Darla Mercado

2 days ago | cnbc.com | Darla Mercado

The real estate sector has been a lackluster performer in recent weeks, but some dividend-paying stocks in the group could be showing signs of promise, according to Wolfe Research. While the S & P 500 was up more than 6% in May, the real estate sector only advanced about 0.9% in that time.

4 days ago | cnbc.com | Darla Mercado

With the S & P 500 up marginally in 2025 and bonds seeing sharp price swings, structured notes could give investors a combination of returns and downside protection – if used carefully. Structured notes are hybrid assets: They combine a debt instrument with derivatives, and they're tied to the performance of another asset, like a stock or an index. These notes can also offer investors some measure of protection to mitigate downside in this underlying asset.

1 week ago | cnbc.com | Darla Mercado

As markets grapple with President Donald Trump's evolving tariff policy, returns outside of the U.S. are looking especially attractive. Several region-specific exchange-traded funds are seeing a strong 2025, far outperforming the S & P 500 which is only marginally positive this year. Consider that the iShares China Large-Cap ETF (FXI) and the iShares Europe ETF (IEV) are scoring 2025 returns of 15.8% and 20.8%, respectively.

2 weeks ago | cnbc.com | Darla Mercado

Stocks are on a shaky path once more as deficit fears rattle markets, but investors may be able to find solid income if they pick out the right dividend payers. A recent spike in Treasury bond yields has kept stocks under pressure this week. At its session high on Thursday, the 30-year Treasury bond yield surged to 5.161% and the benchmark 10-year note yield topped 4.6%.

2 weeks ago | cnbc.com | Darla Mercado

Top-rated municipal bonds could be looking even more attractive now that Moody's Ratings has trimmed the United States' pristine Aaa rating, according to Hilltop Securities. Moody's was the last of the three major credit rating agencies to cut the U.S.' sovereign credit rating, dialing it back one notch to Aa1 from Aaa on Friday. The ratings agency pointed to the ballooning burden of the federal government's budget as one of the culprits behind the downgrade.