Transports Lagging Badly Since 2021 – But Does It Matter?
Friday saw a new closing high in the NASDAQ 100 which was unaccompanied by any of the other major indices. That index is below. It really doesn’t see clear skies until it closes above last Thursday’s nasty reversal day. The S&P 500 and Russell 2000, both below, obviously look weaker, but the former can be repaired rather easily. The latter not so much. What I have really wanted to discuss was the Dow Transportation Index which has been super weak […]
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Date: May 28, 2024
Not Even Nvidia Could Prevent The Plunge – Time To Prune
As highly anticipated as Nvidia’s earnings were and the huge reaction, Thursday was an even more consequential day in the stock market. First, as I wrote about on Wednesday, I fully expected Nvidia to blow out earnings and the stock to soar above $1000 in the after hours trading on Wednesday. I don’t think there was any great stretch there or new revelation. The biggest test would be after the open to see what the stock did. For a while […]
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Date: May 24, 2024
Nvidia – Poised To Hit $1000+ After Hours
Given that Nvidia has become THE most important stock on earth, I expect the media to be completely obsessed about it all day as the company reports Q1 earnings after the closing bell today. It is now one of the most over-owned stocks on earth, present company included, with very few detractors except for those based on valuation and price. I have written about pruning the stock a number of times, most recently in March, as it looked like a […]
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Date: May 22, 2024
Avoid These 4 Retirement Planning Mistakes When Funding College
Paying for your child’s (or grandchildren’s) college expenses can significantly strain any family’s finances. With rising tuition fees and escalating living expenses, the financial burden of college education is becoming increasingly challenging to manage. As a high-net-worth individual, the dilemma is balancing the desire to provide a quality education for your family along with having a comfortable retirement. Failing to strike the proper balance can easily lead to higher debt, reduced savings, postponed retirement, or a dramatic reduction in your […]
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Date: May 20, 2024
Low Volatility Is Bullish – Ignore The Lazy
This past Friday was your typical options expiration which used to be a somewhat important affair. Over the years, it has almost become a non-event with all the more frequent options being traded weekly and now daily. A tried and true trend about strength into last Friday and weakness the following week kicks off today. I don’t think it’s anything big to the downside, just maybe a modest pullback. As I thought about that old study I just mentioned, I […]
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Date: May 20, 2024
Dotcom Bubble Again?
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, […]
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Date: May 17, 2024
All-Time Highs Are Here Again – Meme Shorts Get Punched
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 […]
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Date: May 15, 2024
Stocks Overbought
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 […]
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Date: May 13, 2024
Tactical Social Security Planning for High Net-Worth Individuals
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 […]
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Date: May 13, 2024
The Youts! What’s a Yout? – AI & The Utes
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 […]
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Date: May 10, 2024
Do The Homework – Selling In May Is For The Lazy
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, […]
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Date: May 8, 2024
Goldilocks Is In The House – And The Banks Are Loving It
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 […]
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Date: May 6, 2024
Individual Investors Just Don’t Like Feeding The Ducks
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. […]
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Date: May 3, 2024
***Special Fed Update – “Our Progress Has Stalled” – “Oops I Did It Again”***
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 […]
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Date: May 1, 2024
Did Friday’s Big Rally Change Anything?
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 […]
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Date: April 29, 2024
Retirement Strategy: Winning with a Defensive Investment Plan
Market fluctuations can often make you feel like you’re at the mercy of Wall Street, but it doesn’t have to be that way. Unless you have a crystal ball (mine broke 50 years ago), you can’t accurately predict every little market swing (for sure, Wall Street cannot) during periods of market volatility. You should be reminding yourself to focus on “controlling the controllables.” In other words, concentrate on aspects of your wealth you can manage, like making smart, data-driven decisions […]
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Date: April 29, 2024
Was That It?
Stocks staged another wicked reversal on Thursday after opening sharply lower on Facebook’s poor earnings report as well as Q1 GDP coming in much lighter than expected with still sticky inflation. More than whispers of 1970s style stagflation are making the rounds. Recall that stagflation is stubbornly high inflation with essentially no economic growth. It puts the Fed in a box as they can’t cut rates to spur on the economy and it’s tough to hike too much for fear […]
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Date: April 26, 2024
The Bounce Arrived On Schedule – Now What?
The stock market bounced pretty much on schedule and looks higher this morning. I suspect the initial rally may pause in here and some pruning could be in the cards. While it’s not my preferred scenario, I guess it’s possible that stocks bottomed already, but I still think the absolute low lies ahead next month, even if it’s just at marginally lower levels. Some very high profile earnings are coming out this week with Tesla reporting some pretty awful news […]
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Date: April 24, 2024
Weak Indices Masking Some Underlying Strength
Friday was another down day on the ugly side with the S&P 500 down 1% and the NASDAQ 100 was down 2%. However, the Russell 2000 was up and there were 1000 more stocks going up than down on the NYSE. For a change, the generals were weak, but the troops were strong. Keep that tidbit under your hat and don’t toss it aside. The new week starts with all of the major stock market indices oversold on a short-term […]
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Date: April 22, 2024
Two Enemies Of The Stock Market
It has been a heavy week in the stock market, especially in the NASDAQ 100. Every early rally has been met with selling and I have found very few things that are appealing enough to buy. On the flip side, because there hasn’t been any intervening rallies, not many things have looked appealing enough to sell. Below is a culprit, long-term interest rates. I will say this and be crystal clear. The bulls absolutely do not want to see the […]
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Date: April 19, 2024
