Apparently everybody decided today that tomorrow’s March jobs report will show accelerating economic growth

Apparently everybody decided today that tomorrow’s March jobs report will show accelerating economic growth

With the financial markets closed tomorrow for Good Friday, traders and investors jumped in to buy today ahead of what is expected to be a jobs report tomorrow morning showing unemployment dropping to 6.0% (by the official measure) from 6.2% in February. The Standard & Poor’s 500 closed up 1.18%. The Dow Jones Industrial average ended 0.52% higher. The NASDAQ Composite finished higher by 1.76%. And the small cap Russell 2000 gained 1.50% on the day.

On second thought, financial markets decide they really didn’t like yesterday’s news from  the Federal Reserve

On second thought, financial markets decide they really didn’t like yesterday’s news from the Federal Reserve

After not moving very much yesterday on the actual news from the Federal Reserve-the Standard & Poor’s 500 finished up 0.29% and the NASDSQ Composite closed higher by 0.40%, today, March 18, markets decided they really didn’t like the Fed’s stance on inflation, interest rates, and bond yields.
A day after Fed chair Jerome Powell said the Fed wasn’t much concerned about either the projects for higher inflation or the rise in Treasury yields, the yield on the 10-year Treasury spiked to 1.71% at the close. (It was at 1.74% as 1 p.m. in New York.) The closing yield amounted to a jump of 7 basis points in the yield on the benchmark Treasury issue. The yield on the 10-year Treasury is now up an astonishing 42 basis points in a month. And as has been the case in 2021 and as you might expect, stocks sold off with high multiple, high momentum technology shares taking the worst beating.

Selling Marvell Technology Group out of Jubak’s Picks tomorrow

Selling Marvell Technology Group out of Jubak’s Picks tomorrow

Today, March 15, shares of Marvell Technology Group (MRVL) closed at $48.08, slightly above my target price of $48 a share. In this very volatile market for technology stocks, I’m going to take my almost 20% profit (19.90% to be exact) and sell these shares out of my Jubak Picks Portfolio tomorrow, March 16. The profit came in less than two weeks from my March 6 buy.

Selling Marvell Technology Group out of Jubak’s Picks tomorrow

Buying Marvell Technology Group in my Jubak Picks Portfolio

While the NASDAQ Composite and Standard & Poor’s 500 were flirting with a correction on March 4, Marvell Technology Group (MRVL) has moved into its own better than 10% drop in just the last week. The stock is down 13.89% in the last week as of the close yesterday March 4 at $40.10. The stock is now down 15.66% for 2021 to date. I’m going to use this correction to add the shares to my Jubak Picks Portfolio on March 5 with a target price of $48 a share. The stock pays a tiny 0.60% dividend.

A wild day for stock gains–although you wouldn’t know it from the indexes

A wild day for stock gains–although you wouldn’t know it from the indexes

At the close today the Standard & Poor’s 500 was down 0.19%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average ended dead even. The NASDAQ Composite “soared” 0.07%. It wasn’t until you looked at the Russell 2000 small cap index that you saw any signs of what a wild day it was. That index, so economically sensitive these days, finished ahead 2.04%. Don’t look to the usual suspects if you’re seeking big winners today.

Stocks drift while they look for sector leadership

Stocks drift while they look for sector leadership

Stock market indexes finished slightly higher today, February 11–the Standard & Poor’s 500 was up 0.17% at the close–or slightly lower–the Dow Jones Industrial Average was lower by 0.02%–as investors looked to see whether technology would resume its mantle of market leadership or if the cape of leadership would pass to consumer stocks. The evidence today was inconclusive.

Today’s rally: Was it Biden or Netflix?

Today’s rally: Was it Biden or Netflix?

Today the Standard & Poor’s 500, the Dow Jones Industrial Average, and the NASDAQ Composite all hit record highs. Likely cause? The peaceful inauguration of Joe Biden as President? Yesterday’s report of blow out gains in subscribers in the fourth quarter from Netflix (NFLX)? While the sigh of relief that the country wasn’t enveloped in another wave of violence at the 46th President took the oath of office certainly played a role, my vote on causation today goes to yesterday’s news from Netflix that the company added 8.5 million subscribers in the fourth quarter, far ahead of Wall Street projections for 6.03 million added subscribers. Netflix shares closed up 16.85% today.