Friday, January 18, 2019
The End of Apple! / Companies / Apple
By: Stephen_McBride
“Oh man, that’s almost a month’s rent for me…”
Here I am sitting in a cab in New York City.
I’m headed uptown to Columbia University where we’re holding the first-ever American Disruption Summit.
You can register to watch for free here… more on that in a minute.
The driver and I are talking about the absurd price tag of the latest Apple (AAPL) iPhone.
He’s shocked when I tell him the cheapest model is $1,149.
Read full article... Read full article...
Friday, January 18, 2019
Debt, Division, Dysfunction, and the March to National Bankruptcy / Interest-Rates / US Debt
By: MoneyMetals
Never in our lifetimes has American politics been so marked by division and dysfunction.
The longest partial government shutdown in history occurred after the Democrat-controlled Congress wouldn’t compromise with President Trump on a border wall. The impasse is but one symptom of a deeper malady – one that threatens to wreak wider social and financial instability in the years ahead.
Put plainly, the pillars of the American system as we have known it are eroding.
No longer are we unified in support of the Constitution and a (more or less) free market economy. A growing faction within one party favors socialism and outright rejects foundational American principles such as free speech, gun rights, and limited government.
Friday, January 18, 2019
Four Breakout Stocks to Watch / Companies / Investing 2019
By: Harry_Boxer
Here are four stocks from a range of industries breaking out primarily on news, continuing strong technical trends off December lows.
Attunity Ltd. (ATTU) surged $1.48 to $23.39 on 709,200 shares Wednesday on more than double its average volume. The move came ahead of the data management software company's announcement today that it will release its quarterly and annual financial results on January 31. The move positioned the stock right up against a triple top going back to November. The stock's On-Balance Volume indicator is making new highs ahead of price, a positive sign. A break through here could lead to $28 next.
Read full article... Read full article...
Friday, January 18, 2019
Creating the Best Office Space / Companies / SME
By: Submissions
It is pretty sad to say that in the modern world the two places we spend the most time are at work and in bed sleeping. Put like that you might feel a little down but making the best of your office space can put a better spin on things, and according to the experts at Bed SOS, having a positive workspace can actually help you sleep better at night as you stress levels will be lower and your enjoyment factor will be higher, even at work. So how do you create the best office space working within the constraints you have?Read full article... Read full article...
Thursday, January 17, 2019
S&P 500 at Resistance Level, Downward Correction Ahead? / Stock-Markets / Stock Markets 2019
By: Paul_Rejczak
Stocks went slightly up yesterday, as investors' sentiment remained bullish following the recent advances. The S&P 500 index extended its short-term uptrend, before closing just 0.2% higher. Is this a short-term topping pattern or just another consolidation within an uptrend?
The U.S. stock market indexes gained 0.2-0.6% on Wednesday, extending their short-term uptrend, as investors' sentiment remained bullish ahead of the quarterly earnings releases. The S&P 500 index continued its rebound off the December the 26th medium-term low of 2,346.58. The index traded 20.2% below September the 21st record high of 2,940.91 on that day. Then the market rallied and retraced almost 50% of the downtrend. It broke slightly above 2,600 mark on Tuesday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 0.6% and the Nasdaq Composite gained 0.2% yesterday.
The nearest important level of resistance of the S&P 500 index is at 2,635-2,640, marked by December the 14th daily gap down of 2,635.07-2,637.27. There is also a resistance level of 50% retracement of the whole downtrend from the mentioned September's record high at 2,643.7. The next resistance level is at 2,675-2,685, marked by the early December local highs. On the other hand, the level of support is at 2,580-2,600, marked by the recent resistance level. The support level is also at 2,550-2,570.
Read full article... Read full article...
Thursday, January 17, 2019
Mauldin: My 2019 Economic Outlook / Economics / US Economy
By: John_Mauldin
I recently did a “2019 Investment Outlook” webinar with my business partner Steve Blumenthal.
We looked at three topics: recession probability, credit conditions, and stock valuations. I can tell, we went deep on the webinar. You can read a transcript or view a recording here.
Here I’ll give you an abbreviated version of that webinar.
Economists Can’t Recognize Recessions in Real Time
Steve started the webinar by noting we are late in an economic cycle. He showed the chart below to illustrate how all cycles have expansion periods that end with recession.
Read full article... Read full article...
Thursday, January 17, 2019
The Fed Caused the Stock Market Sell-Off—but Not with Rate Hikes / Stock-Markets / Stock Markets 2019
By: John_Mauldin
I recently argued Jerome Powell did the right thing by raising rates a mere 25 basis points.
He did what Janet Yellen should have done years ago. And for the first time since Volcker, a Fed chair declared the Fed’s independence from the market and politicians.
Besides the Fed’s dual mandate, Greenspan, Bernanke, and, in particular, Yellen had a third unofficial mandate. It was to make sure that asset prices keep rising.
Thursday, January 17, 2019
No for Brexit Deal, Yes for May. And What for Gold? / Commodities / Gold & Silver 2019
By: Arkadiusz_Sieron
71 days. That’s all that separates us from the Brexit deadline. And the UK has still no clear path forward exiting the EU. Does gold have one?
Today's analysis features possible scenarios for the UK and for gold along with their likelihood. In the current political situation, it's a must-read.
Parliament Rejects May’s Brexit Deal
On Tuesday, the UK Parliament voted on Theresa May’s Brexit deal for leaving the EU. As expected, the MPs rejected her proposition. What was really surprising was the scale of defeat. The parliament voted 432-202 against May’s divorce deal, marking the worst defeat in modern British history.
Read full article... Read full article...
Thursday, January 17, 2019
Macro Could Weaken After US Government Shutdown. What This Means for Stocks / Stock-Markets / Stock Markets 2019
By: Troy_Bombardia
The S&P is close the reaching its 50% retracement, which is the standard target before a pullback/retest. After the pullback/retest, what happens next depends on the macro economy. If the macro economy deteriorates, then stocks will keep going down. If the macro economy weakens, then stocks will keep going up. But even if the bull market has more room left, it doesn’t have a lot of room. A 1999-scenario (1 last year of the bull market) is a best case scenario.
Thursday, January 17, 2019
US Stock Market Indexes Reaches Fibonacci Target Zone – Where to Next? / Stock-Markets / Stock Markets 2019
By: Chris_Vermeulen
Near December 21, 2018, our research team began a series of posts indicating the US Major Indexes should be set up for the “Ultimate Bottom” low that we suggested would take place after the US Elections (November 2018) and which would launch an upside price rally. Today, we are writing to announce that the first leg of this upside move appears to be nearly completed.
It is critical to mention here that as of only a day go the short-term market trend from a technical standpoint has turned up. So, getting long before this point would be trying to catch a bottom which is tough and risky to do. The good news is that we are expecting a second leg higher after we get some rotation to the downside.
Using our Adaptive Fibonacci Price Modeling system, we can see that the current prices of the ES and NQ are very near to the immediate Fibonacci Price Target Zone. You will see from the following charts that both the ES and NQ are already within this zone and/or very near to what we believe will be immediate resistance. This means we should expect a bit of price rotation near these levels before another upside leg takes place driving prices higher.
Read full article... Read full article...
Thursday, January 17, 2019
Stock Market Rig is Ending… Next Leg Down is About to Begin / Stock-Markets / Stock Markets 2019
By: Graham_Summers
This week is options expiration week… Wall Street’s favorite time to ramp the markets in order to insure the maximum number of options contracts expire worthless.
THIS, nothing else, is why the markets rallied this week. Tweets from the President or some statement by a Fed official were simply the excuse Wall Street used to engage in this game.
And that game is now ending. Stocks face TREMENDOUS overhead resistance here.
Read full article... Read full article...
Thursday, January 17, 2019
How 2018 Was For The UK Casino Industry / Companies / Gambling
By: Submissions
...
Wednesday, January 16, 2019
It’s Not Polite, but I’m Pretty Pissed at the Fed / Interest-Rates / US Federal Reserve Bank
By: John_Mauldin
This essay is going to insult a bunch of smart, maybe even brilliant, people. It is not polite nor is it politically correct. I will try to be better. But right now, I am pretty pissed.
Here’s the thing.
No serious scientist would run a two-variable experiment. By that I mean, you run an experiment with one variable to see what happens.
If you have two variables and something happens—either good or bad—you don’t know which variable caused it.
Read full article... Read full article...
Wednesday, January 16, 2019
Gold Holds Steady Over £1,000 – Increased Likelihood Of A Disorderly Brexit / Commodities / Gold & Silver 2019
By: GoldCore
– Gold supported near $1,300/oz ahead of important British Brexit no-confidence vote
– Gold is consolidating in range between $1,280 and $1,300/oz (over £1,000/oz and €1,100/oz) – A break of resistance at $1,300 will likely see gold rise rapidly in all currencies
– Physical demand for gold coins and bars has picked up in the UK and Ireland, aided by Brexit uncertainty
Wednesday, January 16, 2019
One-year Savings Bond Rates Soar, While Five-year Deals Rise Modestly / Personal_Finance / Saving Bonds
By: MoneyFacts
Starting a new year can be a great time to review the top savings rates, and reassuringly, average rates on one-year fixed bonds have hit a four-year high, according to the latest research by Moneyfacts.co.uk. However, this encouraging start to 2019 has not been seen in the five-year fixed bond market, with rates (although rising) not rising at the same pace.
Statistics released today show the Consumer Prices Index (CPI) fell to 2.1% during December, meaning 94 fixed rate bonds and 6 fixed rate ISAs (based on a £10,000 deposit) can now match or beat inflation*. Within that, 82 fixed bonds and 4 fixed ISAs beat 2.1%, still a small share of the standard savings market.
Read full article... Read full article...
Wednesday, January 16, 2019
Gold Price – US$700 Or US$7000? / Commodities / Gold & Silver 2019
By: Kelsey_Williams
Does either of the above preclude the other? In other words, if we expect gold to reach $7000.00 per ounce, and we are correct, does that mean that we can’t reasonably expect gold to go as low as $700.00 per ounce? Conversely, if we are predicting or expecting gold to decline from its current level and even breach $1000.00 per ounce on the downside, can $7000.00 per ounce, or anything even remotely close to that number, be a reasonable possibility?
I do not think either one precludes the other. In fact, I think it is entirely possible that we can see bothfigures. And not necessarily spread over an inordinately long period of time, either.
Here is a possible scenario that would allow that to happen.
As the U.S dollar strengthens, the U.S. dollar price of gold declines. This is clearly evident in the price action of gold since its high point of approximately $1900.00 per ounce in 2011. There is no way to know for certain how long relative dollar strength will last. And it is reasonable that if ongoing dollar strength takes gold below $1000, it might come to rest somewhere between $860 – 890.00 per ounce. In January 1980, gold peaked at $850.00. Revisiting that number is plausible, and well within the realm of realistic speculation. And, yes, there are technical indicators that point to a gold price of as low as $700.00 per ounce.
Read full article... Read full article...
Wednesday, January 16, 2019
Rare earths deja vu: Chinese crackdown = higher prices / Commodities / Rare Earths
By: Richard_Mills
In a scene awfully familiar to those who follow the rare earths market, China is once again threatening to hatchet production of the valuable minerals used in high-tech, renewable energy and military applications.
Last week it was reported that the Chinese government published new guidelines designed to eliminate illegal mining and encourage more high-end processing. Those sterile words are code for “less polluting”.
Shutting down illegal rare earth mines is nothing new to the Chinese, who have found that the process of extracting rare earth oxides from ore and refining them into useable products has come at a high price to the environment.
Read full article... Read full article...
Wednesday, January 16, 2019
Commodities Are the Right Story for 2019 / Commodities / Commodities Trading
By: Richard_Mills
The markets are up and down like a bride's nightgown, as my dad used to say, bitcoin is in the toilet, and tech stocks, once as steady as the banks, are as unreliable as an old Apple computer. If you’re reluctant to dip your toe back into the stock market, you’re not alone.
‘The Hunt for Red October’ was a great movie but nobody thought ‘Red October’ would actually happen. In October it did. Anyone that was invested saw their equities turn as red as a Russian submarine commander. The S&P 500 churned. When the calendar mercifully turned to November, the benchmark US stock index had fallen 8.5%, the worst month since February 2009 and the ugliest October since the collapse of Lehman Brothers in 2008. The Dow and the Nasdaq were equally pummeled.
And then it kept going. December was the worst month since the Great Depression. The financial talking heads couldn’t decide what was going on. The trade war with China, speculation that the Federal Reserve would raise interest rates in December (it did) and slowing global growth, were all trotted out as culprits. Algorithmic trading and end-of-the-year tax selling also played a role, as did good old profit-taking by retail investors, who figured it was as good a time as any to exit a nine-year bull market.
Read full article... Read full article...
Wednesday, January 16, 2019
Look Inside Letoonia Club Hotel Resort Bungalow Rooms - Turkey Holidays 2019 / Personal_Finance / Holidays
By: Anika_Walayat
Planning a trip to the Dalaman / Fethiye area of Turkey during 2019? Well here's what a look inside the Bungalow rooms at the popular Letoonia Club Hotel Resort, situated about 40 miles south of Dalaman and across the bay from the city of Fethiye. As we check out what several rooms are like in terms of space, facities and of course beds.
Read full article... Read full article...
Tuesday, January 15, 2019
Bitcoin Price Wavers / Currencies / Bitcoin
By: Mike_McAra
If Bitcoin bulls got excited about the recent move up, Thursday’s action extinguished some of this excitement. But it doesn’t come as a surprise to our readers. This one day of strong depreciation can be seen as an indication of things to come. But are these things bearish?
Bitcoin remains on the fringe of the financial system. The Bank of International Settlements (BIS) has recently issued a warning on Bitcoin. In an article on the Forbes website, we read:
In another blow to bitcoin and cryptocurrencies, BIS warned investors and traders that they could lose money on privately minted cryptocurrencies like bitcoin.