AAA

pipasnipa

JNJ isn’t consumer though. Its a healthcare conglomerate that spunoff its consumer segment so it could focus on pharma/medtech. It’s a slow grower for sure although it has a AAA balance sheet and is is a Dividend King paying a 3%+ yield. Something to think about. No idea what the cost basis is for these investments either.

Tendie_Tube

1) The US's credit rating would return to AAA across all ratings agencies (is currently split) 2) The budget deficit would decrease 3) As noted in the OP, the inflationary effect of lower rates would be offset by a reduction, at some minor level, of economic activity due to tax "deadweight losses", which would be disinflationary. I question how powerful the disinflationary aspect would be, because tax rates were a LOT higher in the 1970s and early 80s than today and they didn't squash inflation. 4) The effects on the value of the dollar are unclear. The dollar should rise if deficits and the liquidity they create is reduced, but should fall because of lower rates. It would depend a lot on what other countries do. 5) As others have noted, real estate would appreciate from lower rates - not just because of mortgages but also because depreciation is a powerful tax shelter. The housing bubble would get worse. 6) In theory, much of the economic growth of the past 45 years has come from the government borrowing money instead of collecting taxes, and the government building a $34T national debt. The raise-taxes-lower-rates policy would in part be a reversal of this trend. That could be a good thing, because an out of control national debt will eventually lead to a financial crisis or currency devaluation. However it could come at the expense of the debt-fueled GDP growth we are accustomed to.

richestmaninjericho

Now watch his newest mixtape of mixing in CCC's into BBB's and dropping it all on those AAA's.

meatsmoothie82

Just take the BBB’s and mix them with the AAA’s - literally can’t go tits up

lostredditorlurking

This is some grade AAA copium. Hiking rate right at the election lol

Alypius754

The point is to get Israel to expend a lot of their AAA early

Competitive_Ride

I am AAA rated. I have Autism Anxiety ADHD

FarrisAT

Not for long. AAA has it at $3.63 this morning. We are now going to see Gasoline raise YoY figures.

wattap

Good luck getting one without paying out the AAA or waiting 1+ yesr

DJ_hyperfreshOG

Average AAA gaming experience

redditforgot

How is Standard & Poors still around after the 2008 collapse? They grossly overrated CDOs with AAA and A2 ratings all they way to the end. Why would anyone ever trust them again and how the hell do they have an exchange?! I'm so confused.

Elise_1991

They are basically like an insurance policy on a pile of debt. For example, let's say you lent Boeing $100 million for 5 years in exchange for bonds issued by Boeing. You can now go to any AAA institution and buy a CDS to insure that $100 million against default. You pay, let's say, 5 million up front and then 1 million every year for five years. If Boeing defaults during that time, the insurer pays you $100 million. If Boeing's bonds are downgraded during that time, the CDS contract goes up in value and you can sell it for $10 million and $2 million a year. But the crazy thing is, you can insure debt that you don't actually own. You can just buy a $100 million CDS and bet that Boeing will default within 5 years. Then you get $100 million whether you own Boeing bonds or not. It's like 50 people insuring my house against fire. I'm the only one who loses the house if it burns down, but all the companies that own CDS on my house also get paid without suffering any losses. That's the craziness of CDS. It's like an option.

Prestigious-Elk-321

Don’t be fooled by Ashkenazi Musk! This guy, Trump, Tucker, etc ARE the Marxist deep state and the new world order pretending to be the “good guys”. Research Operation:Trust for context. Boycott everything fake genius Musk introduces. Grow some balls and pay cold hard cash for a gas guzzling ‘69 juiced up Camaro while suckin down grade AAA burgers and fill the car with voluptuous REAL LIFE HUMAN supermodels instead!

InIce1234

**On April 4, 2024 Fitch upgraded US long-term economy rating to tripple shreck from AAA**.

Hour-Preference4387

The real winners are Indians living abroad. I have a few Indian colleagues at work (in Berlin, DE). One dude would always buy the latest AAA games on release (or pre-order) and also talked about how he had like 5+ streaming subscriptions. I thought he must just not have other hobbies or something but turns out if you are earning Euros and paying Indian rupee prices (using bank account from India) it's basically chump change.

yea-that-guy

> cheap weed Do you actually know any cannabis consumers? Weed is treated like fine wine these days my friend. AAA frosted nugs. Strains developed to enhance specific terpene profiles. They're working on this shit like it's the cure for cancer. No one wants that cheap ditch weed these days.

Hacking_the_Gibson

They will get about 5.2%. MSFT is AAA+ credit rating.

AshingiiAshuaa

Wait until you find out how much it costs to press a bluray! They can be made for less than 25 cents yet companies charge $20+ dollars for them! It gets even worse when you look at digital media and video games. Companies charge $60 or more for a AAA games that can be copied in a few minutes for virtually nothing.

VillainousGratis

I’m glad someone siphoning billions of dollars is going to jail. But can someone explain to me why the people at the Ratings Agencies and Banks didn’t have their culpable parties thrown in jail over the 2008 financial crisis? Knowingly paying off Ratings Agencies to stamp products as AAA when they’re levered up with sub-prime toxic debt via NINJA loans?

LaykeTaco

Call AAA.

CannaConsultant

[Can you smell it?](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DmxCKbfV4AAA59g?format=jpg)

CannaConsultant

[Sneak peak behind the scenes at SAM](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DmxCKbfV4AAA59g?format=jpg&name=4096x4096)

PoopParticleAcclrtr

Gotta have AAA

nobuttstuf

Bud, I work for the largest auto insurer in the US. I legit can’t even confirm where AAA ranks since most places stop at the top ten. This also isn’t info you or I would know just from being adjusters. It’s tracked. You should know this.

cubo1212

Your capping I work as claim insurance at AAA an teslas are the least to get in accidents , it’s Toyotas Hondas and fords

cubo1212

I was paying $270 a month for my Tesla with AAA I pay $110 directly with Tesla , they banking , all car manufactures will do the same bye bye insurance companies

asdffsdf

Clearly only one AAA company on that list.

Fast_Start1262

Rent a car (normal, not for Uber/lyft) use it to DoorDash. 500 should get you a rental for at least a month. If you book a small car you will probably even have some left over. If you have any memberships that can also be included to save you money (think Costco/AAA/insurance companies). I will say that using a rental car for this purpose does technically break the companies policy which you are agreeing to by renting the car, but even if you’re in an accident nobody needs to know what you were actually doing. This can be a temporary fix to float you until something better comes along but I would advise trying to get out of the cycle of having gas/rental cost eat into your profits.

Zentrios

I was looking into saving on a 5-10 year timeline myself. In my case, I want to buy my next car in cash, and I didn't want anything super risky. I decided to put a little money in VOO every month, and if the market swings downward when I want to buy, I'll just have to wait. I have confidence that the US Market will always recover, but it'll mean me being patient. Ya gotta understand something though... ETFs aren't immune to huge market swings. If you can't stand the thought of a 50% downswing, I wouldn't buy volatile investments. The real risk isn't it going down, it's you selling before things recover! It sounds like the best options for you are Bonds, CDs, US Treasuries, or a HYSA. I'd just pick whichever one is most convenient or has the highest rate of return right now. (Do check though, many CDs or Bonds have a $1000 minimum investment, so if you're wanting to do $200 monthly make sure you can actually invest it!) Oh, and there's no such thing as "too young for bonds". Finances are personal. Make the decision that's right for you, given a 5-10year timeline bonds make a lot of sense. To answer your specific questions... * Treasury Bonds aren't "better" than Corporate, they have a hair more risk with a hair more reward. If you're looking at AAA Bonds these are considered incredibly secure. * Typically longer-term bonds have higher rates. Right now things are funny b/c rates got hiked up high. If rates go down, then you'll wish youd bought long term bonds. If rates go up, you'll wish you'd stuck with short term bonds so you can buy new ones at a higher rate. * SCHD just focuses on dividends. In other words, the goal is stable companies that pay out earning to shareholders instead of trying to increase in value. So you get paid to hold SCHD essentially. * I would absolutely avoid VGT if you hate risk. It may end up being a great investment, but tech is notoriously high-risk. Best of luck, and don't forget to do your own research!

Zentrios

I was looking into saving on a 5-10 year timeline myself. In my case, I want to buy my next car in cash, and I didn't want anything super risky. I decided to put a little money in VOO every month, and if the market swings downward when I want to buy, I'll just have to wait. I have confidence that the US Market will always recover, but it'll mean me being patient. Ya gotta understand something though... ETFs aren't immune to huge market swings. If you can't stand the thought of a 50% downswing, I wouldn't buy volatile investments. The real risk isn't it going down, it's you selling before things recover! It sounds like the best options for you are Bonds, CDs, US Treasuries, or a HYSA. I'd just pick whichever one is most convenient or has the highest rate of return right now. (Do check though, many CDs or Bonds have a $1000 minimum investment, so if you're wanting to do $200 monthly make sure you can actually invest it!) Oh, and there's no such thing as "too young for bonds". Finances are personal. Make the decision that's right for you, given a 5-10year timeline bonds make a lot of sense. To answer your specific questions... * Treasury Bonds aren't "better" than Corporate, they have a hair more risk with a hair more reward. If you're looking at AAA Bonds these are considered incredibly secure. * Typically longer-term bonds have higher rates. Right now things are funny b/c rates got hiked up high. If rates go down, then you'll wish youd bought long term bonds. If rates go up, you'll wish you'd stuck with short term bonds so you can buy new ones at a higher rate. * SCHD just focuses on dividends. In other words, the goal is stable companies that pay out earning to shareholders instead of trying to increase in value. So you get paid to hold SCHD essentially. * I would absolutely avoid VGT if you hate risk. It may end up being a great investment, but tech is notoriously high-risk. Best of luck, and don't forget to do your own research!

ThreeSupreme

Yep, that's definitely possible. But the reality is the US is far worse off financially now than in the 2008 financial crisis. With the real economy performing strongly, the US debt should be declining, but it's not. In fact, the US debt is starting to increase exponentially. Heck, even the Fed is losing money for the first time... **Now even the Federal Reserve is actually losing money** In a stunning turn of event, the Federal Reserve is now experiencing losses. As of the end of July 2023, the Federal Reserve reported that it had accumulated operating losses of $83 billion. The Federal Reserve’s aggressive campaign to prop up the financial markets has led to these losses. These losses are due to the Federal Reserve’s overly accommodative monetary policy, and the interest costs associated with its efforts to bailout the US financial markets. The Federal Reserve accounts for its losses with an accounting measure it calls a deferred asset. The size of that shortfall now stands at nearly $6.3 billion year-to-date. The deferred asset account is likely to peak in the zone of $100-200 billion, and will likely take 3-4 years to recover. Since the end of World War II until 2021, the Federal Reserve never experienced any operating losses. Jerome Powell is the first Fed Chairman to preside over an operating loss by the Fed. The Federal Reserve’s losses are expected to continue into the future. The Federal Reserve Board’s own estimates suggest that its cumulative operating losses could approach $200 billion by 2026. Moreover, the Fed projects that it may not resume making any operating profits until 2030 or later. So, not only is the Fed losing money for the first time, those losses will increase, and some observers believe the Fed’s losses could eventually as much as double before abating. William English, a former top central bank staffer now at Yale University, sees a “peak” loss of around $200 billion or higher by 2025. Meanwhile, Derek Tang of forecasting firm LH Meyer said the Fed’s loss is likely to hit $200 billion by the end of this year. **The National Debt Just Hit $34 Trillion** As of the latest available data, the U.S. national debt has surpassed $34 trillion. This is a record high and represents the total amount of outstanding borrowing by the U.S. Federal Government accumulated over the nation’s history. The world's largest economy is piling on more debt, with no end in sight as the stakes get higher, as the government continues to borrow to repay its ever growing debts. In the last century, the U.S. federal debt has risen from an inflation-adjusted $403 billion in 1923 to $33.17 trillion in 2023. The U.S. debt-to-GDP ratio surpassed 100% in 2013, and as of the third quarter of 2023, the U.S. debt-to-GDP ratio was approximately 120.13%, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Maya MacGuineas, president of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, labeled the record debt as a disheartening “achievement.” Despite economic strength and low unemployment, the growth of the national debt is alarmingly escalating. The growing national debt is spiking, in spite of a strong economy, and this is defying conventional fiscal wisdom. Based on conventional fiscal wisdom, this growth in national debt should be impossible during favorable economic conditions. The U.S. credit rating was downgraded by Fitch Ratings, one of the major credit rating agencies, in August 2023. The agency lowered the U.S. from the highest AAA classification to the notch lower AA+ rating. The downgrade was attributed to a “steady deterioration in standards of governance” in recent decades on fiscal and debt matters, among other issues. The situation should be closely monitored.

Tha_Sly_Fox

I’m pretty sure they can could churn out garbage and slap the Mickey seal of approval on it answer the masses will eat it up Hollywood in general, AAA video games, etc have all become lazy and started churning out garbage over the last several years but people repeatedly run out to buy it because it saysCall of Duty” in the title or whatever

WBigly-Reddit

what did they expect? AAA battery pack?

CT_Legacy

Yeah the way they set up a bond ladder is typically like 5 year maturities and as the 1 year matures they get rolled into a new 5 year bond at prevailing rates. For taxable bond ladders not sure exactly but money market is still close to 5% so 5 year bonds should still pay close to or over that rate. Only thing maybe they are in AAA bonds and treasuries so the yield is lower? Personally if you are younger I'd split this up into some portion of bonds and stocks to give you a better return. But sounds like this might have been an inheritance and designed to supplement your future wages. So in some way it makes sense if it's entirely income generating assets. For taxable vs tax free, you can do the math yourself it's easy to determine the tax equivalent based on your tax bracket if it's very low then taxable might make more sense. Overall bond rates move just as money market rates do too. You can lock in 5 years now but if the market anticipates lower rates over next 5 years, the bond offering won't be 5% for 5 years it'll be closer to 3 or 4% for example. Just as the money market at 5% today could be 2 or 3% in a few years. The bond kind of prices that in over time so that might be the difference if you are just comparing today's rate of money market, the bond rate today for a 5 year would be lower.

SuperSultan

How long do you play them for? For some steam games I install, play for a bit then shortly uninstall. Even for AAA games I’ll uninstall them once I finish them. Maybe I’m impatient or the love for games isn’t there. The side quests in assassins creed help provide more value but after you finish the game there isn’t much else to do

Swan990

Nobody is excited for the new assassins creed formula of being in a hub and pay to play cause it will likely be mtx ridden. Xdefiant has also been in developmental hell with bad testings so far. And where is that Division FTP game announced years ago? Noone is excited for outlaws cause it's single player and brings nothing interesting to the table like EAs SW games. Avatar was nothing new - same formula minus features not adding features. Same with fc6. Mirage is fine but not a AAA game, that won't bolster anything. They used to pump out these .5 games like crazy now they try to use it prop up their name. Nono. And mobile versions of games....ugh. sadly will be most profitable which means customer base will rage. They're in a bad place of not listening to fans. The announced is ghost recon is rumored to be in first person. First person! Ghost recon! Makes no sense. People want third person tactical militaristic shooter. Out the window.

nobertan

They ‘produce’ shovelware with core elements behind pay walls that make their product so full of holes that it’s not functional as a AAA game. The underlying devs are likely doing excellent work, but the Ubisoft publisher ‘demands’ are undermining success by being too greedy. Their DRM software has made some titles in recent memory unplayable. Read that again, UNPLAYABLE. Like, it’s not whether you enjoy it or not, you literally cannot form an opinion on it. For a company selling products and services, unplayable is not going to be a profitable venture. Ubisoft are trying the art of ‘EA’ and failing miserably.

logyonthebeat

Most of the games you mentioned won't be good. Ubisoft puts our half baked micro transaction stores with a game attached now days. Prince of Persia was a decent game but nobody is paying $50 or whatever for a 2 D side scroller in 2024. These AAA gaming companies are too focused on DEI and pleasing shareholders, they can't keep up with independent developers with significantly lower overhead. Small teams or even solo developers are making amazing quality games these days

Heliosvector

Yeah but they have insurance and a AAA rating for their underlying securities

__redruM

> we don't know how much the remainder of her portfolio We have an idea OP listed JAAA for example: “ OBJECTIVE: Janus Henderson AAA CLO ETF (JAAA) seeks capital preservation”. If a small reasonable proportion is in a S&P 500 company, then the “widow” is safe.

YOLO-Austria100Ybond

Since november I have also had amazing returns even with AAA treasurys I managed to get more than 1% weekly on avarage. But I am aware that that works for now as we approach lower rates, but if the rates are really down it will not work because my risk lies in the rates going up

BoscoPcoltrane

How is it a AAA tow driver can unlock a tesla yet these "rescuers" could not, I know as I've watched a AAA service tech unlock a tesla last week after the owner left her card and phone inside.

AggravatingValue5390

It's not some crazy "reinforced" glass. It's dual-pane laminate glass, which is used by [many](https://www.aaa.com/AAA/common/AAR/files/Laminated-Glass-Vehicle-List.pdf) manufacturers. Not saying it's a good thing, but the "Tesla bad" is getting tiresome.

sleeknub

“Tests conducted by the American Automobile Association (AAA) show the Model X's glass is nearly impossible to break underwater.” Well that’s obviously not true.

gurgle528

> Attempts to break into the vehicle were ineffective due to the reinforced glass in the Model X's windows and sunroof. Tests conducted by the American Automobile Association (AAA) show the Model X's glass is nearly impossible to break underwater.

Time8u

The article specifically states that this is a known issue with this model... "Tests conducted by the American Automobile Association (AAA) show the Model X's glass is nearly impossible to break underwater."

FutureAZA

TONS of cars. Even the Chevy Suburban. Here's a list: https://www.aaa.com/AAA/common/AAR/files/Laminated-Glass-Vehicle-List.pdf

557_173

>Tests conducted by the American Automobile Association (AAA) show the Model X's glass is nearly impossible to break underwater. regulations are written in blood. I'm surprised that this is allowed if it's a known problem, or that fact that the emergency release of the doors is apparently so difficult and unknown.

Tocharian

March 1, 2024: "Fitch Affirms the United States at 'AA+'; Outlook Stable" May 9, 2008: "Fitch Affirms the United States at 'AAA'; Outlook Stable"

Tocharian

Reposting this every few days so some of you poor souls will get saved: March 1, 2024: "Fitch Affirms the United States at 'AA+'; Outlook Stable" May 9, 2008: "Fitch Affirms the United States at 'AAA'; Outlook Stable"

Tocharian

Buy the dip Thursday morning before Powell speaks you regards. I'm also going to keep reposting this, even on a red day: March 1, 2024: "Fitch Affirms the United States at 'AA+'; Outlook Stable" May 9, 2008: "Fitch Affirms the United States at 'AAA'; Outlook Stable"

nike90

time.to.go.get.the.jenga.blocks.....AAA,BBB

ObjectiveStatement90

Everything that is not AAA is worth 0, and if is AAA prolly be a scam

Tocharian

March 1, 2024: "Fitch Affirms the United States at 'AA+'; Outlook Stable" May 9, 2008: "Fitch Affirms the United States at 'AAA'; Outlook Stable"

Dem_beatz123

I'm slightly older than you so hopefully my life stage is similar as well. Take it easy and slow. The worst thing you should do is rush and it's good that you're researching. It's not a terrible idea to have 1-2 sessions with a financial advisor to plan your road ahead and to learn. It's their professional job afterall and everyone here has no rightful qualification or right to give you good advice. It's great hearing you take a class but don't underestimate the knowledge of professionals either. It's worth the cost even if it's 10 sessions for example (just do research, some advisors are scummy). But if you want my opinion (not financial advice), start with a budget. To know how much to invest, you need to know how much you spend on living and free spending costs. There are 3 financial categories for most people in a budget: Living costs (required costs to survive, work, eat, and for some... Health), non-priority spending (any excess things beyond the required amount in living costs, hobbies, snacks and takeaway food, liabilities like clothes; jewellery etc.) and finally savings (emergency fund, investments, trust and estate, retirement fund, house deposit etc). Organise your life in detail and place each aspect in its respectful category. It's different for everyone and needs to be AS DETAILED AS POSSIBLE while having some flexibility (like an excess fund and emergency fund)... Not all months are the same cost wise. Once you know how much you can invest you need to figure out your plan. Are you investing short term or long term? What's your risk tolerance? How much have you researched? What investment types will you consider? I advise you do not go into speculative investments like crypto, options, futures or high risk investing like leveraged investing. They are dangerous if you don't know what you're doing. Personally is say avoid trading as well. This isn't suitable for anyone who isn't doing it as moreorless a full time job (and who dont lack experience and skill on this too). You will not see good gains I promise you. A class is not good enough to consider yourself a good day trader, it's a job like lawyer, doctor etc. For beginners ETFs are a pretty good place to start. But don't mistake what they are, they're not an asset, but a collection of assets. You're essentially buying a pre made portfolio of stocks. Understand that before you go into them. You're right VOO and VTI as well are great ETFs. They measure the s&p 500 and the total us stock market respectively there are also international ETFs which track the global market. If you're investing in 50 stocks, it's better to change your strategy to 1-6 ETFs instead which hold the stocks you like and track them on a broader scale. 6 assets is easier to track than 50. Bonds are also a great investment to look into early on. They're very simple, there is 2 primary types of bonds: Government Bonds and Corporate bonds. Bonds are a way of a business or government to guarantee investors a return for taking on their respective debts. Corporate bonds are a bit more risky but if they're a large and stable company in a stable market they can act similarly. Think of large health care companies or even massive tech giants like apple who have a track record of repaying their debt. Both governments and businesses are given credit ratings based on how reliable they are repaying debt. These are tracked by international organisations and just know A, AA, AAA Is top while the lower the letter, the more unreliable they are. Anything B or above imo is considered reliable, while A or above is considered very reliable. Credit ratings may also use '+' or '-' to add additional tiers to the letters. You mentioned ROTH Ira and In addition 401k is similar. These are retirement funds which you can invest into and should only take out funds in specific conditions. I am not in the US but we have our own version in NZ. With NZ's superannuation, you can't take out funds unless a) you're retired or b) you are purchasing your first property (and intend to live in it). Roth and 401k are similar. These have the advantage of employers who are also required to match your contributions to a certain amount. This essentially means you're gaining additional money that isn't yours from your employer. It's a powerful tool for later life income and assets and can get you ahead so don't underestimate these options. Stocks are essentially ETFs but for single companies. They are riskier since you're investing in 1 market, 1 company, 1 sector and 1 industry at a time, whereas ETFs can be multiple different ones which can spread your assets and reduce risk. Think of a flat and wide pin vs a narrow and sharp one. The protrusion you get when you stab something determines your profit. Breaking and how far you break through the penetrsted point determines your loss. You can gain more from 1 stock but also lose more. With ETFs would should be doing this too, but stocks requires even heavier research and active analysis and tracking of companies you specifically invested into. It allows you to pour assets into your exact desired location in an exact percentage of your portfolio. It's great for when you're better on a single or few companies. We can also discuss real estate. Unlike the stock market which are abstract assets based on real entities, real estate is skipping the abstract idea of stocks and buying the entity directly (like with collections and art). But real estate is considered a reliable real asset because its a survival need. People need to live, work and earn money and these are primarily done in properties. But the entry is also steep of course. It doesn't return as well as stocks but real estate has a particular and special advantage, it allows high leverage in low interest through leverage and mortgages to purchase additional property. Banks, brokers and investors love real estate more than other investments because they are stable, living requirements and real assets you can touch, hence why they trust it more and provide lower interest loans. There is also long term deposits, high yield savings accounts etc. But these are either short term, low yield investment methods are don't yield much but are super safe and stable as long as the bank itself is. Avoid art or collections as these are based on taste and preference and therefore their value has no base, so are unreliable on their worth. These all have different risk levels and require different approaches to track and maintain. Selecting what investment you want to push with is very important and needs careful consideration and understanding. This is also partly why you create a budget and an investment Road map. It reveals which investment type you usually wanna pursue. Bare in mind each of these also have a recommended holding period. Real estate needs to be held for longer than stocks, usually due to debt and also the materialised profit from it. There are also variations in each investment type. There are long term hold ETFs and short term hold ETFs. Difference being how many fluctuations are expected with the respective type. Bonds also have long term vs short term bonds and in addition also have maturing spans. Company stock holding period depends on the circumstance, company, industry etc. These are determined by the investor. Roth Ira and 401k is extremely long term but also has tax cut and employer contribution advantages. Hope this helps!

Theeliteshitposter

Good question - b/c after Dot Com, people were wary of tech b/c it was overvalued and unprofitable… so naturally people were looking for growth vs. stability You should look up Subprime Mortgages - the banks basically did not have enough quality, AAA mortgages do bundle into these ETF type instruments, so they wanted lower and lower quality. You factor in some the legislation passed in early 2000s (I don’t recall which exactly) but it made it really easy to get a mortgage anyone could do it. So just greed on all parts - the banks wanted to package more and more ETFs and maximize their fees

Tocharian

March 1, 2024: "Fitch Affirms the United States at 'AA+'; Outlook Stable" May 9, 2008: "Fitch Affirms the United States at 'AAA'; Outlook Stable"

ReallyGottaTakeAPiss

Bro they can’t even make a decent AAA game worth $70

CokeOnBooty

There’s multiple types of bonds. Those don’t sound like government or AAA corporate lmao

ShadowLiberal

Part of the reason for that is because the budgets to make a AAA game has gotten absurdly bloated. It basically means that only a few types of games can get made: * Sequels to already successful game series. * Games that take advantage of already popular IPs (i.e. Star Wars, Marvel/DC comic book characters, etc.) * Games that follow the same formula as some other already massively successful game. There's simply no other room for original and creative games anymore when it costs hundreds of millions of dollars to make a AAA game.

ViolatoR08

It’s because the industry as a whole hasn’t put out any good games in last couple of years. I’m betting Covid delayed releases, but at this point AAA games are getting pretty rare and most people stay with the games they know and are used to playing. Not to mention the yearly cycle of washed down games like COD has basically changed the landscape.

Diamond_Dong6

With your finances? PC may be way to go. There is humongous libraly of everything from older titles to emulators. Many games that are on consoles now get PC releases, althrough later. Can't even count how many times i had way more fun with some free Doom mod than some 70$ AAA title. If you don't have to play the newest and shiniest right at the relase date i highly recommend it. Also, multiplayer is free.

EyePiece108

And that was reusing some assets from SpiderMan 1. I think the days of the cinematic AAA budget games are coming to an end. Either that or more dev studios will start using more AI tools to improve productivity, which will probably lead to job losses anyway.

mattyg5

Record revenue but profits decreased and margins are razor thin. AAA gaming budgets have exploded and I feel like this was inevitable

itsameMariowski

I'm a console guy, I liked to have a personal gaming device, I liked the PS brand since the PS1, I liked the high quality exclusive games released for it. But most of these things aren't hitting the spot in this generation... I've been playing less AAA games, specially open world that all feels the same, haven't bought a major release at launch since Demons Souls at the console Launch. I'm using the Plus deluxe catalog, and buying indie games when on sale too. But all these games are available on Steam, for cheaper. Seriously considering buying either a Steam Deck, or just investing in a gaming PC altogether. I do have a nice gaming laptop but I don't trust it for playing big games. For example, GTA VI, either I keep the PS5 until then or I invest in a powerful PC. I won't like playing it on my laptop, and the steam deck won't run it well I'm afraid so yeah..

itsameMariowski

I'm from Brazil, 31yo, I earn about 7 times the minimum salary, which makes me up there with the 5% of the country. Bought the PS5 at launch for 5k reais (plus controller and two games), which would be around 1200 dollars at the time in direct conversion. A new exclusive like the new FF at launch costs 350 reais, which is 70 dollars in direct conversion (which is fair I guess). But 350 reais is a lot of money for anyone here, it's a quarter of a minimum salary. I honestly don't remember the last time I bought a AAA exclusive game at launch aside from Demons Souls at launch and Hogwarts which was not exclusive and I regretted it because only the first 10 hours inside the castle are nice but couldn't finish the rest of the game. I started playing indie games, abusing of the PS Plus deluxe catalog, playing older games too. But stopped buying games altogether unless it's a cool discount and cheap. Even Spiderman, a game I loved to play the first one and the DLC, I haven't bought it yet. Too expensive, not worth it for now. More recently, I really started to wonder if it's worth having the PS5. I always preferred having the console, and loved the exclusives, the PS4 was absurd in the amount of high quality exclusives it had and I wanted to play. But I've been enjoying more and more indie smaller games and less huge triple A open world games. And the games I'm playing I can find on Steam for much cheaper (or even for free if you consider piracy lol). I'm on the verge of selling the PS5 and investing on a gamer PC, or in buying a Steam Deck, both would be nice for me. But I think I will wait for GTA VI.

Sckathian

Worth noting Sony have historically pushed their games with bundles. Considering margins are terrible I do wonder if all those AAA games survive a move to having to stand on their own two feet. Will be interesting to watch.

5ive_minute_window_

Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart was very good, Spider-man 2 is a AAA blockbuster game, if a little short and safe. But other than that...nope. Most other top titles have been given the Director's Cut treatment (Death Stranding, Ghost of Tsushima) or can be played on PS4 (Ragnarok). The PS5 has been really poorly paced.

jusjones314

Cause UE5 is the future and will cut the time it takes to make AAA games down by a lot and it's getting better with every iteration.

MrFuccYoBich69

Another thing to point out about Sony is how expensive AAA games are getting. Spiderman 2 cost over 300 million to make. Playstation's whole thing is big blockbuster games, but it's becoming obvious it is not sustainable

___fofo___

Yeah, imagine trying to predict iPhones when computers came out, or even when the internet came out. And now from all of this we have AI. It’s difficult to imagine what new tech will come to this, but at the very least, even if AI is scaled up, it will be a vast improvement and game-changing, as evidenced by Sora. Being able to create your own Hollywood movies or AAA videogames might actually be just around the corner. Things will really take off when they find a way to implement AI in physical environments 

Vivid_Complex_2399

Yeah because AAA gaming is dead, indie games are outselling them bc they only care ab mtx

Miserable-Actuator24

No idea what kind of nonesense this is but Unity is not a gaming company! Unity does not develop games of any kind. Unity offers one of the best platforms to BUILD games and is used by tons of famous studios around the globe. If you ever played any mobile game...chances are kinda high its unity based. Even dome top AAA game titles are made with Unity. Just googling Unity once should have told you that.

NoCat4103

Oils, edibles etc are a tiny portion of the cannabis market. Clubs can still make hash and Rosin. And from as I was told but my lawyer, decarbed flower is allowed to be soled. Making it very easy for people to make their own oils at home. Most people want high quality and FRESH flower. That will always be very difficult to supply for medical growers due to expensive and complicated regulations they have to deal with. Medical cannabis in most US states died out the moment recreational came about. I do not see how that will be different in Germany. Especially with the advantage of the clubs not having to pay and taxes. We all know how low production costs are. Especially when you do not need to prepackage in small units. I expect top shelf flower to go for 4-5 euros a gram by the end of 2025. No medical producer can compete with that. Considering that they have a much larger supply chain. Grower, Distributor and Pharmacy. All needing to make a profit. The cheapest flower on the German market is greenhouse flower from Eastern Europe. It’s absolute trash and it’s still 4 euros. For 4 euros recreational growers will supply you with absolute AAA flower.

Quasat14

Yeah actually exactly. USDs value is controllable and takes decades to change significantly, look at how long for AAA video games to go from $40 to $70. About 22 years. Compare that to bitcoin whos price fluctuates 10s of % weekly in either direction.

dukerustfield

No, it’s not great at that stuff. But that is low hanging fruit that was “easy” to convert to AI. Chatbots… Ai art and music is intriguing. Need a realistic battle scene between human pirates and dog people with laser blasters? Instead of 16 months of CGI it will be 16 minutes. I no longer know the software lifecycle, but a AAA computer game can take years to develop by the biggest companies. We’re not going to get everything Ai in a year. And not everything needs to be Ai. But as I’ve said before, it is the natural next step in software programming. It WILL be here and omnipresent simply because it’s better. But if we knew the best/next Ai uses, we’d be running an AI company

dukerustfield

No, it’s not great at that stuff. But that is low hanging fruit that was “easy” to convert to AI. Chatbots… Ai art and music is intriguing. Need a realistic battle scene between human pirates and dog people with laser blasters? Instead of 16 months of CGI it will be 16 minutes. I no longer know the software lifecycle, but a AAA computer game can take years to develop by the biggest companies. We’re not going to get everything Ai in a year. And not everything needs to be Ai. But as I’ve said before, it is the natural next step in software programming. It WILL be here and omnipresent simply because it’s better. But if we knew the best/next Ai uses, we’d be running an AI company

JLARGE53

Yep exposures are the main difference. FLOA invests in global corporate and quasi-sovereign (govt) floaters. USFR is strictly US Treasury floaters. So you're looking at average quality of A for FLOA and AAA for USFR. So you've historically got a slight return and risk premium in FLOA vs. USFR with that slight move down in quality but your holdings are more diverse. Also both funds are dollar-denominated so currency risk is a factor if you're a non-US investor. Maturity differences aren't that meaningful but if spreads become volatile, the shorter-term holdings may reset faster, for better or for worse, but wouldn't impact the rate sensitivity/duration.

2A4_LIFE

These bonds are all AAA.

Individual-Willow-70

I get AAA all the time

613Flyer

NVDA will be stock #1 after financials. AAA++ #1

Efficient_Being_2603

You got any of those AAA batteries man...like the good ones

TheInternetStuff

I'm not in the gaming industry but have always been interested. Would you say the future of the gaming industry as far as making good games in decent working conditions is in the AA and indie space? The situation at most big AAA game studios always seems so bleak now.

TurtlePower8803

AAA and it's gone...

RnH_21

I went from $500 to $53k to $92k and then lost it all. Invest it on a stick if you have to. As an accountant, I recommend dropping back in $30k in solid stocks with dividends or good balance sheets and financial statements like $AAA or $SEE. Solid stocks who are essential to our economy. Use $20k for a down payment on a home and keep the rest of $50k as a safety nest or to help smoith mortgage and bills out for awhile.

NoInternetPoint5

How is it extremely exaggerated to say that occasionally PC will have weird frustrating issues, less/not present on consoles? A new console is $500 USD , you are not getting a good PC gaming experience for that $. A new Console will play all the titles on Gamepass/PS+Extra very capably, but a $500 PC will either be incapable or struggle significantly to play many of the AAA titles with half decent settings and performance (which you don't even have to think about on console) You can enjoy PC, good for you. But the fact is, Consoles are way better value for the average person these days.

ArsenalBOS

I’ve owned almost every major console since SNES. I currently own a PS5, Series X, Switch and built a high end gaming rig. I don’t know why you’re pretending like the current generation has the same level of original games as previous generations. It’s obviously not true, and anyone who’s been gaming long enough knows that. To take my favorite studio as an example: Naughty Dog made 3 original PS4 games, plus a sizable DLC in Left Behind. They’ve yet to release an original PS5 game, just remakes and remasters, and they haven’t even announced a PS5 game yet. They’re unlikely to release anything before 2026. They’re a bit of an extreme example, but it’s a dynamic repeating all over the industry. AAA titles are taking significantly longer to release, and consoles have far fewer indie games available than PC.

NoInternetPoint5

This answer isn't nearly as valid as it used to be. Costs $1-2,000+ for a comparable and capable PC these days. Consoles also just work, no messing with drivers, third party controller applications, figuring out why your headphones aren't working today, etc. Sure, some top tier AAA games might play better on a $3,000 PC, but that's not even close to a fair comparison. As far as games go, PS Store sales often are just as good as Steam sales on titles you actually want. Gamepass also seems to be a good value. The vast majority of people do not care about the 1000s of $2 indy games on Steam.

ThreeSupreme

So, I take it, that U would reappoint JPow when his term as Fed Chair runs out? **Now even the Federal Reserve is actually losing money** In a stunning turn of event, the Federal Reserve is now experiencing losses. As of the end of July 2023, the Federal Reserve reported that it had accumulated operating losses of **$83 billion**. The Federal Reserve’s aggressive campaign to prop up the financial markets has led to these losses. These losses are due to the Federal Reserve’s overly accommodative monetary policy, and the interest costs associated with its efforts to bailout the US financial markets. The Federal Reserve accounts for its losses with an accounting measure it calls a deferred asset. The size of that shortfall now stands at nearly $6.3 billion year-to-date. The deferred asset account is likely to peak in the zone of **$100-200 billion**, and will likely take 3-4 years to recover. To give some perspective on the Federal Reserve’s losses, here are the reported net profits for all of the “Magnificent 7” stocks for the year 2023: • Apple: The net profit for Apple in 2023 was approximately **$96.99 billion**. • Alphabet (Google): Alphabet’s net profit for 2023 was approximately **$66.732 billion**. • Microsoft: Microsoft’s net profit for 2023 was approximately **$72.361 billion**. • Meta (Facebook): Meta’s net profit for 2023 was approximately **$39 billion**. • Amazon: Amazon’s net profit for 2023 was approximately **$30.4 billion**. • Tesla: Tesla’s net profit for 2023 was approximately **$10.79 billion**. • Nvidia: Nvidia’s net profit for 2023 was approximately **$4.37 billion**. Since the end of World War II until 2021, the Federal Reserve never experienced any operating losses. Jerome Powell is the first Fed Chairman to preside over an operating loss by the Fed. The Federal Reserve’s losses are expected to continue into the future. The Federal Reserve Board’s own estimates suggest that its cumulative operating losses could approach **$200 billion** by 2026. Moreover, the Fed projects that it may not resume making any operating profits until 2030 or later. So, not only is the Fed losing money for the first time, those losses will increase, and some observers believe the Fed’s losses could eventually as much as double before abating. William English, a former top central bank staffer now at Yale University, sees a “peak” loss of around $200 billion or higher by 2025. Meanwhile, Derek Tang of forecasting firm LH Meyer said the Fed’s loss is likely to hit $200 billion by the end of this year. **The National Debt Just Hit $34 Trillion** As of the latest available data, the U.S. national debt has surpassed $34 trillion. This is a record high and represents the total amount of outstanding borrowing by the U.S. Federal Government accumulated over the nation’s history. The world's largest economy is piling on more debt, with no end in sight as the stakes get higher, as the government continues to borrow to repay its ever growing debts. In the last century, the U.S. federal debt has risen from an inflation-adjusted $403 billion in 1923 to $33.17 trillion in 2023. The U.S. debt-to-GDP ratio surpassed 100% in 2013, and as of the third quarter of 2023, the U.S. debt-to-GDP ratio was approximately 120.13%, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Maya MacGuineas, president of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, labeled the record debt as a disheartening “achievement.” Despite economic strength and low unemployment, the growth of the national debt is alarmingly escalating. The growing national debt is spiking, in spite of a strong economy, and this is defying conventional fiscal wisdom. Based on conventional fiscal wisdom, this growth in national debt should be impossible during favorable economic conditions. The U.S. credit rating was downgraded by Fitch Ratings, one of the major credit rating agencies, in August 2023. The agency lowered the U.S. from the highest AAA classification to the notch lower AA+ rating. The downgrade was attributed to a “steady deterioration in standards of governance” in recent decades on fiscal and debt matters, among other issues. The situation should be closely monitored.

Loss_Leaders_LLC

Thats not at all whats happening. Do you understand what quantitative easing was? Bears want to see a healthy pullback because shits overpriced and does not reflect reality. Because when money is so cheap to borrow people do stupid shit like bundle junk debt into good debt and pass it off as AAA

robo199

CDO’s are not bad by themselves but once greed took over and banks started to bundling shitty mortgage into them and still get AAA rating this was beginning of the end. Source: Big short.

Fragrant-Employer-60

Oh like how every AAA game is released as a barely playable mess? And that’s been happening for years… idk why you think gamers and viewers aren’t the same people lol

Defelj

I’m think it’s more an advertising security- Fortnite is its own platform at this point. they won’t work to make a AAA game but will continue to use them to build Little sandboxes to advertise their works with an active and youthful crowd. Epic will definitely become an equivalent of Take 2 over the next few years, maybe also the Livenation of video game services by 2030

Kriegprojekt

SPY 500 with pullback? DIS still trash, dont chase that POS. ELF down to 150 and Ill readd. FOR in the mid 20s and Ill buy. Missed ARM pop. Bought and sold on a trade a few weeks ago. Not sure if I want to chase and long hold or not. AAA Yields spiked from 4.5 on 01152024 to 4.78 on 02052024. Good morning.

fledermaus23

It's like AAA Plumbing. Only listed that way to be 1st in the phone book

ScantilyCladLunch

No no, when the US pumps money into the stock market to save its economy it’s because they’re SMART, when China has to do it it’s because they’re a FAILURE. When they sell us bogus mortgages and rate them AAA, that’s just good business, man. When the entire industry is so incompetent that one of the top money managers in the finance industry cheats them all through pyramid schemes, that’s FREEDOM. Allowing short sellers to naked sell fake shares? What’s wrong with that? /s/s/s

False_Profit_of_WSB

"-98% and still rated AAA what is this" *cries in burry*

RenfieldsLunch

The long and short of it is that your money is better off in your own hands. A big question is: will the company increase the value of *my* portfolio more by retaining and reinvesting *our* publicly owned profits, or will the company increase the value of *my* portfolio more by paying me cash from *our* profits? Right now we could say that we prefer NVDA to NOT pay a dividend because they seem to be using their operation to increase the value of their company. We think we can trust that NVDA will do more reinvesting the profits than we will ever achieve reinvesting the profits ourselves. TSLA however we probably DO want them to pay a dividend because their track record of using profits to increase the value of the company is a bit iffy. It would be better for me to have cash from TSLA's operations to do something like... buy NVDA instead of letting TSLA hold on to the profit to do something silly like... buy twitter. Regardless of their revenues, moats, or whatever: Not every company can use their profits to grow. Paying a dividend does come out of the company's profits, but also increases its share price by making it a more attractive buy for people seeking dividends. Although it is taxed, the rest of this cash payout is now sitting in your hand. That part of your principal is retained. If the stock price continues to increase then you've got cash and stock valuation. If the stock price decreases then at least you've got cash. You can then use your cash to buy more of that same stock, a different stock, or to buy hot dog. yum. It allows you to buy a more diverse portfolio of stocks with more variable purchase dates. If you bought a stock paying 1% and the company is solid and keeps its revenues up, but the market turns down and the stock loses value well now you have a position paying 2% and you have more power to increase your position at these new reduced prices. Alternatively when the company not paying divs is fine and the market turns down you have to rely on sale of stock or outside income to take advantage of that. When were seeking explosive growth and lottery level gains we should be looking to companies that don't pay dividends. When were seeking security, retention of principal, and long term compounding gains that are modest and won't make top WSB posts as screenshots then we should seek companies with a 20 year history of consistent dividend payments. When they don't pay a div your principal can walk out from underneath you while youre not looking at the market, but when they do pay a div you also need to ask yourself: is this total yield better than I can get on tax-free municipal bonds, AAA corporates, or treasuries?

Daddy-Eric

Unfortunately the tech isn't invented yet to deliver triple AAA games via streaming. The horsepower required will always be substantial and bandwidth is too slow and laggy. I don't see these hurdles ever being overcome, at least not anytime soon

goodishkuchikopi

I have a 250k 15yr term at $12 per month through AAA. Purchased about a year ago.