Here are the S&P 500’s best and worst stock performers of 2018

Posted by & filed under Growth & Valuation, Market Analysis, Personal Finance.

Description: Considering how much coverage there has been of the strengthening U.S. economy, demand for workers and a massive tax cut that has boosted corporate earnings, 2018 has been a disappointing year for the stock market overall. Investors seem to be disappointed as they look ahead. Source: MarketWatch.com Date: Dec 06, 2018 Link: https://www.marketwatch.com/story/here-are-the-sp-500s-best-and-worst-stock-performers-of-2018-2018-12-06 Questions… Read more »

Dimon says Fed will likely still hike rates in December despite market turmoil

Posted by & filed under Economic Analysis, Governments & Regulators, Growth & Valuation, Market Analysis, Personal Finance.

Description:  Despite the stock market sell-off this week, J.P. Morgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon predicts the Federal Reserve will likely still raise interest rates in December. Source: CNBC.com Date: Dec 05, 2018 Link: https://www.cnbc.com/2018/12/06/dimon-says-fed-will-likely-still-hike-rates-in-december-despite-market-turmoil.html Questions for discussion: What does Jamie Dimon have to say about interest rates and the economy? Do you agree with his assessments and interest… Read more »

Leon Cooperman says SEC needs to investigate computer trading for causing ‘Wild West’ with markets

Posted by & filed under Governments & Regulators, Growth & Valuation, Market Analysis, Personal Finance.

Description: Omega Advisors founder Leon Cooperman on Thursday blamed the Securities and Exchange Commission for failing to address the impact computerized trading has had on the broader market and how it exacerbates volatility during market swings. Source: CNBC.com – video report Date: Dec 06, 2018 Link: https://www.cnbc.com/2018/12/06/leon-cooperman-says-sec-needs-to-investigate-computer-trading-for-causing-wild-west-with-markets.html Questions for discussion: What does Leon Cooperman say about the recent… Read more »

More than half of the S&P 500 components have produced death crosses

Posted by & filed under Financial analysis, Growth & Valuation, Market Analysis, Personal Finance.

Description: With the S&P 500 SPX, -1.65% poised to produce a bearish “death cross” chart pattern on Friday, more than half of the index’s components are already there. A death cross is when the 50-day moving average (DMA) crosses below the 200-DMA, with many chart watchers viewing that occurrence as marking the spot a shorter-term pullback transitions to a longer-term… Read more »

Here’s how the Apple Watch’s heart monitor works

Posted by & filed under Company Analysis, Growth & Valuation, Management Issues, Personal Finance.

Description: CNN’s Dr. Sanjay Gupta explains how to use Apple Watch’s built-in ECG monitor. Source: CNN.com – video report Date: Dec 04, 2018 Link:  https://www.cnn.com/videos/business/2018/12/05/apple-watch-ecg-app-health-review.cnn-business/video/playlists/top-news-videos/ Questions for discussion: Do you think this device will significantly increase consumer choice for Apple in place of other brands? Do you think this product development changes investor’s perception of… Read more »

Earnings are still great, and that’s what matters for stocks

Posted by & filed under Growth & Valuation, Market Analysis, Personal Finance.

Description: Third-quarter earnings season is just about over, and corporate results haven’t been this strong in eight years. With 97% of the S&P 500 having reported results through the end of last week, the blended earnings growth rate for the S&P 500 is25.9%, according to data from FactSet. Source: Finance.Yahoo.com – video report Date: Dec 04,… Read more »

Opinion: Elliott Wave theory suggests an unsettling event will occur in the stock market

Posted by & filed under Growth & Valuation, Management Issues, Personal Finance.

Description:  I often read articles, along with the comments, to gauge the stock market’s sentiment from an anecdotal perspective. I recently noticed a quote by investor Sir John Templeton: “For 100 years optimists have carried the day in U.S. stocks. Even in the dark ’70s, many professional money managers, and many individual investors too, made… Read more »

Wall Street Rule for the #MeToo Era: Avoid Women at All Cost

Posted by & filed under Financial Planning, Growth & Valuation, Management Issues, Personal Finance.

Description: No more dinners with female colleagues. Don’t sit next to them on flights. Book hotel rooms on different floors. Avoid one-on-one meetings. In fact, as a wealth adviser put it, just hiring a woman these days is “an unknown risk.” What if she took something he said the wrong way? Across Wall Street, men… Read more »

“I Hearby Confess Judgement”

Posted by & filed under Financial Planning, Growth & Valuation, Management Issues, Personal Finance.

Description: How an obscure legal document turned New York’s court system into a debt-collection machine that’s chewing up small businesses across America. Source: Bloomberg.com Date: Nov 20, 2018 Link: https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2018-confessions-of-judgment/?srnd=businessweek-v2 Questions for discussion: Why are small business people typically the target? How can they protect themselves from this risk? Is there a role for government… Read more »