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Archives for December 2017

Old Tech Rushes to Serve Demand for Blockchain

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Underneath the mania that is bitcoin lies the technology powering the digital currency, blockchain. The blockchain system, which securely identifies ownership and consent along a chain of transactions, is being investigated for use in a range of possible industries. From finance to shipping and much more, businesses are exploring what blockchain could do for them. Set to supply the technology, hardware, and cloud support for these endeavors are old-line tech companies like IBM and Microsoft. Olga Kharif reports at Bloomberg: Demand for the technology, best known for supporting bitcoin, is … [Read more...]

After a Year of Retail Misery, Shoppers Finish 2017 Strong

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Throughout 2017 it seemed that every week a brick and mortar retailer was going out of business. Big names like RadioShack, The Limited, Payless ShoeSource, and Toys R' Us all went under in 2017, and there are plenty of other retailers on the edge. But according to MasterCard, retailers, including e-commerce, did well in the last months of 2017. MasterCard tracked an increase of 4.9% in sales at retailers (excludes autos) from November 1 to December 24. That's larger than the 3.7% recorded last year. Suzanne Kapner reports at The Wall Street Journal: “It started with a bang in the week … [Read more...]

Three Risks to Watch for in 2018

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Outside of the stock market being priced at one of its most expensive levels relative to underlying cash flows on record, there aren't many things to be bearish about going into 2018. But the Wall Street Journal's James Mackintosh has managed to come up with three risks that could derail the ongoing low volatility climb in the equity market. To wit: Monetary tightening. The Federal Reserve raised rates three times this year, yet it became easier to borrow and over long periods actually got cheaper. Instead of rising, long-dated bond yields fell, and global monetary conditions were further … [Read more...]

The Real Tax-Cut “Mafia Thugs”

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Who will foot the tax bill in high tax states if the successful decide to pick-up and leave? With all the hand wringing by blue state politicians about this tax cut triggering "an economic civil war" or comparing Republicans to "mafia thugs" maybe they should consider creating more ways to keep successful Americans living there. The WSJ has more here: You can figure out who most needs reform by the decibels of protest. Amid other apocalyptic warnings, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo last weekend declared that the GOP bill’s limit on the state-and-local tax deduction will trigger "an economic … [Read more...]

Are Gamers the New Athletes?

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Video games are extremely popular, and now, with internet connectivity a global community of gamers has been united. With that community has come heated competition, and some gamers are even making money playing professionally. Are these gamers the new athletes? Wired reports: The professional sports world has a new league—the Overwatch League—and, like any other athletic endeavor, the professional videogaming league comes complete with billionaire team owners, devoted fans, and serious players mortgaging their teenage years for a shot at the spotlight (and a whole lot of cash). Stefano … [Read more...]

Tax Bill Big Changes to 529 Plan

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One item, in particular, that I like with the pending tax reform is how the 529 plan will be treated. It expands the use to elementary and secondary schools at a max of $10,000 per beneficiary per year for qualifying expenses. This from the NYT: Buried in Section 1202 of the tax bill are a number of proposals to consolidate and simplify various tax breaks for education savings. Part of the section in effect would neuter something called a Coverdell account, which families have used for years to save for both private school and college. But then comes the big change: Elementary and high … [Read more...]

How a Minecraft Gambit Nearly Took Down the Internet

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Odd things happen on the Internet. Wired has reported that a few dorm dwelling college students nearly took down the Internet by attempting to make money off of Minecraft. You may remember in October of 2016 when the Eastern part of the United States suffered serious Internet problems. Well, it was because of these young criminals. Garrett Graff reports: THE MOST DRAMATIC cybersecurity story of 2016 came to a quiet conclusion Friday in an Anchorage courtroom, as three young American computer savants pleaded guilty to masterminding an unprecedented botnet—powered by unsecured … [Read more...]

Dick Young’s Advice: “Make it a Good Year with Your Survival Guy”

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How are you doing on the personal security front? “My son-in-law E.J. Smith recently acquired another favored Sig Sauer 226 MK 25 chambered in 9mm,” I wrote in my September 2015 issue of Richard C. Young’s Intelligence Report, “I am a big fan of the 9mm handgun, and own a Beretta. “In E.J.’s case,” I continued, “he has invested a lot of time and energy in the Sig 226 to gain proficiency. The price of the Sig 226 is up 25% over the last five high-demand years. As E.J. notes in a recent post at his website, www.yoursurvivalguy.com, ‘Often times the best investments are made when making a … [Read more...]

Fake (and Biased) News Still a Problem for Investors

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You might have hoped that after all of the media attention, the problem of fake and biased news would have been solved by now. But any objective evaluation of the media’s coverage of the tax bill that was just passed by Congress dispels that myth. The coverage of the tax plan has been so uniformly negative that almost half the people polled disapprove of the tax plan and a shockingly high 50% of people think their taxes are going up. The press has fed the narrative that taxes are going up on middle-income Americans and only the wealthy are going to benefit from the plan. Senators and … [Read more...]