On Wednesday I wrote about the meme stocks being back in Vogue with epic volume. I know. I know. Why should we care about a few stocks that trade like Dotcom stocks from yesteryear? In a vacuum it doesn’t really matter. However, we don’t live nor invest in a vacuum. Meme stocks like Gamestop, AMC and Blackberry are indicators of overall market sentiment. All three companies have poor fundamentals which is why many professional investors have positioned against those stocks, […]
Read More
It seems like a lot has happened this week and it’s only Wednesday morning. On Tuesday and Wednesday we got inflation reports from the producers as well as the consumers. One was warmer than expected while the other was a touch cooler. Still, although April looked a tiny bit better, year over year inflation remained well above 3% and nowhere near the Fed’s 2% target. Recall that I have been saying that 3% is the new 2% and until we […]
Read More
I hope everyone had a nice Mother’s Day. With the kids home, my mom back from the Sunshine State and my in-laws just down the street, it was great to have everyone over and also celebrate my brother’s double nickel (55) birthday a few days early. I had my first hands on experience with AI as I listed a brand new Taylor Made driver for sale on eBay. After I entered all the specs, it asked me if I wanted […]
Read More
As you approach retirement, understanding the impact of Social Security becomes a significant piece of an already complex puzzle known as retirement planning. For affluent individuals, the challenge isn’t just about choosing when to start benefits but also knowing how those choices impact your taxes and retirement income. You might be wondering: When is the best time to claim benefits? How will this affect my taxable income? Should my spouse and I coordinate our claims? Are there tactical planning tips […]
Read More
The bulls have had quite a run, haven’t they? My thesis for a Q1 peak came to fruition. My thesis for a Q2 low came to fruition. I think my thesis for all-time highs in Q3 will come to fruition, but that may be happily earlier than I expected as the Dow Industrials, S&P 500 and NASDAQ 100 are just one big day away. Longtime readers know I hate to follow the masses as they are usually but not always […]
Read More
Before May gets away from us I wanted to comment on the media’s obsession with the “Sell in May and Go Away” calendar investing advice that makes its round annually. First, like many of these, they were data mined and really only worked until they were discovered and published. Second, selling in May works sometimes, in some years. Other times, June is a better month. In election years with the incumbent running, it doesn’t work at all. Overall since 1950, […]
Read More
Boy is it great to be home! Three trips piled into one long 8 days on the road. Nothing better than walking off the plane at midnight and being greeted by this sign in Hartford. A new week begins after last week ended with a bang. If Apple’s earnings and epic share buyback weren’t enough, the jobs report on Friday gave a Goldilocks gift of not too hot and not too cold. 175,000 new jobs were created versus the 240,000 […]
Read More
What a crazy volatile Fed afternoon on Wednesday. Massive rally and then huge decline as you can see below. My comment about buying weakness and selling strength was valid. On Thursday, markets were strongly higher and I heard pundits crying about today’s employment report being leaked. Those conspiracy theorists never cease to amaze me. When the president and Fed chair get caught off guard by an economic report two days hence, you know that any talk about leaks is nonsense. […]
Read More
This will be a quick Fed update as I am traveling and lost two hours this morning when my Uber ended up at a mobile home park rather than at the airport. The stock market model for the day is plus or minus 0.50% and then a volatile rally after 2pm. Given the weakness this week, the model is reinforced and has a stronger likelihood of success. It is also the first day of the month coming on the heels […]
Read More
What a nice day for the bulls on Friday. In the morning blog, I discussed the possibility of the Q2 bottom being in versus just a better bounce and then final low in May. Regardless of the scenario, the plan was to position for higher prices and then manage risk. It didn’t take the S&P 500 nor NASDAQ 100 long to exceed last week’s peak. It happened faster than I thought. While it’s not clear sailing from here, there should […]
Read More