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What’s The Risk In Holding Stocks Now?

What’s The Risk In Holding Stocks Now?

There’s a fork in the volatility road. Baseball’s Yogi Berra really ripped up a leaf from Robert Frost’s poetry anthology when he said: “When you come to a fork in the road, take it.” Traders watching the market for S&P 500 stocks are now facing a Yogi-like fork in the road and wondering which tine […]
The Sherwin-Williams Company, Trading At Uncharacteristically Higher Valuations

The Sherwin-Williams Company, Trading At Uncharacteristically Higher Valuations

Sherwin-Williams (SHW) is a terrific company with all the growth and consistency characteristics that I prefer. Historically the company has grown at double-digit above-average rates.  However, since coming out of the Great Recession the company’s earnings growth rate has accelerated significantly. Consequently, Sherwin-Williams has been trading at uncharacteristically higher valuations than normal since 2013. On […]
One Fragile Year In Review: It Was A Warning

One Fragile Year In Review: It Was A Warning

One year ago today, something broke. It wasn’t a big thing, practically a footnote seemingly not worth mainstream attention. Out of nowhere, the 4-week T-bill yield spiked. On Friday, September 1, 2017, the equivalent interest rate for the instrument was steady at 96 bps. That was already a problem because the Federal Reserve’s RRP was at the […]
Are Investors In U.S. Stocks Turning A Blind Eye To Contagion Risks Abroad?

Are Investors In U.S. Stocks Turning A Blind Eye To Contagion Risks Abroad?

Things look pretty darn good for the U.S. economy. Unemployment rates are low, inflation-adjusted borrowing costs are practically zero, and corporate profit margins sit at record highs. U.S. consumers have taken notice. The recently released Conference Board reading for consumer confidence reached 133.4. We have not seen a data point like that since the year […]
US August Auto Sales Encouraging: ETF & Stocks In Focus

US August Auto Sales Encouraging: ETF & Stocks In Focus

Though the U.S. auto industry is facing tough times given higher interest rates, rising vehicle prices and the threat of tariffs on auto imports, it has shown resiliency. Auto sales in August are expected to rise 1.2% and 0.8%, respectively, per Edmunds.com and Cox Automotive. Attractive Labor Day discounts and a booming economy buoyed by […]
US Tech Wrecks, Cryptos Crash As Global Contagion Spreads

US Tech Wrecks, Cryptos Crash As Global Contagion Spreads

Just keep buying, everyone else is… Bad night for Chinese stockholders…No afternoon National Team BTFD effort!!   European stocks tumbled to their lowest since early April as EM contagion spread on fears of soaring exposures…   And US Equities were mixed – The Dow clung to unchanged all day as Nasdaq was battered (supposedly on […]
Market Talk – Tuesday, Sept. 5

Market Talk – Tuesday, Sept. 5

The uncertainty continued from the US back into Asia this morning resulting in more Asian selling. Although core Chinese markets are light on volume, the concerns of sudden price discovery is the fear running through all emerging markets. We saw a flicker of this today when the Shanghai declined over 1.7%, but the Hang Seng […]
Bullseye!

Bullseye!

According to Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, the U.S. economy is doing just fine. And, because of fiscal stimulus, slowly rising incomes, and high levels of consumer and business confidence, Powell believes the current strength will persist. That’s some of what Powell said during his speech at the recent gathering of global economic and financial eggheads in Jackson Hole, […]
Stocks And Precious Metals Charts – We Are The Hollow Men

Stocks And Precious Metals Charts – We Are The Hollow Men

“Those who have crossed With direct eyes, to death’s other Kingdom Remember us—if at all—not as lost Violent souls, but only As the hollow men The stuffed men.” T. S. Eliot “I have been to many countries and seen much poverty and suffering.Everywhere I go people tell me of their hardships and struggles, and ask […]