M1 Blog

Introducing News Snapshot

M1 Team
M1 Team October 14, 2025

Looking for news that actually matters to your long-term vision? News Snapshot has you covered. It’s M1’s latest update to the research tab, designed to filter out short-term noise and surface stories that matter to your long-term investing strategy. 

How does News Snapshot work? 

News Snapshot identifies the top holdings in your portfolio and searches reliable, credible news sources for updates that matter. You’ll see updates about market news that has a long-term impact on your portfolio.

Each Friday, you’ll get an update surfacing the most important news from the past week. It summarizes key highlights of major news events, grouping together articles from various sources. You can go straight to the sources cited and dig deeper if you please.  

Best of all, the stories are filtered to avoid the noise and tune in to the larger, long-term impact of each story. Here’s how: 

Relevance check: your long-term filter 

Below each story, you’ll see a lightbulb icon. This is the AI-powered “relevance check” from M1.

Most news includes a lot of noise to sort through. We wanted to change that. Our algorithm filters out short-term events that can lead to emotional, reactionary trading. That way, you focus on the updates that relevant to our long-term strategy. It’s our solution to doom-scrolling.  

Here’s a look at the criteria we use to determine long-term relevance:  

  • Time horizon: Will this matter multiple years or decades from now?  
  • Industry structure changes: Does this reshape business models (e.g., how money is made, how goods/services are distributed), competitive dynamics, customer behavior or markets?  
  • Regulatory and technological change: Could this technology or policy change matter multiple years or decades from now?  
  • Financial impact: Are long‑run cash flows, margins, or capital allocation meaningfully affected?  
  • Strategic impact: Could this change a company’s competitive advantage through strategy, partnerships, or new markets? 

If the news is reactionary and short-sighted, we leave it out. That way, you don’t waste your time separating the signals from the noise.  

Top holdings 

You’ll notice a list of your “top holdings” listed in your News Snapshot. These are the securities you’re most invested in across all your M1 accounts, and it informs what news stories will surface in the “portfolio focus” section.

This list is used to personalize news events automatically. As your portfolio changes, your News Snapshot will update as well. However, if your account is primarily ETFs, cash, or crypto, you may see fewer stories in “portfolio focus” and more in “macro lens.”

Let’s dig deeper into those two sections and what they mean.  


Portfolio focus  

The first section you’ll see is “portfolio focus”—this is personalized to you, based on your top holdings on M1. Here, you can explore the market news of securities in your portfolio, including material developments, shifting industry dynamics, and regulatory changes that could impact the long-term value of the individual stocks in your top holdings.

Note: This section is curated based on stocks in your top holdings. If you only hold ETFs, you won’t see this section.

Macro Lens 

The “Macro Lens” zooms out, showing news that has a broader market impact. These stories aren’t necessarily related to your individual holdings, but they have a significant macroeconomic impact that could be relevant to most investors. Some examples include:

  • Major regulatory frameworks or policy shifts with lasting effects  
  • Structural industry changes (e.g., media consumption shifting to streaming)  
  • Large strategic acquisitions, partnerships, or market entrants  
  • Technological breakthroughs with commercialization potential  
  • CEO change at a multinational company 

New Snapshot Sources  

Below each news event, you’ll see a number— tap this to see sources and get more details. You’ll see the trusted publications we use to find news items and you can click through to read any article in full.

Try News Snapshot on web and mobile in the M1. Try it now >


M1 is a technology company offering a range of financial products and services. “M1” refers to M1 Holdings Inc., and its wholly-owned, separate affiliates M1 Finance LLC, M1 Spend LLC, and M1 Digital LLC. 

All investing involves risk, including the risk of losing the money you invest. Past performance does not guarantee future performance. Nothing in this informational site is an offer, solicitation of an offer, or advice to buy or sell any security and you are encouraged to consult your personal investment, legal, or tax advisors. 

Brokerage products and services are not FDIC insured, no bank guarantee, and may lose value. Brokerage products and services are offered by M1 Finance LLC, an SEC registered broker-dealer, Member FINRA / SIPC. 


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