Energy Market Dislocation Impacting The Economy
We now see more evidence of the energy market dislocation impacting the economy. Here is the job cuts report from Challenger, Gray & Christmas showing a pickup in layoffs. Source: Challenger, Gray & Christmas Of course it’s not just the energy sector that is being hit. As discussed before the impact on other areas […]
Up Periscope: I See The Future Of Video
The fight over people using Periscope to watch Mayweather/Pacquiao was more interesting than the actual fight. Just for fun, I duked it out with Richard Quest on CNN. But this particular storyline misses the point. We’re about 10 minutes away from a paradigm shift in over-the-top (OTT) video that is so all-encompassing, it will change the way we […]
Weekly Wrap-Up + Market Forecast + Sector Watch: SPX, Nasdaq – May 11, 2015
We came into last week sitting on mostly cash, expecting a pullback. On Tuesday and Wednesday, we got that pullback. But, buyers came in on Thursday, and Friday saw a strong rally after an encouraging jobs report! Except for a couple of trades, we had a very nice week. TSLA and YELP calls gave us […]
China’s Falling Interest Rates
Expectations are building up that China’s central bank will soon announce more easing actions. But it’s not what the PBoC is saying that matters to the economy as much as what’s actually going on in the short-term rates markets. And short-term rates continue to fall. This is a form of easing without the central […]
Chart Of The Day: Record Stock Buybacks Hit Escape Velocity
As regular readers are no doubt aware, the persistent bid under the US equity market during Q1 came courtesy of price insensitive corporate managment teams who, in a rush to take advantage of rock-bottom borrowing costs just in case the Fed decides to go crazy and actually raise rates later this year, have issued a record amount of […]
Buy The Dip! 5 REITs On Sale Right Now
Ever since the January high, REITs have been slowly shedding value, and some great bargains have appeared as of late. Take advantage, as now is the best time to buy shares in these five high-quality REITs that are still boosting their dividends every year. Equity (those that own real property) REITs were one of the […]
The Average Age Of A Minimum Wage Worker In America Is 36
Did you know that 89 percent of all minimum wage workers in the United States are not teens? At this point, the average age of a minimum wage worker in this country is 36, and 56 percent of them are women. Millions upon millions of Americans are working as hard as they can (often that […]
2 Safe Blue Chip Growth Stocks For Every Portfolio
Uncertainty in the markets is the common denominator so far in 2015. Uncertainty about oil, uncertainty about interest rates, and uncertainty about growth all contribute to the extreme volatility the market is experiencing. But, there is one certainty. Investing in these two undervalued blue chip stocks that are free cash flow machines is a must for every […]
Currency War Collateral Damage: China Stops Growing, Starts Easing
When a country pegs its currency to a bigger one like the US dollar, it in effect outsources its monetary policy to the operator of that other currency. This confers several benefits, including the enforced discipline of the other, presumably more rigorous monetary regime and the simplicity of letting someone else stress over controversial policies […]
