$TSLA Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) had a rough day Thursday, the Bearish pressure came on the heels of much weaker delivery numbers on its EVs in Q-1 There continue to be concerns about how strong the demand is for the company’s M-3 sedan that has been on the market for less than 2 years. Tesla delivered just […]
$GLD, $USD, $EUR, $GBP, $CNY What we have been seeing over the past few years is that confidence in government is fading and the price of Gold is rising. Some current examples The UK House of Commons voted 413-202 last week to delay Britain’s exit from the EU. Despite resounding defeats, Prime Minister Theresa May […]
FLASH: McKinsey’s annual review reveals an expanding and developing industry; more tools for managed money and investors. Note: Private markets, including PE, debt, infrastructure, real estate, and natural resources. Private markets stayed strong in 2018. True, fundraising was down 11%. But $778-B of new capital flowed in. Investors have a new motivation to allocate to […]
$DIA, $SPY, $QQQ, $RUTX, $VXX FLASH: This Bull Market is about to have its 10th Birthday! US household wealth fell 3.5% into the close of Y 2018 on the back of a Fed engineered stock market correction in Q-4 that threatened to weaken a near 10 year recovery. In its Quarterly Flow of Funds report, the […]
American home-ownership has been on the decline, and Fed researchers point to the high cost of college as 1 of the Key reasons. Just 36% of household heads between 24 and 32 years old owned homes in Y 2014, down from 45% in Y 2005. At the same time, average student debt per capita rose […]
$SPY, $GLD Surprise, after all of the ‘bunk’ you have heard since early October, do not be shocked that there will be no additional Fed rate hikes, a 20% S&P 500 rally and no recession.. Byron Wein defines “surprise” as an event that the average investor would only assign a 33% chance of taking place […]
Handling Holiday Stress Manage Holiday Stress with these Healthy Habits 1.Exercise — A quick high-intensity workout may be the thing to boost your mood and relieve stress. Anandamide is a neurotransmitter and endocannabinoid produced in your brain that temporarily blocks feelings of pain and depression. It’s a derivative of the Sanskrit word “bliss,” and a deficiency is […]
Silver to Gold Ratio Points to Over-sized Profits Coming to Silver $SLV, $GLD, $DIA I last wrote an article on Friday November 9th as the Dow Jones closed with a value of -3.13% in the BEV chart below. Three Friday’s later and the Dow Jones closed today with a value of -4.81%. Not much of a […]
Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) Looking Back Over the Past Year.5 $TSLA In the wake of his recent Axios interview of Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) CEO Elon Musk broadcast a lot of stuff to his listeners and devotees. Much is hyperbole, some is fact. Below are of some things that happened at the fledgling US EV maker over the past year.5, as […]
Dow Jones’ Earnings are at Record Highs Vs the Price of Gold $DIA, $SPY, $QQQ, $GLD, $SLV The DJIA is seeing action, on Wednesday, the day after the mid-term elections it advanced by 2.13% from its prior day’s closing price, it was the 4th day of extreme volatility since early October. Everyone was happy about […]
The Big Q: Is Debt Good or Bad? The Big A: Yes & Yes Debt is future spending driven forward in time. It lets you buy something now for which you do not have the cash “yet”. Whether it is smart or not depends on what one buys. Many people, businesses, and governments borrow because […]
Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) to the Dust-bin of Automotive Wannabees? $TSLA From the outset Elon Musk’s strategy for Tesla has been bootstrapping: Use the money from the Lotus based roadster to develop and build the M-S; use cash from the M-S to develop and build the M-X; use cash from the M-X to develop and build the […]
Do Not Get Distracted By Tesla’s (NASDAQ:TSLA) Q-3 Profitability $TSLA Tesla posted an impressive Q-3 profit Wednesday, and the company’s top-line revenue was more stunning. The money flowing toward Tesla is more important than whether it makes or loses money on a Quarterly basis. As Tesla grows, questions could arise over its monopoly status in the EV sector, and use […]
Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) Key Quarterly Earnings Report Coming $TSLA Selling Vapor Ware and taking deposits on cars that cannot be produced and delivered do not produce earnings. Tesla’s (NASDAQ:TSLA) Mission: “Accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy.” It says soon on its website. My Big Q is: Why? The Big A: 1st Tesla has to prove it […]
Tesla’s (NASDAQ:TSLA) $1-B+ Debt Payments Loom, Wall Street Bankers Ready to Pounce $TSLA The fledgling niche EV maker has over $1-B in debt that will come due between November and March Bankers are coming to Tesla with financing ideas as debt payments loom, but Tesla officials have indicated that the automaker does not feel the pressure to […]
Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) Cannot Deliver Cars Means Tesla Cannot Deliver Profits $TSLA Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) may have emerged from ‘production Hell”as the company met Wall Street expectations producing 80,142 vehicles in Q-3, about 50% more than its prior high set in it’s last Quarter, that according to the company. The latest numbers included 53,239 M-3s, just under the 5,000 or so cars […]
Barrick (ABX) Buying Randgold (GOLD) for $18.3-B Forming Giant Global Gold Miner $ABX, $GOLD Barrick Gold (NYSE:ABX), the world’s largest Bullion producer by value, is about to become even bigger as it has agreed to buy Randgold Resources (LON:RRS, OTCMKT:GOLD) in a $18.3-B share deal, the biggest in the gold sector in the past 3 years. The […]
Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) Need Lots More Cash, What is Going to Happen? $TSLA, $MS Wall Street experts say, “Tesla will need to raise more cash”, it has some notions about how and when that may happen. Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) said that in addition to a capital raise in Y 2018, Elon Musk may also need an outside […]
Ferrari’s (NYSE:RACE) CEO, “We Will Work to Double Profits by 2022” $RACE Ferrari(NYSE:RACE) announced plans to introduce 15 new models on Tuesday, including a range of hybrids and a FUV vehicle, as it aims to 2X its earnings by Y 2022. In the company’s annual Capital Markets Day presentation Tuesday, CEO Louis Camilleri pared Ferrari’s long-term […]
People a Asking: What Does the Future Hold for Elon Musk and Tesla? $TSLA On Tuesday, news broke that the Department of Justice had started a probe into Elon Musk’s 7 August ‘420’ Tweet: “Am considering taking Tesla private at $420. Funding secured.” The news of the DOJ inquiry sent Tesla stock tumbling yet again, […]
People Will Soon Be Asking, Who ‘Killed Tesla’? $TSLA Former General Motors (NYSE:GM) Vice Chairman Bob Lutz says he thinks Tesla“is headed for the graveyard.” He pointed to a handful of Tesla’s problems in a TV interview Tuesday. The totality of the fledgling EV maker’s financial, administrative, manufacturing, and legal problems, Mr. Lutz suggested, mean that Tesla’s (NASDAQ:TSLA) […]
Wall Street’s Red Lights Flashing on Tesla’s (NASDAQ:TSLA) Ability to Pay Debt $TSLA Tesla’s (NASDAQ:TSLA) stock price and CEO, Elon Musk are getting the headlines, but the real story looks to be the steep decline in the value of the EV maker’s bonds. $1.8-B of Tesla bonds due in August 2025 marked a record low Friday. The bonds […]
How Close was Saudi Arabia to Buying Tesla? $TSLA With privatization plans now off the table, we investigate how close Saudi’s electric dream was to becoming a reality In what became one of the most intriguing and beguiling business stories of recent years, Saudi Arabia emerged as a leading player in the complex and now defunct […]
Tesla’s (NASDAQ:TSLA) CEO, Elon Musk Filmed Smoking Marijuana, Stock Dives $TSLA Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA) CEo Elon Musk was filmed smoking marijuana, drinking whiskey and wielding a sword just hours before the automaker said its accounting chief would leave after a 1-month stint, the latest in a string of unusual behavior and executive departures that is […]
Ferrari (NYSE:RACE) Outperforms the Entire Automotive Sector $RACE Ferrari (NYSE:RACE) delivered an ROE of 63.1% over the past 12 months, impressive in the extreme compared to the industry average of 14.0% during the same frame. RACE has made huge profits from little equity capital. Taking a closer look at some factors like financial leverage to […]
President Trump Tweets: ‘Tariffs Are Working, Can Pay Down Debt” US President Donald Trump is using his tariff leverage to work closer to reciprocal trade with producing economies like China, the EU, Mexico and Canada, he declares “tariffs are working big time” and can help pay down the national debt run up by The Hussein […]
Russia Sells US Treasuries, Buys Gold $GLD Russia is buying Gold, and selling its US Treasuries to avoid “political blackmail,” according to a precious metals market analyst. “This is also a kind of political declaration, stating that countries which have too many dollars can become the object of political blackmail,” the expert, Munich-based Dimitri Speck […]
President Trump Drives Debt Sales to Near-Recession Levels as Economy Booms US President Donald Trump is boosting long-term US debt sales to the highest since Y 2010, matching the pace when the country was digging itself out of the worst recession since World War II, even as the economy is booming. To cope with the […]
The Trump Effect at Work: US Household Wealth Tops $100-T $DIA, $SPY, $QQQ, $RUTX US household wealth topped the $100-T mark for the 1st time in Q-1 of Y 2018, the Fed reported late Thursday. The Fed said the net worth of the nation’s households and nonprofits rose to $100.8-R in the 1st frame of the year, […]
Populist Government Takes Power in Italy “Populism is the new organizing principle.” The new government has pledged to pursue a host of populist policies, including reclaiming national sovereignty from the European Union over issues ranging from border protection and immigration to economics and finance. For now, however, it has abandoned previous plans to hold a […]
Socialist EU Cracked, Crumbling from Inside Europe has relied on the US for protection and economic support, and now The Trump Administration has sanctioned the single currency bloc for refusing to level playing field on trade and unfair trade practices Friday, US President Donald Trump imposed tariffs on European steel and aluminum, dismissing Europe’s pleas, […]
Ferrari (NYSE:RACE) a Safer ‘Bet’ than Italian Government Bonds $RACE Italy’s iconic luxury carmaker Ferrari (NYSE:RACE) and Exor, the owners of Juventus football club, are among many Italian companies that can now borrow money more cheaply than Rome’s crisis-hit government. Italian sovereign bond yields rose this week to some of their highest marks in years […]
US Dollar Losing Global Status as Debt Soars $USD The USD is quickly losing its appeal to global investors as American debt skyrockets to stratospheric levels warns Jim Rogers. USD, the world’s reserve currency, will lose the status of main reserve currency much sooner than Y 2030, international investor Rogers said at the St. Petersburg […]
American Consumers are Borrowing More Americans increased their borrowing by $11.6-B in March as a big increase in the category that covers auto and student loans offset the largest monthly drop in credit card borrowing in more than five years. The Federal Reserve says the March increase in total debt was below the $13.6-B increase in February […]
Ferrari (NYSE:RACE) Beats ‘The Street’, Stock Roars $RACE Ferrari (NYSE:RACE), the iconic Italian manufacturer of high performance cars reported above-consensus Q-1 earnings of 0.96/share on revenue of nearly $1-B, which increased 1.2% Y-Y. Vehicle shipments totaled 2,128 during Q-1, +6.2% Y-Y. Shipment growth was driven by sales of V12 models while sales of V8 models […]
Fed Policymakers Say “Not to worry” No Recession Ahead As the gap between Short and Long-term borrowing costs hovers near its lowest in 10+years, speculation has risen over whether the yield curve is signaling that a recession is around the corner. Not to worry, 2 Federal Reserve policymakers said Friday Growth prospects look strong, which […]
President Trump’s Tax Cuts Seen Halting a 3-Month Retail Sales Slump $SPY For sure President Trump’s tax cuts have given a boost to Americans’ take-home pay this year. The Big Q: Will the US consumer putting the extra cash toward savings and debt, or using it to go shopping? The Big A: We here a […]
Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) Under Heavy Pressure to Produce, Cannot $TSLA Shares of Tesla Inc. fell again Monday ahead of the electric car maker’s announcement of Quarterly production numbers for its crucial Model 3 sedan. Shares in Elon Musk’s $50-B venture have been reeling from 3X probes into a fatal crash in California, concerns about Model 3 production […]
Student Debt Holds Back First-Time Homebuyers US student loan debt has become a significant barrier to home ownership in the United States, as borrowers imperil their finances simply trying to get through college or professional school. About 45-M Americans have student debt, and the average borrower owes more than $30,000, according to the data. More […]
People are asking: “Has this market topped.” $DIA, $GLD, $SLV Since February 8th when the Dow Jones broke below its -10% BEV line in the chart below, it’s been building a pennant formation. I don’t know how significant it will be when the BEV plot breaks above or below the pennant, as technical analysis in today’s […]
US Household Household Wealth is “at pretty dizzying levels right now” $DIA, $SPY, $JPM Americans’ wealth rose more than $2-T in Q-4 of last year, pushing further into record territory, thanks to The Trump Bull Market and rising property prices, data from the Fed showed Thursday. According to the Quarterly Fed report, household net worth, […]
Millennial’s Spending Hobbled by Student Debt Millennial’s spending habits have been driving business leaders crazy, but not because the youngest generation in the workforce is irresponsible with their cash. On the contrary, millennials are turning out to be the most frugal demographic since the so-called Greatest Generation that came of age during the depression. That […]
The US and World Stock Markets are Functioning Normally $DIA, $SPY, $QQQ The technical selloffs in US and World stock markets, is not related to market fundamentals. World stock markets fell for a 4th day running on investor concerns about the prospect of higher interest rates and stretched equity valuations. US stocks marked about a […]
President Trump Has a Strong Position on the US Immigration Crisis President Trump Did Not Make Off Color Remarks Friday, US Senator David Perdue (R-GA) said that he honestly did not remember the reported words “s***hole countries” that an aggressive Dem Senator claimed were used by President Donald Trump to describe problem countries in a […]
Student Loans Hobble American Millennials Half the Millennials shouldering student loan debt are so desperate to shed the load they would give up voting in the next two presidential cycles to even the balance sheet, a survey showed. In the Credible survey, however, only 13% would give up texting for a year to be debt-free. Here are the […]
Ferrari (NYSE:RACE) Delivers for Investors and Clienti $RACE “La migliore Ferrari mai realizzata è la prossima”– Enzo Ferrari* Ferrari (NYSE:RACE) delivered an *ROE (return on equity) of 115.78% over the past 12 months, which is an impressive given the industry average of 16.45% during the same frame. The impressive ratio tells us that Ferrari has […]
China to Open Up Financial Markets with Tougher Regulations China’s central bank (PBOC) Governor Zhou Xiaochuan, 69 anni, says that the country’s financial system is becoming significantly more vulnerable due to high leverage. Zhou who has made some stern warnings recently about debt levels in the world’s 2nd-largest, soon to be the world largest economy. […]
Gold Under the Right Conditions to See 1900 oz+ $GLD The Federal has stated that it would begin winding down its holdings of US Treasury debt and mortgage-backed securities (MBS) in October. The process is somewhat convoluted, with the Fed planning to allow up to $6-B of Treasury debt and $4-B in MBS to mature every month. […]
President Trump Will Get NKorean ‘Rocket Man’ to Stand Down The Trump Administration faces a “dilemma” with NKorea, but “they will work their way out of it by … getting “Rocket Man” to stand down,” former Trump domestic policy adviser Ken Blackwell said on TV Friday. “But I am sure it is a tough dilemma,” […]
Many Insolent College Grads Do Not Want to Work America has a real problem, in that there are lots college students that do not want to work, but do want to go to the best colleges money can buy and parents are encouraging them. The Big Q: What happened to the day students went to […]
We Can Now Expect Bi-partisan Efforts to Continue President Donald Trump is likely to continue to reach for bi-partisan compromise on legislation, something he promised during the Y 2016 Presidential campaign and that the American people expect, the White House said Friday. “I certainly think that the goal is to have bipartisan efforts and certainly […]
Pressure is on Congress as Lawmakers Return to DC Harvey has put heavy pressure on the lackluster US Congress as lawmakers get ready to return to Washington on Tuesday after a 5-week Summer recess. A big workload awaits them, including funding the government by month’s end and increasing the federal borrowing limit, and ever ending […]
Almost 80% of Americans Live Paycheck to Paycheck Nearly 80% of Americans are living paycheck to paycheck, according to a survey released Thursday by CareerBuilder. The results are as follows: 78% live paycheck to paycheck, up from 75% last year. 81% of women live paycheck to paycheck Vs. 75% men. 9% of workers making $100,000 or more […]
There is No Chance the US Debt Limit will Not be Raised $DIA, $SPY, $QQQ, $VXX US Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said there is “Zero chance” Congress will allow the country to default on its debt by voting to not increase the borrowing limit. Senator McConnell’s comments came Monday during a joint appearance in […]
President Trump to Sen. McConnell, “Here is my list, get to work” President Donald Trump to do list for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) to get back in his good graces, as follows: Replace Obamacare Overhaul the US tax code and Find a way to pay for big infrastructure improvements. President Trump’s directives for […]
Expect DJIA to Trade Above 22,000 in the Coming Weeks, or Days $DIA, $GLD, $SLV Not unexpected, the Dow Jones made new all-time highs on the last 3 trading days last week. And finished Wednesday +66.02 at 21640.75 for another. The number of BEV Zeros the Dow has made since the November election increases weekly. Since […]
Electrical Power Consumption, Economic Growth and Global Warming $DIA, $GLD, $SLV The DJIA had not seen a new all-time high since June 19 until this week, when it closed at record highs 2 days running. But as the Dow Jones’ BEV chart below shows, last week it closed just 0.53% away from a new all-time […]
The Solid Reasons for Gold in an Investment Portfolio $GLD, $SLV, $ABX, $EXCFF, $SLW, $SPY Gold got crushed in The Trump Election rally post election, but a little over 5 months into Y 2017, the yellow metal is up 10.5%—making it one of the best-performing assets of the year so far. While the outlook for the […]
US Stock Market Update + Gold & Silver $DIA, $GLD, $SLV, $OIL As expected, the DJIA saw 2 new all-time highs last week on Thursday and Friday. The Big Q: How much higher can the stock market go? The Big A: On a point basis I really don’t know, could be enough to surprise me. […]
Watch as China Moves in on the Trump Weakened European Union Chinese Premier Li Keqiang’s upcoming visit to Germany and Belgium will enhance diplomatic relations with the 2 countries, and further benefit Europe. Li’s visit is among the increased high-level exchanges between China and Europe in recent years as the 2 sides are cementing ever-closer […]
Soft US Inflation May Warrant Interest Rate “Rethink” $DIA, $SPY, $QQQ, $VXX Tuesday, Fed Governor Lael Brainard said soft US inflation may cause her to reassess the path forward for monetary policy should it linger, even as the global economic outlook brightens and US growth looks poised to rebound. “If the soft inflation data persist, […]
Chances of Rate Hike Falls as Fed Cuts Debt Fed officials have indicated they will begin to reduce the central bank’s $4.5-T of Treasury and mortgage debt. The debt was bought from banks for several years after the Y 2008 financial crisis as a way of pushing down interest rates to help the economy recover. […]
Ferrari (NYSE:RACE) Beats, Profits Up Sharply, Stock Spikes $RACE Thursday, Ferrari (NYSE:RACE), the iconic Italian maker of Supersports and racing cars, reported a 60% increase in Q-1 net profit (22% operating profit margin) on strong sales of some of its highest-powered and highest-priced models. Ferrari’s revenue and profit both beat all analyst expectations, and shares […]
Max Keiser and Stacy Herbert: The Fed and the Future Max and Stacy discuss the Fed’s balance sheet and whether or . . . NOT . . . it’s ready to save us all from the next recession. Max continues his interview with Dan Collins of TheChinaMoneyReport.com about China’s booming tech sector. They also discuss […]
Fed Minutes: FOMC Eyes Change to Debt Holdings Policy Ahead $DIA, $SPY, $QQQ, $VXX Most FOMC policymakers think the Fed should take steps to begin trimming its $4.5-T balance sheet later this year as long as the economic data holds up, minutes from their March meeting revealed. Uncertainty is substantial, the Fed said, comment on […]
Rising Student Debt Hurts Housing and Consumer Spending Rising student loan debt looks to harm the overall US economy, especially home ownership and consumer spending, a top Federal Reserve official said Monday. The rising debt also might erode colleges’ and universities’ ability to elevate lower-income students. New York Fed President William Dudley cited research from […]
Lawsuit Alleges Obama Administration Inflated Student Loans Conservative watchdog group Judicial Watch filed a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Education for records of the Obama Admin’s reported “coding error” which caused inflated College Scorecard repayment rates. “The Obama administration’s Obamacare legislation also included provisions that resulted in the federal takeover […]
Economic Electrical Power (EP) Consumption… US Historical Review: 1929-2017 $DIA, $SPY, $GLD, $SLV Last Friday promised some excitement for this week; what with the much anticipated interest rate increase by the FOMC and the Federal Government hitting its debt ceiling on Wednesday the 15th. Friday evening, it was all much to do about nothing, with […]
US to Keep Aaa-Rating After Debt Ceiling Hike or Cap $MCO Moody’s Investors Services (NYSE:MCO) said Monday the US will retain the rating agency’s top-notch debt rating as long as it meets its interest payments even if the government’s borrowing cap is reinstated Thursday. In November 2015, federal lawmakers suspended the federal debt ceiling, which […]
US Student Loan Debt, the Price to Parents According to US student loan debt statistics, Americans owe a staggering $1.3-T in student-loan debt, and the average Y 2016 graduate owes $37,172. It goes without saying that the burden of debt can be stressful and worrisome. Unfortunately, the headache of paying back a student loan can […]
US Student Loan Debt Reaches $1.31-T Student loan debt in the United States stands at $1.31-T, far more than Americans’ total outstanding credit card balance of $779-B. The Federal Reserve Bank of New York calculated the numbers and released a report that includes debt data through the end of 2016. Other Key figures in the […]
US Household Debt Near Record on Student Loans US household debt hit near an all-time high in Q-4, reaching $12.58-T, as credit was more readily available for mortgage, auto and student loans, a Federal Reserve Bank of New York survey showed Thursday. Total debt was up $460-B from a year ago and is now just […]
US Consumers Spending Less, Much Less $DIA, $SPY, $QQQ, $VXX American consumer credit rose much less than forecast in December, for the smallest annual increase in household borrowing since Y 2013. The $14.2-B advance last month followed a revised $25.2-B jump in the prior month, the Fed numbers showed Tuesday. For all of Y 2016, […]
LTN Favorite Ferrari (NYSE:RACE) Above Key Resistance Turned Support $RACE Ferrari (NYSE:RACE) with a market cap near 12-B has been on the stock market since its IPO date on the 21 October 2015. Ferrari is in the Auto Manufacturers – Major industry and Consumer Goods sector and trade as a Luxury brand. Average volume for Ferrari […]
Trump Team, National Debt Needs Attention Fast US Pesident Donald Trump’s pick for budget director Mick Mulvaney said the nearly $20-T national debt is the equivalent of an ordinary American family owing more than a $250,000 on their credit cards, a problem that needs to be “addressed sooner rather than later,” aka FAST. “Families know […]
A Look at the US National Debt $DIA, $GLD, $SLV The Dow Jones is currently at historic levels, but will history record that it broke above 20,000 sometime in 2017? It certainly should. Note: that stack next to the Statue of Liberty in the picture above is $100 bills. The table below gives the Dow Jones’ […]
Millennials’ Worth 50% Less Then Boomers’ During Same Life Stage Despite being better educated, Millennials, on average, make 20% less than their parents did during the same life stage. Fully 63% of Millennials have more than $10,000 in Student Debt, they will be paying if for many years to come. A new study released today […]
The Margin Account Explained: Opportunity, Risk/Reward The Margin Account is a type of brokerage account that allows its holder to buy stock on margin by borrowing money through the broker. There is an application process that has to be approved by the broker to ensure the applicant is eligible for a margin account. Generally, for […]
Greece’s Debt Crises Looms Large Again Recall, that before the Italian banking crisis and referendum, before Brexit, there was Greece’s debt crisis, the 1st crack in the EU socialist armor, it has not been fixed. If you wish to know why anti-EU sentiment and nationalism have developed in many of these countries you do not […]
Barack Hussein Obama Ankles the Oval Office, Legacy Shredded Recall that in his Y 2016 State of the Union address, US President Barack Hussein Obama summarized his achievements in office After his boastful address, the White House touting Mr. Obama’s accomplishments in a press release Very soon he and his family will be moved out […]
The Outlook for American Businesses is Grim $DIA, $SPY, $QQQ, $VXX The Big Q: Are investors in denial about grim outlook for American businesses? That’s the question Société Générale’s Andrew Lapthorne, global head of quantitative strategy, posed to his bank’s clients in a note Friday. “Asset valuations are extreme; returns are poor, the probability of […]
US Budget Deficit Rises for 1st Time in 7 Years, More Borrowing Needed The US budget deficit as a share of the economy widened for the 1st time in 7 years, marking a turning point in the nation’s fiscal outlook as an aging population boosts government spending and debt. Spending exceeded revenue by $587.4-B in […]
Debt Crushing US Businesses, Bankruptcies Soar $DIA, $SPY, $QQQ, $VXX Bankruptcy filings by US businesses soared 38% in September from a year earlier in an ominous sign of a weakening economy. Last month’s bankruptcies reached 3,072 to bring the YTD total to 28,789 and marked the 11th month running of increases from Y 2015, according […]
A $7-T Event in the World’s Financial Markets Is Looming $GS, $DB, $JPM If the London Interbank Borrowing Rate aka LIBOR was a musical artist, or an actor, or a sports team, we will be calling Y 2016 its comeback year. Not since the financial crisis of Y 2008 has Libor, to which almost $7-T […]
The Eurasian Century Is Now Unstoppable I recently returned from a fascinating 2 week speaking tour in China. The occasion was the international premier of my newest book, One Belt, One Road–China and the New Eurasian Century. In the course of my visit I was invited by China’s Northwest University in Xi’an to give […]
QE to Infinity: Central Banking’s Manifest Destiny $GLD, $SLV, $GDX I’m not surprised; the week following my article illustrating why I believed the gold and silver miners are “historic buys at today’s prices”; gold, silver and their miners get whacked to their lows of the current, so far 8th week correction. But last week I also […]
Obama’s Description of His Legacy is Excessively Charitable to Himself US President Barack Hussein Obama recently celebrated the 7th anni of the passage of the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act, or as most Americans likely remember it, the $830-M stimulus package. The benefits of the stimulus are up for debate, but Mr. Obama is absolutely […]
Huge Risk Facing the Global Economy Global economy continued to face uncertainty and rising risks, Lou Jiwei, China’s Finance Minister, said on behalf of the G20 economies Friday. Uncertainty and risks, including elections in major economies, uncertain fallout of Brexit, rising expectation for rate hikes by the Federal Reserve, increased geopolitical risks and terrorist attacks, […]
Public and Private Debt at All Time Highs $DIA, $SPY, $QQQ, $VXX Worldwide public and private debt is at an all-time high, that is a substantial impediment to getting global economic growth back to normal, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The easy money policies of the world’s top central banks has fueled the […]
China, the World’s Economic Driver and Polluter Here is something to get your head around. These figures may be a little high given the slowdown in world economy. But, this moves the Chinese from Stratospheric to Upper Atmosphere. China has 19% of the world’s population, but it consumes: 53% of the world’s Cement 48% of […]
US Economy Too Fragile for Fed to Raise Interest Rates $DIA, $SPY, $QQQ, $VXX The US economic environment is too fragile for the US Fed to raise interest rates at its 21-23 September meeting. “The risks are so much more on the downside,” Raymond Dalio, Chairman and co-CIO of $150-B Bridgewater Associates, said Tuesday at […]
The US Has “Tremendous Power”over China Donald Trump says the United States has “tremendous power” over China because the world’s 2nd-largest economy depends on American prosperity and because of Beijing’s ownership of a staggering amount of US debt. “They suck the blood out of us and we owe them money,” Donald Trump said Monday. “We […]
Greek PM, “Economy recovering” Calling Investors to Seize Opportunities Saturday, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras urged investors to invest in his country which is recovering and moving to the period of growth. He made the remarks when presenting his government’s roadmap to the post-crisis future during a keynote speech at the opening of the 81st […]
US Fed Rigged the Markets, Violated Mandate, Hurting Investors $DIA, $SPY, $QQQ, $VXX The US Fed Should consider whether the policies they pursue might be harmful to its mandated goals. One can argue that for an economy to reach its optimal long term potential, much of it lies in the realm of fiscal policy. The […]
Formula 1 Sold To John Malone’s Liberty Media for $8-B $LMCA, $LMCK Having run Formula 1 with an Iron Hand for 40 years expected Bernie Ecclestone to exit iconic, profitable Tier 1 motorsports event he created single-handed, and even on its sale for about $8.5-B he will stay in his seat of power and influence. […]
Huge National Debt “Blunts” Prospect for US Economic Growth $DIA, $SPY, $QQQ, $VXX “Be warned, The steady stream of federal red ink is getting to be a deeper shade of Red.”– Barron’s As increases in annual US budget gap add to national debt, blunt prospects for economic growth, and bode badly for America’s financial future. […]
Investors A Recession Away from Total Destruction $FB, $SQ, $MSFT, $ABX TheBig Q’s: Would you like to: Make a bit of money most of the time, with a small chance of losing a lot? Lose a bit of money most of the time, with a small chance of making a lot? The Big A: Most […]
Central Bankers Finding That “Old Tools” Not Working Central bankers are learning that their “old tools” no longer help the economy and might even make it worse. The Big Q: With the tool box empty, what is next? US Fed Chairwoman Janet Yellen, speaking last week at the bank’s conference in Jackson Hole, WY, said […]
Yellen Will Not Fail To Deliver Support to Financial Markets $DIA, $SPY, $QQQ, $VXX Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) predicts the US Fed will forgo raising interest rates in September and in December, and Janet Yellen, and the other Fed policy makers said nothing in Jackson Hole, WY, to change the firm’s outlook. US Treasuries pared a […]
Globalization is being “Trumped” by Nationalism $DIA, $SPY, $.DXY Globalization has been a fact almost from the dawn of history, several decades ago it emerged in its current expanded “household” form. The Big Q: How long will it continue in its current form? A report from the Credit Suisse Research Institute (CSRI) in Y 2015 […]