September 2018 - Page 139 of 239 -

Trump Gets Cold Feet On More Tariffs: US Proposes More Talks With China

Sep 13, 2018 Jeremy Parkinson Finance, No picture 0

After numerous pompous threats made on China, Trump may be ready to back down. The Wall Street Journal reports U.S. Proposing New Round of Trade Talks With China. The Trump administration is giving Beijing another chance to try to stave off new tariffs on $200 billion in Chinese exports, asking top officials for a fresh round […]

Facebook, Shame And Profits: The Long Thesis

Sep 13, 2018 Jeremy Parkinson Finance 0

Facebook is so ridiculously profitable that makes management blush under increased public scrutiny on security and privacy grounds. Hence the self-inflicted punishment: massive investments in safety and security resulting in 15 percentage points margin compression over a number of years. Facebook’s multi-billion dollar commitment to safety may not appease regulators, but will elevate Facebook’s barrier […]

Oil Market Contradictions

Sep 13, 2018 Jeremy Parkinson Finance, No picture 0

Oil prices soared and broke on concerns of tropical storms and a major hurricane, but sold off after a downgrade of Hurricane Florence. Still, the market must come to grips with more tropical storms as well as contradictions when it comes to supply and demand. We have a storm that may cause more demand destruction […]

Rail Week Ending Saturday, September 8: Economic Intuitive Portions Strong

Sep 13, 2018 Jeremy Parkinson Finance 0

Week 36 of 2018 shows same week total rail traffic (from same week one year ago) improved according to the Association of American Railroads (AAR) traffic data. Analyst Opinion of the Rail Data This was again a very strong week for rail. We review this data set to understand the economy. If coal and grain are removed […]

Weekly Unemployment Claims: Down 1K, Lowest Since December 1969

Sep 13, 2018 Jeremy Parkinson Finance, No picture 0

Here is the opening statement from the Department of Labor: In the week ending September 8, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 204,000, a decrease of 1,000 from the previous week’s revised level. This is the lowest level for initial claims since December 6, 1969 when it was 202,000. The previous week’s […]

Employment: It’s The Trend That Matters

Sep 13, 2018 Jeremy Parkinson Finance 0

Last week, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) published the August monthly “employment report” which showed an increase in employment of 201,000 jobs. It was also the 94th consecutive positive jobs report which is one of the longest in U.S. history. There is little argument, the streak of employment growth is quite phenomenal and comes amid hopes the […]

China’s Big Decline Providing A Sweet Entry Point

Sep 13, 2018 Jeremy Parkinson Finance 0

While the S&P 500 and many indices in the states are trading near all-time highs, the same thing can’t be said for stocks in China! Since the highs in February, the Shanghai Index (SSE) has declined nearly 25%. Could this large percentage decline be presenting an opportunity/entry point for aggressive bargain hunters? Yes! The decline has the […]

Are You Prepared For The Next Financial Hurricane?

Sep 13, 2018 Jeremy Parkinson Finance, No picture 0

The media is focused on Hurricane Florence and its path toward the Carolinas and Virginia. Being a category 4 hurricane with 130 mph sustained winds, over a million residents are subject to mandatory evacuation due to risk of life-threatening storm surge, dangerous winds, and flooding. Our government is warning residents to take protective measures. This […]

In Defense Of Refiners

Sep 13, 2018 Jeremy Parkinson Finance, No picture 0

For about a decade, Texas has considered the idea of erecting a coastal barrier to protect against the impacts of hurricanes. Texas A&M researchers concluded that a direct hit to Galveston from a massive hurricane could cause $31.8 billion worth of damage to homes and apartments from a storm surge. This estimate excludes the potential harm to commercial buildings and […]

Closer To Breakout?

Sep 13, 2018 Jeremy Parkinson Finance 0

The U.S. stock market indexes were mixed between -0.2% and +0.1% vs. their Tuesday’s closing prices yesterday, as investors continued to hesitate following the recent fluctuations. The S&P 500 index has reached the record high of 2,916.50 on August the 29th. It currently trades 0.9% below that high. The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 0.1% and the […]