Written by StockNews.com Apple Inc. (Nasdaq: AAPL) is currently the world’s largest publicly traded firm, with an approximate market cap of $728 billion but a Saudi oil behemoth is set to IPO soon, and its valuation could actually be double that of Apple’s. Some time in 2018, Saudi Aramco will hit the public markets for the very first time, and its market cap will likely dwarf that of any other company in history. From the New York Post: Oil giant Saudi Aramco is expected to have a market capitalization of $1 trillion to $1.5 trillion when it sells shares to the public next year, a survey of fund managers and institutional investors by r...
CoreLogic’s Home Price Index (HPI) shows that home prices in the USA are up 6.9 % year-over-year year-over-year (reported up 0.7 % month-over-month). Last month’s 7.2 % year-over-year gain was revised downward to 6.3 %. CoreLogic HPI is used in the Federal Reserves’ Flow of Funds to calculate the values of residential real estate. Analyst Opinion of CoreLogic’s HPI CoreLogic has been revising their data significantly downward in the following month – I would not take the 6.9 % to the bank. However, I would be comfortable suggesting that next month we will discover that the 6.9 % was really 6.3 % (similar to what ...
Investors looking to gold again but gold buyers need to exert caution ‘Wolves of Wall Street’ ready to hungrily gobble up life savings of unsuspecting ‘widows and orphans’ Like all markets are few bad apples in gold market Need to do due diligence on company buying from Avoid companies marketing gold plated coins as “pure gold” coins Collectible coins do not capture the value of gold and are not safe havens Not liquid and pricing similar to art market Own gold bullion coins as insurance, to reduce counter party risk and to preserve wealth Last year gold demand reached a three-year high and the gold price finished up 8% in do...
Perhaps it is the last hurrah of the Trump post-election euphoriabut according to Gallup there were two notable development in February. First, Americans’ daily self-reports of spending climbed to an average of $101 in February. This, Gallup reports, was the highest average for the month of February since 2008, when spending averaged $106. The latest monthly average is up $13 from January’s figure, but still lower than December’s holiday-influenced $105. Gallup notes that this is the seventh daily spending average of $100 or more that Gallup has recorded for any month over nine years of tracking Americans’ spending re...
The issue of excess has been on my mind lately, mostly focused on my fragrance collection but now expanding to the topic of investment risk management. More specifically, as I continue to lead workshops about retirement plan risk management for the Professional Risk Managers’ International Association (“PRMIA”), I am pondering whether too much of a so-called “good thing” makes sense. By way of background, friends and family know I am a perfume aficionado. Yes, the ubiquitous “free” gift with purchase is a plus but I do truly enjoy trying new scents. I’m not alone. According to a February 23...
Last week on my podcast, I had the opportunity to interview Vinay Nair, a Wharton professor and co-founder of the firm 55 Capital Partners. Nair’s research sits at the intersection of macroeconomic and corporate fundamental factors and how they tie into capital market prices. Tying his academic research—investing science—in with investment solutions and that work has led him to found 55 Capital. The genesis of 55 Capital included some of the original founders of the exchange-traded fund (ETF) industry. Lee Kranefuss, who was the original iShares leader when it was part of Barclays Global Investors, linked up with Nair to solve a cen...
Healthcare was the top-performing sector of February and is in the spotlight given President Donald Trump’s healthcare overhaul efforts. Trump promised to reduce federal regulations by 75–80% and streamline the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) approval process. This will make it easier for biotech and pharma companies to introduce products to the market. The major reform will likely repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare that has been grabbing eyeballs of investors since the election. This is because Trump has prioritized healthcare reform over tax reform. Finally, House Republicans have released the long-...
A week ago I talked about the “need to bleed” for gold stocks. Since then, it could be said that the blood has flowed with gusto. Until the March 15 FOMC meeting is out of the way, gold and associated investments will be vulnerable against the dollar. As Chinese new year celebrations waned in February, GDX began trading in a modest broadening formation. Broadening formations tend to be resolved in a somewhat violent manner. In this case, the breakdown from that formation created a droopy right shoulder of an inverse head and shoulders bottom pattern. The shoulder is droopy because there is considerable market concern about the upcoming ...
The BIS in its quarterly review published yesterday included a reference to the eurodollar market (thanks to M. Daya for pointing it out). The central bank to central banks, as the outfit is often called, is one of the few official institutions that have taken a more objective position with regard to the global money system. Of the very few who can identify eurodollars, or have even heard of them, the BIS while not fully on board is at least open to the possibility that perhaps maybe their constituent central bankers don’t know what they are talking about. So it was with some surprise to find that the piece was quite positive overall. It ...
Miners are bouncing a bit today, but it’s unclear if prices bottomed. Volatility is high. I’d wait for signs of a bottom before attempting short-term long positions. -GDX- I’m seeing some buying coming into miners this morning. I’m not sure if it will continue, but a daily close above $22.12 (yesterday’s high) would make a bullish engulfing candle and produce a short-term buy signal. Miners are volatile, so I’d wait to see if prices close above yesterday’s highs before attempting longs. -GDXJ- Juniors need a close above $35.11 to suggest an interim low and short-term buying opportunity. Once an interim low is confirmed, we will ...