Over the last several years, one of the biggest benchmarks the Fed has used to evaluate the need to raise, lower or maintain their interest rate policy has been the employment rate. Every month, the market seems to hold its breath as a new set of unemployment and salary data is made available and everybody […]
Read MoreOne of the biggest drivers of the global economy is energy. That shouldn’t really come as too big a surprise, since energy products – natural gas, electricity, and oil – are a part of virtually every aspect of every sector. Oil in particular is a commodity that has a ripple effect throughout such a diverse […]
Read MoreThroughout this week, one of the biggest news stories, without question, has been the fatal crash of a Boeing 737 MAX jet flown by Ethiopian Air shortly after takeoff on March 10. The crash took the lives of all 157 that were onboard the plane, and it was the second such crash in five months […]
Read MoreYesterday I wrote about the biggest oil services and equipment provider in the United States. A lot of stocks in the energy sector, and oil specifically, have mostly underperformed the rest of the market this year, and I think that could provide an interesting opportunity for the attentive – and patient – investor. Because most […]
Read MoreThe energy sector is one of the most cyclical sectors of the economy, primarily because of its reliance on oil. Oil prices are often highly volatile depending any number of factors, ranging from geopolitics to weather phenomenon to simply supply and demand. A good example of that volatility was seen in the latter part of […]
Read MoreOne of the things about stocks in the Consumer Discretionary sector that is interesting is how widely disparate they are. The general perception of most stocks in the sector is that they are highly cyclical, sensitive to inflationary pressures that make them more risky when the economy is in trouble. One industry in the sector […]
Read MoreThe market has been nervous this week – whether you want to cite trade war fatigue, global economic fears that could be rippling into U.S. economic metrics, or earnings reports from some of the market’s biggest companies that have disappointed investors. I think it’s true that tariffs between the U.S. and its biggest trading partners […]
Read MoreMarket news for the last while has seemed to be almost completely focused on the trade war between the U.S. and China – to the point that investors seem to be getting what some might call “trade fatigue” – which could be a point where even if or when a deal is made, the broad […]
Read MoreA few months ago, I wrote about the merger between pharmacy kingpin CVS Health Corporation (CVS) and healthcare insurer Aetna Inc. I decided to try to determine if the deal, which closed shortly after I wrote about it, offered a compelling reason to buy the stock at its price at the time, which at the […]
Read MoreFor the last week or so, I’ve been focusing a lot of attention and analysis on the Food Products industry in the Consumer Staples sector. A lot of the stocks in this industry have increased nicely since the beginning of the year, but remain well below their 52-week highs. That’s opened up a lot of […]
Read MoreThe market has had a pretty good dose of good news so far this week; President Trump tweeted that progress in trade talks with China had progressed enough, and shown sufficient promise to ensure the imposition of new tariffs at the March 1 deadline would be delayed. The President has even gone so far as […]
Read MoreAs the market continues to recover from its lows in late December, I’m seeing more and more reports and opinions that while economic growth in the United States may begin to slow (and based on some measurements, that might already be starting to happen), it isn’t expected to actually reverse and begin contracting for as […]
Read MoreEconomic reports this week set the market on edge this week, although optimism related to trade gave investors reasons to push the market higher late in the week. One of the risks that I’ve seen some experts and economists start talking about more lately is the possibility that if and when a trade deal with […]
Read MoreYesterday I highlighted General Mills (GIS) as a stock that could offer an interesting value proposition right now. The Consumer Staples sector is starting look like a market segment that smart investors should be paying attention to right now. The market has been moving nicely since the beginning of the year, but with indications that […]
Read MoreEconomic reports this morning, in particular global factory orders and January housing sales and inventory both seem to be reigniting concerns about global and domestic economic activity. The market is also paying attention on the trade front, as negotiations between the U.S. and China by all accounts progress at a slow, but steady pace. The […]
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