In December, net orders for trailers were at an all time high. The 47 thousand units on order were 10% more than November, and 38% more than in 2017. The previous record was set in December of 2014 at 45,800 units. Jason Cannon writes in CCJ: “We have seen pressure build on equipment markets for several months,” says Don Ake, FTR vice president of commercial vehicles, “and this shows Q1 is going to be hectic as fleets scramble to keep up with freight demand.” Ake says fleets are ordering thousands of dry vans to deal with tightening trucking capacity thanks to the ELD mandate, as freight … [Read more...]
Has Facebook Peaked?
Mark Zuckerberg announced this morning that Facebook is going to be making significant changes to its social media site. A growing number of Americans are disengaging from the platform because they are being bombarded with ads and auto-play, not to mention the feelings of anxiety and depression. Facebook’s answer is to feed more content from friends and family and less from advertisers and public sites. The changes are expected to decrease engagement, but Facebook maintains they will be good for the company long-term. Bloomberg has more. In a note earlier this week, Wieser reported … [Read more...]
How Will Americans Pay Tax on Their Crypto-Currencies?
As I explain in my four part series on bitcoin (read parts one, two, three, and four), I'm a skeptic of crypto-currency trading and I don't own any crypto-currencies. I believe, much like Warren Buffett told CNBC on Wednesday, that the crypto-craze won't end well. The IRS has given some guidance on how to account for sales of crypto-currencies, but keeping track of all sales may be hard. Brian Fung explains in The Washington Post: The most recent IRS guidance on the matter is from 2014, when it said taxpayers should treat their virtual currency like property. Under that rule, taxpayers … [Read more...]
Is Europe Primed for GDP Strength?
Compared to the last half decade, last year's German GDP numbers came in strong. Is Germany's strength a sign that Europe could be about to turn around and show signs of serious growth? Or is this an anomaly? Todd Buell and Paul Hannon write: The pickup in growth across the eurozone in 2017 has made policy makers at the European Central Bank more confident that they will reach their inflation target over coming years. The central bank is cutting monthly bond purchases under a stimulus program known as quantitative easing to €30 billion ($35.8 billion) from €60 billion. The acceleration in … [Read more...]
Is Korea Crackdown the Beginning of the End of Bitcoin?
The Korean government is preparing to ban the trading of crypto-currencies on exchanges. The country's Minister of Justice, Park Sang-ki announced “Cryptocurrency trading is looking similar to speculation and gambling. South Korea’s [cryptocurrency] trade is considered abnormal abroad.” We have written skeptically about crypto-currencies many times at Youngresearch.com (see here, here, here, and here for a sample). Despite structural issues facing the use of cryto-currencies as a normal means of transaction, the biggest threat to the currencies has always been regulatory. China was the … [Read more...]
Amazon Seeks New Office Space in Boston
Amazon is seeking more office space for its existing operations but the move could foreshadow its selection of its next headquarters. The Boston Globe's Tim Logan reports: Amazon is on the hunt for as much as 1 million square feet of office space in Boston, adding a new level of intrigue to the retail giant’s plans as it whittles down the list of the cities competing for its second headquarters. The Seattle company is negotiating with a Seaport developer to lease an entire office building, and possibly two, to continue its expansion in the city, according to real estate industry … [Read more...]
Foreign Car Makers Build in America
With the announcement of a new automobile manufacturing plant in Alabama to be shared by Toyota and Mazda, foreign car companies are on track to build more vehicles in America than the Detroit Three. Adrienne Roberts and John D. Stoll report in the WSJ: In the first quarter of 2018, foreign makers are expected to produce 1.4 million vehicles in the U.S., WardsAuto.com projects, equaling their American rivals for the first time. That’s a leap from the same period last year, when foreign companies trailed Detroit auto makers by more than 100,000 vehicles, or roughly 10%. In coming … [Read more...]
My 2018 Investment Perspective
I’ve always been amazed at how quickly investors forget what it feels like to lose money. One of my favorite economists, whom will remain unnamed, is a constant stock market cheerleader. He’s never met a market he hasn’t liked. I love his optimism and I too believe, like he does, that Trump’s tax cuts will keep us chugging along for some time. But that doesn’t mean stocks will always rise like the sun. Where I take issue with this perma-bull economist is his call that the bull market in bonds is over. He also says that bonds, more than stocks, are in bubble territory. He takes the … [Read more...]
Crypto-Mania has Gone Mainstream
Crypto-Mania has gone mainstream, reports Bloomberg. Kodak, a household name to those over the age of 35, saw its shares soar over 270% over the last two trading days. What is the catalyst for the Kodak share price surge? The company announced that it will use blockchain technology and launch a "photo-centric cryptocurrency" called Kodakcoin. I wish I were kidding. What are crypto-currency investors thinking? If you are wondering why the cryptocurrency bubble hasn't yet popped, a quote from Warren Buffett may shed some light. “In terms of cryptocurrencies, generally, I can say almost … [Read more...]
Amazon Reveals Amazing Numbers on Prime
In 2017 Amazon shipped an amazing 5 billion items to customers who were part of its Prime membership program. The year was the first that Amazon has released such detailed information on its Prime business. TechCruch reporter Sarah Perez writes: Amazon still won’t officially reveal how many consumers worldwide participate in its Amazon Prime membership program, but it did today offer a few new stats related to that program’s adoption and growth. The company on Tuesday announced that more new, paid members joined Prime worldwide in 2017 than any other year. It also noted that over 5 billion … [Read more...]
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