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  • Finance 0

    Audio From Today’s Straight Talk Money

    I joined Peggy Tuck this morning on Straight Talk Money to chat about, among other things, the price of crude oil, China’s potential hard landing, and negative interest rates coming down the pipeline from the Fed: http://charlessizemore.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/StraightTalk160201p1.mp3 Has crude oil finally bottomed? T. Boone Pickens seems to think so. Peggy and I discuss: http://charlessizemore.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/StraightTalk160201p2.mp3 And finally, we take a look at the zika virus and look for ways to play it as an investor. http://charlessizemore.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/StraightTalk160201P3.mp3  ...
    On February 1, 2016 / By
  • Finance 0

    Market Talk – February 1, 2016

    Despite a better than previous Chinese PMI release (48.4 against a previous 48.2) it was not what was expected (48.6) and so the Shanghai Index just could not make headway and eventually closed down 1.8%. Japan, on the other-hand, was still trading better (+1.8%) on the negative interest rate route as money looks for bargains in the private sector. As you would expect, banking stocks did not follow the enthusiasm with stocks such as Mitsubishi UFJ, Mizuho Financial and SMFG all closing around 6-7% lower on the day. Hang Seng closed marginally lower at -0.4% in thin trading. Europe saw a mixture of data with not one individual piece having the...
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  • Finance 0

    E Pattern Analysis Is Dismissed

    Pattern analysis is dismissed primarily by pundits who missed the unfolding of the entire 2015 distribution year, and on-top of that the forecast ‘brick-wall of resistance’ at tail-end 2015 as trades would settle in the new tax year. On top of it most ignored the logic of a push from (month-end and perhaps new month) a necessary ‘Pension Rebalancing’ that we thought primarily responsible for most of the most recent upside, anticipated to attack the low-to-mid S&P 1900’s.  Now, we indicated the other day that the early February action would extend at least for a bit the S&P move; and it did, perhaps hel...
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  • Finance 0

    Profit Taking In The Oil Market – February 1, 2016

    There was a lot of profit taking on Monday in the oil market. Will we still finish the week higher after such a slow start to the trading week? Well we did last week, so it is not entirely impossible. Just another day trading in the oil markets. Actually pretty standard price action for a Monday. ...
    On February 1, 2016 / By
  • Finance 0

    Aflac Tops Q4 Estimates

    Aflac Inc. (AFL – Analyst Report) just released their fourth quarter fiscal 2015 earnings results, posting earnings of $1.56 and revenue of $5.3 billion. Currently, AFL has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), but it is subject to change following the release of the company’s latest earnings report. Here are 5 key statistics from this just announced report below. Aflac:                                                       1. Beat earnings estimates. The company posted $1.56, beating our Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.48. This number excludes $0.15 from nonrecurring items. 2. Beat revenue e...
    On February 1, 2016 / By
  • Finance 0

    Alphabet Overtakes Apple As Most Valuable Public Company

    Shares of Alphabet (GOOG, GOOGL) surged after the company reported fourth quarter results Monday, with after-hours stock prices signaling it has overtaken Apple (AAPL) as the world’s most valuable publicly traded company. WHAT’S NEW: Alphabet reported Q4 EPS of $8.67, above analyst expectations of $8.10, and Q4 revenue of $21.33B, above consensus estimates of $20.77B. WHAT’S NOTABLE: Alphabet reported that Google’s aggregate paid clicks were up 31% in Q4, while paid clicks on Google Network Members’ websites were up 2%, aggregate cost-per-click was down 13%, cost-per-click on Google websites was down 16%, and cos...
    On February 1, 2016 / By
  • Finance 0

    GBPUSD Reverses Gains, Eyes More Strength

    GBPUSD: With the pair reversing its Friday losses to close higher on Monday, further recovery is now envisaged in the days ahead. It must trade and hold above range  to create scope for more strength. Support lies at the 1.4400 level where a break will turn attention to the 1.4350 level. Further down, support lies at the 1.4300 level. Below here will set the stage for more weakness towards the 1.4250 level. Its daily RSI is bullish and pointing higher suggesting further strength. Resistance stands at the 1.4450 levels with a turn above here allowing more strength to build up towards the 1.4500 level. Further out, resistance resides at the 1....
    On February 1, 2016 / By
  • Finance 0

    Rayno Dx And Tools: Abbott Buys Alere For $5.8B Expanding Point-Of-Care Diagnostics Platforms

    Abbott Laboratories (ABT) Acquires Alere (ALR) – Stock Soars 45% At Market Opening Alere Product Line Offers Synergies and Boosts Global Diagnostics Presence 2015 Revenues of Alere Are Estimated in $2.5B Range So Deal is About 2.3X Sales Alere has a broad-based product line in rapid point-of-care diagnostics with tests for infectious disease such as influenza and HIV, cardiometabolic factors such as glucose and HbA1C and a broad portfolio in toxicology tests with a rapid analyzer for drug and alcohol testing. Recently Alere cut Q4 2015 revenue guidance to $630M from around $650M because of currency headwinds and a mild flu season. ...
    On February 1, 2016 / By
  • Finance 0

    Sometimes Writers Block Can Affect Anyone

    Yes, it’s true, I just can’t come up with the right theme for Monday. Forgive me a short comment. There was some economic data today but most of it was either unremarkable or weak. For example, important income and spending data reflected good income but weak spending. Any good Keynesian wouldn’t like that data one bit. PMI Manufacturing rose slightly to 52.4 vs prior 51.2 but ISM Manufacturing stayed in recession level at 48.2 vs 48.2; and, Construction Spending was flat at 0.1%. There’s not much to like about these reports unless you were a “bad news is good” bull. Markets fell early but our frequent companion, the 2:15 Buy Pr...
    On February 1, 2016 / By
  • Finance 0

    It Starts: Junk Bonds ‘Contained’

    To an economist, the economy can bear no recession. In times of heavy central bank activity, an economy can never be in recession. Those appear to be the only dynamic factors that drive economic interpretation in the mainstream. And they become circular in the trap of just these kinds of circumstances – the economy looks like it might fall into recession, therefore a central bank acts, meaning the economy will avoid recession; thus there will never be recession. It requires that both the central bank will identify the recession correctly and then invent and apply the requisite “acts.” It was never really that simple to begin with, but w...
    On February 1, 2016 / By