HERE...is the nice markets today: S&P 500 posts back-to-back gains Friday as AI trade resurges https://www.cnbc.com/2025/12/18/stock-market-today-live-updates.html I was actually...SHOWED THE MONEY...this week. I gained about....+1.28%....in my entire account this week.
A fun little article. BUT.....I believe that in the end being an investing or business GENIUS is like anything else. First you have to be born with an extreme talent in business. A God given and very rare gift. Second you have to have the life experiences, education, and the right personality to achieve success. Third you need some LUCK at just the right moments. AND....genius in one area does NOT translate in the slightest to ability or success in another area. Which genius from history would have been the best investor? https://www.ft.com/content/5d2166f5-965b-45b2-a604-9f0a6fc19a35
The....short....week to come. What to Expect in Markets This Week: Christmas Holiday, GDP, Consumer Confidence, Jobless Claims https://finance.yahoo.com/news/expect-markets-week-christmas-holiday-100000685.html About the only thing that will matter this week will be GDP. Consumer confidence.....irrelevant and simply BS data. Jobless claims....distorted and unreliable data.....and old news. The main thing.....HAVE A GREAT CHRISTMAS.....celebrate with family and be thankful for all that we received from the markets and life in 2025.
THIS is going to be the norm for a long time....at least 5-10 years. AI was behind over 50,000 layoffs in 2025 — here are the top firms to cite it for job cuts https://www.cnbc.com/2025/12/21/ai-job-cuts-amazon-microsoft-and-more-cite-ai-for-2025-layoffs.html
LOL.....as if Wall Street professionals can give advice on how to run the Warren Buffett empire. These MORONS...could have NEVER done what Buffett and Munger did. Anyone listening to them will turn the company into just another Wall Street clone. The BEST thing the management at Berkshire could do is simply follow the HUGE road-map that is set out in the many, many, years of Bufffett news-letters and commentary. Of course I doubt they will do this....they will follow their own course and the company will slowly fade. You will know it is all over for Berkshire when the management starts talking about spinning off holdings to create shareholder value. I would give them about 2-4 years to reinvent the company and LOSE all the values and investing strategy that made it great. It will not take long for executives to bail out and move on....the LURE of big CEO pay at other companies that think they carry some of the Buffett and Munger magic. Unfortunately that magic will be found to have been inherent in....Buffett and Munger...... and will NOT be duplicated. Abel takes over for Buffett in less than two weeks. Wall Street has some advice for new Berkshire CEO https://www.cnbc.com/2025/12/20/abe...et-has-some-advice-for-new-berkshire-ceo.html
HERE is my SP500 Index......PREDICTION....for 2026. At year end....2026....the SP500 will be in the range.....7800 to 7900. If I am right...YEA. If I am wrong.....YEA. A meaningless prediction game for me......but I like to take a swing at this since all the professional experts will be doing so and most of them will be WRONG as usual.
Outstanding exposé on the Nvidia and Palantir partnership: It was just a matter of time. I do not like the way things are going at all. I cannot even invest in the biggest and best companies without feeling like I need to take a damn shower.
Well we now move on to the final eight teams in the College Football Playoff. That is the real news today. My Oregon Ducks will play my Texas Tech in the next round. I have family connections to both teams. So I guess I have two out of eight shots at the championship. As to the MARKETS....this week will tell the story of the SANTA RALLY. Although once in a while we see a late SANTA RALLY that starts after Christmas....into the first week or two of the New Year. I will be happy with ANY rally to end or start the year. After the last couple of very ERRATIC weeks....I am doubtful. BUT....it is not like I have any control over the markets so.....LETS GO SANTA.
AND speaking of SANTA rallies. Don’t Tell the Kids, but Santa Rallies Aren’t Real Stocks don’t follow seasonal adages, no matter how merry. https://www.fisherinvestments.com/e...nt-tell-the-kids-but-santa-rallies-arent-real ......"Our point: December and the post-Christmas rally aren’t bad periods for stocks, but most stretches are fine, too. There is nothing statistically significant—or revealing—about these periods versus others. And there shouldn’t be, as seasonality isn’t a thing in markets. Rather, stocks move on broad economic, political and sentiment drivers—specifically, how the former two relate to the latter, with surprises swaying markets most." MY COMMENT I DO think in the past.....1950's through about the 1980's.... that stocks did at times see a year end bump due to "window dressing" by portfolio managers into the winning stocks of the year. BUT....that old time behavior....is a thing of the past. In those past decades it was also the era of....ANNUAL REPORTS. We did not have all the earnings insanity that we have constantly now. Shareholders would get a big glossy, color, ANNUAL REPORT publication at year end. AND....I am sure there was a lot of insider early information floating around back than with the good-old-boys-network in the investing world.
HERE is another...."lessons from 2025"...article. I ACTUALLY agree with every one of the eight items....ALL....are very important general knowledge for successful long term investing. 8 lessons for investors from 2025 https://www.tker.co/p/stock-market-investor-lessons-2025
I had doubts about this article....but...as I read it.....I like what it is saying in general terms. Looks pretty accurate to me. Of course I am a BIG PICTURE sort of guy....especially in business and investing. The Big Picture Earnings will do the market driving in 2026 https://www.briefing.com/the-big-picture "*Valuations remain rich but sustainable in 2026 if projected 15% earnings growth materializes. *Mega-cap tech stocks face a "prove-it" phase, with gains more measured on good news and the downside sharper if growth disappoints. *2026 has the potential to be a rebalancing year if the economy and interest rates cooperate."
The a averages look great to start the day today....BUT....my stocks are pretty BLAH. I have three of seven stocks UP today so far.....NVDA, PLTR, and AMZN. BUT...four in the RED.....GOOGL, MSFT, AAPL, and COST. At least my UP stocks include my big holdings NVDA and PLTR. BUT....PLTR and AMZN.....are bouncing between green and red so they are far from confident today.
I agree....but....I dont think the FED is this DUMB.....even though they are pretty DUMB. Fed Risks Recession Without More Interest Rate Cuts, Miran Says https://finance.yahoo.com/news/fed-risks-recession-without-more-141114755.html
The start to the week and the day. S&P 500 rises to start a holiday-shortened week, led by tech https://www.cnbc.com/2025/12/21/stock-market-today-live-updates.html
a nice start to this holiday-shortened trading week. the "official" santa rally period hasn't even begun yet (starts on wed) and we're not too far off from that 6900 area on the cash s&p. not too shabby really don't see anything that should disrupt these final 6 trading days of 2025. should be a relatively quiet end to the year. this is a nice break from the constant news flow we've had to endure all year long. here's to a very merry xmas and a happy new year's to you and your family W, and to everyone who has contributed to this thread over the year. thanks for yet another incredible year W. amazing that you have been updating this thread since 2018. you're the best!! stay safe and we'll catch y'all's in 2026. cheers!
