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

February 14, 2020

Posted: February 14, 2020

AP

(AP) Delta Air Lines said Friday it will invest $1 billion over the next 10 years in measures designed to offset climate-warming carbon emissions from its planes.

Delta said the money would go into things such as boosting fuel efficiency and investing in efforts to remove carbon from the atmosphere by planting trees and restoring wetlands.

Aviation accounts for about 2% of global carbon emissions, but those emissions are rising with the growth in air travel. Airline industry officials worry about the emergence of flight-shaming reminding people of airplanes toll on the environment and its potential to reduce demand for air travel.

Airlines have taken small steps, including investments in alternative-fuel start-ups. They also point to their purchase of newer, more fuel-efficient planes in recent years.

However, revolutionary changes such as powering a large number of airline jets with electricity or biofuels are seen as years if not decades away.

Delta, which has an older fleet on average than many of its major competitors, has gotten poor marks for fuel efficiency.

In a report last September, the International Council on Clean Transportation ranked Delta eighth among 11 U.S. airlines in fuel efficiency per passenger on domestic flights in 2017 and 2018. Delta finished slightly ahead of American Airlines but behind Southwest and United. Frontier Airlines ranked first thanks to its newer jets, more direct routes, and more passengers per flight than most rivals.

Delta burned 4.2 billion gallons of fuel last year, 2.5% more than it burned in 2018.

We will continue to use jet fuel for as far as the eye can see, CEO Ed Bastian told CNBC. We will be investing in technologies to reduce the impact of jet fuel, but I dont ever see a future that we are eliminating jet fuel from our footprint.

Flight-shaming drew headlines last year when Greta Thunberg, the young Swedish climate activist, sailed across the Atlantic instead of flying to speak at the United Nations. Few people can opt for a sailboat trip, but in parts of Europe, flight-shaming is credited with increasing travel by train.

The U.N.s aviation body, the International Civil Aviation Organization, adopted a plan that calls for airlines to voluntarily start offsetting their increase in carbon emissions starting this year.

At a Delta investor conference in December, Bastian called environmental stewardship the existential threat to our future ability to grow. You see it happening in Europe. It is increasingly coming here to the U.S.

Atlanta-based Delta is the worlds largest airline by revenue. For 2019, it reported net income of nearly $4.8 billion an increase of 21% on revenue of $47 billion.

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Delta says it will invest $1 billion to cut carbon emissions - - KUSI

Chris Hollod wants to be known as one of the most active angel investors in the alcohol space.

After about a decade of making investments with billionaire Ron Burkle and actor Ashton Kutcher, Hollod, a Los Angeles-based venture capitalist, struck out on his own in 2019 and has shifted his focus from investing in tech companies such as Airbnb, Uber, Spotify and Warby Parker, to investing in consumer packaged good companies, specifically alternative alcohol companies.

Anything at the convergence of culture and wellness piques my interest, he told Brewbound. What Ive found Im most passionate about without question by order of magnitude is alternative alcohol, functional alcoholic beverages, clean spirits, near beer, non-alcoholic beverages, and all of these sober curious trends.

Hollods strategy is to make strategic bets in a handful of companies with complementary portfolios that arent competing in the same segments. His list of investments thus far includes San Diego-based hard kombucha company JuneShine, CBD brand Recess and botanical spirits brand AMASS. He is also acting as an advisor to up-and-coming mezcal maker Rosaluna and wine spritzer brand Hoxie.

In addition to his existing portfolio of companies and advisory roles, Hollod said he is in ongoing discussions with the founders of hard pressed juice brand 101 Cider, canned cocktail producer Vervet, and hard tea brand Loverboy.

Not that Hollod hasnt made investments in the beer space. Along with Kutcher, he was an early investor in Los Angeles-based House Beer, and he remains an investor and advisor in the lager brand.

However, as Hollod explains in the following conversation with Brewbound, investments in the beer space no longer align with his focus, passion and consumption habits. Within the beyond beer space, Hollod said he plans to invest around a couple million dollars annually, with investments of between $25,000 and $75,000 on the small end and $100,000 to $250,000 on the higher end.

Theres no set figure, he explained of how much hes willing to invest overall. Its my own money. I dont report to anyone. I dont have any outside investors.

Read on for excerpts from his conversation with Brewbound on his strategy, the types of companies hes looking to invest in and more.

What type of companies are you currently interested in investing in?

My investment thesis tag-line for Hollod Holdings is companies at the convergence of culture and wellness. So Im generally interested in new, culturally relevant, innovative health and wellness brands ranging from food to beverage to self-care to even pet-care. But Im most passionate about the alternative alcohol sector. Within that sector, I like start-ups that have already generated a bit of traction with at least one product and need to raise some capital to fuel exponential growth. I also have a bias toward LA-based companies, because its not only my home, but I think its the epicenter of cultural wellness trends at the moment.

Given your interest in the alcohol industry, are beer companies on your radar?

Unfortunately, not any more. Ive tracked the beer sector for a while, especially during the craft beer boom, but at this stage of the industry life cycle, I think the risk-reward profile of beer companies is too unbalanced. I just dont see much inspiration and innovation in the sector at this point.

Why not?

As an early-stage investor, Im attracted to budding subsectors with relatively minimal competition and endless growth potential, and that definitely doesnt characterize the beer industry at the moment. Overall, the beer space is just so crowded. By the end of 2018, there were roughly 7,000 breweries operating in the U.S.

The industry will always be a firm duopoly because its dominated by the two biggest players, Anheuser-Busch InBev and Molson Coors, which together comprise roughly 70% of all U.S. beer production. Growth rates are on the decline, and consumers are actively searching for more aspirational alternatives to beer.

Look at Boston Beer for example. Good thing they own Truly. I personally cant remember the last time I saw a Sam Adams beer, but I can definitely remember the last time I saw a Truly. Thats clearly anecdotal evidence, but as an investor, I have to rely on my own inferences, experiences, and gut instinct.

When it comes to beer, aside from maybe a super unique formulation, innovation really lies within marketing and branding, which is extremely expensive and fickle. I admit that the craft beer boom was absolutely epic, but its now time for the alternative alcohol movement to explode, which I think will inevitably cannibalize the beer industry.

So why are you so attracted to the alternative alcohol sector?

Its my job to follow and facilitate innovation, and I think there is a ton of innovation occurring in alcohol. When I started investing in consumer tech in 2010, both the App Store and iPhone were relatively new, so there was an unprecedented amount of innovation around those platforms. Im now seeing a confluence of so many different trends and drivers in the overall wellness industry, which is consequently sparking amazing innovation in the alcohol sector. Alcohol used to be relatively immune to health trends, but thats clearly no longer the case. Whereas the wellbeing movement was once confined to the coasts, its now unquestionably permeating the rest of the country. In addition to the health trends, theres a fundamental shift in consumer shopping behavior primarily driven by social media, mobile technology, and the immense influence of millennials, who are now the largest generation in U.S. history. Millennials are now calling the shots when it comes to alcohol, and they are demanding a greater and more authentic customer experience and product, which will continue to drive incremental innovation. I dont think the big alcohol brands will be able to sufficiently innovate in-house, so they will be forced to buy the cool new start-up brands as they begin to scale.

What do you look for in the companies in which you invest?

First and foremost, the company needs to have a compelling and innovative product that has the potential to actually scale across the country. It cant just be an interesting niche product that only appeals to Angelenos or New Yorkers, for example.

Beyond the product, the storytelling, branding, and narrative need to be impeccable. Our attention spans are so damn short right now, so new brands need to be expert storytellers in order to entice new customers and create a sustainable relationship with them.

I also like to understand the financials, especially gross profit margins. Investors always talk about TAM, which is the total addressable market. The companys TAM needs to be large enough to fuel massive initial growth. Otherwise, the start-up will hit a ceiling and be forced to spend tons of money on marketing, where there is very little margin for error.

Lastly, the entrepreneur needs to be an absolute beast. I love founders that are borderline monomaniacal. No matter how amazing the product may be, the founder has to be equally if not even more impressive.

Kombucha seems to be a beverage that hasnt realized its full potential in the alcohol sector outside of California. Given your investment in JuneShine, why are you bullish on kombucha?

In general, Im most passionate about functional alcoholic beverages with transparent, healthy ingredients. Yes, it feels good to get a little tipsy, but Im excited about other incremental functional benefits that alcoholic drinks can potentially provide. I think hard kombucha epitomizes this trend. The product is wholly organic, gluten free, and contains probiotics, antioxidants, and vitamins. And it makes you feel good without the aftermath of a pounding headache. Its just not cool to be hungover anymore.

The GTs [Kombucha] of the world have already nicely paved the way for the higher-alcohol kombucha brands to enter the sector, because the average consumer is now already aware of kombucha. I also love the demographics. When I realized that my girlfriend Bianca and I were both drinking hard kombucha in 2018, I immediately further diligenced the sector and found out that roughly 65% of JuneShines tasting room attendees were female, and 60% of their Instagram followers were female. Its generally quite difficult for Bud and Miller to effectively market to female millennials and rising gen z-ers, so I think the big guys will keep a keen eye on the emerging hard kombucha brands.

Weve already seen this trend substantiated by ZX Ventures investment in Kombrewcha. Theres also a growing anti-alcohol movement among young people, so I think hard kombucha is an emerging product that can potentially bridge the gap between alcoholic and nonalcoholic, based on its functional benefits and potential for lower ABV.

Hard seltzer has been the story of the last couple of years. But you dont seem to be investing in that area. Why not?

I credit hard seltzers with initially enticing me into the overall alternative alcohol sector. Ill never forget the first time I saw a Truly. I immediately dismissed it as a silly fad. Fast forward several years, and I was buying the stuff by the case for pool parties. Same with White Claw. The hard seltzer space is now a duopoly, with those two brands dominating the subsector. You also have A-B InBev eagerly pushing three seltzer brands: Bon & Viv, Bud Light Seltzer, and Natty Light Seltzer. The space is crazy now.

As a venture capitalist, my goal is to always pursue the next big thing, as opposed to simply backing a better version of White Claw, for example. Also, at this point, I just dont love the taste of flavored malt beverages, and I only invest in companies that I will actually consume and actively promote.

Beyond financial investment, what else do you offer the companies that you invest in?

Theres constant chatter in the venture capital world regarding smart money versus dumb money. All investors like to consider themselves smart money, but after doing this for more than 10 years across multiple investment funds, I make it an unbreakable requirement to only invest in companies where I can add value. My biggest strengths are high-level strategy, connectivity, and validation. Ill rarely spend five hours discussing operational specifics with an entrepreneur, but I love spending five minutes making an invaluable connection or acting as a strategic sounding-board to the CEO.

In general, Id like to think that Im at least one or two degrees of separation from most people, so I always enjoy making warm intros on behalf of my portfolio companies. Im a huge fan of gifting products and stocking my house and fridge with portfolio company products so that I can share them with friends and entrepreneurs that come through my house for meetings.

Regarding impact, I avoid pre-launch companies, because there are just too many moving pieces, and it dilutes my strategic impact. Instead, I think I make the biggest impact while a company is raising a seed or Series A round, after theyve raised a little money from friends and family and have launched at least one product in the market.

How many companies are you looking to invest in in 2020?

I kicked-off 2019 at a crazy pace. I was almost making one investment per week, which was similar to my investment cadence with Ashton back in 2011, when the consumer tech boom was in full effect. But I now really want to decrease my investment frequency and increase my average check size. Ideally, Id like to make one or two investments per quarter, but no more than one investment per month.

Beyond making a return, what are your goals for investing in these companies/spaces? And how will you generally define a successful investment?

My old boss and mentor, Ron Burkle, used to tell me, When you make an investment, you need to always focus on three requirements: 1. be proud of it, 2. enjoy it, and 3. make money from it; but if you have to miss on any of them, miss on making money. You must always be proud of what youre doing and enjoy it. That statement will stick with me for the rest of my career. Because when Im proud of an investment and actually enjoy it, the third component, making money, has a tendency to follow suit naturally. When investors chase money and returns, they sometimes get burned, because they can get pulled outside of their comfort zone and start making short-term decisions. But I like to chase inspiration and innovation, because money usually follows.

Photos by Jonathan C. Ward

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Venture Capitalist Chris Hollod on Why He is Investing in the 'Alternative Alcohol' Space - Brewbound.com

Venture capital has been flooding the various subverticals under the robotics umbrella in recent years, and the construction space is one of the largest beneficiaries.

Last November, we surveyed 13 of the top robotics-focused VCs to find out which areas of robotics are exciting them most going into 2020. One of the most common areas of attention respondents highlighted were startups focused on construction and manufacturing. In 2019 alone, the robotics space saw roughly 600 venture-backed fundraising rounds, while construction companies successfully raised roughly 200 venture rounds.

With our 2020 Robotics + AI sessions event on the horizon in early March, were diving back into the sector to learn about the attributes of construction attracting robotics VCs the most and which types of startups VCs are actually writing checks for in 2020. We asked 16 leading people who actively invest in construction robotics and work at firms spanning early to growth-stage to share whats exciting them most and where they see opportunity in the sector:

True Ventures has been investing in industrial automation broadly for over 4 years, focusing on founders who bring technology to market that eliminates repetitive manual labor and multiplies human productivity by automating routine tasks.

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Where top VCs are investing in construction robotics - TechCrunch

Last Novembers news about AstraZeneca launching a $1 billion venture fund with China International Capital Corporation (CICC) to invest in up-and-coming players was widely viewed as illustrative of the British drugmakers ambitions in China. As it turns out, its just as much about CICC Chinas largest investment bank and its plans in biomedicine.

Days after announcing the AstraZeneca fund, state-backed CICC disclosed that its teaming up with 11 domestic firms to raise a fund dedicated to innovative drugs, in vitro diagnosis, medical technology and health IT. Its now closed at $229 million (RMB$1.6 billion), according to a statement.

Branded as Chinas answer to Goldman Sachs since it was launched in 1995 with Morgan Stanley, CICC has underwritten several biotech IPOs in recent years including those of I-Mab, Junshi and Henlius.

CICC Capital, its private equity arm, is in charge of managing the new fund. With close to $43 billion (RMB$300 billion) in assets, CICC Capital has made biomedicine one of three pillars of its direct investment portfolio alongside IT and consumer business. Cancer drug developer Abbisko and wound care specialist Tenry Pharma are among its bets.

Notably, its also channeled its money into VC funds giving it a stake in big-name healthcare-focused players such as Lilly Asia Ventures, Qiming Venture Partners, HighLight Capital and LYFE Capital.

For the new fund, its chipped in around $2.9 million, while Shenzhen-listed Pharscin Pharma, Hebei Port Group, Xiamen Fig Group, Fujian Sunner Group, Huirong Qide Investment, Xian Huirong, Xinwen Venture Capital (a subsidiary of Sichuan Daily Press Group) and others provided the rest.

No announcement about funding biomedicine these days is complete without alluding to the coronavirus outbreak out of Wuhan. CICC Capital devoted a considerate portion of its brief statement to highlight that its been in contact with multiple companies to help accelerate development of nucleic acid diagnostics, therapeutic antibodies, antivirals as well as vaccines.

It also said its new biomedical fund is the first investment fund to have gone through a new financial registration pathway set up earlier this month specifically for funds geared at prevention and containment of the coronavirus outbreak.

Not only does the Chinese biomedical industry shoulder great innovative challenges under the epidemic, its also ushered in a rare development opportunity, the firm stated.

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AstraZeneca's Chinese investment bank partner raises $229M for its own new fund and it's all about the coronavirus - Endpoints News

The price of gold is firm and higher by 0.67% on the day so far, having travelled from a low of $1,556.60 to a high of $1,578.30. Worries with the coronavirus taking a turn for the worse on Wednesday night, following the announcements by the Chinese health officials in the Hubei province reporting242 new deaths and 14,840 new cases of the flu-like virus, dentedrisk appetite.

The worldwide death toll is up toat least 1,357 and the number of confirmed cases to more than 60,000. The uncertainty of the situation is supporting safe-haven asset classes due to theeconomic ramifications that a full breakout into a pandemic would have on the global economy. However, considering the means in which theChinese health officials have changed the method of diagnosing cases of the illness and as such,there was a sevenfold increase in the number of new cases of the virus, based on a new diagnostic protocol, according to Chinas National Health Commission.

Analysts at TD Securities explained that goldis a crowded trade, although the marginal day-to-day flow appears to be driven by the change in risk sentiment as it relates to safe-haven demand.

"The bull market narrative is widely acknowledged, which translates to an above-average number of traders holding a long position, although the average trader's position size is not excessive. But, when periods of haven buying drive prices to the upper-bound of the recent range, the position sizing per trader becomes more of a worry, making short term shakeouts a more prominent risk."

The analysts still expect that investment demand for the yellow metal will grow in 2020, as asymmetry from the Fed and the suppression of real rates across the globe will keep thegoldbug alive. "That being said, we expect only marginal flows fromCTAsas algorithmic trend followers remain well-positioned for the precious metal bull market."

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Gold holds firm in positive territories, investment demand to grow in 2020 - FXStreet

Another change in the broadcasting world appears to be on the horizon. Univision (which owns 65 local Spanish-language TV stations across the U.S., plus 58 local radio stations and national networks like TUDN and Fusion) has been holding sale talks for the last few months, and those now seem to be nearing a conclusion. Benjamin Mullin and Dana Cimilluca ofThe Wall Street Journal reported Friday that Univision was in exclusive talks with a group involving former Viacom executive vice president and chief financial officer Wade Davis, with a possible valuation of around $10 billion including debt, and that a deal for the broadcaster might finally be at hand.

Meg James of The Los Angeles Times added more confirmation on this:

Univision Communications, the nations largest Spanish-language media company, is nearing a sale to an investment group led by former Viacom executive Wade Davis, according to two people familiar with the matter.

Univision is in advanced negotiations to sell itself to the Davis group, which includes the private equity firm Searchlight Capital Partners, according to the sources, who were not authorized to comment.

A deal could happen as early as next week, but the two sides continue to hash out key provisions of the deal.

While this isnt closed yet, the valuation of around $10 billion is close to what Univision has reportedly been seeking. And that marks a substantial drop from the $13.7 billion billionaire Haim Saban and his private equity partners paid for the company back in 2007.

Of course, Univision has had some setbacks since then, including losing audience share and even World Cup rights to Telemundo. And their foray into English-language digital media with Gawker and The Onion didnt appear to work out well for them; they bought the former Gawker sites for $135 million in 2016 in a bankruptcy auction, and also bought into The Onion and its associated properties that year for less than $200 million for a 40 percent stake, then sold those sites to Great Hill Partners last year for much less than what they paid. Theyve also had some carriage challenges, including a dispute with Dish, and thats hurt their revenue. But theyve still found some success on other fronts, especially on the sports front with various soccer programming (including the UEFA Champions League, Liga MX, and MLS) and with Combate Americas. Last summer saw Univision team up more closely with Mexicos Grupo Televisa to rebrand Univision Deportes as TUDN, sharing content and expanding their sports programming.

Its unclear what a change in ownership could mean for Univisions sports content, as a lot depends on what the new owners decide to invest in. But sports programming, and soccer in particular, appears to be one of the better-performing parts of Univisions current approach, and it remains to see if their focus will pivot following a sale.

[The Wall Street Journal,The Los Angeles Times; photo of Univisions LA headquarters from biorealty.com]

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Univision reportedly "nearing a sale" to investment group - Awful Announcing

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Owning a piece of art is not just for the ultra-wealthy anymore.

Masterworks, a two-year-old startup, buys artwork with profit potential then sells shares in it to its customers using its online platform.

Our fundamental belief is that this is a very interesting asset class, which historically has been traded by the ultra-wealthy for hundreds of years, said Scott Lynn, a 40-year-old founder and chief executive of Masterworks.

But the only way to really invest in art has been to purchase a painting. Masterworks is the first platform that allows anyone to really invest in these great works of art.

Customers sign up, pick a piece of art, and decide how many shares they want to buy in it, with minimums starting at $1,000.

For instance, Monets Coup de Vent painting, valued at $7 million, has a couple of thousand investors right now, according to Lynn, who expects more interest by the time Masterwoks decides to sell it to a collector and then shares profits with its clients.

Masterworks, based in New York, divides the art market into two segments, Lynn said. One, called blue chips, includes bankable artists like Monet, and performs with high-single-digit or low-double-digit returns, with low risk.

Another is defined by mid-career, living artists, whose work can yield investors a return of roughly 12% to 20% a year, with moderate risk, Lynn said.

Reporting by Mark Porter and Aleksandra Michalska; Editing by Tom Brown

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Investing in the art world is now just a click away - Reuters