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Will Japan Dump U.S. Treasury Securities?
Japan holds $1.150 trillion of U.S. Treasury securities, well above the next major foreign holder, China, which has $770 billion. Therefore, given Japan holds 3.3% of all Treasury debt, it is worth appreciating the recent news that Japan is selling bonds. First, to dispel some fear, Nornichukin Bank, not the Bank of Japan or the […]
Jun 27, 2024
The Economist Makes A Case For Solar Energy
The unique graph below caught our attention, compelling us to read Solar Power Is Going To Be Huge by the Economist. The graph shows that solar energy will be the primary energy source for the world by 2040 under its “fast transition scenario.” The Economist article walks through some stats on the growth of solar […]
Jun 26, 2024
Buybacks Are Back
Over the last six-plus months, we have written plenty on how a few stocks lead the market higher while a large majority languishes. For example, in our latest Newsletter, Bad Breadth Keeps Getting Worse, we wrote the following: “With a market sitting at all-time highs, combined with robust money flows, the breadth of the market […]
Jun 25, 2024
Consumers Are Turning to Private Label Brands
Consumers are turning away from name-brand foods in an attempt to cut back on spending. Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) companies such as Proctor & Gamble, General Mills, and Kellogg benefited from supply chain disruptions during the pandemic as private label products saw restricted supply. Thus, the CPG brands with more resilient supply chains used the […]
Jun 24, 2024
Communication Data Implies Remote Work is Here to Stay
The chart below, courtesy of @KobeissiLetter on X, depicts downtown cell communication data for several major metropolitan areas as of March 2024. Cell phone activity during working hours is significantly below pre-pandemic levels in almost every major city across the country, including areas with significant population growth. The second chart below, from Macrotrends, shows Nashville’s […]
Jun 21, 2024
Global Diversification Might Not Be Dead
The chart below suggests that global diversification could be dead. The S&P 500 notched a total return of 13.3% annually over the past 15 years, while the MSCI EAFE and MSCI Emerging Markets indices returned 5.9% and 3.2% per annum respectively. The performance gap primarily stems from differences in earnings growth. S&P 500 earnings grew […]
Jun 20, 2024
Mega Cap Valuations are Dwarfed by Tesla
Tesla investors are betting on the EV maker’s path to tech-caliber profitability. However, the manifestation of that investment thesis is still a pretty long way off, as shown by the degree to which Tesla dwarfs other mega cap valuations in the chart below, courtesy of Bloomberg. Increasing competition amid a declining consumer appetite for EV […]
Jun 18, 2024
Michigan Survey Shows Consumer Concerns
Over the past few months, we have witnessed a decided deterioration in consumer spending. For instance, first-quarter sales from many large retailers showed little to no growth. Economic data like Q1 GDP and the recent retail sales report further confirm that personal consumption is slowing. Last Friday, the University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment Survey followed […]
Jun 17, 2024
Sentimentrader Highlights Bad Market Breadth
Bad market breadth seems to be a hallmark of the rally off of the 2022 lows. Simply, very few stocks are leading markets higher, while many stocks languish. Consider that the equal-weighted S&P 500 index (RSP) is up 3.70% since the start of the year. Over the same period, the market-weighted S&P 500 (SPY) is […]
Jun 14, 2024
The CPI Report Supports Rate Cuts Later This Year
The Fed got good news yesterday, with the headline CPI coming in at 0% for the month. More importantly, core CPI rose by +.16% versus expectations of +.30%. That brings the year-over-year core CPI rate to 3.4%, a tenth below expectations. Excluding shelter costs, accounting for 40% of CPI, core CPI, also called “super core,” […]
Jun 13, 2024
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