Wednesday, April 27, 2022

Following Twitter, Elon Musk May Next Want to Acquire Silver / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2022

By: MoneyMetals

Elon Musk’s $44 billion purchase of Twitter is being hailed as a victory for free speech. Musk vows to make changes to the social media platform that will make it a true “digital town square” where people are free to speak their minds, even if others take offense.

Of course, not everyone is excited about the prospect.

“Biden officials worry Musk will allow Trump to return to Twitter,” CNBC informs us.

Musk, meanwhile, is worried that the Biden administration may launch retaliatory attacks by securities regulators. He is also concerned by government policies that are stoking inflation.

Wednesday, April 27, 2022

Crude Oil Is Holding Its Breath As China Fears COVID Again / Commodities / Crude Oil

By: Submissions

While China plans to implement lockdowns for fear of an epidemic, concerns about the coronavirus are taking a toll on the oil market. Will it escalate?

Crude oil prices remained lower on Tuesday, after significant losses suffered the day before. They are still weighed down by fears of a general lockdown in Beijing, the capital of China, as well as in Shanghai, thus risking a demand reduction for black gold.

The concern also affects industrial metals, of which China is a major consumer. They recorded substantial price drops on the London Metal Exchange (LME) on Monday. As per the below chart, the LMEX, an index that incorporates the prices of aluminium, copper, lead, nickel, tin, and zinc traded on the LME, posted 4,864.9 points on Monday, erasing all its gains from March and April:

Wednesday, April 27, 2022

Understanding the Benefits of Mining Crypto / Currencies / Crypto Mining

By: Steve_Barker

Mining crypto is becoming increasingly popular, as people are starting to realize the benefits it offers. In this article, we will discuss what crypto mining is, why you should consider it, and some of the requirements you need in order to get started. We'll also take a look at who can mine crypto and what some of the benefits are. Finally, we'll explore some of the downsides of mining crypto so that you can make an informed decision about whether or not it's right for you. So, without further ado, let's get started!

Tuesday, April 26, 2022

FAANG Stocks Earnings Blood Bath - Google, Microsoft, Apple, Amazon, Facebook Buying Opportunities / Stock-Markets / Stock Market 2022

By: Nadeem_Walayat

It's bear market big tech Q1 earnings week when we could see blood on the streets of silicon valley, as Google, Microsoft, Apple, Amazon, Qualcom and Intel all report their earnings, potential blood on the street buying opportunties that I and my patrons have been patiently waiting for the buying levels to be triggered as these charts from my early February article illustrate where the dominos could finally start falling as we seee a continuaiton of Friday's plunge on break of key support levels for the likes of Nvidia and Google, seeing big buying levels finally starting to get triggered in the latest phase of this stealth stocks bear market that is cycling through target stocks like the tasmanian devil where my focus was on Google as it finally broke below $2400, a level that I had long flagged to patrons of where I would be buying big and in advance of warned Patrons for several weeks not to jump the gun regardless of what the genernal indices were doing.

Tuesday, April 26, 2022

3 Recession Indicators are Flashing Red… Here’s Why you Shouldn’t Panic / Stock-Markets / Stock Market 2022

By: Stephen_McBride

The odds of a recession in the US just spiked considerably.

I’m not saying this to scare you…

That’s what three important recession indicators are saying today.

They’re all flashing “red”…

But as I’ll show you today, this isn’t the time to panic. Instead, it’s an opportunity.

I’ll explain in a moment. First, let’s look at each indicator:

Monday, April 25, 2022

Google, Microsoft, Apple, Amazon, Facebook Tech Stocks Earnings BloodBath Week Buying Opportunities / Companies / Corporate Earnings

By: Nadeem_Walayat

In advance of my US housing market trend forecast to be posted before the end of this month here is a timely look at the big AI tech stocks that are reporting earnings next week, where the dominos could finally start falling as they continue Friday's plunge on break of key support levels for the likes of Nvidia and Google, where after a long wait big buying levels are finally starting to get triggered in the latest phase of the stealth stocks bear market that is cycling through target stocks like the tasmanian devil as we saw during the past week, with Friday's plunge ending what had been an developing stocks bounce, where my focus was on Google as it finally broke below $2400, a level that I had long flagged to patrons of where I would be buying big and in advance of warned Patrons for several weeks not to jump the gun regardless of what the indices were doing.

Sunday, April 24, 2022

WE HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO INVEST IN STOCKS AND HOUSING MARKET / Stock-Markets / Inflation

By: Nadeem_Walayat

This is why one has NO CHOICE but to be invested in price volatile assets such as stocks and housing which whilst yes will move up and down in value from tim to time like a yo yo nevertheless over he long-run will be leveraged to rampant government and central bank money printing inflation so we have NO CHOICE BUT TO BE INVESTED IN SUCH ASSETS! NO CHOICE WHATSOEVER FOR THE ALTERNATIVE IS CERTAIN DESTRUCTION OF ONES HARD EARNED WEALTH which is why the largest asset class I have held for near 10 years now is bricks and mortar UK housing regardless of what the price indices do from month to month, year to year, or the clowns proclaim about imminent deflationary crashes. There is NO CHOICE BUT TO BE HOLD ASSETS THAT ARE LEVERAGED TO INFLATION AS THE ALTERNATIVE IS ONE WILL LOSE THE VALUE OF ALL OF ONES HARD EARNED SAVINGS! Which is why whenever I am asked if now is a good time to buy property I tend to remind those asking that house prices are leveraged to inflation so regardless of the tripe in the clueless mainstream press of how UK housing is unaffordable, however inflation ensures that the overall trend trajectory remains upwards for the fundamental fact that unlike fiat currency houses cannot be printed and thus house prices have confounded the clownomics in the mainstream press by soaring into the stratosphere.

Sunday, April 24, 2022

How to Install AMD Ryzen CPU and Wraith Prism Stock Cooler - Step by Step Guide / Personal_Finance / Computing

By: N_Walayat

Here's how to install the AMD Ryzen 5 5600X 7 3700X and other AM4 CPUs and stock Wraith Cooler included with some of the higher end AMD processors. In this video I am using the ASUS Prime X570-P motherboard.

Sunday, April 24, 2022

Will the Fed Raising interest Rates Cause a Recession? / Interest-Rates / US Interest Rates

By: Richard_Mills

A recession is what results when an economy stops growing. The National Bureau of Economic Research, the group entrusted to call the beginning and end dates of a recession, defines it as “a significant decline in economic activity spread across the economy, lasting more than a few months, normally visible in real GDP, real income, employment, industrial production, and wholesale-retail sales.”

Economists define a recession as two consecutive quarters of decline in GDP, which is the total value of all goods and services a country produces.

We aren’t there yet, but the war between Russia and Ukraine has prompted a re-evaluation of the growth prospects for the world economy and some of the major players in it. According to CBC News, the International Monetary Fund is blaming the war for disrupting global commerce, pushing up oil prices, threatening food supplies and increasing uncertainty already heightened by the coronavirus.

The 190-country lender therefore slashed its global growth forecast to 3.6% this year and next.

Sunday, April 24, 2022

Fed Chairman Powell Spooks the Market by Signaling 50 Point Rate Hike / Stock-Markets / Financial Markets 2022

By: MoneyMetals

Tough talk from the Fed roiled markets this past week, with stocks as well as precious metals getting hit.

On Thursday, Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell said the central bank intends to pursue a more rapid pace of interest rate increases. He indicated that a 50-basis point hike in May is likely. 
Jerome Powell: We really are committed to using our tools to get 2% inflation back and I think if you look at, for example, if you look at the last tightening cycle, which was a two-year string of 25 basis point hikes from 2004 to 2006, inflation was a little over 3%. So, inflation's much higher now and our policy rate is still more accommodating than it was then. So, it is appropriate, in my view, to be moving a little more quickly. And I also think there's something in the idea of front-end loading, whatever accommodation one thinks is appropriate. So, that does point in the direction of 50 basis points being on the table, certainly. We make these decisions at the meeting and we'll make them meeting by meeting, but I would say that 50 basis points will be on the table for the May meeting.

Sunday, April 24, 2022

With Lidl Becoming a Shipowner, Should We Invest in Shipping? / Companies / Sector Analysis

By: Submissions

While commodity prices soar, is it worthwhile to consider investing in the logistics, maritime, and shipping industrial sectors, or is it too risky?

One of Europe's largest discount retailers has set up its own company, Tailwind Shipping Lines, to respond to container shortages. With annual profits of nearly 3 billion euros, the group has plenty of the necessary capital. The objective is to ensure the smooth flow of delivery chains for the group's supermarkets. On the other hand, with sanctions on Russian oil and gas, we could see more tankers crossing the oceans, containing liquefied natural gas (LNG).

Sunday, April 24, 2022

5 Work From Home Options For Teenagers / Personal_Finance / Money Making

By: Umer_Mahmood

It can be challenging for teenagers to find work in today's economy. With so many people out of work, businesses are often hesitant to hire new employees. It can leave young people struggling to find a way to make money.

If you're a teenager looking for ways to make money, don't worry! There are plenty of work-from-home options available that you can take advantage of.

This blog post will discuss five different work-from-home options perfect for teenagers!

Thursday, April 21, 2022

THE INFLATION MEGA-TREND - Protect Your Wealth From Loss of Purchasing Power / Economics / Inflation

By: Nadeem_Walayat

Inflation has soared to a 30+ year high even on the highly manipulated CPLIE measure resulting in the biggest fall in living standards since records began for the UK and probably similar for US and most western households who are in for a deep real terms drop in disposable income during 2022, with the UK set for an eye watering record plunge of over £2200 per household. Which if you remained focused on the mainstream press then you would not have seen any of it coming having been hoodwinked for the whole of 2021 by the central bank mantra of 'transient inflation' which as I repeatedly warned would turn out to be PERMANENT. However the con merchants are now playing the blame everything on Russia game, as if inflation and all of the West woes were none existant until Putin delusionally marched his amateur army into Ukraine having believed his own lies echoed by his YES Men ensuring him that victory would come within days of invasion.

Thursday, April 21, 2022

Stock Market Turning Around for Good? / Stock-Markets / Stock Market 2022

By: Monica_Kingsley

S&P 500 rose incessantly during the regular session but bonds don‘t yet confirm the decline would be over. So much hawkish noise (75bp hike next?), and tech keeps rising? Still a peculiar case of strength but a daily rotation out of energy stocks into tech can‘t be denied. I wouldn‘t yet jump to conclusions about lastingly improving market breadth though. The S&P 500 upswing may just take a few days more to run its course as the tightening heat hasn‘t yet played out. Powell talking tomorrow is a nice opportunity. Real assets will find it easy to recover from yesterday‘s daily setback – they had plenty of opportunities to decline before Feb 24th, yet tellingly didn‘t...

Thursday, April 21, 2022

Global Stock Market Trends Continue To Push US Dollar & US Assets Higher / Stock-Markets / Stock Market 2022

By: Chris_Vermeulen

Every day seems filled with some new comment or data point that suggests the Global Market or the US Fed will aggressively attempt to burst the inflation bubble. Global central banks continue to warn that COVID, and other issues, persist. Traders seek some clarity and understanding of what’s going to happen next.

Will The US Stock Market Continue To Rally Higher?

Allow us to help you understand what is happening behind all these data points and news posts. We can understand key market components better by using specialized modeling systems that aim to distill market events into relatable trigger events within our strategies. This, in turn, helps us to better understand what may come next for the US markets.

We’ll focus on some of our Custom Indexes to better illustrate current market trends and conditions. These are examples of our Custom Smart Cash Index (a more global market custom index), our Commodity Price Index, and our Custom US Index (a focused US Custom Index).

Thursday, April 21, 2022

FREETRADE Shares ISA and SIPP Platform Analysis - When do HMRC Contributions Land? / Personal_Finance / ISA's

By: Nadeem_Walayat

FREETRADE is a mobile phone operated ISA and SIPP investing platform, here I go through some of the key aspects that prospective users may want to know on how the platform functions and costs where for me personally I got the answer to the question of when HMRC contributions land into the FreeTrade SIPP account as the sales blurb is 7 to 11 weeks, so if you have also been sat wondering about HMRC contributions then here is your answer on that and much more.

If thinking of opening an account then if you follow my link WE BOTH get a FREE SHARE, all you need to do is deposit £1! As for the value of the free share? In my experience it's going to be around £10. But you might get lucky as it is a bit of lottery i.e. maybe 1 in 100 gets a £200 share? Most £3 - £50.

Thursday, April 21, 2022

5 Tips When Investing As A Business / Companies / SME

By: Mark_Adan

One of the most motivating for a business owner is simply seeing their business thrive beyond their imagination. Such success only comes from the likes of hard work, determination, busy weekends and mornings, and tons of late-night calls. However, these things only matter when you finally start seeing the profits rolling in.

If you're excited and you want to do something with your extras, there are many solutions. However, some forms of recreation and even personal expenses can be a very unwise decision. As such, there are smarter options that allow you to grow the profits from your hard work. So, read on as we dive into 5 investing tips for businesses.

Wednesday, April 20, 2022

Best Stocks and Shares ISA ISA for 2022 - FreeTrade, IG Index, II, IKBR, AJ Bell Compared / Personal_Finance / ISA's

By: Nadeem_Walayat

NUMBER CRUNCHING THE BEST STOCKS AND SHARES CASH ISA

NEW TAX YEAR NEW ISA and maybe an additional SIPP, though I have to keep in mind the lifetime LIMIT, currently at just over £1 million! ISA"s are the way to go, a no brainier for UK stock investors, continue upto 20k per person (40k per couples) annual allowance and can transfer in cash ISA's on top (which I still have too much of),

So BEFORE I opened my latest stocks and shares ISA, I did a number crunch to determine which is best, now there maybe some minor errors in this table but overall it gives a accurate picture that I used to make my decision of who to go with for 2022-23.

Wednesday, April 20, 2022

If Gold Read the Tea Leaves, It Would See the Shape of a Bear / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2022

By: P_Radomski_CFA

Despite increased war tensions, gold failed to break above $2,000. What’s worse, rising USDX and interest rates are already lurking on the horizon.

The precious metals just performed exactly as they were likely to. Despite the increase in war tensions, PMs and miners reversed instead of rallying, which indicated that the rally has probably run its course. Since the tensions can now (most likely) either decline or stabilize, gold and silver prices will presumably fall right away, or after a while, as the market starts paying attention to gold’s two key fundamental drivers:

1. the USD Index
2. the real interest rates.

Both are inversely correlated with the price of gold, and both are on the rise. It’s therefore most likely only a matter of time before gold declines, and the same goes for silver and mining stocks. In fact, silver and mining stocks are likely to fall harder than gold, as they’ve been very weak in recent years anyway. Let’s not forget that while gold moved above its 2011 highs, silver and miners are well below the 50% retracement from their respective 2011 highs.

Wednesday, April 20, 2022

This Usually Spells Trouble for the Stock Market (It's Happening Now) / Stock-Markets / Stock Market 2022

By: EWI

"Even short term, diverging trends can signal an unhealthy market"

If you've been an investor for any appreciable length of time, no doubt you've noticed that all of the stock market indexes usually move in unison.

For example, when the Dow Industrials rally, the S&P 500 and NASDAQ usually do so too -- the same applies during a broad downtrend.

As the April 8 U.S. Short Term Update, a thrice weekly Elliott Wave International publication which provides near-term forecasts for key U.S. financial markets, notes:

Think of the final days of [the big down wave] in March 2009, at the end of the Dow's 54% decline from October 2007. Nearly every stock index made a low within days of March 9, 2009 -- blue chips, technology, small caps, transports, secondary stock indexes -- and all rallied in unison thereafter.

However, when stock indexes begin to diverge, this is usually a sign that the existing trend is about to reverse.