Short Term

The small-cap Russell 2000 is up 8.5% in a week–time to go short

The small-cap Russell 2000 is up 8.5% in a week–time to go short

On Monday, I will add to my short position in the small-cap Russell 2000 by buying more of the ProShares Short Russell 2000 ETF (RWM) for my Jubak Picks Portfolio. This buy will give me two positions in the ProShares Short Russell ETF. The first position, added to the portfolio on July 23, 2023 is up 0.08% as of the close on November 3. Why go all in on shorting the Russell now?

Retail sales stronger than expected; Treasury prices fall and yields surge (some more)

Retail sales stronger than expected; Treasury prices fall and yields surge (some more)

Retail sales in September roe by 0.7% from August, the Commerce Department reported today. That was more than twice the All Street projector of 0.3% growth. I would note that these retail sales numbers are not adjusted for inflation. So yes, they may be surprisingly strong, given that Wall Street was expecting 0% growth once you subtract inflation. But they hardly indicate a “Nellie, bar the door” economic expansion.

Saturday Night Quarterback (on a Sunday) says, For the week ahead, expect…

Saturday Night Quarterback (on a Sunday) says, For the week ahead, expect…

Kicking the shutdown 45 days down the road doesn’t change a single vote in Congress. The question remains exactly what it was before Saturday’s vote–Will McCarthy–or whoever is Speaker–use Democratic votes to pass legislation to fund the operations of the Federal government? Anything that increases the chances the Congress will return to its pre-vote chaos–or worse–will be a negative for financial markets. Anything that points to a full fiscal year budget based on a willingness to use Democratic votes in the House to pass a full fiscal year budget will be a positive for financial markets.