The comments above & below is an edited and abridged synopsis of an article by John RubinoA recurring pattern of the past few decades involves governments promising to limit their borrowing, only to discover that hardly anyone cares. So target dates slip, bonds are issued, and the debts keep rising.This time around the timing is especially notable, since eight years of global growth ought to be pr...Read More
The comments above & below is an edited and abridged synopsis of an article by Michael KosaresWilliam White is a Canadian economist who did research at the Bank of England and the BIS before taking over the Economic Development and Review Committee at the OECD. He presented one of the earliest and most thoughtful warnings of the financial crisis back in 2003. He can, and should, be taken seriously...Read More
The comments above & below is an edited and abridged synopsis of an article by Chris MartensonWe are at the apex of the most incredible nest of financial bubbles in all of human history. Few are aware of the nature of America's predicament, and an even smaller subset is physically or financially ready for the future.Even fewer are mentally prepared for it, and it's the mental and emotional prepara...Read More
The comments above & below is an edited and abridged synopsis of an article by Pavel LisitsynThe Central Bank of Russia (CBR) is increasing the country's gold reserves to meet a goal set by President Vladimir Putin to make Russia less vulnerable to geopolitical risks.As of November, Russia had 1,801 tons of gold that accounted for 17.3% of all reserves. Russia is the sixth-largest gold owner after...Read More
The comments above & below is an edited and abridged synopsis of an article by Ronan ManlyThe annual Russian Bullion Market conference took place on November 24 in Moscow. The most notable speaker was Sergey Shvetsov, First Deputy Chairman of Russia's central bank.Shvetsov discussed an important development involving the Russian central bank in the worldwide gold market, and gave insight into the...Read More
The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) finished lower today, surrendering more than 100 points, as blue-chip stock Walt Disney (DIS) slumped amid Twenty-First Century Fox (FOXA) buyout buzz. The S&P 500 Index (SPX) and Nasdaq Composite (IXIC) also gave up early gains, suffering a third straight loss, as an early tech rebound lost steam. Looking ahead, the House tomorrow is expected to vote on a...Read More
It's been a rocky road for tech stocks recently, and semiconductors are no exception. While the tech sector is attempting to stage a rebound today, a handful of recently beat-up securities are trading at relative bargains, if history is any indicator. One such stock is KLA-Tencor Corp (NASDAQ:KLAC), which tends to rally in the month of December.After touching a record high of $110.01 in early Nove...Read More
U.S. stocks are slightly higher this afternoon. Among the names making big moves are homebuilder Toll Brothers Inc (NYSE:TOL), biotech Revance Therapeutics Inc (NASDAQ:RVNC), and pharma stock Collegium Pharmaceutical Inc (NASDAQ:COLL). Here's a quick look at what's moving shares of TOL, RVNC, and COLL. TOL Stock Pulls Back to 40-Day After Earnings Toll Brothers stock is falling today after the co...Read More
Shares of the SPDR S&P Homebuilders ETF (XHB) are trading lower today, after homebuilder Toll Brothers (TOL) reported disappointing fiscal fourth-quarter earnings and revenue. At last check, the exchange-traded fund (ETF) was down 1.3% at $43.58. The housing sector is likely to remain in focus in the near term, with the Fed expected to raise interest rates at next week's meeting and Republicans sc...Read More
Although earnings season has all but wrapped up, there are still a few stragglers who have yet to step up to the plate. One such company is athleisure retailer Lululemon Athletica inc. (NASDAQ:LULU), which reports earnings after the close tomorrow. Below, we will take a look at the yoga wear maker, and examine how options traders are analysts are playing LULU stock ahead of earnings. While LULU...Read More
Tech stocks have been in a rout following last week's bearish note at Morgan Stanley. For chip stock Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Ltd. (NYSE:TSM), this has translated into an 8.7% drop from its Nov. 24 record high of $43.02. Nevertheless, shares of the Apple (AAPL) supplier are now trading near a trendline that has signaled buying opportunities in the past -- and coincides with another p...Read More
U.S. stocks are trading higher this afternoon, thanks to a much-needed rebound from tech stocks, and a slew of positive earnings data. While the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) and S&P 500 Index (SPX) are just above breakeven,the Nasdaq Composite (IXIC) is outperforming, attempting to bounce back from its steep two-day losing streak. Microsoft (MSFT) is currently leading the advancing Dow st...Read More
Shares of Alibaba Group Holding Ltd (NYSE:BABA) have shed roughly 20 points since hitting an all-time high of $191.75 on Nov. 22, last seen trading at $171.83. The stock is up 1.4% and there's reason to believe an even bigger bounce is on the way, given BABA's position on the charts. For instance, the equity's 14-day Relative Strength Index (RSI) settled at just 32 yesterday, right above oversold...Read More
Tobacco giant Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) has been trying to gain ground since its huge bear gap from July, but the shares are now facing a formidable technical hurdle. Not only does the stock seem to be stalling right near its year-to-date breakeven level, but just overhead are the 160- and 200-day moving averages, which look ready to block any rally attempts. Already a major underperformer in 2...Read More
McDonald's Corporation (NYSE:MCD) is the top Dow gainer this morning, with the stock tapping a record high of $174, after the company announced it's again revamping its menu by introducing a list of items costing $1, $2, or $3. The new Dollar Menu will debut nationwide in January. Jefferies responded by upgrading the stock to "buy" from "hold" and boosting its price target to $200 from $150. Up 42...Read More
Snap Inc (NYSE:SNAP) has had a much-maligned start since the stock began trading in early March. Nevertheless, the Snapchat stock has turned in a positive session in seven out of the last eight days -- pacing toward another win today -- and upbeat analysts are starting to chime in.Overnight, SNAP received an upgrade to "overweight" from "equal weight" at Barclays, as well as a price-target hike to...Read More
Shares of Apple Inc (NASDAQ:AAPL) are in focus today, as traders weigh competing headlines for the tech powerhouse. AAPL won its European Union (EU) trademark case against Chinese rival Xiaomi -- but research firm Kantar reported a sharp drop in iPhone market share during the three-month period ended in October. Specifically, the lack of availability for the iPhone X helped spark a year-over-year...Read More
Shares of Depomed Inc (NASDAQ:DEPO) are almost 12% higher in electronic trading, after the biotech said it is licensing the sales rights to its opioid pain drugs, Nucynta IR and Nucynta ER, to Collegium Pharmaceutical (COLL). As such, DEPO is also slashing its workforce by 40%, and plans to move its headquarters out of California -- with the company scouting potential sites in the Midwest or along...Read More
Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) futures are signaling a positive open for stocks ahead of a big day for economic data. While investors will continue to consider the ramifications of the Republican tax plan, they're digesting a rise to nine-month highs in the U.S. trade deficit in October. Markit's services purchasing managers index (PMI) and the Institute for Supply Management's (ISM) non-manu...Read More
The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) was up over 300 points at its session high -- which also represented a record peak -- as markets cheered progress on the Republican tax reform bill. The S&P 500 Index (SPX) initially joined in on the fun as well, notching a record high on the strength of bank, retail, and media stocks. However, the Dow pared its gains as the session progressed, and the SPX d...Read More