Thursday, February 20, 2020
I recently asked, “Will the Next Bank Bailout Bankrupt America?”. The casino banks risky derivative bets are much higher than the last bailout a decade ago. The risks will come home to roost and they will expect taxpayers to bail them out again. I concluded: “Keep and increase your gold holdings. True reform would take us […]
I have a confession to make. I’m a big fan of old-fashioned drama on Wall Street. Give me a proxy fight or a bidding war any day. These used to be a lot more common back in the day. Sadly, we don’t see it so much anymore. One of my favorites came in the 1920s […]
Wikipedia tells us, “In the first Godfather movie, the ‘meeting of the Dons’ scene uses the Federal Reserve building exterior.” How appropriate! This Burning Platform “Quotes of the Day” grabbed me: “When we talk about company culture in the context of financial services, the first thing that comes to mind is the risky, unethical, and sometimes criminal […]
The stock market can be a crazy place. The unpredictability of the financial markets is what makes them so exciting and challenging for traders (and investors). While the long-term direction of stocks has always been up, there are definitely significant periods of volatility over shorter time frames. For instance, this year we’ve already had a […]
Can bank bailouts bankrupt America? Why would congress let it happen? In a recent Daily Pfennig, friend Chuck Butler tells about educating his grandsons about the worst president there has ever been: “…. I couldn’t let that one slip … I explained to them that Woodrow Wilson was the all-time worst president, … culminating with, he ushered […]
When it comes to true social security reform, forget about it. The politicos will never fix the real cause of the problem. If the Republican party tried to right the social security ship, the democrats and liberal media would roast them and they would be drummed out of office. On the other side, we hear […]
Recently, there was some significant unusual options activity in United States Steel (X). A flood caused US Steel to shut down one of its steel mills and the stock dropped 6% on the news. This is the sort of situation that typically makes for a good shorter-term options trade. A steel mill closing should cause […]
It’s been three months since I took a break to deal with some cancer issues. As I began to catch up, it was Déjà vu…. Déjà vu… “The strange feeling that in some way you have already experienced the present situation.” Like “Ground Hog Day”, I’ve experienced the same warnings for the last decade. John […]
So the Federal Reserve cut interest rates. This was their third rate cut in the last three months. The new target range for overnight interest rates is 1.5 to 1.75%. That’s below the rate of inflation. There are three things you should do right now. #1. Don’t panic. #2. Seriously, don’t panic. #3. Make sure […]
Last week, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced a formal impeachment inquiry into President Trump. According to The New York Times, the inquiry will look at “charging him with betraying his oath of office and the nation’s security by seeking to enlist a foreign power to tarnish a rival for his own political gain.” I won’t discuss […]
