10 stock picks for an emerging markets bounce (Picks #1-#10)
Let's not overthink this, okay? In my post on Friday "Get ready for an emerging markets bounce" I laid out the case for believing that the emerging markets crisis is about to yield to an emerging markets bounce that could last weeks or even run through the end of...
New U.S., China tariffs kick in; talks officially dead
Two more shoes dropped today--or actually overnight--in the U.S.-China trade war. The big question at this point is How many total shoes there might be still to drop? Are we dealing with a centipede here? At midnight last night, Washington time, the latest round of...
Oil surges on no action at OPEC meeting
Today oil prices breached levels that have oil traders talking about $100 a barrel oil again on OPEC's decision at its weekend meeting not to boost oil production. U.S. benchmark West Texas Intermediate climbed 2.15% as of noon today, September 24, to move solidly...
Randgold said to be in acquisition talks with Barrick Gold
The mining blog IKN is reporting that gold miners Barrick Gold (ABX) and Randgold Resources (GOLD) are in advanced stages of talks about a merger. The announcement could come today, Sunday, or tomorrow, according to IKN. There's an absolute paucity of details--such...
Saturday Night Quarterback says, For the week ahead expect…
... excitement? Nah. How about confirmation of what everyone already "knows" from the Federal Reserve. The Fed's interest rate setting body, the Open Market Committee, meets on Wednesday and is widely expected to announce that U.S. central bank will raise short term...
Non-tariff barriers start to hit U.S. companies in China
A survey by investment companies AmCham China and AmCham Shanghai found that 52.1% of U.S. companies operating in China have seen an increase in non-tariff barriers to their business operations. The biggest problems reported were increased inspections (27.1%), slower...
U.S. slaps penalties on Chinese military for doing business with sanctioned Russian company
Did you see this coming? I certainly didn't. You might call it "doubling down with a vengeance." I'm sure officials in Beijing see it that way. Yesterday, Thursday, September 20, the United States announced sanctions on China’s Equipment Development Department, the...
Battle over bond yields, interest rates shifts to 2019
Remember back at the beginning of 2018 when bond investors and traders couldn't agree on whether the Federal Reserve would raise interest rates two times, or three times or four times in the year? (It wound up being four.) Well, we're looking at a replay of that...
Get ready for an emerging markets bounce
All the portents (You know, sightings of white seabirds on the left as the king rides to the hunt, the witches of Endor issuing a "buy"call, strange voices in the darkest night near the swamps of the dead behind Aunt Tillie's house) are falling into place for a solid...
Now who’s worried about a trade war? Certainly not buyers of U.S. stocks today
Today the Standard & Poor's 500 stock index and the Dow Jones Industrial Average both hit record highs. The NASDAQ Composite was up 0.99% as of 2 p.m. New York time. The iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF (EEM) advanced 0.95%. West Texas Intermediate crude was off...
I almost pulled the trigger on my VIX Put complacency trade today–but not quite yet
I almost pulled the trigger and sold my VIX complacency trade today. On September 10 I added the December 19 Put on the CBOE S&P 500 Volatility Index (VIX) to my Volatility Portfolio with a strike of 13. The trade was coupled with a buy of the November 21 Call on...Download Jim’s eBook for Free
