Sunday, August 3, 2025
The outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic and spread of COVID-19 infections pushed federal and state leaders to the unprecedented actions of shutting down a wide swath of the economy and telling citizens to stay at home to avoid being exposed to, or spreading, the virus. A primary victim of the shutdown was the dine-in restaurant […]
Times are chaotic! Historically, when chaos reigns and emotions are turbocharged, there are winners and losers. Despite the stress, winners manage to see things clearly and keep their wits about them. Recently we interviewed John Williams at Shadowstats. He said government unemployment and inflation numbers are bogus. He also tells us: – Worst U.S. Economic Activity Ever Reported […]
Retail stores and sit-down restaurants were two types of business decimated by the coronavirus pandemic. Now in most of the country, these business types are in the early days of reopening. The big question is how fast consumers will return to in-store shopping and dining out. Investors want to know which companies will see business […]
The stock market crash that began at the end of February and lasted through the end of March was especially brutal for high-yield investments. There is some logic to the deep sell-off of higher yield dividend stocks. These companies pay out most of their free cash flow as dividends, and the economic shutdown puts those […]
In its latest earnings report, Nike (NKE) reported a 36% increase in digital sales. In a press release accompanying the earnings release, President and CEO John Donahoe said, “We know it’s in times like these that strong brands get even stronger.” I tend to agree with Mr. Donahoe. I’ve written about several new names that […]
The reopening of closed business in the U.S. has started in anticipation of today’s Memorial Day Holiday. The trend will accelerate as we move into the summer months. However, don’t expect every company to bounce back to what it was before the crisis. Many industries will suffer long-lasting effects from the shutdown. Others may benefit […]
Last week (May 11-15), prices for precious metals spiked higher. In just a week, gold gained 2.7% and silver climbed by 6.5%. But don’t think that you missed your chance. The recent gains are likely to be just the start of a strong run-up in precious metals value. The macro-economic factors now coming to the […]
In the years before the novel coronavirus, stocks in the travel industry—such as airlines and cruise ship companies—could be counted on for attractive yields and growing dividends. Of course, you are surely aware that cruise lines are shut down, and the airline business is off 90%. The question now is: what are the prospects for […]
Silver linings. We’ve all been looking for them. I have to stay home… but I get to walk the dog (or play with the cat) more, reconnect with family, catch up on reading (or Netflix (NFLX)), and finally try out meditation or journaling. One of the silver linings emerging from the global situation, not only […]
The pandemic-triggered stock market selloff has been incredibly tough on income investors, and the dividend-paying stocks they like to own. In the current market, investors have been drawn to big-name companies whose business was uninterrupted by the crisis. This group pays small or no dividends. Several factors have kept dividend-paying stocks down, but that means […]
