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Dubai's Emirates NBD bank is teaming up with BlackRock to offer its wealth management clients opportunities to access alternative asset classes, with a focus on private markets, it said in a statement on Tuesday. Both firms have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to establish an investment platform for the United Arab Emirates (UAE) wealth management market, which will initially focus on private credit and multi-alternatives. Private markets, including both equity and credit markets, are less liquid but also promise higher returns than listed securities.

Software is rapidly reducing operating expenses for businesses. The undeniable tailwinds fueling the industry have also led to strong returns for SaaS stocks lately as they’ve gained 10.3% over the past six months. Investing here would have been wise - at the same time, the S&P 500 was flat.

Small-cap stocks can be incredibly lucrative investments because their lack of analyst coverage leads to frequent mispricings. However, these businesses (and their stock prices) often stay small because their subscale operations make it harder to expand their competitive moats.

Stocks in the $10-50 range offer a sweet spot between affordability and stability as they’re typically more established than penny stocks. But their headline prices don’t guarantee quality, and investors should exercise caution as some have shaky business models.

Many small-cap stocks have limited Wall Street coverage, giving savvy investors the chance to act before everyone else catches on. But the flip side is that these businesses have increased downside risk because they lack the scale and staying power of their larger competitors.

Restaurants increase convenience and give many people a place to unwind. Still, their demand can ebb and flow with the broader economy because consumers can always cook meals at home when times are tough, and the market seems to be baking in a downturn for the industry - over the past six months, it has pulled back by 1.1%. This drop was disappointing since the S&P 500 stood firm.

Business services providers use their specialized expertise to help enterprises streamline operations and cut costs. But cutbacks in corporate spending and the threat of new AI products have kept sentiment in check, and over the past six months, the industry’s return was flat - just like the S&P 500.

Industrials businesses quietly power the physical things we depend on, from cars and homes to e-commerce infrastructure. But they are at the whim of volatile macroeconomic factors that influence capital spending (like interest rates), and the market seems convinced that demand will slow. Due to this bearish outlook, the industry has tumbled by 5.4% over the past six months. This drop was discouraging since the S&P 500 held steady.

Healthcare companies are pushing the status quo by innovating in areas like drug development and digital health. Despite the rosy long-term prospects, short-term headwinds such as COVID inventory destocking have harmed the industry’s returns - over the past six months, healthcare stocks have collectively shed 5.9%. This performance was discouraging since the S&P 500 held steady.

The $10-50 price range often includes mid-sized businesses with proven track records and plenty of growth runway ahead. They also usually carry less risk than penny stocks, though they’re not immune to volatility as many lack the scale advantages of their larger peers.