If you watch overseas markets while trading in the U.S. is closed, you were probably expecting a big move from the stock on Monday after the U.S. and China agreed to restart trade negotiations. Investors all over the world seem to be anxious to take even the slightest hint that a trade compromise could come […]
Read MoreDidn’t it seem like at the end of last week, the market started holding its breath, waiting for the next shoe to drop about trade? President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping finally met in Tokyo this weekend, with what a lot of experts seem to believe was the best realistic result of the meeting […]
Read MoreAfter watching a wide swath of sectors in the market correct during the month of May as trade tensions seemed to doom the market to the inevitability of long-term tariffs, it seemed like the market could be set to drop back close to the near-bear-market levels we saw at the end of 2018. Instead, the […]
Read MoreTuesday after the market closed, Micron Technology (MU) released its latest quarterly earnings report. MU is one of the most important players in the semiconductor industry, and since semiconductors are quite literally on the bleeding edge of U.S. – China trade, it only seems natural to pay attention to the stock. Their earnings report is […]
Read MoreIt seems like one of the only elements that really seems to get investor’s attention, aside from the latest rumor about trade and tariffs, is anything to do with interest rates. I guess that isn’t too surprising – central banking policy about interest rates has always wielded considerable influence on the financial markets. I think […]
Read MoreIf you’ve followed my highlights in this space, you’ve seen me write on a number of occasions about how my value-focused investing approach tends to make me think in defensive terms under current market conditions. As the major indices are driving to new all-time highs, a lot of growth-oriented folks think that sounds pretty silly; […]
Read MoreAll year long, just about every other kind of news item that might normally serve to move the market – interest rates, inflation, corporate earnings – all seem to have taken a back seat to the spectacle that has become trade and tariffs between the U.S. and China. If the stock market can sometimes be […]
Read MoreThe longer you invest in the stock market, the more familiar you become with a lot of the concepts that are used to define and justify the various investing methods that drive them. Years ago, as I began to incorporate technical analysis and shorter-term trading strategies into my system, one of those basic principles was […]
Read MoreIt seems inevitable right now that no matter what other element may be at play in the market, the conversation right now inevitably turns back to trade and tariffs. The big news in the market yesterday initially was the latest Fed meeting, and its decision to keep interest rates steady for the time being. The […]
Read MoreThe Consumer Discretionary sector includes stocks that cover a wide variety of the Retail industry. Because there are so many retail companies that offer different products to consumers, it’s hard to pinpoint any kind of specific niche. This is a sector that has performed pretty well this year; as measured by the S&P 500 Consumer […]
Read MoreMy focus on value-based investing opportunities over the years has, in many cases, led me to pass over some of the most dominant players in a respective industry or sector. That’s been especially true as the stock market’s bullish trend extended itself into the longest upward trend in recorded history. A big piece of the […]
Read MoreOne of the things that has helped the market perform very well this year, along with the expectation that a trade deal between the u.S. and China will eventually get worked out, is the fact that most economic data measurements in the U.S. have continued to come in pretty healthy. Even the fact that tariffs […]
Read MoreIn 2019, one of the most interesting sectors in the entire market is the Consumer Staples sector. I tend to think of stocks in this sector, which include Food, Personal Care, and big-box retailers and grocers, as being defensive in nature, useful as a way to keep your money working for you in uncertain market […]
Read MoreBeing a contrarian investor can mean a few different things. One is that while most investors shy away from stocks that are trading at historically low levels, a contrarian will usually immediately see an opportunity to look for a terrific bargain. Another is that the simple fact that a stock is going up often means […]
Read MoreEven in the midst of escalating tariffs between the U.S. and China and all of the anxiety about trade that has engendered, especially over the last six weeks, the Technology sector remains one of the most profitable sectors to have been putting your money this year. As measured by the S&P 500 Technology Sector SPDR […]
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