(Bloomberg) — The Cboe Volatility Index, or VIX, extended its decline Wednesday to close at its lowest level in more than three months as stocks climbed after minutes from the Federal Reserve’s most recent meeting signaled that investors could soon see a slowing in the pace of interest rate hikes. Wall Street’s fear gauge fell […]
Read More(Bloomberg) — There’s no quick recovery in sight for stocks and bonds that are having their worst year in at least three decades, according to strategists at BlackRock Inc. Russia’s grinding war in Ukraine and supply bottlenecks from labor shortages will keep the pace of price growth elevated. Central banks will tighten policy until the […]
Read More(Bloomberg) — It’s been hard to watch, impossible to predict and a nightmare to trade. But has the S&P 500’s slide been an unqualified panic to date? By some measures no, and that might bode poorly for equities in the near term. Even with the US stock benchmark plunging 20% from a record for the […]
Read More(Bloomberg) — Optimism may be in short supply for equity investors caught in the downdraft of volatile global markets, but pockets of shelter are emerging. From banks benefiting from interest-rate hikes to stocks offering high dividend yields and cheap valuations, portfolio managers and strategists are finding areas of resilience. Those willing to stomach high volatility […]
Read More(Bloomberg) — Citadel Securities LP was thrust into the spotlight in 2021, with day traders, lawmakers and regulators all scrutinizing the firm at the center of one of the U.S. stock market’s wildest periods. They’re about to learn that amid the uproar, the financial giant had its best year ever. Billionaire Ken Griffin’s stock-trading powerhouse […]
Read More(Bloomberg) — A pattern traced by the S&P 500 index’s volatility gauge is vindicating Wednesday’s dip-buyers. The pattern stems from the futures curve for the Cboe Volatility Index, a gauge of implied equity swings for the U.S. benchmark derived from options trading. The curve has been in a prolonged backwardation, where shorter-term contracts are costlier […]
Read More(Bloomberg) — Seven straight jumps in the so-called “fear gauge” for the S&P 500 is a signal that it may be time to wager against volatility, if history is any guide. Only 10 times in the past two decades has the Cboe Volatility Index — better known as the VIX — risen for that many […]
Read MoreFor investors, the holiday season generally marks a time when consumer activity should be healthy and demand for consumer goods will be high. That’s a big reason that the latter part of the year, as the colder months set in across the country that retail stocks often start to see healthy increases in prices. That […]
Read More“Uncertainty” has been the buzzword of the last few weeks in the marketplace. The emergence of yet another new, highly contagious coronavirus variant continues to keep pressure on a medical system that is already strained to its limits on one side of the economic picture, while the Fed’s consideration of moving up its plan to […]
Read MoreNo matter whether you prefer to focus on short-term trading strategies that emphasize a stock’s current price momentum or longer-term methods focusing on fundamental strength and a stock’s value-based price, there are a myriad number of issues that come at you and demand attention. Some of those elements can be foreseen to a certain extent; […]
Read MoreOne of the big recovery stories this year has come from the Aerospace industry, which includes commercial airlines. It comes as no surprise, really to say that in 2020 and the early part of 2021 the industry was one of the biggest, unquestioned losers in the stock market after commercial travel dried up to practically […]
Read MoreIt has become pretty normal over the last several years to see the Technology sector leading the market – after all, Technology is increasingly at the center of just about every part of our daily lives in one sense or another. During the pandemic, Technology has been both catalyst and a hindrance to overall economic […]
Read MoreHaving a contrarian temperament generally means doing the opposite of what most people would do. It’s a mindset that I’ve found very useful as an investor, because while most people tend to flock to stocks that are at or near all-time highs, I’m able to find excellent long-term opportunities at much lower, bargain-level prices. It’s […]
Read MoreFor more than two years – even before COVID-19 became a global pandemic that collapsed economic and social activity for most of 2020 and that continues to strain health care systems and keep pressure on a variety of economic forces – I’ve been writing about the wisdom in being very selective about the investments you […]
Read MoreOne of the biggest themes that just about all of us have been paying attention to in one way or another in 2021 is the reopening of social activities from 2020, COVID-driven shutdowns and restrictions. While the pandemic is far from over, previously hampered industries like restaurants, hotels, travel and resorts have resumed operations, with […]
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