Market Summary

The U.S. The U.S. market got a modest boost from the announcement of a trade truce with China, in which China agreed to boost some U.S. agricultural imports, and the U.S. suspended a tariff hike on $250 billion worth of Chinese imports.  According to the announcement, the initial deal will Read more…

Market Summary

Market Summary           The U.S. The U.S. market is still in a correction or sideways mode, with both macro news and fears in evidence, as well as seasonal effects.  We are neither as pessimistic as some news media have become, nor are we extremely enthusiastic at the present juncture.  We Read more…

Market Summary

          The U.S. Earnings season in the U.S. is in full swing.  While earnings growth has stalled after the tax-break driven pace of growth that was enjoyed in 2018, it remains broadly within the trend of growth that has followed the 2008/2009 financial crisis. Source:  Bloomberg, LLP Of course, there Read more…

Facebook’ Power Play

Facebook’s Power Play Last week, Facebook [NASDAQ:  FB] finally announced its long-rumored digital currency initiative.  Although bitcoin had been rallying since April, since the announcement it has risen almost 25%, as of this writing.  Why the boost for bitcoin?  Won’t FB’s currency — called “Libra” — be competition for bitcoin?  Read more…

THE NEW ROBOT OVERLORDS

1.  Hong Kong in the crosshairs of the trade war.  Hong Kong is experiencing massive protests against the Chinese government’s erosions of the city’s traditional liberties and democratic governance.  These protests have occasioned the introduction of a bipartisan bill in the U.S. Congress that would strip the city of its Read more…