MARKETS/ECONOMY – Page 2

How Far Can This Market Fall? How Deep is the Ocean?

APRIL 16, 2019. No shortage exists. Glance behind. The line begins at your back and everyone there wants to “help you,” for a price. Sign-up for yet another ass-wipe newsletter. They have a “seminar, just for you”–you and your credit card.
We want nothing from you. We’re sharing our journey with you because we love it, and we were once callously side-swiped by the filthy retail investing hucksters and don’t want that to happen to other people. Here are the facts as we best see them. Our market is expensive. That means danger. No one ever got paid a Fa King dime for playing on the highway. This market’s now a highway.
No definitive warnings are ever issued prior to fugly market resets. They happen like earthquakes. They also leave behind destruction. No shortage of doomsday hucksters exists either, and they have “newsletters” too. We’re not calling for doomsday. We’re saying prices are high, and high prices always come down. Often they do so in a sudden sickening gut-wrenching manner. That’s history, not opinion. Buy high, fall far, and this market is tall. Tick tick.

FUNDAMENTALS, INVESTING, MARKETS/ECONOMY, MEDIA, Reader's Choice, TECHNICALS, THINKING NOW

Bank Shots. Rates Play Rim Protector.

APRIL, 6, 2019. Buckle your couch belts for all the excitement. It’s simultaneously time for both the Final Four, and Earnings Season. Did your bank transfer? “Survive and move on” remains the way. Please be advised. No shortage of Cinderellas or shilling money managers exists now. And once again, none will fail to foul or front for their favorite financial.
It’s make believe time all over again. Super-heated gases will leak forth from your screens. Back up., content and advertising will meld. Trash will be talked. This smear of nonsense will end only after earnings are done, the nets are cut down, or CNBC finally bloats into a purely promotional gas giant.
“We love Tech–and the financials right here.”
Goddammit. Jamie Dimon doesn’t even “like the financials right here.” “Why do you like the filthy financials?” “They’re cheap, like dirt, and they hit their fros.” Well–of course they do. What else have the banks had to do, except work their fros? NIM is nonexistent.
The banks haven’t done a goddamn thing since that guy on the $10 bill was running the Treasury. What about now? Did Wells Fargo, Chase, or Skank of America transfer to your Final Four? STOCKjAW takes a reality look, again.

EDITOR'S DESK, EDITORIAL, INVESTING, MARKETS/ECONOMY, STOCKS, TECHNICALS

Harbor. Here Comes The Storm.

MARCH, 31, 2019. Times change. But god it’s been nice. For years we rode that rising wave. Everyone had a great time. Now it’s curling if not crashing. Storms have come to our formally splendid seas. Many have harbored. As the placid and neat turned angry, utils have grown too expensive to buy. That’s how it goes. Did you grab your slice? Upward and onward we go. Oops, we meant simply onward, and up and down.
The S&P can’t hold 2815 with either wet hand. Our fed’s given up attempting to predict what he isn’t reading. Our bull’s shuffling restlessly. Long term investors are rethinking their approach, as every spike simply melts away into sad little puddles. Has your thinking shifted? Still attempting to climb in that smart slow way? Yeah, us too. But we’re scattered.
Predictable pauses had for years led gracefully into plumy runs of joy and slap-happy success. We’re here to help you forget all that. The way forward feels different now, more difficult, and clearly less promising. We’re struggling to maintain focus. We’re ready to instantly sell any three hundred dollar move. But we did exactly that when ETSY reported, and were promptly left behind.
Market storm socks are stiff. Headwinds shift and gales whip ugly everyday. The warnings are in the water. Our markets now, as seen through five mega-leaders and their clutch of sectors. FANG will not prove a pristine harbor this time. Nor will healthcare. We’re all gonna get wet.

BUSINESS, CULTURE, FUNDAMENTALS, MARKETS/ECONOMY, MONEY, THE AMERICAN DREAM, THINKING NOW

Black Ops. “Retail This.”

FEBRUARY 27, 2019. Money is three-sided. We earn it on the front side, invest it in-between, and spend it on the back. Many ways exist to handle each. Standing tough on the front end is only a piece of the puzzle. Investing is an entire stand alone story. Leveraging it on the retail back side is a saga loved by all. Who doesn’t relish retail war stories?
Using simple brute dollar power is crap. Great news. Investors have special powers, powers about which others are clueless. No? Yes. Retailers do not exist in a vacuum. Any investor knows that. But what do you do about it? Use it to get more. You can, and your working dollar deserves the support. But we are responsible to learn those available angles.
Active investors know both markets and economic conditions. Example. Retail is struggling to meet the tricky brick-and-mortar and online balance. For many, it’s the physical store that’s suffering. Amazon’s a big part of that. When retailers struggle, you can win. It’s called business. It’s what they do to you–use it back. Here’s how to leverage slow sales using a BBBY example.

BUSINESS, CULTURE, EDITOR'S DESK, EDITORIAL, FUNDAMENTALS, INVESTING, MARKETS/ECONOMY, STOCKS, TECHNICALS

Standing Tough. SJ Portfolio Now

FEBRUARY 3, 2019. Change often comes in a flash. Ask the man who brings pizza to our office. He sports shorts everyday. He came from southern California where snow is unknown and assures us “its’ all good.” That’s when we pay him 50% above pie price and discuss stock picks.
He’s one of the few and only the few who wear shorts year round. Shorts in the snow may be an individual thing, but for sure only the rare individuals own individual stocks when things get tough. That’s like shorts-wearing while strolling the snow around the building ledge. And only the few out of the last group make it pay.
STOCKjAW works around the clock to make it pay. We’re lucky that way and share it all with you joyously. It’s not a secret to sell, as far as we’re concerned. It’s spreading the joy. Stand tough now and you’ll get 50% above pie price. Our picks now.

INVESTING, MARKETS/ECONOMY, STOCKS, TECHNICALS, THINKING NOW

Docking For Earnings. Verizon, Abiomed, Boeing, Amazon.

JANUARY 29, 2019. After the banks reported with strength we now move on to the loved, the growth, and a haven many use to talk. Amazon is the Death Star, and nothing will change their path of dominance, for now. Boeing has however done something we would never have expected. See what.
This very morning Verizon calls. We are hoping for something snappy and crisp. And on Thursday we hope and trust in Abiomed to enliven our hearts. Docking For Earnings right here. STOCKjAW.

FUNDAMENTALS, INVESTING, MARKETS/ECONOMY, THINKING NOW

Bond Funds. Slippery When Questioned.

JANUARY 16, 2019. Buying bonds by the bag nay be simple, quick, and frustrating. Comprehending the consequences may require a touch of learning, or some sort of degree. Bonds can be some of the most secure investments on the rack. However bond funds add ongoing layers of fees that seriously compound over time. Additionally, you face complexity–to an already confusing vehicle. We have the basics, in ultra-fast simple terms–and a Pair to Compare. We also provide stable and safe stock alternatives, that pay much more.
Look inside first. A blind bond bag can prove as much fun as gastrointestinal surgery. Who knows what bond ETF mangers have tossed in while you were supposedly sleep-buying? And the expense ratio and yield and share price fluctuation? All count. Gas us if you want, but we’re still awake. Adding up too.
Why worry? “Bombs–oops, bonds, are the safest.” Does that include Italian junk?
Advisers will tell you that holding bonds is “wise,” a “must.” It’s called diversification. The older you get the more you need. Well yeah, if your nest egg’s the size of an airport.
Ours isn’t. When bond buying go with the local. You wanna be awake for this one.