The GLP-1 game isn’t over until the courts sing

The GLP-1 game isn’t over until the courts sing

Compounding pharmacies aren’t giving up their ability to create cheaper knockoff versions of Eli Lilly (LLY) and Novo Nordisk’s (NVO) GLP-1 weight loss drugs without a fight. On Friday the u.s. food and Drug Administration found that the shortage for Novo’s blockbuster GLP-1 treatments Ozempic, approved for diabetes, and Wegovy, approved for obesity, was over and that compounders would have to stop producing them in the next 60 to 90 days. Today,the Outsourcing Facilities Association (OFA) and Texas-based FarmaKeio Superior Custom Compounding filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Fort Worth, Texas

More bad news in another consumer sentiment survey

More bad news in another consumer sentiment survey

The Conference Board’s measure of consumer confidence fell this month by the most since August 2021. The Conference Board’s index fell 7 points in February to 98.3, marking the third straight decline, data released Tuesday showed. The figure was below all estimates in a Bloomberg survey of economists. A measure of expectations for the next six months also fell by the most in three-and-a-half years, while a gauge of present conditions declined more modestly.

Lots of tariff talk but not much clarity

Lots of tariff talk but not much clarity

President Donald Trump said tariffs scheduled to hit Canada and Mexico next month were “on time” and “moving along very rapidly” following an initial delay. But following the remarks, a U.S. official, who spoke to Bloomberg on the condition of anonymity, said the fate of the special 25% levy on Canada and Mexico was still to be determined.

Will Apple be able to dodge Trump’s China tariffs again with promise of $500 billion U.S. investment?

Will Apple be able to dodge Trump’s China tariffs again with promise of $500 billion U.S. investment?

In the first Trump Administration Apple (AAPL) avoided tariffs on its smartphones and on its Apple Watch made in China. This time around Apple may avoid the administration’s tariffs again, but the cost is a promise to spend $500 billion and hire 20,000 people in the United States over the next four years, and open a factory in Texas to make the machines that power the company’s push into artificial intelligence.

Is the healthcare sector now uninvestable?

Is the healthcare sector now uninvestable?

I have to add Robert F Kennedy Jr’s confirmation to the growing evidence that this Congress will act to rubber-stamp anything coming out of the White House. And now I’m trying to decide exactly how much chaos the new Secretary of Health and Human Services will unleash on healthcare stocks. My preliminary answer is A LOT. and that the effects of Kennedy’s tenure as head of the Department–added to the capricious decision-making of President Donald Trump and “break-things” czar Elon Musk–are just about impossible to predict. Which leaves investors with a nearly impossible challenge of assessing how much risk there is in any stock or ETF position in the sector. When you are unable to quantify risk, selling–at least some selling–is the best strategic choice for an investor. And that’s why in this post I’m going to give you my run down on what I would sell in the sector now and what I would hold onto until we see exactly how chaotic the chaos will be.

Saturday Night Quarterback (Part 2) says, For the week ahead expect…

Saturday Night Quarterback (Part 2) says, For the week ahead expect…

The Federal Reserve’s preferred inflation metric–due Friday–is expected to cool to the slowest pace since June. But while I think markets will cheer, it’s too soon to look for any change from the Federal Reserve on interest rate cuts. That will have to wait until April at least the the central bank will get a better idea of exactly what tariffs President Donald Trump will increase and by how much.

Walmart cuts its forecast for 2025 after strong end to 2024

Walmart cuts its forecast for 2025 after strong end to 2024

Walmart (WMT) forecast lower than expected profit for 2025. The company said it’s anticipating adjusted earnings of $2.50 to $2.60 per share, below the average projection of $2.74 a share by Wall Street analysts. As of noon New York time today Walmart shares were down 6.8% as the lower guidance outweighed strong results for the just concluded quarter. Both top and bottom lines came in higher than Wall Street expected in the retailer’s quarter and fiscal 2025. Quarterly revenue increased 5.3% year over year to $183 billion, while adjusted earnings per share were up 10% to 66 cents a share.