November 30, 2021 | Daily JAM, Morning Briefing |
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell retired the word “transitory” to describe stubbornly high inflation in testimony today in front of the Senate Banking Committee. And, Powell continued, the Fed might accelerate the pace at which it is winding down its purchase of Treasuries and mortgage-backed assets. “It is appropriate, I think, for us to discuss at our next meeting, which is in a couple of weeks, whether it will be appropriate to wrap up our purchases a few months earlier.” The Fed is currently scheduled to complete its asset-purchase program in mid-2022
November 29, 2021 | Daily JAM, Short Term |
Today, Monday November 29, it’s a tale of two bounces from Friday’s big sell off. Technology stocks and especially big technology stocks are up big. At the close in New York Applied Materials was up 5.53%. Adobe (ADBE) was ahead 3.83%. Nvidia (NVDA) was higher by 5.95%. Amazon (AMZN) had gained 1.63%. Apple (AAPL) and Meta Platforms (AKA FB) were 2.19% and 1.47%, respectively. Qualcomm (QCOM) had gained 4.55%. Alphabet (GOOG) was higher by 2.32%. Microsoft (MSFT) had picked up 2.11%. NXP Semiconductors (NXPI) had climbed 5.41%. In most of these stocks today’s gains made up for Friday’s losses–or more. For example, on Friday Applied Materials had dropped 3.84% and NXP Semiconductors was down 3.88%. On the other hand, the “re-opening stocks” that got crushed Friday on fears that the Omicron Covid-19 variant would throw sand in the gears of the global economy showed only minor gains.
November 28, 2021 | Daily JAM, Dip-O-Meter |
Oddly, the big sell off on Friday hasn’t created as many buys among the 25 stocks in the Dip-O-Meter as you might expect. Part of the reason is that the run up in stock prices in 2021 has been so fast that many stocks are still way above the 2021 lows. It’s hard to call Nvidia (NVDA), for example, a buy on the dip opportunity when the stock even Friday’s 3.58% drop to $315.03, is still way above the 200-day moving average at $190.81. Part of the reason is that, in my opinion, we’re looking at some negative trends in the economy, from the resurgence in Covid infections, and from inflation/interest rates/the Federal Reserve in the first half of 2022. Do you really feel in a rush to buy Disney at $148.11 after Friday’s 2.13% drop to $148.11 when it looks like park attendance is going to get slammed again by the Pandemic? Or MGM Resorts International (MGM)? Part of the reason is that existing negative trends haven’t bottomed out. Volkswagen (VWAPY) doesn’t look like a bargain at $18.50 after Friday’s selling because China’s auto market remains in turmoil, for example. Same with Freeport McMoRan Copper & Gold (FCX) on slumping global copper demand. Which doesn’t mean I’ve got nothing to recommend for buying after Friday.
November 18, 2021 | Daily JAM, Videos |
I’m starting up my videos on JubakAM.com again–this time using YouTube as a platform. My seventieth YouTube video “The rally narrows–or does it?” went up today.
November 18, 2021 | Daily JAM, Morning Briefing |
In my YouTube video posted today I dismissed (pretty much) my worry that this rally was getting narrower and therefore closer to a nasty end. Nvidia (NVDA), up 8.85% at the close ) I noted had dragged a few chip stocks with it after the company reported a significant earnings beat and increase in guidance yesterday. For the day Qualcomm (QCOM) was up 1.63% and Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) ahead 1.86%. But stocks as a whole didn’t join in and some recent bellwether stocks actually retreated with Coca-Cola (KO) off 0.96%, Chipotle Mexican Grill (CMG) down 1.87%, and Disney (DIS) lower by 1.11%. Not good. What you’d like to see as more stocks join in–the rally gets broader–as prices go up if you’re looking for evidence that a rally might continue for a while. But, I noted in my video, not all is lost. Big tech stocks, which have largely been left on the sidelines in the rally, were up strongly today wit Amazon (AMZN) gaining 3.78% and Apple (AAPL) higher by 3.05%. If this group starts to participate the rally would be likely to have another leg. However, that’s not my only worry about this rally. I’m seeing evidence that the gains being racked up by stocks such as Nvidia, Qualcomm, and Apple are based on increasing vague speculation about trends that are way, way off in the future.
November 11, 2021 | Daily JAM, Videos |
I’m starting up my videos on JubakAM.com again–this time using YouTube as a platform. My sixty-seventh YouTube video “7 Picks for a Confused Market” went up today.
November 11, 2021 | Daily JAM, Morning Briefing |
I don’t care how you want to frame the number, yesterday’s (November 10) report that consumer inflation (as measured by the Consumer Price Index) rose at a 6.2% annualized rate in October was shockingly high. The number is the kind of shock that can derail a rally or reverse a prevailing upward trend. So far, though, the market action says the upward trend through the end of the year is intact.
October 4, 2021 | Daily JAM, Morning Briefing |
The Hong Kong Stock Exchange suspended trading in shares of China Evergrande after the Chinese devel... To subscribe to JAM you need to fill in some details below including, ahem, some info on how you'll pay us. A subscription is $199 (although if you're subscribing...
October 3, 2021 | Daily JAM, MRK |
Stocks zoomed on Friday on news that Merck (MRK) had developed and successfully trialed a pill that ... To subscribe to JAM you need to fill in some details below including, ahem, some info on how you'll pay us. A subscription is $199 (although if you're subscribing...
August 17, 2021 | Daily JAM, Morning Briefing |
Retail sales dropped 1.1% in July, the Commerce Department reported today, August 17. Sales of furniture, sporting goods, building materials, cars and auto parts were all down strongly in the month. Sales at non-store retailers, which include e-commerce sales, dropped 3% in July.
May 25, 2021 | Daily JAM, DIS, Volatility |
The Disney July 16 Call Options (strike price $170) are up another 17.98% today, May 25, as of 1:30 p.m. New York time to $9.91. I’m going to make my profit in this option position today ahead of the potential volatility later this week ahead of Friday’s big inflation data release. I bought these options back on May 17 at $7.17 a contract. I’m closing the position with a 32.6% gain.
May 17, 2021 | Daily JAM, DIS, Volatility |
Last night I said that I’d buy the Disney Call Options for July 16 at either the $170 or $175 strike price. On Friday, I noted that the spread between the two options seemed especially large at 38.4% and that I’d wait for Monday trading to give me more of a clue on which option to prefer. Today I’m going with the $170 July 16 Call Options (DIS210716C00170000) because with today’s drop to $170.01 they remain slightly in the money and I think they’re more likely to give me a significant gain during the life of the option.
