GDP disappoints, durable goods orders solid
The first read on growth in the U.S. economy during the fourth quarter was a tad disappointing. GDP increased by 2.6% year over year in the fourth quarter. Economists surveyed by Briefing.com were looking for growth of 2.9%. In the third quarter of 2017 GDP grew at a year over year rate of 3.2% after all the revisions were in.
Helmerich & Payne completes its recovery from 2017 drilling slump; keeping the stock in my Dividend Portfolio
Helmerich & Payne (HP) reported December quarter (first quarter of the 2018 fiscal year) earnings of $4.57 a share. As they say on Wall Street--that $4.57 a share may not be comparable to the Wall Street analyst consensus estimate of a loss of 13 cents for the...
Full reverse: Dollar recovers as President Trump talks up advantages of strong currency
Today somebody in the Trump administration decided that the idea of the world’s biggest debtor nation talking down the value of its currency–as Secretary of the Treasury Steve Mnuchin did yesterday at the World Economic Forum in Davos–might be a bad idea. Overseas investors worried about a decline in the value of their dollar-denominated Treasuries would be certain to demand higher yields just as the Treasury was scheduled to sell $1 trillion in new Treasuries in 2018. So this afternoon President Donald Trump told CNBC that he favored a strong U.S. currency.
Dollar slump continues this morning as ECB president Draghi shrugs off euro strength
The dollar continued its fall today after European Central Bank president Mario Draghi voiced minimal concern over the rise in the euro. That currency topped $1.25 for the first time since 2014. The MSCI Emerging Markets Currency Index jumped 0.9%, its biggest leap in more than a year.
Brazilian stocks rally on defeat of Lula court appeal
Just in case you had any doubt, the Brazilian stock market isn't a fan of former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. Brazilian stocks rallied big today when a three judge panel voted unanimously to uphold the corruption conviction against the country's president from...
Adding Boeing to Jubak Picks on weak dollar, strong global economy, tax cuts
Shares of Boeing (BA) have tumbled from $351.01 on January 17 to close at $334.69 today. I'm using the pull back to add shares to my Jubak Picks portfolio tomorrow, January 25. The Boeing story right now is one of multiple tailwinds pushing the stock higher. A weak...
Adding Caterpillar to my Jubak Picks and Volatility Portfolios ahead of earnings tomorrow
Caterpillar (CAT) looks to be a major beneficiary of the lower tax rates in the Tax Cuts & Jobs Act and for a lower U.S. dollar. (See today's Morning Briefing on the lower dollar.) Not that Caterpillar sales are exactly struggling. The company reported today a 34%...
Trump administration pushes a weak dollar at Davos
Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin gave the markets a green light to push the U.S. dollar lower in remarks at Davos. Currency traders, already on board the lower-dollar train, didn’t waste time before pushing the throttle. The Dollar Spot Index (DXY) is down 0.86% as of noon New York time to 89.347. Traders have been eyeing the 90 level on the index to see whether support would hold at this level or if the index would break below 90 and set up a move lower.
Netflix rally on earnings tells us more about how complacent this market is than about Netflix
This market remains determined to rally as we head into earnings season. Look no further than the reaction to earnings from Netflix (NFLX) for evidence. The stock market could have reacted to yesterday’s earnings from Netflix (NFLX) by selling down the shares. Could have. But didn’t.
Gold keeps climbing on rising demand from ETFs
Gold held by ETFs that invest in the yellow metal rose to 2,250 metric tons on January 22, according to Bloomberg. That’s the highest level of gold held by ETFs since May 2013. After turning in its best year since 2010 in 2017, gold has continued to climb in 2018
How much higher will a surge in new Treasury supply push bond yields? How about 2.9% on 10-year Treasuries by the end of 2018?
Another date to put on your investing calendar: January 31. That’s when the U.S. Treasury is scheduled to announced how it plans to finance the government’s huge revenue shortfall over the next three months. The betting on Wall Street is that the announcement will foreshadow a wave on new Treasury debt to be issued in 2018 that will double (at least) from 2017 to more than $1 trillion.
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