Fiscal Transparency and Its Price: Why the U.S. Government’s Spending Practices Should Matter to InvestorsFor decades, the U.S. government has relied heavily on “deficit spending”—spending more than it collects in revenue—and financing that gap through borrowing. Historically, the U.S. Treasury could rely on investors worldwide, including foreign governments like China and Japan, to buy U.S. bonds, knowing they were a safe bet. However, in recent years, the Federal Reserve has taken a more prominent role in purchasing U.S. debt, creating an environment that, to some, resembles a “Ponzi scheme”—borrowing and spendin...
Image Source: PexelsHere is a brief look at the 7 largest companies by market capitalization as of Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024. Additionally, I have included the percentages of their gains on a year-to-date basis. Let’s dive into the numbers. Apple (AAPL) has a market cap of $3.41 trillion, with year-to-date gains of +15.6% Microsoft (MSFT) has a market cap of $3.20 trillion, with year-to-date gains of +14.5% Nvidia (NVDA) has a market cap of $2.94 trillion, with year-to-date gains of +140.5% Alphabet (GOOG) has a market cap of $1.97 trillion, with year-to-date gains of +12.7% Amazon (AMZN) has a market cap of $1.94 tr...
Image Source: PixabayThe markets seemed to be screaming over this past week, especially the bond market. In this video, I take a look at the bond market’s recent price action.00:17:17More By This Author:Best Stocks To Watch This Week – Sunday, March 17 Bank Bull Run? Stocks To Watch This Week – Sunday, Feb. 11...
Image: BigstockThe Q3 earnings season will take the spotlight when the big banks start reporting their quarterly results from Oct. 11 onwards. However, we count the ‘official’ start of the Q3 reporting cycle much earlier, when companies with fiscal quarters ending in August come out with quarterly results.The results in recent days from Oracle (ORCL – Free Report) and Adobe (ADBE – Free Report) fall in this category and, therefore, get counted as part of the overall 2024 Q3 earnings season tally. Of these two, the Oracle report was really impressive, with the company legitimately staking its claim as a notable player in...
Image Source: PixabayIn this brief video, I recap the recent market and economic data for the week. I also provide an update on the dollar and rate paradigm (DARP).00:09:57More By This Author:Weekly Recap And DARP Update – Saturday, Sept. 7 Weekly Recap And DARP Update – Friday, Aug. 30 Nvidia Beats Forecasts And Stock Falls...
Image Source: UnsplashLamar Advertising Co. (LAMR) is one of the largest outdoor advertising Real Estate Investing Trusts (REITs) worldwide, with more than 363,000 displays across 45 US states and Canada. Lamar Advertising offers its customers a broad range of advertising mediums, including billboards, digital billboards, interstate logo, transit systems, and airport advertising formats, advises Martin Fridson, editor of Forbes/Fridson Income Securities Investor.The company’s business risk and competitive position are solid, while country risk is very low. However, financial risk and cash flow leverage remain somewhat aggressive. Incre...
Image Source: PexelsIn this video, I take a closer look at some options over the short-term. I also discuss the recent movements seen in gold and silver.00:17:46More By This Author:Masters In Trading – Saturday, Sept. 7Masters In Trading – Saturday, Aug. 31Masters In Trading – Saturday, Aug. 24...
Image Source: Pexels Key Takeaways The U.S. economy has slowed steadily throughout the year, with GDP growth decreasing from 3% in the first quarter to 2.1% in the third quarter, which aligns with pre-COVID norms. Retail performance varies, with Dollar General showing weakness, while major retailers like Walmart and Costco report stable or increasing sales, signaling resilience in consumer spending. The economic slowdown reflects a normalization after years of volatility, particularly in sectors like rural America, and should not be seen as alarming. The U.S. economy has slowed. But “slowed” requires a bit of context. There is no shortag...
Image source: PixabayWhen reality collides with our expectations as it pertains to swing trading, it can create a lot of frustration, leading to bad trading decisions. In this podcast episode, I talk about how traders have to be willing to change their biases and outlooks as the market changes.00:23:07More By This Author:Starting All OverNvidia Earnings: What To Expect Creating Your Trading Environment...