickly realised that the sector was haemorrhaging money and losing reporters fast.

We set out to make sure that a portion of the money we fundraised would make it back into the hands of local reporters.

In 2018 we launched our Local Story Fund and awarded local storytellers with roughly 1,000 per project to pursue important local stories. We also provided editorial, data and production support to publish these stories with us and local and national partners.

The result was a profound example of just why local news matters and why we need to invest in it. The reporting shone a light on the realities of underreported communities, held local politicians and companies to account and even changed local policies.

Heres a recap of the great work that came out of our Local Story Fund

Emily Goddard investigated the rise of youth homelessness in Milton Keynes. She was shocked to find that in 2018 a third of its rough-sleeping population was under 25, which is four times higher than the national average.

She worked with a photographer Alex Sturrock and interviewed and photographed some of the young people trying to make it on the streets. This includes James*, who became homeless at the age of 16, and Kane*, 22, who had been homeless for five years and lived in a tent in the underpass. In a chilling conversation, he said, In this place, the only thing that grows quickly and properly is darkness.

Following the story, the council sent Emily a press release saying they had housed several people who had been sleeping rough; and for a short while after she noticed a reduction in the number of tents. Yet a year on, a large number of tents are pitched in the centre once again.

Alexs photographs brought the dark reality of the Milton Keynes tent city into focus. One that particularly struck us was a snap of a food-delivery robot passing by homeless tents. Were proud to say that our initial collaboration has led us to commission him to photograph many other projects, including an important story in Oxford.

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Investing in local storytellers is vital for the future of news - The Bureau of Investigative Journalism

Robert Clark, of Lookout Mountain, Tn., has been named chief investment officer for the Public Employees Retirement System of Mississippi (PERS).

Mr. Clark, originally from Jackson, has worked since 2012 as portfolio manager with Southeastern Trust Company in Chattanooga. He will take the reins as PERS CIO next Tuesday.

Were excited to have Mr. Clark join our team, and I believe he will serve our members and the state of Mississippi well with his more than two decades of experience in financial services and investments, said PERS Executive Director Ray Higgins.

Mr. Clark earned his Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering from the United States Naval Academy and his Master of Business Administration from Wake Forest Universitys Babcock Graduate Management School. A holder of the Chartered Financial Analyst designation and a certified financial planner practitioner, Mr. Clark has held series 7, 24 and 66 Financial Industry Regulatory Authority licenses.

His investment portfolio work includes serving as chief financial officer, Secure Waters, Inc.; vice president, BB&T Wealth Management; Wealth Services team leader, SunTrust Bank; and vice president, AmSouth Bank (now Regions).

As CIO, Mr. Clark will be responsible for planning and directing the activities of the PERS Investment Department to ensure the prudent management of the investment assets. Under the general direction of, and through accountability to the executive director, the CIO initiates investment-related programs and procedures in accordance with state and federal laws governing PERS.

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Robert Clark Of Lookout Mountain Named Chief Investment Officer For The Public Employees' Retirement System Of Mississippi - The Chattanoogan

Kristoffer Inton: 2019 saw the resurgence of gold investment demand, leading prices to spike nearly 20% to more than $1,500 per ounce. Unlike previous rallies that we argued were fleeting, today's environment is different. With the Federal Open Market Committee cutting the federal-funds rate three times since August 2019, the investment case has strengthened. Amid heightened investment demand, we forecast a gold price of $1,500 per ounce for 2020.

However, when it comes to gold as an investment, today's demand is tomorrow's supply. Investment-driven buyers can quickly sell when real interest rates rise. In fact, ETF-held gold has reached record levels and now sits equivalent to roughly a year's worth of mine production. We forecast investment demand will eventually begin to unwind, which would weigh significantly on prices.

Worse still, the vacuum left by declining investment demand is likely to remain unfilled. Although jewelry is the largest source of demand, a combination of government initiatives and shifting preferences should drive slower growth in China and India, the two largest markets. The demand vacuum unfilled, we forecast a real price of $1,250 per ounce by 2022.

With gold prices roughly 25% higher than our long-term forecast, we see limited investment opportunities. Although individual miners have the potential to create value through cost reductions or production expansion, our forecast for declining gold prices outshines any operational upside, limiting any investment attractiveness.

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Gold's Allure Dims Slightly as Investment Option - Morningstar.com

Accomplishing the financial cushion to retire early is a fantasy for most. Bringing the fantasy to reality is not as difficult as it sounds. The key is straightforward: Save significantly more every month. Sounds simple, correct? One moment.

Usually, advisors advise 15% to 20% of total income saved every month as an objective - yet in the event that you want to retire earlier, you likely need to tighten that number up to 40% or half of your pay. Not a discipline easily practiced when you review or consider that a substantial segment of your paycheck goes to basic, non- negotiable lifestyle needs. But if you are willing to make some serious lifestyle adjustments and trade-offs, it's achievable.

A generally new development called Financial Independence, Retire Early (FIRE) has been created around this "sacrifice and over-save now to retire early" idea. FIRE supporters create exacting savings plans (up to 75% of income) and make related compromises like living in small homes, walking to work every day, prohibitive weight control plans, etc. This way might be unreasonably prohibitive for many, yet the mentality offers a few takeaways that may merit consideration.

First, stick with the fundamentals of long-term growth investing: Choose a diversified portfolio of stocks with exposure to different styles, sizes, sectors, and regions.

You may be able to accelerate your potential retirement earnings by consciously seeking higher returns (and also accepting more risk) in your investment portfolio. But whatever your risk tolerance, your portfolio must be diversified to protect against extreme market movements that could jeopardize your early retirement objective. You can choose from a number of ways to allocate investments to diversify your portfolio, and these should be informed by your individual goals, growth and income needs, appetite for risk, and age.

Once you have accelerated your savings and put an ongoing plan in place, invest your savings into your portfolio as soon as possible. Don't try to time the market. Leave your portfolio alone, and let the compounding nature of the markets do its magic to help grow your retirement nest egg exponentially over time.

Astute investors pick retirement growth stocks with low beta, strong earnings estimates, positive sales growth, and expected future growth.

The Zacks Rank routinely recognizes lower risk growth retirement portfolio picks, and here are a few that may be worth considering: Summit Financial (SMMF), Brinker International (EAT) and First Financial Corp. (THFF). These growth stocks have strong Zacks Ranks and a beta of 1 or lower, with earnings and sales growth of at least 5% over the past 5 years.

Do You Know the Top 9 Retirement Investing Mistakes?

Whether you're planning to retire early or not, don't let investing mistakes derail your plans.

If you have $500,000 or more to invest and want to learn more, click the link to download our free report, 9 Retirement Mistakes that will Ruin Your Retirement.

This report will help you steer clear of the most common mistakes, like trying to time the market, lack of diversification in your portfolio, and many more. Get Your FREE Guide Now First Financial Corporation Indiana (THFF) : Free Stock Analysis Report Brinker International, Inc. (EAT) : Free Stock Analysis Report Summit Financial Group, Inc. (SMMF) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research

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Powerful Proof Anyone Can Invest for an Early Retirement - February 14, 2020 - Yahoo Finance

Then, each subsequent year, you might crank up your savings by one percentage point (some plans have tools that can automate this), so within a few years you will be closer to that respectable goal of 10 percent of your salary (which includes what your employer kicks in).

Just remember: Not all employer-provided plans are good ones. Some are downright awful, stuffed with high-cost, low-quality investments. How do you know whether your plan is a winner? The costs you pay for the plan are typically a telltale sign and paying too much can cost you tens of thousands of dollars, if not more, over the course of your career.

If you see a bunch of funds that are charging more than 1 percent a year, that is a red flag, said Christine Benz, director of personal finance at the investment research firm Morningstar, referring to investments that charge more than 1 percent of your total money invested. You can also ask human resources (or the person coordinating the plan) to see a copy of the summary plan description, which should list any other administrative fees that arent immediately obvious. (BrightScope also has a tool that ranks thousands of plans.)

If youre in a high-cost plan, save enough to get any company match, but consider investing anything extra into another type of account.

For younger people, Roth I.R.A.s are often the preferable choice. Thats because you deposit money that has already been taxed, and youre probably in a lower tax bracket now than you will be later in life when youre earning more. In contrast, with a traditional I.R.A., investors get a tax deduction now, but pay taxes when the money is withdrawn. Your Roth I.R.A. balance is what you will actually have to spend; in a traditional I.R.A., it will be reduced by the amount of tax you will owe later.

Another upside to a Roth: In an emergency, you can withdraw contributions but not any investment earnings without penalty. (Not that you want to do that!) However, there are income ceilings that determine who can contribute, as well as other rules around withdrawals.

For a more comprehensive look at the various other types of plans, including traditional I.R.A.s, read our retirement guide here.

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The Young Persons Guide to Investing - The New York Times