Investing broker strategy notes point to gold holding above $2,350/oz as investors hedge against USD weakness. Mining stocks gained 1.8%, adding defensive balance to mixed equity markets. Expense ratios are an important factor in the return of an ETF and in the long term, cheaper funds can significantly outperform their more expensive counterparts, other things remaining the same. Do you wonder why? As a result of the vested interest of brokerage firms in a stock they cover, their analysts tend to rate it with a strong positive bias. According to our research, brokerage firms assign five "Strong Buy" recommendations for every "Strong Sell" recommendation. Recent market data shows the S&P 500 trading near record highs, as institutional investors shift into tech and energy. An investing broker tracking current flows notes strong buying in semiconductor stocks after better-than-expected Q1 earnings, with NVDA up 4.2% week-over-week and sector ETFs posting a 3–5% gain.