Best printers for Home

Best Mixer Grinder

Best wired Earphones

Best 43 Inch TV in India

Best Wi Fi Routers

Best Home Theatre in India

Smart Watch under 5000

Best Laptops for Education

Best Laptop for Students

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The <keyword id="11172510" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="american-conservative-values-etf">American Conservative Values ETF</keyword> attempts to track the market while also boycotting "liberal" companies.</li><li>The fund has outperformed the S&amp;P 500 since Biden's inauguration. </li><li>The ETF's founder says companies that engage in political activity negatively impact shareholder returns.</li></ul>An exchange-traded fund designed to track the broader market while also boycotting companies that outwardly support left-wing causes has beaten the <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/index/s&amp;p_500_500">S&amp;P 500</a> since president Joe Biden took office. The American Conservative Values ETF ($ACVF) has gained 9.1% since January 20, slightly outperforming the S&amp;P 500's 8.7% gain. It has about $7 million in assets under management, according to Bloomberg data.The fund has a basket of large cap US equities, but also boycotts "hostile" companies that are deemed to be too politically active and in support of "the liberal agenda."Among the list of boycotted companies are Twitter, Nike, Disney, Goldman Sachs, Amazon, Facebook, Google, and Delta Airlines. Bill Flaig, founder and CEO of <keyword id="11172508" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="ridgeline-research">Ridgeline Research</keyword>, the investment advisor to the American Conservative Values ETF, told Insider he launched the fund in late October because he wanted to give politically conservative investors something they could feel good about investing in and not feel that "their dollars are going to the worst offending, most egregious liberal companies.""Our goal is to balance the advocacy of boycotting and still maintain predictable, large cap performance," Flaig said.The ACFV website states the investment thesis of the fund: "Our ETF is based on the conviction that politically active companies negatively impact their shareholder returns, as well as supporting issues and causes which conflict with our conservative political beliefs and values." Flaig told Insider that he thinks companies that are participating in political activities are misallocating shareholder resources and not maximizing shareholder value. He said this could even apply to companies that are too engaged in conservative political activities, but the fund is focused on catering specifically to conservative investors.Ridgeline Research doesn't have explicit numerical data that supports the thesis that politically active companies negatively impact shareholder returns."We don't have a historical back test for that, and it's hard to prove because a company could still be doing well that's allocating shareholder resources, they just would be doing better if they hadn't done it," Flaig said.The fund comes as a growing number of corporations begin to engage in political activities or speak on partisan issues. After Georgia signed a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/georgia-lawmakers-pass-sweeping-election-administration-bill-2021-3">new voting bill into law</a> that changed nearly all aspects of voting and elections in the state, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/apple-united-delta-coke-companies-against-georgia-voting-law-elections-2021-4">Coca-Cola said in a statement</a> that they were "disappointed in the outcome of the Georgia voting legislation." Meanwhile Delta CEO Ed Bastian said the bill was "unacceptable and does not match Delta's values." Read more: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/stocks-to-buy-crypto-blockchain-stock-picks-outperformance-sp500-goldman-2021-4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Goldman Sachs names 19 crypto-exposed stocks that have piggybacked on bitcoin's surge to achieve returns that have nearly quadrupled the S&amp;P 500</a>Flaig said the political engagement from Delta and Coke was taking away from shareholder values."I can't see how it would have helped their shareholders' value, or their businesses actually. And I think they did get internal pushback and pushback from their boards, and we did see them backtrack in a certain sense. So I think that kind of illustrates the danger of companies that are overly political," he said.Flaig added that conservatives are more "quiet", and he thinks that corporate America has come to the conclusion it can "pander progressive customers without alienating their conservative customers." He wants the American Conservative Values ETF to be a place for conservative investors to park their money with peace of mind that they are not supporting the "worst of the worst" and the "most hostile" companies.One of the most important issues to Ridgeline is protecting first and second amendment rights.He said tech companies including Apple, Google, and Facebook have been "hostile to conservatives," and free speech, though he admitted it's difficult to quantify that, and a lot of the decisions on whether a company is too liberal to be in the fund are subjective. One of the more quantifiable measures of "hostility" is political contributions by companies and senior employees to liberal causes, charities, candidates, and advocacy groups. In the fund's SEC filings, Ridgeline lists Planned Parenthood, the Center for American Progress, and the Courage to Change PAC as examples of "liberal advocacy groups.The fund's top holding is <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/stocks/msft-stock">Microsoft</a>, with a 6.5% weight. Flaig said that although Microsoft is not "inherently conservative," it's not the "worst offender of the larger technology companies." Microsoft is the second largest company in the S&amp;P 500."Through the lens of delivering our investment objective, we can't boycott every single technology company and maintain predictable performance to the S&amp;P 500. So we do own companies like Microsoft that have historically been hostile to conservative values," he said.Flaig added that it would be ideal if the ETF's advocacy changed the behavior of the corporations, but that is a secondary objective of the fund.Read more: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/stock-picks-to-buy-now-innovative-firms-upside-jabusch-deems-2021-4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Garvin Jabusch and Jeremy Deems returned 141% to investors over the last year by betting on innovation. They share 5 stocks they're bullish on for the long-term - including one they 'very comfortably predict' will surge at least 300%.</a>

A conservative ETF designed to boycott 'hostile' companies like Disney and Nike that support the 'liberal agenda' has beaten the broader market since Biden took office

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><a href="https://media.ford.com/content/fordmedia/fna/us/en/products/trucks/f-150/2015-f-150.html">Ford Media</a>2018 Ford F-Series.</div></div></div><ul><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/kelley-blue-book">Kelley Blue Blue</a> released the data for the best-selling pick-up trucks in America in 2018.</li><li>More than 1.4 million pickup trucks have been sold through the first half of the year. </li><li>The top-3 best-selling trucks in 2018 are the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/ford">Ford</a> F-Series, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/chevrolet">Chevrolet</a> Silverado, and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/fca">Ram</a> Pickup.</li><li>The cars that saw the largest year-over-year drop in sales were the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/honda">Honda</a> Ridgeline, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/nissan">Nissan</a> Titan, and Ram Pickup. </li></ul>The U.S. auto market has been strong in the first two quarters of 2018. More than 8.6 million cars have been sold in 2018 through the first half of the year, that's a YTD year-over-year increase of nearly 2%, according to data from Kelley Blue Book, the automotive research company. Demand for pickup trucks has been particularly strong, with YTD new sales hitting 1,415,389, according to Kelley Blue Book's data. This has come with American consumers making a concurrent decision to <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2018/04/06/the-steadily-disappearing-american-car.html">abandon the sedan and passenger car.</a>All three of America's big three automakers (Ford, General Motors, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles) <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/truck-sales-may-increase-with-infrastructure-investment-2018-4">have pickup trucks on the market.</a> In fact, the top-3 best-selling trucks so far in 2018 are Ford's F-Series, GM's Chevrolet Silverado, and FCA's Ram Pickup.But other truck models have broken in and gained market share. The trucks that have made the greatest year-over-year improvement in 2018 are GMC Canyon, Chevrolet Colorado, and Toyota Tacoma. In fact, Chevrolet Colorado's year-over-year sales have risen a whopping 38.9% compared to this time in 2017. The cars that saw the largest year-over-year drop in sales are Honda Ridgeline, Nissan Titan, and Ram Pickup. The Honda Ridgeline saw the greatest year-over-year decline, with its sales down 19.4% as compared to 2017. Americans love their pickup trucks though. Below are the 11 best-selling full-size and mid-size pickup trucks in the first two quarters of 2018.

The 11 best-selling pickup trucks in America so far this year

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The <keyword id="11376439" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="ford-maverick">Ford Maverick</keyword> will be one of the smallest pickups in the US when it goes on sale this fall. </li><li>It's too early to tell if the trailblazing pickup will resonate with buyers. </li><li>Its $20,000 base price and hybrid engine could make it a home run, industry analysts told Insider.</li></ul>Nearly every new pickup truck you see rumbling down the road today is a pricey behemoth that's roughly the size of a small house. But it wasn't always that way. <keyword id="6355174" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="ford">Ford</keyword> is looking to resurrect the small-but-mighty pickups of decades past with the new <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/2022-ford-maverick-pickup-truck-price-specs-release-date-2021-6">2022 Maverick</a> revealed Tuesday. The truck delivers on compact size and an enticing starting price of around $20,000, but Ford is entering uncharted territory - and it's not a certainty that customers will bite."We still need to see if there's a real market for these kinds of lifestyle pickups," Augusto Amorim, a senior manager of sales forecasting at the research firm LMC Automotive, told Insider. "It's so much smaller than what we are used to when you think about a truck. It'll be interesting to see how customers react."<div type="image" title="[EMBARGO 6/8/2021 6 AM ET DNP] 2022 Ford Maverick" height="1245" width="2500" msid="83482813" hostid="261"></div>While the Maverick isn't exactly pint-sized, it's significantly smaller than mid-size pickups like Ford's Ranger or the more popular Toyota Tacoma. Ford's thinking here is to target nontraditional, more urban truck buyers with a vehicle that's easier to maneuver and park than other pickups, but still offers similar functionality. But it's a gamble, Amorim says, given that it's an untested segment. LMC is forecasting that Ford will sell between 40,000 and 50,000 Mavericks per year. That's peanuts compared with the number of F-Series trucks it moves annually - usually 800,000 or more - but it's about in line with sales of the Honda Ridgeline, another car-based pickup. It's about double what LMC is expecting from the Hyundai Santa Cruz, which goes on sale this summer as the Maverick's only true rival in the compact truck space. <div type="image" title="2022 Ford Maverick pickup truck" height="1309" width="2500" msid="83482815" hostid="261"></div>Still, the Maverick could be a home run given its bargain-bin pricing and selling points distinct from other pickups, says Michelle Krebs, an executive analyst at Cox Automotive. "Trucks have never been more popular, but what has happened is they've gotten bigger and bigger and more expensive," Krebs said in an interview. "So there's a huge white space for people who don't want a truck that big and certainly don't want to pay that kind of money, but they want a truck."The average price paid for a new car has ballooned to <a href="https://www.kbb.com/car-news/average-new-car-price-stays-over-40000/">above $40,000</a>, and <keyword id="862838" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="pickup-trucks">pickup trucks</keyword>, the second most popular vehicle type after crossovers, are partially to blame for that trend. The average transaction price for an F-150 is in the $50,000 range, while Rangers typically sell for roughly $40,000, Krebs said. A top-trim Maverick Lariat can be had for $25,000 plus destination fees, while a fully-loaded model comes in around $35,000.<div type="image" title="[EMBARGO 6/8/2021 6 AM ET DNP] 2022 Ford Maverick" height="1231" width="2500" msid="83482817" hostid="261"></div>Importantly, though, the Maverick isn't just a shrunk-down F-150 or Ranger, and offers more than just a small size, Krebs says. It's its own thing, with <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/2022-ford-maverick-pickup-customizable-bed-flexbed-features-2021-6">features</a> uniquely catered to the recreational buyer and the only standard hybrid engine in any US pickup. That powertrain, which Ford says delivers 40 mpg, could be key for attracting a younger, more environmentally conscious, or less affluent crowd that has traditionally been put off by gas-guzzling trucks. The Maverick's $19,995 entry price - which makes it Ford's new entry-level offering and the cheapest pickup truck on the market - was very much a deliberate move, Ford vice president Jim Baumbick told Insider. The automaker hopes that a combination of a low sticker price and high versatility will steal customers away from a host of different segments, including sedans, a market it abandoned in 2018. Read more: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ford-f150-lightning-ev-truck-pickup-sale-farley-tesla-rivian-2021-5">Ford's CEO reveals how it beat flashy electric-truck rivals to market with its upcoming $40,000 F-150 EV</a>Analysts who spoke to Insider agree that the trailblazing truck could snag some unexpected customers. Plus, it wouldn't be the first time that a novel type of vehicle took off at around this price point. Not too long ago, subcompact crossovers were virtually nonexistent in the US, but now tiny, cheap SUVs like the Kia Seltos, Hyundai Kona, Honda HR-V, and Subaru Crosstrek are huge sellers for their respective companies. "Those vehicles really helped bring a more price-sensitive consumer to the crossover segment, so we can clearly see that happening to trucks," says LMC's Amorim.<div type="image" title="[EMBARGO 6/8/2021 6 AM ET DNP] 2022 Ford Maverick" height="1029" width="2500" msid="83482819" hostid="261"></div>People ended up loving the increased ride height, visibility, and cargo space that small crossovers provided over sedans, says Ivan Drury, senior manager of insights at Edmunds. A Maverick-sized pickup, with arguably even more functionality than a subcompact crossover, could be a logical next step for those people, he said. The Maverick could very well spark a deluge of new compact pickups from General Motors and others, especially if it does well.But competitors will likely find it hard to enter the market with a product as compelling and attractively priced as Ford's pickup, Drury said. One key advantage Ford has as it rolls out the Maverick is its vast network of commercial and government customers, something Hyundai can't leverage with the Santa Cruz, Cox Automotive's Krebs said. <div type="image" title="2022 Ford Maverick pickup truck" height="1389" width="2500" msid="83482821" hostid="261"></div>The little pickup's debut is just the latest sign that Ford and its <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/fords-new-ce-back-to-basics-as-shakes-up-management-2020-10">new CEO Jim Farley</a> are turning things around after years of lackluster profits. In the last year, Ford launched the electric Mustang Mach-E crossover, Bronco Sport, and a new generation of the F-150. Last month, it showed off its debut battery-powered pickup, the F-150 Lightning, which hits streets next year. And after years in decline, Ford's share price has shot up more than 70% in 2021 - even outpacing Elon Musk's Tesla. The Maverick and those other well-received vehicles may be just what Ford needs to win back some of the customers it's lost over the years, Drury said. "By having these products that are perfectly suited for the market, it's really changing peoples' opinions of the brand," he said. "I think for anyone who used to have a Ford and strayed from it, this might bring them back into the fold."

Ford's new $20,000 pickup could be a game changer, but only if it can convince people to ditch their crossovers and bigger trucks

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image">ToyotaToyota's FT-1 Concept is a product of Toyota's California-based Calty Studios.</div></div></div>Car shoppers who want to support American manufacturing shouldn't dismiss the idea of buying a Toyota or Honda.
According <a href="http://www.american.edu/kogod/news/20140403_auto_index.cfm" target="_blank">to new rankings</a> from American University's Kogod School of Business, some Japanese cars are more "made in America" than offerings from Ford and Chevy.
The rankings consider data including where an automaker is headquartered and where it assembles its vehicles, produces parts, and conducts research and development. 
The Kogod rankings also evaluated the final destination of an automaker's profits. The report argues "the true impact of these (design and manufacturing) activities (by foreign automakers) on the U.S economy is reduced by the repatriation of profits back to the automaker's home country." Everything that's done in the U.S. earns points, scored out of 100.
The results may change how consumers think about the meaning of "made in America." 
It's hardly shocking that Ford's F-Series and Chevrolet's Corvette finished at the top of the rankings as the most American cars you can buy, with a total domestic content score of 87.5 out of 100. 
But not far behind are Honda's Odyssey, Ridgeline and Crosstour, and Toyota's Camry and Tundra, which all scored a 78.5. That makes them more "American" than cars like the SRT Viper (77.5), Tesla Model S (77.5), Ford Expedition (71), Chevrolet Silverado (70), Dodge Grand Caravan (69), and Chevrolet Camaro (68). 
The presence of Honda and Toyota's near the top of the domestic content rankings should not come as a too much of surprise. Both automakers have invested heavily in their US manufacturing, design and development facilities.<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image">ToyotaWorkers at Toyota's assembly plant in Blue Springs, Miss.</div></div></div>Honda has <a href="http://www.hondainamerica.com/manufacturing" target="_blank">invested more than $14 billion in U.S. manufacturing</a> over the last couple of decades. In 2012, it produced 1.2 million cars at plants in Indiana, Ohio, and Alabama. It also operates a network of component production facilities along with multiple design centers. 
Toyota's U.S. design and manufacturing operations are extensive as well. It operates major assembly plants in Kentucky, Mississippi, Texas, and Indiana, and maintains a network of engine and transmission production facilities in Alabama, Indiana, and West Virginia. Its California-based design studio, Calty Design Research, is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.
According to Kogod, these are the 15 "most American" foreign branded cars on sale today: (Score out of 100)
<ol>
<li>Honda Odyssey (78.5)</li>
<li>Honda Ridgeline (78.5)</li>
<li>Honda Crosstour (78.5)</li>
<li>Toyota Camry (78.5)</li>
<li>Toyota Tundra (78.5)</li>
<li>Honda Pilot (76)</li>
<li>Acura RDX 2WD (76)</li>
<li>Honda Accord (76)</li>
<li>Honda CR-V (76)</li>
<li>Toyota Sequoia (73.5)</li>
<li>Toyota Avalon (71.5)</li>
<li>Toyota Sienna (71.5)</li>
<li>Acura MDX (71)</li>
<li>Acura RDX 4WD (69)</li>
<li>Hyundai Santa Fe Sport (67.5)</li>
</ol>
For some perspective, here are the top 25 most "American" cars on the market today:
<ol>
<li>Ford F-Series Pickup (87.5)</li>
<li>Chevrolet Corvette (87.5)</li>
<li>Buick Enclave (86)</li>
<li>Chevrolet Traverse (86)</li>
<li>GMC Arcadia (86)</li>
<li>GMC Arcadia Denali (86)</li>
<li>Chevrolet Equinox (85)</li>
<li>Cadillac CTS (85)</li>
<li>GMC Terrain (85)</li>
<li>Chevrolet Express (83)</li>
<li>GMC Savana (83)</li>
<li>Chevrolet Malibu (83)</li>
<li>Buick LaCrosse (83)</li>
<li>Chevrolet Impala (83)</li>
<li>Ford Mustang (82.5)</li>
<li>Ford Taurus (82.5)</li>
<li>Cadillac Escalade (82.5)</li>
<li>Chevrolet Suburban (82.5)</li>
<li>Chevrolet Tahoe (82.5)</li>
<li>GMC Yukon (82.5)</li>
<li>Cadillac ATS (82.5)</li>
<li>Dodge Avenger (82)</li>
<li>Chrysler 200 Convertible (81)</li>
<li>Chrysler 200 Sedan (80.5)</li>
<li>Jeep Wrangler 4-Door (80.5)</li>
</ol>

You Searched For "ridgeline research" and got 4 results

A conservative ETF designed to boycott 'hostile' companies like Disney and Nike that support the 'liberal agenda' has beaten the broader market since Biden took office

Emily Graffeo

The 11 best-selling pickup trucks in America so far this year

Brian Pascus

Ford's new $20,000 pickup could be a game changer, but only if it can convince people to ditch their crossovers and bigger trucks

Tim Levin

These 15 Foreign Cars Are Way More 'American' Than You Think

Benjamin Zhang

Popular Keywords

Buying Guides