The S&P 500 is a market cap-weighted index meaning the largest companies by market cap have the greatest impact on its direction. A handful of companies comprise a third of the index today. I explained this in-depth in my series, The Truth Behind the S&P 500. Caitlin McCabe explains in The Wall Street Journal that despite a rally in the overall index driven by a few star names, investors are worried about what lies beneath. She writes: Major indexes have overcome a series of challenges to power higher this year. But some investors are worried that this performance rests on just a … [Read more...]
Archives for June 2023
Will OPEC+ Cuts and New Technology Revive U.S. Shale?
Saudi Arabia has chosen to cut one million barrels of oil production a day in an attempt to maintain higher prices. Could this be an opening for a resurgence in U.S. shale oil production? Dmitry Zhdannikov reports for Reuters: The U.S. has more than doubled its oil and gas production over the past 15 years, mostly as a result of the development of shale fields. Shale production plunged during the pandemic and lenders restricted funding, but it has since recovered and US crude exports and output have hit record highs. OPEC+'s decision to extend existing cuts by another year will likely … [Read more...]
Successful Investing Is a Mindset
Dick Young wrote in the October 2015 issue of Intelligence Report: As you know, I do not check the prices of my investments daily, weekly, or even monthly. I do an annual checkup only at tax time. When I make a significant investment, I have no intention of liquidation anytime soon. I am in for the long haul. Thus, short- or even medium-term volatility is of zero concern to me, beyond keeping an eye out for a name on my watch list that may have taken a temporary beating due to no particular fault of its own. So, then, successful investing is a mindset based upon a master plan that … [Read more...]
My Nephew Graduates, and I’m Larry the Cable Guy
Happy Monday. Your Survival Guy’s nephew graduated from Tabor Academy Friday. We celebrated in his hometown, Mattapoisett, MA, where my parents live and where I grew up. It was a gorgeous night dining on Turk’s Seafood overlooking the harbor from my parents’ second floor deck. The classic cars, a Friday night summer tradition, were on display in the park, and all was good with the world. Then, the next morning with a cold front securely in place, it was too cold to have coffee on the deck. Sitting around the dining room, my dad asked, “Do you like Larry Kudlow?” “Because we … [Read more...]
Does the Government Have a Plan to “Sneak Through” CBDCs?
In a recent podcast on Kitco.com, Robert Breedlove and Mark Moss suggest that resistance to central bank digital currency (CBDC) implementation is futile because governments will find ways to "sneak" them through. Watch: … [Read more...]
OPEC+: Saudi Arabia To Cut 1M Barrels of Oil Production
Saudi Arabia is prepared to cut 1 million barrels of oil production to force prices per barrel higher, report Benoit Faucon and Summer Said in The Wall Street Journal. They write: Saudi Arabia said Sunday it would cut 1 million barrels of oil a day as part of a deal between OPEC and its allies after one of the most contentious production meetings in recent years amid concerns over slowing global energy demand. Saudi Arabia said the output cut was for July and on top of previously announced curbs, which would be extended until the end of 2024. The United Arab Emirates and some other large … [Read more...]
California Is Driving These Wealthy Businesses Out of the State
In America, if a business can't make money, it has no obligation to offer its service, at least for now. In California, after years of wildfires wiping out their assets, insurers aren't allowed to raise premiums to account for the risk. According to The Wall Street Journal, "state Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara won’t let insurers raise premiums to account for increasing wildfire risks. California is the only state that requires insurers to set premiums based on historical experience." The Journal continues: That means insurers must base rates on prior decades when wildfires were less … [Read more...]
What’s Hiding In the London Metals Exchange Warehouses?
Does anyone know what's hiding in the London Metal Exchange warehouses? Is what's been reported the truth? The LME is attempting to make its reporting more transparent. Reuters's Andy Home reports: The London Metal Exchange (LME) is once again looking to shine more light on what lies in the shadows of its warehousing system. The exchange's daily stocks reports offer a rare hard data point in a murky statistical landscape for metal traders. But their usefulness as a market signal has been steadily undermined by the emergence of a shadow LME storage function, which can mean large amounts of … [Read more...]
Is the World Ready for “Mixed Reality?”
Apple is preparing the rollout of a "mixed reality" headset. The device will compete with virtual reality offerings like those from Meta and others. Reuters reports: Apple Inc (AAPL.O) is expected to unveil a mixed-reality headset at its annual software developer conference on Monday, its first big move into a new product category since the introduction of the Apple Watch nine years ago. The launch will see Apple test a market crowded with devices that have yet to gain traction with consumers and put it in direct competition with Facebook-owner Meta Platforms (META.O). Like Meta's Quest … [Read more...]
Does AI Need More Time to Cook?
In the Financial Times, Delphine Strauss suggests that artificial intelligence (AI) could need more time before it really boosts productivity. She writes: “Very little of this stuff is plug and play . . . companies have to invest a lot of resources to reconfigure their business model for this new thing,” Syverson said. “New software, regulatory issues, all that stuff has to be figured out. There is a period where the technology is around and you can see the benefits but for lots of reasons . . . productivity goes down.” John Haltiwanger, professor at the University of Maryland, agreed that … [Read more...]
- « Previous Page
- 1
- …
- 8
- 9
- 10
- 11
- 12
- Next Page »