EXCLUSIVE: AdvisorShares Portfolio Manager Says Market 'Nervous' In 2025, Encourages Investors To Have 'Long-Term Focus'
AdvisorShares Focused Equity ETF Performance: The AdvisorShares Focused Equity ETF, managed by Eddy Elfenbein, is outperforming the market in 2025 with a five-star Morningstar rating, primarily due to its conservative stock holdings and low turnover strategy.
Investor Advice During Market Volatility: Elfenbein advises investors to maintain a long-term focus and not panic during market fluctuations, emphasizing the importance of holding quality stocks that can endure volatility.
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- Platform Development Collaboration: Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) and Securitize have signed a memorandum of understanding to jointly develop a tokenized securities market, aiming to establish a 24/7 trading platform for tokenized U.S.-listed stocks and ETFs, thereby enhancing market liquidity and accessibility.
- Digital Transfer Agent Role: Securitize has been designated as the first digital transfer agent eligible to mint blockchain-native securities for the upcoming tokenized securities platform, providing new financing avenues for corporate and ETF issuers and driving market innovation.
- Regulatory Standards Creation: The two companies plan to collaboratively develop standards for digital transfer agents and tokenization agents, ensuring compliance in regulatory, operational, and technological requirements, which will enhance investor trust and market transparency.
- Market Structure Participation: Securitize Markets is expected to become a broker-dealer participant on the upcoming Digital Trading Platform, supporting the development of market structure for issuer-sponsored tokenized securities, further advancing the digital transformation of capital markets.
- TSA Staffing Shortages: Over 11% of TSA officers called out due to the partial government shutdown, resulting in long wait times at major airports like Atlanta, Houston, and New York, significantly disrupting travel for thousands of passengers.
- Potential National Guard Involvement: Trump indicated on social media that he is considering deploying the National Guard to address the airport security crisis, highlighting the government's acute awareness of the situation and its commitment to passenger safety.
- ICE Deployment to Airports: Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents have been dispatched to several airports to support security operations, although their specific duties remain unclear, this move aims to alleviate the strain caused by TSA staffing shortages.
- Airlines' Response: Delta Airlines has suspended special services for members of Congress due to the DHS shutdown, reflecting the airlines' frustration with the government impasse and its impact on passenger services.
- Legislative Proposal: Senators Adam Schiff and John Curtis introduced the Prediction Markets are Gambling Act, aiming to transfer regulatory control of sports betting and casino-style games to states rather than federal agencies, which could significantly alter the existing market structure.
- Insufficient Self-Regulation: Despite Kalshi and Polymarket announcing new rules to restrict relevant individuals from betting on their platforms, Schiff argues that these measures are inadequate, emphasizing the need for stricter oversight to prevent insider trading and market manipulation.
- Market Risk Warning: Schiff cautioned that current regulations fail to effectively address the potential risks of insider trading, particularly with the application of blockchain technology, which could lead to unregulated gambling activities that undermine market fairness.
- Economic Impact Analysis: Research from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York indicates that while only about 3% of the population engages in sports betting post-legalization, overall credit delinquency rises by 0.3 percentage points, highlighting the potential negative impact of widespread gambling on household financial stability.
- MOU Signed: The New York Stock Exchange has signed a memorandum of understanding with Securitize to support the development of tokenized securities markets, with Securitize becoming the first digital transfer agent eligible to mint blockchain-native securities for corporate and ETF issuers.
- Infrastructure Development: The collaboration will focus on building digital transfer agent infrastructure to enable on-chain settlement of securities transactions while establishing standards for regulatory, operational, and technological requirements, ensuring market transparency and trust.
- Market Structure Innovation: Securitize Markets is expected to become a broker-dealer participant on the platform, supporting trading and market structure development, thereby modernizing the securities market.
- Industry Leadership: NYSE President Lynn Martin stated that the exchange will continue to lead the industry in responsible innovation, emphasizing the potential of tokenization to enhance capital markets while ensuring that new infrastructure development meets investor trust and protection expectations.
NYSE and Digital Asset Collaboration: The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) is partnering with digital asset company Securitize to develop a blockchain-based platform for trading tokenized securities, marking Securitize as the first digital transfer agent for the NYSE.
24/7 Trading and Regulatory Approval: The new platform aims to enable 24/7 trading of stocks and exchange-traded funds (ETFs) with immediate settlement, pending regulatory approval sought by the NYSE earlier this year.
Focus on Native Tokenization: The NYSE's platform is designed to support "native" tokenization, allowing investors to retain benefits such as voting rights and dividends, unlike existing tokenized stock offerings that resemble derivatives.
Market Sentiment and Trading Activity: In pre-market trading, Intercontinental Exchange (ICE), the parent company of NYSE, saw a slight increase, while retail sentiment improved to neutral from bearish, indicating a shift in market dynamics.

Partnership Announcement: Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) has partnered with Securtize to create a digital transfer agent program.
Focus on On-Chain Settlement: The initiative aims to enhance on-chain settlement processes, improving efficiency in digital asset transactions.









