You would need a time machine @Lori Myers to get a 4.37% here in the States! I would be ecstatic with that rate.
Good deal on the mortgage LORI. I assume over there you do not do 30 year mortgages. I know in some countries mortgages are re-done every few years. Is that how it works in England LORI?
Driving back from Houston yesterday really reminded me of my full time touring days. About 40 miles outside of Houston I had a tire blow out. So I got to enjoy the FUN of changing a tire on the side of the freeway. Very much like touring and all the various issues and problems that pop up. We used to have constant issues with trailer springs and tires. When you are doing 400,000 miles in a year or two...there is lots of wear and tear. I was lucky that I do have a very high quality spare tire. It is an after market "small" spare tire....but....much better quality than the cheap little spare tires that come with most cars. I carry it in the back of my HYBRID SUV. I was amazed when shopping for my SUV that most of the hybrids DID NOT have a spare tire. They simply had a bottle of green-goo tire sealer in the back of the car. About the DUMBEST thing I have ever seen. There is no way I am going to drive all the miles I drive without a real spare tire. Just like this time.....where my tire was totally TRASHED....there is no way a can of green-goo was going to fix that tire. I would have been stuck. So....I bite the bullet and drive around with a tire laying flat in my back cargo area. This was the first time I had to change a tire on this particular car. It was not too bad....but I kept expecting to hit some issue that would screw me since I have never changed this car before and had never used this little spare and the tool kit before. But in the end.....it was ALL GOOD. I will be taking the car to Firestone today to get a set of four new tires. With how the old tire blew out and the fact that these tires have 60,000 miles on them....I cant trust them and will replace all of the tires on the car.
The market today is about the same CRAP market as we have seen lately...at least for the open. Much of it is due to the FED. It will be so nice to get a new FED chair and they will HOPEFULLY put an end to all the BS commentary by FED members in the media as well as the constant erratic following of the short term data. I do like this little article....NO....the economy does not need the FED's help....we need the FED to get out of the way.: On the Fed’s ‘Hawkish Cut’ The US economy doesn’t need Fed help. https://www.fisherinvestments.com/en-us/insights/market-commentary/on-the-feds-hawkish-cut "The prospect of a 2026 devoid of fresh Fed help gave all the coverage a bit of a blah tone. To us, that is unwarranted. This year has already proven Fed policy isn’t a huge economic driver. Stocks have long since moved on."
With two weeks till Christmas......and the FED cut now in the bag......we are seeing NOTHING in the markets. PROBABLY a very bad sign for any sort of year end rally. WHATEVER.
One of the more IDIOTIC articles I have seen in a while...in my view. The VAST MAJORITY of the academic research shows that market timing does NOT work. I see NOTHING in this article that changes that. It is simply BS. NOTHING in this little article actually tells you how to pull this off successfully. I LOVE the explanation for why the majority of HEDGE funds can not beat an INDEX. "Many hedge funds underperform the benchmark by design." YEAH RIGHT. Market Timing Works https://www.priceactionlab.com/Blog/2025/12/market-timing-works/
The market today.....more of the same pattern we have been stuck in for the past 2-4 months. Dow eyes fresh record while S&P 500, Nasdaq fall amid exodus from tech https://finance.yahoo.com/news/live...daq-fall-amid-exodus-from-tech-235226735.html I STRONGLY doubt that little retail investors are FLEEING big cap tech. BUT....we have no control over the day to day markets
OF COURSE.......the FED MORONS....are out there in force today. Fed's Goolsbee, Schmid explain votes against December rate cut, say patience 'feels like the wiser choice' https://finance.yahoo.com/news/feds...ce-feels-like-the-wiser-choice-130038690.html Fed's Hammack would prefer tighter policy given too high inflation https://finance.yahoo.com/news/feds-hammack-prefer-tighter-policy-152731361.html If nothing else.....when we get a new FED chair....PLEASE....muzzle these morons. At this point the FED is doing more harm than good.
Of course in the world of REALITY.....which no one seems to care about anymore....business is good. BUT good business....is meaningless if the markets simply IGNORE results and REFUSE to reward exceptional performance and management. Exclusive: Nvidia considers increasing H200 chip output due to robust China demand, sources say https://finance.yahoo.com/news/exclusive-nvidia-considers-increasing-h200-125652369.html
Now here is an actual BUBBLE. Although as an owner of a bit of a silver HOARD....stored off site.....I enjoy the gains....although I know they are meaningless. Silver Heads for Weekly Gain of About 10% in Speculative Surge https://finance.yahoo.com/news/gold-steady-three-day-gain-074943003.html
YES.....the DISMAL mood and total lack of euphoria....is a good indicator for the future of the BULL MARKET. ASSUMING....that all the constant fear and negativity does not kill off the markets. Fortunately I think most little retail investors are in it for the long term. Stocks’ Latest Record Comes With Few Signs of October Euphoria https://finance.yahoo.com/news/stocks-latest-record-comes-few-103000082.html
Remember all the HUGE media........PARTY....regarding Oracle stock in early September....driving the price up by over 50% in only about 5 days? That was simply the set-up.....for the more recent media attack on the stock that is driving it down, down, down. Oracle was not exactly a big news item before early September. NOW.....the stock is being pushed as a market driver.....to the DOWN side.
My view....the SINGLE likely reason for the current DISMAL market.....AI TRADING PROGRAMS....that trade the day to day news and headlines. The bad news......this sort of day trading by AI will eventually destroy the markets. The amount of money behind these AI trades SWAMPS the markets. In addition with all these AI trading systems basically doing the same thing....in concert....it is nothing more than....MARKET MANIPULATION. AND....since this daily AI TRADING is relentless and never stops......the markets never have a chance to get their breath and recover. The result is the markets LURCHING from one DAILY crisis to the next....even though much of the...news content and headlines is simply.....BS. The psychological impact of this sort of irrational market behavior on the little investor is HUGE.
AND....on a day like this...with a market that is driven by AI TRADING.....I am down in ALL seven of my stocks. RED across the board.....for me.....and RED across the board for the big averages. So.....no reason to waste my time and psychological/mental health on the markets today. I guess I will simply go and spend some money on new tires.
SORRY....fundamentals and reality no longer matter. The markets are being TRASHED daily by short seller planted stories......AI NEWS TRADING manipulation....RAMPANT rumor mongering in what used to be the press.....outright falsehood being put out there daily as news....etc, etc, etc. Broadcom tumbles 11% despite blockbuster earnings as ‘AI angst’ weighs on Oracle, Nvidia https://www.cnbc.com/2025/12/12/bro...nt-after-earnings-as-ai-trade-sells-off-.html At some point.....the leaders of the big market platforms and the big averages.....need to man-up and step in and get some guardrails in place to stop this destruction of our markets. If not....they will find themselves out of a job when it all becomes worthless. I believe we are OK for at least the next 5-10 years. Perhaps even 15-20 years. BUT....the AI DAY TRADING of news and headlines is going to go EXTREME from here.....very quickly. If it seems bad now...... just wait.
I hate to even say it....since...."if you have nothing good to say, dont say anything at all". BUT....what we are seeing with the markets this Fall and especially right now....reminds me of year 2021. At that time.....right after Christmas....after a good run up and with everything pointing to a good year in 2022......the markets SUDDENLY CRASHED....and went into a nearly one year BEAR MARKET. The current DELUSIONAL market....which continues to TOTALLY disregard fundamentals....and simply does not care about anything positive.....is very similar. At times.....you get a market that just refuses to see the good....and.....is gripped by a negative attitude. The MEDIA....the POLITICIANS....the SPECULATORS.....simply dont care and they are willing to put out their message for their benefit....regardless of TRUTH. YOU end up in a market that is in a vicious circle of negativity......a negative feedback loop.....a nasty self fulfilling prophesy of negativity. Whatever you want to call it.....a time of "negativity".....that feeds on itself and...... "VAGUE FEELINGS".......of something being wrong. I hope I am wrong......and what I am "FEELING" now is simply an indication of a bottom before the dawn of SANITY.
I know I would not be betting on Oracle. They are the only one expanding using debt instead of free cash. I never got the appeal when it was being foisted a few months ago, and I am glad I am not underwater following the nonsense now.
Back to something POSITIVE for readers: How to Invest Like Warren Buffett As Warren Buffett nears retirement, we highlight the details of his legendary investment strategy. https://www.morningstar.com/stocks/how-invest-like-warren-buffett At its core, Warren Buffett’s investing strategy is not all that complicated: "Buy businesses, not stocks. In other words, think like a business owner, not someone who owns a piece of paper (or these days, a digital trade confirmation). Look for companies with competitive advantages that can be maintained, or economic moats. Firms that can successfully fend off competitors have a better chance of increasing intrinsic value over time. Focus on long-term intrinsic value, not short-term earnings. What matters is how much cash a company can generate for its owners in the future. Therefore, value companies using a discounted cash flow analysis. Demand a margin of safety. Future cash flows are, by their nature, uncertain. To compensate for that uncertainty, always buy companies for less than their intrinsic values. Be patient. Investing isn’t about instant gratification; it’s about long-term success." The article has a HUGE amount of content on the above.
A big loss for me today in my stocks. A single GREEN stock.....AAPL. Also a loss to the SP500 today by....0.70% Just a CRAP day in the markets....for no reason other than lack of confidence and looking for a reason to go down.
