Latest news with #SKYY
Miami Herald
2 days ago
- Miami Herald
Man smuggling exotic protected birds in cardboard box is detained in CA, feds say
A California man arrived to the U.S. from Mexico with a commercial amount of alcohol, candy, snacks and soda in his car — as well as seven exotic, protected birds inside a cardboard SKYY vodka box, according to court documents. Juandaniel Medina, 24, of Lindsay, planned on breeding or reselling the live Amazon parrots he smuggled into California after traveling through the San Ysidro Port of Entry, a southern border crossing linking Tijuana and San Diego, federal prosecutors said. He was detained after U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials found the birds, six of which are Red-Lored Amazon parrots, inside the box on the floor of Medina's car, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of California. Now, Medina is charged with illegally trafficking the parrots, which are protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna, the U.S. Attorney's Office said in a June 10 news release. Attorney information for Medina, who appeared in court on June 10, wasn't immediately available the morning of June 11. Medina is the third person 'charged with illegal trafficking of protected exotic birds through Ports of Entry in the Southern District of California' in the last few weeks, prosecutors said. He was found smuggling the parrots on May 26, according to charging documents. A CBP officer discovered the birds after spotting multiple holes poked into the SKYY Vodka box in which Medina hid them, charging documents say. Medina told officials that he bought the parrots for $700 in cash, according to prosecutors. 'Fortunately, all seven of the parrots are alive and thriving at a quarantine facility managed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture,' prosecutors said. Medina's arrest is a part of a larger, 'troubling pattern' of wildlife being trafficked into the U.S. through Southern California, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. Amazon parrots inhabit Mexico, the West Indies and South America, prosecutors said. About thirty different species of Amazon parrots are all protected by Appendix I or Appendix II of CITES, according to prosecutors. Bringing birds into the U.S. illegally prevents officials from examining and quarantining them, creating potential public health risks, as birds smuggled into the country can carry Avian influenza, also known as bird flu, the U.S. Attorney's Office said. U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon said in a statement that 'Bird smuggling is not a victimless crime.' 'These animals suffer, and the consequences to public health and the environment can be catastrophic,' Gordon added.
Yahoo
05-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Is First Trust Cloud Computing ETF (SKYY) a Strong ETF Right Now?
Launched on 05/27/2011, the First Trust Cloud Computing ETF (SKYY) is a smart beta exchange traded fund offering broad exposure to the Technology ETFs category of the market. Market cap weighted indexes were created to reflect the market, or a specific segment of the market, and the ETF industry has traditionally been dominated by products based on this strategy. Market cap weighted indexes offer a low-cost, convenient, and transparent way of replicating market returns, and are a good option for investors who believe in market efficiency. On the other hand, some investors who believe that it is possible to beat the market by superior stock selection opt to invest in another class of funds that track non-cap weighted strategies--popularly known as smart beta. Non-cap weighted indexes try to choose stocks that have a better chance of risk-return performance, which is based on specific fundamental characteristics, or a mix of other such characteristics. The smart beta space gives investors many different choices, from equal-weighting, one of the simplest strategies, to more complicated ones like fundamental and volatility/momentum based weighting. However, not all of these methodologies have been able to deliver remarkable returns. The fund is managed by First Trust Advisors, and has been able to amass over $3.45 billion, which makes it one of the largest ETFs in the Technology ETFs. SKYY seeks to match the performance of the ISE Cloud Computing Index before fees and expenses. The ISE Cloud Computing Index is a modified market capitalization weighted index designed to track the performance of companies actively involved in the cloud computing industry. Investors should also pay attention to an ETF's expense ratio. Lower cost products will produce better results than those with a higher cost, assuming all other metrics remain the same. Annual operating expenses for this ETF are 0.60%, making it on par with most peer products in the space. It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 0%. It is important to delve into an ETF's holdings before investing despite the many upsides to these kinds of funds like diversified exposure, which minimizes single stock risk. And, most ETFs are very transparent products that disclose their holdings on a daily basis. Representing 84.70% of the portfolio, the fund has heaviest allocation to the Information Technology sector; Telecom and Consumer Discretionary round out the top three. Taking into account individual holdings, Microsoft Corporation (MSFT) accounts for about 4.79% of the fund's total assets, followed by Arista Networks, Inc. (ANET) and International Business Machines Corporation (IBM). SKYY's top 10 holdings account for about 39.18% of its total assets under management. So far this year, SKYY has lost about -1.65%, and it's up approximately 30.91% in the last one year (as of 06/05/2025). During this past 52-week period, the fund has traded between $86.45 and $131.18. SKYY has a beta of 1.22 and standard deviation of 30.08% for the trailing three-year period, which makes the fund a medium risk choice in the space. With about 62 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk. First Trust Cloud Computing ETF is an excellent option for investors seeking to outperform the Technology ETFs segment of the market. There are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider as well. Global X Cloud Computing ETF (CLOU) tracks INDXX GLOBAL CLOUD COMPUTING INDEX and the WisdomTree Cloud Computing ETF (WCLD) tracks BVP NASDAQ EMERGING CLOUD INDEX. Global X Cloud Computing ETF has $343.69 million in assets, WisdomTree Cloud Computing ETF has $402.23 million. CLOU has an expense ratio of 0.68% and WCLD charges 0.45%. Investors looking for cheaper and lower-risk options should consider traditional market cap weighted ETFs that aim to match the returns of the Technology ETFs. To learn more about this product and other ETFs, screen for products that match your investment objectives and read articles on latest developments in the ETF investing universe, please visit Zacks ETF Center. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report First Trust Cloud Computing ETF (SKYY): ETF Research Reports Microsoft Corporation (MSFT) : Free Stock Analysis Report International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) : Free Stock Analysis Report Arista Networks, Inc. (ANET) : Free Stock Analysis Report Global X Cloud Computing ETF (CLOU): ETF Research Reports WisdomTree Cloud Computing ETF (WCLD): ETF Research Reports This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research ( Zacks Investment Research Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
