If Congress can’t come to a budget resolution in the next 24 hours, the government will shut down. Sound familiar? We have become numb to the prospect of a government shutdown because it occurs so frequently. Most often, continuing resolution bills are agreed upon before a shutdown, thus enabling the government to continue operating. In […]
There appears to be a frequently repeated myth on social media that foreigners are selling US Treasury bonds in large quantities. Often, the myth is supported by the belief that certain foreign governments, such as China, Japan, and Saudi Arabia, are rapidly selling down their US Treasury securities. Concerns about trade deficits, inflation, and geopolitical […]
Several articles and social media posts have recently discussed the irregular partnerships that Nvidia is forming with some of its clients. The gist of the story is that Nvidia is investing in its clients, who then use the funds to buy Nvidia chips. This is what CNBC stated in a headline on Wednesday. This is […]
Eli Lilly (LLY) and Novo Nordisk (NOVO) dominate the market for weight loss drugs. The monopoly has proven incredibly profitable for both companies. Consider that in the last quarter, LLY reported that $8.58 billion of its $15.56 billion in total revenue came from its two GLP-1 weight loss drugs Mounjaro and Zepbound. Even a greater percentage […]
Meme stocks are highly speculative stocks, heavily traded by retail traders, and characterized at times by rapid price surges and equally sharp declines. The extreme volatility is often the result of social media platforms such as Reddit’s WallStreetBets pushing these stocks. Among the most noteworthy meme stocks of the last few years have been GameStop […]
Our friend Jim Colquitt, in his Weekly Chart Review, brought to our attention a large and irregular outflow from equity funds last week. He cites a Reuters article stating that investors withdrew $43 billion from US equity funds last week. That was the largest outflow since December 2024. The graph below shows that equity fund […]
Does size matter? Since the Pandemic, and judged by the recent performance of the Magnificent Seven and mega-cap indexes, many investors would say it matters, likely claiming that the greater the size, the better the returns. Those with data going back decades, rather than years, would also agree that size matters. However, their conclusion would […]
Since the middle of July, UST 10-year yields have fallen from 4.50% to 4.00%. While the yield decline has been profitable for bondholders, it has also aided many other investors. Such a finding may seem counterintuitive, considering that lower yields are the result of a significant weakening in the labor market and a range of […]
Not surprisingly, the Fed cut rates by 25 basis points at yesterday’s meeting. With the cut, the Fed Funds rate sits at 4.00-4.25%. While the market was nearly certain of a 25bps cut, it is less clear about what the road ahead holds for Fed policy. To help us start thinking about how policy may […]