This should help a little bit. Apple’s iPhone 15 is reportedly set for mid-September launch https://www.cnbc.com/2023/08/07/iphone-15-reportedly-set-for-mid-september-launch-report.html (BOLD is my opinion OR what I consider important content) "Key Points The iPhone 15 is slated for sales launch around Sept. 22, Bloomberg reports. The debut will follow a mid-September launch event. Apple’s iPhone is a significant revenue driver and a consumer benchmark. Apple's next-generation iPhone 15 is slated for sales launch around Sept. 22, Bloomberg reported Monday. When the company unveils a new iPhone model, the hype-filled events are typically watched simultaneously by millions of viewers online. Analysts focus on next-generation product launches as a way to gauge consumer spending; consumers themselves usually have a raft of new features to look forward to. The sale date will be preceded by an Apple event the week prior, either on Sept. 12 or 13, Bloomberg reported. In the company’s fiscal third-quarter earnings, it reported that iPhone sales fell 2% to $39.67 billion. “The smartphone industry is tough in the U.S. right now,” CEO Tim Cook told CNBC’s Steve Kovach last week. The current-generation iPhone 14 was hit hard by Covid-related production issues at Foxconn plants in China, which stifled 2022 holiday sales. Apple is reportedly working to diversify its supply chain throughout Southeast Asia. Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment." MY COMMENT This should help Apple a bit going forward. I have seen some comments that this new phone has some good upgrades.
here's what my robot buddy at chatGPT has to say about post #16581. ____ Yes, iPhone sales have historically been a significant driver of Apple's profits. The iPhone is one of Apple's most important products and has consistently been a major revenue generator for the company since its introduction in 2007. When iPhone sales are strong, it typically has a positive impact on Apple's overall profitability. Apple follows a business model where it makes money not just from selling hardware (iPhones) but also from the ecosystem of services and accessories associated with the iPhone. These include the App Store, iCloud storage subscriptions, Apple Music, AppleCare, and various other services. Additionally, accessories like AirPods, cases, and other Apple-branded products complement the iPhone sales. Strong iPhone sales contribute to increased revenue, and since the profit margins on iPhones are typically higher than those on some other products, it enhances Apple's overall profit margins. The success of the iPhone also contributes to customer loyalty, brand value, and customer retention, which can lead to repeat purchases of other Apple products, further bolstering their profits. However, it's essential to note that as time goes on, Apple has been diversifying its product portfolio to include other devices like Mac computers, iPads, wearables (Apple Watch), and various services. This diversification has helped Apple become less reliant solely on iPhone sales and has reduced the potential impact of any fluctuations in iPhone sales on its overall profits. Nevertheless, iPhone sales remain a crucial part of Apple's business and continue to play a significant role in driving the company's profitability.
A very noncommittal.....robot....answer. ANYWAY.....today.....I had a nice solid gain in my ten stocks. A single stock down today.....of course.....the market whipping boy....Apple. Plus....I beat the SP500 by a WHOPPING.......0.01%. One day down....four to go. We need to reestablish the bull market this week as dominant. Should not be too hard of a goal since the last week was SEVERELY impacted by an event (rating drop).....that was irrelevant to the markets and a massive overreaction
I have an idea EMMETT....why dont you train your chatGPT. buddy......to look like you and talk like you and do your job. That way you will be able to hang out on here all day with the rest of us.
i told my robot buddy what you said about being non committal boss and here is his response. --- I apologize if my response seemed non-committal. Let me provide a more definitive answer: Yes, iPhone sales have historically had a significant impact on Apple's profits. The iPhone is one of Apple's most important products, and strong sales of iPhones contribute significantly to the company's overall revenue and profitability. Apple's business model heavily relies on the sales of iPhones and the associated ecosystem of services and accessories. iPhones have higher profit margins compared to some other products, and their success contributes to the overall profitability of the company. Moreover, the iPhone's popularity and customer loyalty often lead to increased sales of other Apple products and services, further enhancing Apple's profits. However, over time, Apple has worked to diversify its product and service offerings, reducing its reliance solely on iPhone sales. This diversification helps mitigate the potential impact of fluctuations in iPhone sales on the company's overall profits. In summary, while iPhone sales are a crucial factor in Apple's profitability, the company's strategy to diversify its product and service offerings has reduced its dependence on iPhone sales alone.
May as well get all this rating agency BS out of the way in one month......and move on. Stocks slide, weighed down by worries about banks and China https://finance.yahoo.com/news/stoc...-china-stock-market-news-today-103202997.html (BOLD is my opinion OR what I consider important content) "Stocks sank on Tuesday, set to open in the red after surprisingly weak Chinese trade data and a warning about US bank health sent shivers through markets. Futures on the Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) fell about 0.5%, or 180 points. Meanwhile, those on the S&P 500 (^GSPC) and the tech-heavy Nasdaq 100 were both down around 0.5%. Optimism for a global economic recovery that could lift stocks took a hit Tuesday, after data showed a slump in Chinese imports and exports in July that was far worse than expected. The grim numbers signal that demand is still faltering, dimming the prospects for a rebound in the world's second-biggest economy. Also dampening spirits was a Moody's downgrade of 10 small and midsize US banks, which came with a warning it could lower credit ratings for some of the nation's biggest lenders. It flagged risks in their commercial real estate portfolios, a potential signs of stress in the sector that has been closely watched since the banking crisis earlier this year. Meanwhile, bank stocks in Europe tumbled after the Italian government said it will put a 40% windfall tax on lenders' profits, raising fears that other countries could do the same. The reaction wiped $10 billion off the market value of banks. Those doubts about economic health are emerging as investors wait for the release of the July inflation report on Thursday, looking for a steer on whether the Federal Reserve will put its interest rate hikes on pause again. Another batch of earnings reports is due to roll in, which could shed more light on how Corporate America is doing. Results from UPS (UPS), Eli Lilly (LLY), Restaurant Brands (QSR) and Fox Corp (FOXA) are among the highlights." MY COMMENT "Sent shivers through the markets".......not really. It should read "sent shivers through the Wall Street New York insiders". The average retail investor....could not care less. So is it now going to be the norm that the markets have to obsess and worry about every time China reports? I guess so. Actually I welcome bad economic results in China. Anything that hurts or weakens that country is fine with me. It is a FAILED dictatorship. Anything that speeds up the process of disconnecting from that country is a good thing. This sort of stuff above.....is just looking for trouble. WOW......a downgrade to ten small banks......out of thousands in the country.
I like this little article. Why political gridlock is gold — and what that means for stocks in 2024 https://nypost.com/2023/08/06/why-political-gridlock-is-gold-and-what-that-means-for-stocks-in-2024/ (BOLD is my opinion OR what I consider important content) "Your stock portfolio is lately looking a lot beefier thanks to the “midterm miracle.” Now, let’s top it off with some “gridlock gravy.” Last fall, I told you stocks were poised for a major bull run. I noted that – from one Congress to another throughout US history – the nine months starting Oct. 1 before midterm elections have consistently been the most profitable nine-month periods for stocks since 1925. Instead, we got rampant doom-and-gloom over inflation, rate hikes and recession fears. So what happened in the end? We saw stellar S&P 500 gains through June 30, with a 25.7% rise that topped the 19.5% historical mid-term miracle average and put an end to 2022’s bear market. What now? Expect more bearish hand-wringing – and more gains. Stocks usually rise in the back half of presidents’ third years, albeit less strongly. US stocks were positive in 75% of them. The last negative full third year of any president’s term: 1939’s 0.9% slip during WWII’s eruption. On that note, investors can expect plenty more headlines on Ukraine – that Ukraine is getting tired, that America is getting tired of sending it weapons – or worse, running out. But this war won’t stop stocks, as it didn’t after its initial blip. Regional wars never topple stocks for long, and never have. Only world wars do that. Back home, as the consensus grows that we’re not headed for a recession, after all (again – a minority opinion last fall that you read here), brace for alarm bells about persistent inflation, and how it might need a more dire response from the Fed — or scarier, tax hikes. Fed’s preferred inflation gauge eases in June while Americans continue to spend The reality: inflation doesn’t come from excessive economic strength or from government spending, but rather from excess money creation. The latter has been in hand for quite some time now – and inflation is coming down. As for the 2024 election, there is plenty of fear about Biden and about Trump. But it’s worth noting that in every election, we get a winner. Whether it’s preposterous or not, whoever wins we will like more than we did before. Election jitters will fade to a bullish tailwind. (Another bit of good news: Over 83% of presidents’ fourth years – like 2024 – have been positive, averaging 11.4%.) Which brings us to our secret sauce in the back half of any given administration: gridlock. The legislative quiet that follows midterms – whether it’s the president’s enemies who have regained control of Congress, or it’s Congress getting split between two parties – zaps uncertainty around new, controversial laws that always create winners and losers. Political squawking remains, but big bills go nowhere. Political risk aversion falls, juicing stocks. Further, most presidents shun major legislation as re-election bids near, lest they irk large swaths of voters. They use unaddressed issues as fundraising bait and campaign promises. Get me re-elected – then I’ll fix it! Politics 101. Hence, after two years of mega-spending bills, this year features mainly social and foreign policy chatter. Cluster munitions, NATO negotiations, student loan plans and replans, SCOTUS hype. Important? Maybe. Headline fodder? Yes. But nothing to rattle markets. Pundits shriek. Markets shrug. It also looks like the 2024 Senate election is tilted toward Republicans. The GOP currently only has two slightly vulnerable seats – Ted Cruz in Texas and Florida’s Rick Scott. Meanwhile, Republicans look poised to flip seats held by Democrats in West Virginia, Montana, and very possibly Ohio. Democrats have five more relatively vulnerable seats. So, the GOP almost surely wins the Senate regardless of who wins the White House. That also will build business enthusiasm as November approaches. Perhaps political risk isn’t your go-to source for anxiety. Look at commercial real estate. Working from home, interest rates and excess capacity are adding up to a spectacular bust. It might be a Main Street worry, but not for stocks. This story has cried wolf too many times. Old stories that we know too well lose their market mojo. You can bet on that, always. In fact, business is upbeat as recession fears ebb, and that augurs for a shift away from the bounceback categories I’ve favored since last fall – big, high-quality growth names, tech or otherwise – toward more traditional industrial and economically sensitive names. Still, the wall of worry bull markets legendarily climb won’t disappear (see above) and that’s a good thing. And as inflation wanes slowly but surely, and as slow growth defies recession fears, gridlock also will help keep us in positive territory well into 2024. " MY COMMENT Lets HOPE so. The more we can make politicians irrelevant the better.......enough said.
Of course what is happening so far in AUGUST......has NOTHING to do with what month of the year it is. With the sort of ridiculous rating agency BS that is going on for yet another week driving the markets......what month it is is irrelevant. We open today with the markets down.....of course. It will be another day that is GOLDEN for the AI Program Trading operations. They LOVE this sort of news driven day. At worst......a few day to the rest of the week...market impact. After that NO ONE will care one bit......the events driving the market down today will be forgotten. Of course.....the media and all the experts that make money from CLICKS will be all over it. They are desperate for anything to fear monger right now.
This may be just one of those "dumb" days. At least early on it seems. As evidenced by the Moody's downgrade and warning. Of course they can't be out shined by Fitch last week. They have to be relevant too. And I see all the usual little FED trolls taking the time to once again to spout about rates and hiking and how long they will last. Not to be outdone, a bit of chatter about CPI coming in hot this time around. What else can we add to the narrative? Oh, China....and toss in some law in Italy that is somehow going to find its way to the US banks.
If you have any interest in this rating stuff......I dont.....here you go. Moody’s cuts ratings of 10 U.S. banks and puts some big names on downgrade watch https://www.cnbc.com/2023/08/08/moo...d-puts-some-big-names-on-downgrade-watch.html
Meanwhile......the people that really count on this rating stuff......BOND TRADERS......are not impressed. The Ten Year Yield is DOWN to......3.99%. A very significant drop from where it was last week.
NOTHING else going on today for investors. A sit and wait day with nothing to do. We will have to wait and see if some sanity comes back into the markets as the day moves forward. WHATEVER......
Look at Eli Lilly… what a great company that is… been climbing for a few years now! Yes, August as predicted, became a sell off month. No shock there. And even I participated in the selling activities - GUILTY AS CHARGED. But I’m far from being a trader, just adjusting my positions a tad. Overall as I mentioned earlier, I’m happy that there are sell offs based on NOTHING, means that the market is working as expected, definitely will be paying attention to prices on some companies that I’ve been eyeing for awhile later during this month and the following as I don’t expect a climb any time soon
Some of the "stuff" out today is almost hilarious. Quite reminiscent to the day last week. All of the "throwback" stories from last year get pulled out again. Of course it is mostly for entertainment purposes and is driven by short term noise. All of the charts, graphs, opinions, forecasts, reports, and even polls...just seem to flip with a switch. One day it is booming prosperity and the next day you are standing in the soup line. That is almost how they portray it anyway. There is too much information at times I think. Don't get intoxicated on it.
STARTING AT ZERO AGAIN! ...Ok, well kind of but not really. That is a pretty catchy 'made for clicks' headline. I learned that from the Zoomers, but it's for an Alpha! I thought it would be interesting to bring up my son's 529 plan. It is bringing back memories of starting at ZERO and getting excited about the small gains and having more money than you put in. Plus it has a long term time frame (18 years). So far I am putting in $300 a month and it's completely invested in the S&P 500. I will probably drop some bigger chunks of money early on hear so they have time to compound. Based on $300 per month, assuming a 7% interest rate and a 3% inflation rate, over the 18 year period I will have put in $65,100 and the investment total will be $128,000. The estimated college cost of a 4 year education in 2040 is around $188,000. I still need to explore the details but I wanted to get the ball rolling. He is the only offspring in my family so I don't really want to over fund it so I still need to find the sweet spot of where I want to end up with it. I do know he can transfer $35k into a roth IRA and also transfer any balances to any of his children if he has them. It seems the majority of active people on here are older and have children already through college so I would be interested in hearing your experience. I do know that it works against financial aid but unless something horrible happens to me I don't see us qualifying for any.
Here is some info that might help in your research. I believe there are quite a few states 529's listed in this as well. It also offers some general information. https://clark.com/personal-finance-credit/investing-retirement/529-plan
CLASSIC......every stock down in my account today except for one. That one.......of course.....APPLE.
Added a few (literally) shares .....of APPLE and GOOGLE.....to one of my kids accounts today. Nothing done in any of "my" personal accounts and nothing planed till next year when I have the cash flow to invest some more savings.
Here is what I would call the REAL banking story of the day.....especially for Wells Fargo. Poor Wells Fargo has been hit with so many fines and violations.....and criminal allegations...over the last ten years. There is something really SYSTEMIC wrong with that bank, their management, and their employees. Banks hit with $549 million in fines for use of Signal, WhatsApp to evade regulators’ reach "Key Points U.S. regulators on Tuesday announced a combined $549 million in penalties against Wall Street firms that failed to maintain electronic records of employee communications. The Securities and Exchange Commission announced charges against 11 firms for “widespread and longstanding failures” to maintain records, including by allowing employees to use unsupervised side channels such as messaging apps WhatsApp and Signal, the regulator said. Wells Fargo was the biggest U.S. bank cited Tuesday in the sweeping actions." https://www.cnbc.com/2023/08/08/reg...n-penalties-for-record-keeping-failures-.html
