- S&P 5002,888.68+1.44%
- Dow 3025,886.01+1.20%
- Nasdaq7,895.99+1.67%
- Russell 20001,493.64+2.19%
- Crude Oil54.94+0.86%
- Gold1,508.60-0.72%
- Silver17.08-0.75%
- EUR/USD1.1098-0.0000%
- 10-Yr Bond1.5390+0.65%
- Vix18.47-12.80%
- GBP/USD1.2145-0.0000%
- USD/JPY106.36000.0000%
- BTC-USD10,100.84-1.17%
- FTSE 1007,117.15+0.71%
- Nikkei 22520,418.81+0.06%
- FX Empire
Oil Price Fundamental Daily Forecast – Slight Rise Indicates Traders Downplaying Recession Concerns
U.S. West Texas Intermediate and international-benchmark Brent crude oil futures are trading better on Friday after gapping yesterday's close. At 08:09 GMT, October WTI crude oil is trading $55.15, up $0.73 or +1.38% and December Brent crude oil is at $57.90, up $0.56 or +0.98%. On Thursday, the U.S. reported that retail sales rose 0.7% in July as consumers bought a range of goods even as they cut back on motor vehicle purchases, according to data that came a day after the 2-year/20-year U.S. Treasury yield inverted for the first time since June 2007 prompting a sell-off in stocks and crude oil.
- MarketWatch
Mark Cuban explains how to make a 16% guaranteed return
As Mark Cuban, the “Shark Tank” star, billionaire entrepreneur, and NBA franchise owner explains, just pay off your debts. The personal finance site NerdWallet put our revolving credit card balance at $420.22 billion in late 2018. The revolving number is just the credit card debt we carry from month to month.
- MarketWatch
Senior rip-offs are soaring—and you won’t believe who the crooks are
For financial scammers, that means 10,000 potential new victims every 24 hours. While anyone, anywhere, at anytime can be a victim of a financial scam—and below are some of the most common ones—seniors are particularly at risk. “Older Americans are more vulnerable for many reasons,” says Joe Snyder of the National Adult Protective Services Association (NAPSA), a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit that works with the financial industry, seniors groups and others to reduce rip-offs.
- Yahoo Finance
Weed stocks got torched this week
The cannabis sector posted stellar results in 2018, but this year isn't looking so hot for pot. Cannabis companies Tilray (TLRY) and Canopy Growth (CGC) both fell this week after posting disappointing quarterly earnings reports — but they're not the only pot stocks struggling to stay afloat recently. CannTrust Holdings (CTST) plummeted this week after the sale of over half of its stock of marijuana and around a quarter of its plants had been suspended following Regulator Health Canada's discovery of unlicensed cultivation at its facilities.
- Yahoo Finance
Bill Ackman explains his big bet on Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway
Billionaire hedge fund manager Bill Ackman believes that Berkshire Hathaway should see its share price "increase substantially" in the coming years. "The catalyst for our current investment in Berkshire is our view that the company is currently trading at one of the widest discounts to its intrinsic value in many years, at a time when we expect the operating performance of its subsidiaries to improve as a result of certain managerial and organizational changes at the company," Ackman wrote in an investor letter dated August 15. During the second quarter ended June 30, Ackman's Pershing Square Hathaway snapped up 3.51 million shares of Berkshire Hathaway's B shares (BRK-B), a position valued at north of $702 million.
- MarketWatch
Here’s the game plan for U.S. stock investors if China retaliates against Trump
In the past, China has shown extraordinary restraint in response to U.S. tariffs and President Trump's critical tweets. Let us discuss your game plan if China retaliates, starting with the help of two charts. Please click here for an annotated chart S&P 500 ETF (SPY) Even though the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) is the most popular index, for analysis purposes, investors ought to focus on S&P 500 because the most money is tied to the S&P 500 Index (SPX) of the largest U.S. companies.
- Reuters
UPDATE 1-Alibaba and the $15 bln question: Amid Hong Kong's protests, when to list?
Hong Kong's political unrest is posing a dilemma for Alibaba Group Holding Ltd on the timing of its planned $15 billion listing in the city, with sources saying China's biggest e-commerce company is now considering several timetables. New York-listed Alibaba was most likely to launch the offer - potentially the world's biggest of the year - as early as the third quarter, sources have said, and late August, after its first-quarter earnings, was widely viewed as the most likely window. In preparation for the giant offer, bankers advising other large listings in Hong Kong have been careful to avoid planning their launches around that period, fearing that a clash of timing would crowd out their offerings.
- Barrons.com
Some Stocks Are About to Go Ex-Dividend. Here Are Some to Consider Buying.
Whether the market hits another rough patch next week, there's one thing that is certain: Investors who buy a stock just before it goes ex-dividend are entitled to the next payout. Bespoke Investment Group compiled a list of 19 stocks in the S&P 1500 that are going ex-dividend on Monday. Buying shares before the market close on Friday entitles the purchaser to the next dividend payment.
- Bloomberg
Why Did JD.com and Alibaba Blow Past Estimates?
Despite a trade war, the slowing domestic economy and brutally aggressive competition, China's largest e-commerce technology companies have reported earnings that beat highest analyst estimates. China's online retail sales industry has remained surprisingly resilient amid China's slowing economy and trade war concerns. Selina Wang reports on "Bloomberg Markets: Asia."
- MarketWatch
I built a nest egg of $1 million and I’m only 46 — so why do I still spend my waking hours worrying?
We have over $1 million in investments for ourselves, an additional $50,000 in investments for our two girls to be used for college. We have made investing mistakes, but we have learned from them. All told, we currently have over $1 million in investments for ourselves, an additional $50,000 in investments (529s and a Scottrade custodial account) for our two girls to be used for college, with our only debt being the final few years of our mortgage.
- Bloomberg
The World Is Waiting for Powell’s Signals: Global Economy Week
All eyes will be on a small resort in Wyoming this week, where Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell will speak for the first time since bond markets hit the recession alarm bells. His words at the Kansas Fed's annual Jackson Hole gathering will be closely watched for clues on what U.S. policy makers will do next. A quarter-point interest rate cut is fully priced in for September, but it's not clear what it would take to push officials to restart quantitative easing.
- MarketWatch
Copy insiders and buy these stocks — because they see no recession looming
I recently told subscribers of my stock letter Brush Up on Stocks to get more bullish on stocks because of robust insider buying in cyclical sectors like tech, banks, industrials, chemicals, airlines, autos, hotels, energy, mining, and brokerage and investment companies. Insiders would definitely not be doing this if — like Gundlach — they saw a recession on the way. Instead, they'd be on a buyer's strike, or at best they'd favor utilities or consumer non-discretionary companies.
- MarketWatch
These 16 money wasters are why so many Americans can’t save for retirement
From the lofty perch of old age, and after a lifetime of thrift, I declare that I am qualified to comment on how not to waste money. We've all heard the reports: Most Americans live paycheck to paycheck, a large number can't come up with $400 for an emergency, and there's no money to save for retirement and other goals. Most of that data comes from surveys where people are, in effect, saying they don't have enough income.
- MarketWatch
Briggs & Stratton stock falls to 44-year low after surprise loss, dividend cut and plant closure
Shares of Briggs & Stratton were rocked Thursday to levels last seen in the 1970s, after the maker of gasoline engines and outdoor power equipment reported a surprise fiscal fourth-quarter loss, lowered its full-year outlook and slashed its quarterly dividend. The company also said it will close its facility in Murray, Ky., which employs about 630 people, by the fall of 2020, as it consolidates production of its walk-behind lawn mower engines into its Poplar Bluff, Mo. facility. The company said it will offer the affected employees opportunities to relocate to the company's other plants, which are located in Alabama, Georgia, Missouri and New York.
- Bloomberg
Markets Are in for a Bout of Volatility, Says Allianz’s Macdonald
Lucy Macdonald, chief investment officer of global equities at Allianz Global Investors, discusses the volatility in markets this week and what we can expect moving forward. She speaks on “Bloomberg Markets: European Open.
- InvestorPlace
Investors Should Buy General Electric Stock on Its Latest Decline
General Electric (NYSE:GE) stock price plunged more than 11% yesterday after forensic accountant Harry Markopolos issued a report accusing the conglomerate of massive accounting fraud and predicted that it could go bankrupt soon. Known for reporting Bernie Madoff's Ponzi scheme to the federal government years before Madoff was caught, Markopolos' has earned some credibility with The Street. For these reasons, I recommend that risk-tolerant investors buy General Electric stock on weakness.
- InvestorPlace
10 Best Stocks to Buy and Hold Forever
In a market environment that overwhelmingly encourages constant activity by investors who seemingly want to double their money every week, a discussion of stocks to buy and hold forever seems comically out of place. Conversely, the fact that Warren Buffett's favorite holding period is “forever” and how he's got a track record most investors would envy is just as telling. With that as the backdrop, here's a rundown of 10 stocks to buy and hold forever … or at least until something significant changes with your life plans or the companies themselves.
- MarketWatch
Here’s what smart rich people really do with their nest egg
Most people think they're above average in intelligence, relationship status and professional achievement. Social scientists call this “illusory superiority.” My business partner Scott Puritz, has found the one area where even above-average people, objectively smart, rich, successful professionals, seem to wave the white flag and admit to not understanding — money and investing. “One of the most shocking things is the low-level financial literacy throughout our culture,” Puritz told the Washington Post.
- MarketWatch
The retirement crisis is bad for everyone — especially these people
The country is facing a retirement crisis, but some Americans are worse off than others. Workers in the top 20% of earnings distributions have half of all retirement wealth in both 1992 and 2010, compared with the bottom group, which saw its share fall from 3% to 1% between those years, a recent analysis at The New School's Schwartz Center for Economic Policy Analysis (SCEPA) found. The share of workers in the bottom fifth of the earnings distribution with no retirement savings jumped from 45% to 51% in those 18 years.
- Reuters
Exclusive: China set to deepen Argentine trade ties with bid for grains 'superhighway'
Chinese state-owned construction giant CCCC is preparing a bid to dredge Argentina's Parana River, the country's main cargo superhighway that takes soy and corn from the Pampas farm belt to the shipping lanes of the south Atlantic and the world. Representatives of China Communications Construction Co Ltd and its Shanghai Dredging unit have met with Argentine government and local port officials to sound out the dredging concession, according to three people involved in the talks, which have not been previously reported. CCCC is at the forefront of China's push to lock in food supplies by investing in commodities transport hubs globally.
- American City Business Journals
EQT among world's fastest-growing natural gas producers
Pittsburgh-based EQT Corp. is among the world's fastest-growing oil and gas producers over the past five years, according to a study released by a European energy analysis firm. EQT (NYSE: EQT) logged the third-fastest growth by production between 2014 and 2018, Rystad Energy said in a report that tracked production growth of every oil and natural gas production company.
- InvestorPlace
3 Warning Signals a Stock Market Crash Is Coming
Cheap Dividend Stocks to Load Up On So here are three warning signals I'm seeing that could cause problems for the market — and one step you can take today to make sure you're prepared for the worst… Market Crash Warning Signal No. Deep in Debt Let's go back to 2007 … right before the last time the market crashed. The economy had been humming along at a growth rate of 2% to 3% for the previous five years, which caused the S&P 500's earnings to double from the recessionary lows of 2002.
- Barrons.com
GE’s Insurance Reserves Were at the Heart of a Fraud Claim. Here’s What Goldman Sachs Has to Say.
Two Wall Street analysts at (GS) collaborated on a (GE) research report and reached a meaningful conclusion. Analyst Joe Ritchie, who covers industrial stocks, and analyst Alex Scott, who covers the North American life insurance industry, published a report comparing General Electric (ticker: GE) insurance reserves to other insurers. Goldman's report followed the negative report from forensic accountant Harry Markopolos, which challenged many GE long-term care insurance accounting assumptions, among other issues.
- Barrons.com
Wall Street Has Abandoned Oil and Gas Stocks. You Shouldn’t.
Given long-term demand uncertainties facing the industry, energy companies of all sizes should be paying out dividends that are at least as good as the nearly 2% yield on the S&P 500, he says. Still, it is hard to find big fans of energy stocks, even among investors focused on the sector. That's understandable, given that energy is by far the worst-performing group in the S&P 500 over the past decade, with an annualized return of 4.4%, against 14% for the index.
- Investor's Business Daily
Price Targets Raised On Alibaba Stock After Quarterly Earnings Blowout
Alibaba stock jumped Friday as the China e-commerce giant received several price-target hikes following the Alibaba earnings report that smashed estimates. China's largest technology company easily beat quarterly estimates despite a trade war and as China's economic growth, including retail sales, has slowed sharply over the past year. Alibaba reported results Thursday.
