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Crypto Benefactors Of Liberty Are Rising Up

Crypto Benefactors Of Liberty Are Rising Up

One of the most intriguing aspects of Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged is that the novel’s protagonists actually have great wealth and thus, the power to really change the world. It was precisely this wealth born of value creation that allowed Rand’s heroes to leave behind their booming industries and establish Galt’s Gulch. And by doing so, our […]
Ride This Market

Ride This Market

My Swing Trading Approach With the market gapping up, I will be increasing my stops, but I am less inclined to add new positions at this juncture of the rally.   Indicators VIX – Dropped down to 9.15 and even spent some time below 9. This is the area we tend to see some bounces in the […]
Predicting Stock Returns Using Firm Characteristics

Predicting Stock Returns Using Firm Characteristics

A few weeks ago, we did a deep dive into the factors versus characteristics debate. One of the reasons we’ve brought up this debate is due to the fact that “factor” loadings (from regressions) are arguably not as helpful as portfolio characteristics. In other words, knowing a portfolio P/E ratio is more informative for forecasting expected […]
Buyout Deal Activity Keeps Its Momentum In 2017

Buyout Deal Activity Keeps Its Momentum In 2017

Written by Preqin Number of deals keeps track with recent years, while total value rises from 2016. In 2017, private equity-backed buyout deals remained on par with 2016’s deal activity, with 4,191 deals worth a total of 347bn. Preqin expects these figures to rise by about 5% as more information becomes available, putting the year broadly level with the […]
The S&P 500, Dow And Nasdaq Since Their 2000 Highs – Thursday, Jan. 4

The S&P 500, Dow And Nasdaq Since Their 2000 Highs – Thursday, Jan. 4

This update is in response to a standing request for real (inflation-adjusted) charts of the S&P 500, Dow 30, and Nasdaq Composite. It includes the latest monthly close data. Here are two overlays — one with the nominal price, excluding dividends, and the other with the price adjusted for inflation based on the Consumer Price […]
China Pushing To Be The World Leader In AI

China Pushing To Be The World Leader In AI

While the media is caught up in crpytocurrency mania, the true game changing technology that investors should be focused on is artificial intelligence. From self-driving cars to Dr. Robot, AI is going to change our lives in profound ways in the near future. Russian President Vladimir Putin says, “Artificial intelligence is the future, not only for Russian, but […]
EUR/USD Maintains Above 1.2000 As USD Weakness Continues Into 2018

EUR/USD Maintains Above 1.2000 As USD Weakness Continues Into 2018

The U.S. Dollar’s down-trend just celebrated a birthday. It was just a year and a day ago that DXY set a fresh 14-year high at 103.82. As we came into last year, little looked to stand in the way of the Greenback’s bullish ascent, as the ‘Trump Trade’ aka the ‘reflation trade’ continued to drive investors into […]
WTI/RBOB Rise After Biggest Crude Draw Since August

WTI/RBOB Rise After Biggest Crude Draw Since August

WTI/RBOB were sinking into the DOE data, despite API’s solid crude draw data, after tagging $62/$1.81 overnight. Official data confirmed API’s with the seventh straight week of crude builds (biggest crude build since Aug) and gasoline draws but it was distillates’ massive build (most since Dec 2016) that stood out. A pull-back in prices might be seen if builds […]
‘What Goes Up’: Everything

‘What Goes Up’: Everything

On Wednesday in “The Bernie Madoff Market,” we described how 2017 was so unusual, the gains so predictable, the consistency so implausible, that if global equities were a fund, regulators would suspect it might be a ponzi scheme. That assessment was inspired by the following quote from SocGen’s Andrew Lapthorne: Not only did global equity […]
Some In Congress Are Still Trying To Open Banking Service To Canabis Businesses

Some In Congress Are Still Trying To Open Banking Service To Canabis Businesses

As California joins the list of states that have legalized recreational marijuana, limited access to banking services continues to be a problem for producers, retailers, and other businesses in this rapidly growing sector. Because marijuana businesses cannot, in most cases, open bank accounts, accept credit cards, or make electronic payments, the sector remains largely cash […]