I think the markets are getting carried away with today’s CPI numbers–looking to make a sell or two today
As of 2 p.m. New York time, the Standard & Poor’s 500 is up 2.01% and the Dow Jones Industrial Average is ahead 1.53%. The NASDAQ Composite is higher by 2.71% and the NASDAQ 100 has gained 2.64%. The small-cap Russell 2000 index is higher by 2.77%. And all...
CPI headline inflation falls more than expected; core inflation remains steady
The annual rate of inflation as measured by the headline Consumer Price Index (CPI) dipped in July to 8.5%. That was down from June’s annual rate of 9.1%. Economists had expected the inflation rate to drop to 8.7% However, the news wasn’t as positive on...
Unsold homes start to stack up
The U.S. supply of new homes relative to sales in June was the highest since the middle of the last crash in 2010. In early July, buyer traffic to homebuilder websites and sales offices had plunged to the lowest level for the month since 2012, according to a survey of...
Another chip maker–this time is Micron–warns and chip stock take a hit
First, it was Nvidia (NVDA) cutting its guidance for revenue and earnings due on August 24. Today, August 9, it was Micron Technology (MU) warning that its revenue for the fourth-quarter revenue may come in at or below the bottom end of a forecast range provided in...
Tesla finally announces date of 3/1 stock split
Oooh! What a tease. Back in the spring Tesla (TSLA) sorta announced a likely stock split on Twitter. Without a date. Then two weeks ago, company shareholders approved the anticipated 3/1 split. Without a date. Finally, on Friday, August 5, in documents filed with the...
The big event of the week is Wednesday’s CPI inflation report–expect some nerves before the news and waves after it
All eyes will be on the July CPI inflation (Consumer Price Index) report due on Wednesday, August 10, before the market open. The market hope is that we’ll see the first signs that inflation has peaked after the headline CPI inflation surged at a 9.1% annual...
Watch my new YouTube video: The Fed Talks but the Market’s Not Listening
My one-hundred-and-sixty-fifth YouTube video “Trend of the Week The Fed Talks but the Market’s Not Listening” went up today. The market has strongly rallied in the last month, in good part on the optimistic belief in a “soft landing” from...
The wrinkles in the July jobs surprise that argue maybe the economy isn’t “super
Today’s surprise in the July jobs number–the U.S. economy added 528,000 jobs rather than the 270,000 or so economists expected is indeed a big deal. It certainly argues that any “official” recession call from economists is still a way off. And...
Surprise! Economy added 528,000 jobs in July–what’s it all mean (especially for the Fed)?
The U.S. economy added 528,000 jobs in July. The increase crushed all estimates. Economists surveyed by Bloomberg were looking for about half that gain. The Labor Department also revised June job gains upward to 398,000. The unemployment rate dipped to 3.5%, matching...
Please watch my new YouTube video: Jobs: the Recession Barrier Erodes
My one-hundred-and-sixty-third YouTube video “Jobs: the Recession Barrier Erodes” went up today. Are we in a recession or not? Many economists argue that because there’s strength in the labor market, we can’t be in a recession. But what...
Just when it looks certain that the economy is headed toward recession, services post a big pickup in July
The Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) survey for non-manufacturing (AKA services) from the Institute for Supply Management showed a surprise pickup in July. The services index rebounded to 56.7 in July from 55.3 in June, the ISM reported on Wednesday, August 3. This put...
The consumer is getting stretched: credit card debt rises by $46 billion in the second quarter
Credit card debt rose in the United States from April through June by $46 billion, a 5.5% increase over the first quarter, as Americans borrowed billions of dollars to continue spending, according to a report on Tuesday, August 2, from the Federal Reserve Bank of New...
Besides being scary, the Chinese reaction to Pelosi’s trip to Taiwan shows how bad China’s economy is
There are a lot of reasons to find the latest confrontation between the United States and China over Taiwan to be really scary. Anytime two countries with nuclear weapons face off it’s scary. Any time any country’s political leaders (in Beijing or...
Another crack in the jobs market
Job openings in the United States fell in June to a nine-month low. The number of available positions decreased to 10.7 million in the month from an upwardly revised 11.3 million in May, the Labor Department’s Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey, or JOLTS, showed...
What to sell in a Bear Market rally–and two sells for Monday, Omnicom and Alcoa
I ended my recent post “This looks like the Bear Market rally I’ve been waiting for” on my subscription JubakAM.com site by saying “Enjoy the ride but look to sell shares of companies that look most exposed to the return of recession/high...
I expect a test of the Bear Market rally this week–and maybe an extension of the move upwards
In July the Standard & Poor’s 500 gained 9.1%. The index went up 4.3% in the last week alone. The obvious question is how much longer does this rally have to run? The big test comes on Friday, August 5, with the jobs report for July. If it’s too...
Please watch my new YouTube video: Earnings Not as Bad as They Could Be
My one-hundred-and-sixty-second YouTube video “Earnings Not as Bad as They Could Be” went up today. Microsoft (MSFT) serves as my example. We’re seeing some companies that, despite very meager earnings growth, give investors the impression that...
Inflation, wage numbers today are bad news for “soft landing” believers
Inflation, measured by the Federal Reserve’s preferred Personal Consumption Expenditures index climbed 6.8% in the twelve months that ended in June. That’s the fastest rate of growth since 1982. Core PCE inflation (that is after removing food and energy...
This looks like the Bear Market rally I’ve been waiting for
After looking like it was over earlier in the week with a significant pull back on Tuesday, July 26, stocks have rallied in the last two days, gaining 3.85% by the Thursday, July 28 close from that Tuesday low. And right now all the ducks are lined up in a row for a...
Please Watch My New YouTube Video: Quick Pick First Majestic Silver
My one-hundred-and-sixty-first YouTube video “Quick Pick First Majestic Silver” went up today. This hasn’t been a great year for precious metals hedges. However, allow me to make the case for First Majestic Silver (AG), given the coming recession and...
GDP dips at 0.9% annual rate–it’s an unofficial recession
U.S. GDP dropped by 0.2% in the second quarter (quarter over quarter) to a 0.9% annual rate of contraction. We won’t get an official call of “recession” at the earliest until economists see the labor market head south and the economic cycle guys...
I’m selling Chipotle Mexican Grill out of my Jubak Picks Portfolio
In yesterday’s YouTube video ( Beat the coming recession) I explained that a recession works by peeling the sock market onion. With each step down in the economy, more stocks report negative surprises or issue negative guidance. Investors and traders sell those...
Fed raises interest rates by 75 basis points and stocks soar–how come?
This afternoon the Federal Reserve raised its benchmark interest rate by 75 basis points to a range of 2.25% to 2.50%. It was the second straight 75 basis don’t increase and the fourth increase in interest rates this year. Stocks soared. The Standard &...
Please watch my new YouTube video: Investing to beat the coming recession
My one-hundred-and-sixtieth YouTube video “Investing to beat the coming recession” went up today. I’m back, after a week’s hiatus. This week I’m sharing some thoughts about the market trials and tribulations of Snap (SNAP) and Alphabet...
Walmart’s warning shrinks pool of safe stocks–Coke and McDonald’s benefit on strong earnings today
With Walmart (WMT) shares down 7.74% as of noon New York time today, July 26, on the company’s warning yesterday about falling revenue, the pool of safe consumer stocks continues to shrink. Which is bad if you owned Walmart or Dollar General (DG), also down...
Natural gas, corn, and wheat lead commodities higher today
At the close today, July 26, the Teucrium Corn Fund (CORN) was up 2.55% and the Teucrium Wheat Fund (WEAT) was ahead 4.11% Both of those commodity plays outgained the U.S. Natural Gas Fund (UNG) with its 1.38% move higher. But for consistent gains–and the...Walmart’s cut to profit forecast signals death of hopes for soft landing for the economy
Walmart (WMT) cut its profit outlook after the market close on Monday, July 25. The company isn’t scheduled to report July quarter earnings until August 16. Walmart shares dropped 9.94% in after-hours trading. Adjusted earnings per share will fall as much as 13%...
Pfizer and Moderna to see higher profits from Covid vaccines
The federal government has agreed to purchase 105 million doses of Pfizer-BioNTech’s rebooted vaccine for $3.2 billion, the Washington Post reported on Friday. At $30.50 a dose, that’s a premium over the initial contracts the government made for the original...
A very busy week ahead–Ukraine and commodities, tech stock earnings, and, of course, the Fed on interest rates
What a week ahead. I’d expect speculation about what the Federal Reserve will say on Wednesday to dominate a very lengthy slate of market news. No real suspense about whether or not the Fed will raise rates at its July 27 meeting. The central bank has made it...Jim’s Daily Email Alerts:
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