Retail investors, once an afterthought in financial markets, are now reshaping brokerage operations, pushing for real-time tools and constant market access. This shift was a central theme at the recent Benzinga Fintech Deal Day & Awards event, where a panel of experts explored the growing demands of Main Street investors and the technology adapting to meet them. "Retail is now about half of the U.S. equity market volume," said Brandis DeSimone , moderator and vice president at Nasdaq . She noted that the growth of retail trading has transformed it into a force capable of influencing the markets, a far cry from its marginal role just a decade ago. Eric Krueger , CEO of GTN Americas , reflected on how this change has made investing accessible to everyone. "When I started, my first trade was $1,000 worth of Microsoft, and I paid $100 in commission," he said. Today, retail investors can trade seamlessly on mobile apps with zero fees. "The barrier to entry has disappeared." Stephen Sikes , COO of Public , highlighted how modern retail investors demand more than accessibility. They want real-time pricing, instant alerts, and meaningful tools," Sikes said. Driven by the fast-paced digital age, investors have come to expect information at their fingertips. Beyond tools, Sikes noted the influence of social media on investor behavior. "They're not turning to traditional outlets like CNBC. They're getting their information from influencers and platforms like TikTok," he explained, emphasizing the need for brokerages to adapt to these new trends. Daniel Pipitone , CEO of TradeZero , stressed the importance of education in addressing this shift. "We focus on working with trusted educators to provide unbiased content," he said. "It's about teaching risk management and smart strategies without giving specific advice." See Also: Retail Investors Reshape Financial Markets: How Wall Street Is Catching Up Krueger discussed how personalized tools are helping investors make smarter decisions. "We're using data to create personas based on trading habits, watchlists, and activity," he said. This allows platforms to deliver education and resources tailored to each investor's needs, reducing common mistakes like failing to use stop losses or overtrading after a loss. Sikes shared an example of Public's recent success with its bond account feature. "We had bonds available for eight months, but uptake was minimal," he said. When the company repackaged bonds into a user-friendly format, trading volumes surged. "It's about presenting complex products in ways that are easy to understand." The panel also explored the global demand for U.S. equities. "About 90% of trading volume from our international clients goes into the U.S. market," said Krueger. He attributed this to the strong performance of U.S. companies and the widespread recognition of brands like Tesla and Amazon. Yoshi Yokokawa , CEO of Alpaca , noted similar trends. "We see a huge appetite for U.S. equities from clients in over 35 countries," he said, adding that platforms are adapting to serve these markets efficiently while keeping costs low. As retail investors continue to shape financial markets, brokerages are stepping up to meet their demands. By focusing on personalization, education, and accessibility, the industry is closing the gap between Wall Street and Main Street. "Retail investors have matured," Sikes said. "They're not just chasing trends anymore — they're looking for tools and strategies that work for them." With technology evolving rapidly, the retail investing revolution shows no signs of slowing down. Read Next: • Warren Buffett Gains Exposure To Digital Banks In Africa, Asia: Here’s How Photo: Shutterstock © 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.No. 4 Penn State tries to keep playoff picture out of focus in prep for tough trip to MinnesotaPerhaps if Alabama had remained competitive against 6-6 Oklahoma instead of failing to score a single touchdown in a 24-3 blowout, it would be preparing for the College Football Playoff. Instead, it is an SMU team that lost by just three points in each of its two defeats getting ready for a potential run at a championship. To hear College Football Playoff chairman Warde Manuel tell it, the Mustangs keeping things close in their three-point losses to BYU and Clemson played a factor in their inclusion in the 12-team field over the Crimson Tide. "With that resume, losing two games by a total of six points" stood out, Manuel said during a Monday appearance on The Rich Eisen Show (two-minute mark). "They played Clemson down to, literally, the last second." For SMU's sake, it is a good thing it put together an impressive comeback during Saturday's ACC Championship Game. The Tigers jumped out to a 31-14 lead heading into the fourth quarter, but the Mustangs came storming back to tie it in the final minute. However, Clemson kicker Nolan Hauser drilled a 56-yard field goal as time expired to clinch the conference title and a spot in the CFP for his team. It also helped that BYU ended up going 10-2 as a quality loss, while the Crimson Tide lost to 6-6 Vanderbilt in addition to the ugly 24-3 loss to the Sooners. While Alabama had wins over Georgia, South Carolina, Missouri and LSU to fall back on, its three losses—two of which came against opponents it should have handled with relative ease—were too much to overcome. And now SMU will have a chance to prove itself in a CFP showdown against Penn State while the Crimson Tide prepare for the Reliaquest Bowl against Michigan.casino free 100 。

( ) shares are falling on Thursday. In morning trade, the giant's shares are down 1.5% to $24.52. Why are Woodside shares falling? The company's shares are falling today after a pullback in oil prices overnight offset the release of an this morning. In respect to the latter, Woodside revealed that it has signed a revised lump sum turnkey engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contract with for the development of the three train 16.5 million tonnes per annum foundation development of Louisiana LNG. Louisiana LNG is an under-construction, pre-final investment decision, LNG production facility and export terminal in Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana in the United States. The company notes that it is a high-quality, scalable development opportunity, with a total permitted capacity of 27.6 million tonnes per annum. Management believes it represents a major growth opportunity that would expand Woodside's US LNG position, enabling the company to better serve global customers and capture marketing optimisation opportunities across the Atlantic and Pacific Basins. 'An important step' According to the release, Bechtel has worked on site since the acquisition of the project and will continue work under a limited notice to proceed (LNTP) executed under the revised EPC contract. The LNTP provides for continued site construction and commitment to certain key materials and services required for the foundation project. Woodside's CEO, Meg O'Neill, believes the signing of the EPC contract and continuation of engineering and construction activities represents "an important step" in the development of Louisiana LNG. Commenting on the news, O'Neill said: Louisiana LNG is positioned to provide LNG into the growing global market and generate value for shareholders in accordance with our capital allocation framework. We continue to move at pace. In a short period of time, we have completed the acquisition, secured competitive revised EPC pricing that covers all three trains, and opened the data room with strong interest from potential project partners. Louisiana LNG is an advantaged project that is fully permitted and has Bechtel as the EPC contractor. The competitive pricing and schedule certainty we have now secured compounds this advantage in the current uncertain market environment for competing projects. What's next? Woodside advised that it continues to target final investment decision readiness from the first quarter of 2025. Total Louisiana LNG expenditure from December to the end of the first quarter of 2025 is forecast to be up to US$1.3 billion. This is included in the overall estimated cost for the foundation development.AP Trending SummaryBrief at 3:22 p.m. ESTPope Francis sends pointed message to Israel with detail in Nativity scene

Cowboys win wild one vs. Commanders to halt five-game slideHaiti wonders what's next as gang violence surges and the push for a UN peacekeeping mission flops

ST. LOUIS , Dec. 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Eric Watkins , President of Abstrakt, is shedding light on the significant challenges businesses face when building in-house Sales Development Representative (SDR) teams. Rising costs, complex technology needs, and extended timelines are making outsourcing an increasingly attractive option for companies seeking efficient and effective sales solutions. "We often find companies have already tried to do this all on their own and struggled," said Watkins. "It's a lot of puzzle pieces to put together, and working with a professional team that does this exclusively often gets better results." Watkins noted that businesses often underestimate the full scope of building an SDR team, from recruiting and onboarding skilled personnel to investing in necessary software and AI tools. Additional hurdles include developing outreach strategies, maintaining accountability metrics, and ensuring consistent performance tracking. "Building your own team can be a good route if you have the fully dedicated resources to do so," Watkins said. "But it requires a lot of software, content planning, research tools, and follow-through on sequencing." The rise of AI-driven sales tools has added to the complexity, with many companies struggling to optimize these technologies for maximum impact. Watkins explained that companies often lack the expertise to effectively integrate AI into their outreach efforts, further extending the time and cost required to build a functional SDR team. For many businesses, outsourcing to specialized teams like Abstrakt provides a faster and more cost-effective solution. By eliminating the need for ongoing training, technology investment, and process development, outsourcing offers immediate access to experienced professionals and proven systems. Abstrakt, which handles over 100,000 appointments annually across industries, has seen firsthand how outsourcing delivers measurable results for its clients. "Evaluate your resources, timeline, and ability to stay accountable to your sales goals," Watkins advised. "If there are gaps, partnering with a team that specializes in this work can help you grow faster and more effectively." Abstrakt is a B2B lead generation and marketing agency based in St. Louis, Missouri . With over a decade of experience, the company specializes in omnichannel appointment setting and helping businesses achieve measurable growth. View original content: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/eric-watkins-of-abstrakt-highlights-the-challenges-of-building-internal-sdr-teams-302337750.html SOURCE Abstrakt Marketing GroupCooper Rush passed for two touchdowns, Dallas returned two kicks for scores and the visiting Cowboys held off the Washington Commanders in a wild fourth quarter for a 34-26 win. Dallas led 10-9 after three quarters. With Washington trailing 27-26, Jayden Daniels hit Terry McLaurin for an 86-yard touchdown pass with 21 seconds left, but Austin Seibert missed his second extra point of the game. Juanyeh Thomas of the Cowboys then returned the onside kick 43 yards for a touchdown. Rush completed 24 of 32 passes for 247 yards for Dallas (4-7), which snapped a five-game losing streak. Rico Dowdle ran 19 times for 86 yards and CeeDee Lamb had 10 catches for 67 yards. Jayden Daniels was 25-of-38 passing for 274 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions for reeling Washington (7-5), which has lost three straight. He ran for 74 yards and one score. McLaurin had five catches for 102 yards. Trailing 20-9 late in the fourth quarter, Daniels drove Washington 69 yards in nine plays and hit Zach Ertz for a 4-yard touchdown. Daniels ran for two points and Washington trailed 20-17 with 3:02 remaining. KaVontae Turpin muffed the ensuing kickoff, picked it up at the one, and raced 99 yards for a touchdown to make it 27-17. Austin Seibert's 51-yard field goal pulled the Commanders within 27-20 with 1:40 left, With the score tied 3-3, Washington took the second half kick and went 60 yards in 10 plays. On third-and-three from the Dallas 17, Daniels faked a handoff, ran left and scored his first rushing touchdown since Week 4. Seibert missed the point after and Washington led 9-3. Dallas answered with an 80-yard drive. A 23-yard pass interference penalty gave the Cowboys a first-and-goal at the 4. Two plays later Rush found Jalen Tolbert in the end zone and the extra point made it 10-9. Brandon Aubrey's 48-yard field goal made it 13-9 with 8:11 remaining in the game. On the next play, Daniels hit John Bates for 14 yards, but Donovan Wilson forced a fumble and Dallas recovered at the Washington 44. Five plays later, Rush found Luke Schoonmaker down the middle for a 22-yard touchdown and Dallas led 20-9 with 5:16 left. The first quarter was all about field goals. Aubrey's field goal attempt was blocked on the opening drive and Michael Davis returned it to the Dallas 40. Washington later settled for Seibert's 41-yard field goal. On the next Dallas drive, Aubrey hit the right upright from 42 yards out, and then Seibert missed from 51 yards. With 14 seconds left in the half, Rush found Jalen Brooks for a 41-yard gain to the Washington 28. On the next play Aubrey connected from 46 yards to tie it. --Field Level Media

What's New Ireland has built Europe's first 3D-printed concrete social housing as the continent catches up with a technology that the U.S. has already started implementing into the housing sector. The three 3D-printed concrete homes are in Grange Close, Dundalk, on the northeastern coast of Ireland and are the result of a collaboration between the 3D-printing firm Harcourt Technologies (HTL.tech), material supplier Roadstone and the Louth County Council. Each home, which was built using a BOD2 3D construction printer from Denmark-based firm Cobod, has three bedrooms and covers 1,184 square feet. Newsweek contacted Cobod and the Louth County Council for comment by email on Friday. Why It Matters Ireland is in the midst of a housing and homelessness crisis that has sparked protests among frustrated locals and that deeply influenced the recent elections in the country. While Ireland's housing crisis has now been ongoing for about a decade, the problem is said to have worsened in recent years, as construction has dramatically lagged behind demand and migration to the country has increased requests for more homes. Other countries, including the U.S., are suffering from a historic shortage of homes. In the U.S., builders simply haven't constructed enough homes since the 2008 financial crisis to match current demands, and the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the issue of homelessness. Finding creative, quick and efficient solutions to fix the existing gap between demand and supply in the housing market would massively help countries like Ireland and the U.S.—and the growing interest towards 3D-printing is a sign of that. What To Know The three homes in Louth County were built in only 132 days from the initial site preparation to the handover of the keys, as reported by Global Construction Review, less than the 203 days typically needed using traditional construction methods, according to Cobod. The walls took 12 days to be printed, while the entire structure was built in 18 days, according to the Danish company. Cobod mainly attributes the time saved on construction to 3D-printing the wall system, while some time was saved by the careful planning of all building components allowed before construction by the 3D construction printing method. The homes, whose construction complied with European Union 's masonry standards, are set to be used as social housing and will be rented to people with low income or those who can't afford their own accommodation. What People Are Saying Cobod, as reported by Construction Briefing : "The use of the 3DCP technology meant 35 percent faster construction and completion in just 132 days compared to conventional methods requiring more than 200 days, with the 3D printed superstructure completed in just 12 printing days. Approximately 50 percent of the time savings came directly from 3D printing the wall system." Justin Kinsella, MD and co-founder of HTL.tech : "Co. Louth is at the forefront of innovative technology aimed at offering a solution to Ireland's housing shortage, and having grown up in the region, I am immensely proud. This endeavour highlights Louth County Council's progressive stance towards meeting housing needs and its dedication to promoting sustainable solutions. The transformative potential of this technology is very exciting, offering a viable solution to help address our housing challenges. We're excited to start the Grange Close project and work with our development partners to create real change." What's Next 3D printing technology has already been used to build houses in Europe, some of which are already occupied and have become homes to their residents. Sweden and Germany have built such homes, as builders try to speed up construction time and digitalize the sector. While it's the first time that 3D-printing has been used to build social housing, it's likely that this will become a more common solution for governments struggling to address housing shortages in the future.Eric Watkins of Abstrakt Highlights the Challenges of Building Internal SDR Teams