I STILL consider COST stock one of the greatest long term holds. BUT....recent performance is MUTED compared to their EPIC earnings time after time. They have truly GREAT MANAGEMENT....but they are tone-deaf on splitting the stock. I put.....ALL....the recent lingering performance on the failure to do a split and the high stock price. 1 day..........(-0.70%) 5 day.........(-0.83%) 1 month.....(-7.36%) 6 month.....+7.61% YTD...........+7.61% 1 year.........+13.93%
I had followed the tariff deal pretty closely. I even created a thread about it.... Quite honestly, I gave up doing any updates to it for a few reasons. There was just too much lack of consistency....(we have one....we don't have one....it's on/off....and then back to something else.) The other reason, was the actual understanding of how a tariff works. They seem to totally not get the concept of "importer vs exporter" in the way they frame these announcements. As evidenced by the above announcement. I'm not sure they really don't understand or if it just sounds better to frame it that way. Even most of our posters within the thread have a basic concept of how they work. All that said, I am not against getting some better trade balance. Maybe some of them will be beneficial in the right way and hopefully so. Other than that, I just kind of shake my head at all of it anymore and the announcements about how they "believe" it will work.
I think the last info I seen about it they were holding firm on not doing so, but that was a while back. Maybe during their last earnings Q/A. Seems they were asked about it and offered a....nope. That could change though.
Yes, the obsession with the FED and rate cuts appear to continue. Can you imagine a time when we will no longer hear of this? It has been a long time. Especially when you go back to when they were raising them up until now. Of course, as with most things now, it gets into politics somewhat. I figure we are due some cuts in the near future maybe. Although, I really don't care one way or another if it is the next meeting or somewhere down the road. With the surrounding drama, it just puts more emphasis on all of the plentiful economic reports and gives the media more juice to squeeze. Most of which are revised and/or changed from whatever was mentioned previously. Sometimes we have too much information at our fingertips. Most of it we could live without and have little bearing on the long term.
Some interesting charts. #1. ATH's are always a topic. Just stick to the plan. #2. We've talked a bit about international having a good year....so far. #3. Take advantage of employer plans and contribute. Get the match too.
Yes....Smokie...I was an attentive reader of your Tariff thread. At this point Tariffs are not very relevant one way or another.
Today I got a good gain in my nine stocks. Compliments of only four of them....NVDA, PLTR, AAPL,.....and...GOOGL. I also got in a good beat on the SP500 by....0.87%. So i made back a good chunk of what I lost yesterday in my account.....not that day to day matters at all.
They do not give YTD results in here. AND....many on this board had just as good if not better results in June. I suspect that many of us on this board are.....BEATING....these so called....."STAR PERFORMERS". Biggest Hedge Funds Extend Gains In Chaotic First Half https://finance.yahoo.com/news/bigg...NjkhKeeD921JNsfT7Iwaj_I5aN1VhcSltGk41SkL6KN6I MY COMMENT I see elsewhere that STAR MANAGER.....Ken Griffith....in one of his primary funds.....Wellington fund..... is up by only +2.5% through the end of June. Some of us...myself included are well above that number. LOL "Citadel’s multistrategy Wellington fund, its largest, gained 2.5% during the first half of the year, according to a person familiar with the firm’s returns who asked to remain anonymous as the information is private. Citadel’s tactical trading fund, which combines equities and quantitative strategies, rose 6.1% during the same time, the person said." https://www.cnbc.com/2025/07/01/bil...at-citadel-are-all-in-the-green-for-2025.html AND....we are simple retail investors that sit and dont do anything....including pay BIG FEES to some Hedge fund.
ARE WE HAVING FUN YET? I know I am......I am in CELEBRATION MODE. A banner start to the final half of 2026......since as of the close today my YTD GAIN is sitting at....+9.46%. Lets see if I can hang on through tomorrow to close out the week. Another ALL TIME HIGH for the SP500 today. S&P 500 closes at another record on Wednesday after Trump announces Vietnam-U.S. deal https://www.cnbc.com/2025/07/01/stock-market-today-live-updates.html
LOL. I have heard and read a few predictions....but you are way ahead. Although, I am an optimist too....2026 looks good too!
I got some good news today. NO....not stock investing.....but....ART. I am always trying to get good PR for the art that we own. One way to do that is by having paintings included in museum exhibitions. Today I found out that one of our paintings from the 1920's has been accepted to appear in a museum exhibition to start in the spring of 2026. Unfortunately that painting is one that hangs on the wall of my office. I will miss having it here for about 3 months. But....that is a price I am willing to pay for the public exposure. The other good art news we got today is that a Western Sculpture we recently bought has shipped and will arrive this week. NICE.
Getting very close to an all time high over here. But...it doesn't make any sense. The British media assured me it was all over for American stocks. They said I was looking at years and years of losses. Only a crazy person would invest 100% in the USA. Thank god I found The Long Term Investor thread!
So happy for you LORI. It is amazing how it all works out if you have fortitude and a long term focus. YOU....should compliment.....YOURSELF. You had the intelligence and the focus to invest in a way that probably most people in your country dont do. You had to fight off the fear-mongering from the media of your country. Not an easy thing to do. I wish you continued success in life and investing......you are a great example for others reading this thread. Your post is a shining example of what can be done. WELL DONE, YOU.
To continue the topic that LORI started above.......here is why many of us are doing very well long term.....we invest in the greatest, most dominant, companies in the world. NOT the USA......the WORLD. So.....why would people outside the USA not invest in these companies? Magnificent 7 Stocks: What Are They and How They Dominate the Market The Magnificent Seven has emerged as a replacement for FAANG stocks. https://money.usnews.com/investing/articles/magnificent-7-stocks-explainer (BOLD is my opinion OR what I consider important content) "CNBC personality Jim Cramer is credited with coming up with the popular FANG acronym to describe mega-cap tech growth stocks Facebook, Amazon, Netflix and Google back in 2013. Cramer expanded FANG to FAANG in 2017 when he added Apple to the mix. While all the original FAANG stocks continued to perform well, several other technology-centric, mega-cap stocks have emerged in the 2020s to lead the market to new highs. In 2023, Bank of America analyst Michael Hartnett began using the phrase "Magnificent Seven" to describe these stocks, borrowing from the 1960s ensemble Western movie of the same name. Besides being some of the most valuable companies in the entire stock market, these stocks largely focus on secular technology growth trends such as artificial intelligence, cloud computing, online gaming, and cutting-edge hardware and software. Here's what every investor should know about the Magnificent Seven: Overview of Magnificent 7 Stocks Microsoft Corp. (ticker: MSFT) Microsoft is the world's largest software company and is known for its Windows operating system, Azure cloud services, LinkedIn social media platform, Office professional software suite and Xbox gaming brand. Microsoft is a market leader in professional software and AI innovation, including a $13 billion investment in ChatGPT maker OpenAI. Microsoft has integrated ChatGPT into its Bing search engine and combined all its AI agents into a single AI experience called Microsoft Copilot. Microsoft has generated a 1,199% total return for investors over the past decade. The average analyst price target for the stock is $522.26, suggesting 5% upside from its June 30 closing price of $497.41. Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN) Amazon was founded as an online bookstore back in 1994, but the company has expanded its business over the past three decades to become one of the largest online retailers, public cloud services providers and digital entertainment platforms in the world. Two of Amazon's biggest strategic shifts have been its acquisition of Whole Foods and its launch of the Amazon Prime subscription service, which includes Prime Video streaming and fast, free delivery of millions of products. Amazon shares are up 911% in the past decade, and the average analyst price target of $241.82 suggests 10.2% additional upside from its June 30 closing price of $219.39. Meta Platforms Inc. (META) Meta Platforms owns and operates some of the world's largest social media and messaging platforms, including Facebook, WhatsApp, Messenger and Instagram. As of March 2025, Meta had about 3.43 billion total daily active people across all its platforms, and the company's massive audience makes it one of the world's leading online advertising businesses. Facebook shifted its focus from social media to building the metaverse in 2021, changing its corporate name to Meta Platforms. That experiment was short-lived, as markets punished the money-losing endeavor, and the company has since refocused on its core competency: social media. Meta shares are up 765% in the past 10 years. The average analyst price target for the stock is $729.37, suggesting a slight 1.2% downside from its June 30 closing price of $738.09. Apple Inc. (AAPL) Apple is a leading consumer electronics maker, generating revenue largely from its iPhone smartphones. In addition, Apple sells Mac notebook and desktop computers, iPad tablets, Apple Watches, and other wearable devices. Its services segment includes the mobile App Store, iCloud storage, advertising and other businesses. While iPhone sales growth has slowed, high-margin services segment sales growth has helped pick up the slack. Apple's massive profits have also funded aggressive share buybacks, which support the stock price. Apple shares have generated a 630% total return in the past decade. Its average analyst price target is $228.60, suggesting 11.4% upside from its June 30 closing price of $205.17. Alphabet Inc. (GOOG, GOOGL) Alphabet is a global technology company and the parent of search engine Google, video streaming platform YouTube, autonomous vehicle company Waymo, cybersecurity company Mandiant and many other tech subsidiaries. Its top businesses include online and mobile search, online advertising, cloud services and app sales. Alphabet dominates the online search market, with a nearly 90% share of worldwide search, according to GlobalStats. Google's Gemini AI chatbot and other AI models are also top competitors to ChatGPT. Alphabet has generated a 557% return in the past decade. The average analyst price target for GOOGL stock is $201.47, suggesting 14.3% upside from its June 30 closing price of $176.23. Nvidia Corp. (NVDA) Nvidia designs and sells high-end graphics and mobile processors used in personal computers, tablets, smartphones, workstations and other applications. While each of the Magnificent Seven has significantly outperformed the S&P 500's return in the past decade, Nvidia's roughly 32,143% gain is more than 19 times the total 10-year return of any of the other six stocks. Online gaming and cloud data center demand have been two growth drivers for Nvidia's processors, but its AI chip market dominance is its biggest selling point in 2025. The average analyst price target for NVDA stock is $173.92, suggesting 10.1% upside from its June 30 closing price of $157.99. Tesla Inc. (TSLA) Tesla designs and produces electric vehicles, advanced driver assistance technology and renewable energy products. Tesla is the U.S. market leader in EV sales, and its controversial CEO Elon Musk has built a cult-like following of investors and admirers. Tesla bulls point out the company's disruptive potential, AI technology opportunities and lack of large-scale U.S. EV competition. Bears argue Tesla is absurdly overvalued for an auto stock, trading at about 181 times earnings. Tesla shares are up 1,677% in the past decade. TSLA stock's average analyst price target is $306.07, suggesting 3.6% downside from its June 30 closing price of $317.66. The Takeaway Past performance is no guarantee of future returns, and several of the Magnificent Seven stocks have somewhat lofty valuations based on fundamental metrics such as forward earnings multiples and price-to-sales ratios. Each of the seven stocks has outperformed the S&P 500 by a huge margin in the past decade, however, and their exposure to high-growth technologies such as high-end software and hardware, cloud computing, and AI services position them well to continue to lead their respective markets over time. Even at a combined market capitalization of more than $17 trillion, the Magnificent Seven stocks may still have room to run." MY COMMENT Every one of these companies is a MASSIVELY LEADING company around the entire WORLD. It is all so obvious in hindsight......or is it? I am sure there are STILL many people here in the USA and especially around the world....as LORI mentioned....that dont recognize the reality of what is explained above. Just look at the ten year returns of every company above.....INSANE. BUT....before you jump on this speeding train....REMEMBER....."Past performance is no guarantee of future returns". AND......PLEASE.....do your own research and thinking in terms of your specific situation. THIS ENTIRE THREAD IS.......NOT, NOT, NOT......INTENDED AS INVESTMENT ADVICE TO OTHERS. It is simply a documentation of the investing journey of those of us that post here.
Well as we head to the FORTH OF JULY......the celebration of the founding of our country......imagine the world if the USA had never existed.......we have a lot to be thankful for. We are not perfect by any means.....but over the centuries we have been.....good enough, considering. The markets are BOOMING. A nice little 4th of July GIFT for those of us that have the ability to BELIEVE in the PROBABILITY of long term investing. HAPPY FORTH OF JULY EVERYONE.
BUMMER......but.....who cares. July rate cut from Fed is 'now completely off the table' following solid jobs report https://finance.yahoo.com/news/july...NjkhKeeD921JNsfT7Iwaj_I5aN1VhcSltGk41SkL6KN6I (BOLD is my opinion OR what I consider important content) "The odds of a rate cut at the Federal Reserve's next meeting evaporated after a resilient jobs report for June alleviated concerns about a slowing US economy. "You are not getting a July rate cut — that is now completely off the table," Joe Brusuelas, RSM chief economist, told Yahoo Finance. Traders agree with that assessment. On Thursday morning, the odds of a cut at the Fed's July 28-29 meeting fell near 5% from nearly 25%, according to the CME FedWatch tool. "The markets are speaking," Interactive Brokers chief strategist Steve Sosnick added. He told Yahoo Finance the likelihood of a Fed cut was "evaporating" in the aftermath of the latest labor market report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The report showed the US economy added 147,000 nonfarm payrolls in June, more than the 106,000 expected by economists. The unemployment rate unexpectedly fell to 4.1%. Economists had expected the unemployment rate to move higher to 4.3%. Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell has cited a resilient economy as he argues for a patient approach to rate cuts. The strength of the US economy, he has said, gives the Fed time to assess whether President Trump's tariffs will, in fact, push inflation higher over the summer. Brusuelas of RSM said the jobs report "is feeding right into what Jerome Powell said," namely that the economy is "not in trouble right now." Trump has repeatedly pressured Powell to stop waiting and start cutting again, making that case again this week. The case for looser monetary policy being made by the White House is "a tough sell," Sosnick said. "'The economy is great but we need rate cuts at the same time.' That’s cognitive dissonance.'" But Fed watchers expect the White House pressure campaign to continue. Brusuelas noted that the criticism is now being aimed not just at the Fed but at the entire Fed board. Trump said Powell "should resign immediately" in a Truth Social post Wednesday night. On Monday, he posted a note he sent to Powell telling the Fed chair, "Jerome—You are, as usual, 'Too Late,'" and arguing that he has "cost the USA a fortune." Trump on Truth Social also widened his criticism to the entire Fed board: "The Board just sits there and watches, so they are equally to blame." Fed governors Christoper Waller and Michelle Bowman have both made a case for rate cuts in July since the last Fed meeting, arguing that any inflation from tariffs will not linger. But others have urged more patience. Atlanta Fed president Raphael Bostic said in a speech Thursday in the UK that he “fully supports” the Fed’s wait-and-see policy prescription. “I believe the Committee must await more clarity rather than move in a policy direction that it might need to quickly reverse,” Bostic said. For now, job market conditions remain broadly healthy, he added, even as signs point to softening, pointing out that the pace of hiring has slowed but that layoffs and unemployment remain at low levels. “I don’t yet see signs of serious labor market deterioration,” he said. He said if not for the potential impact of tariffs on prices—as well as the consequences of the current turmoil in the Middle East—he would be “pretty comfortable” with the inflation outlook. “For me, the main punchline is that the adjustment of prices and the broader economy to changes in trade and other forthcoming policies in the United States, along with geopolitical developments, is not going to be a short and simple one-time shift in prices, as standard textbook models would suggest,” he said. “Instead, this increasingly looks like a process that may take a year or more to fully play out.” Earlier this week, Powell didn't rule out an interest rate reduction at the Fed's next meeting on July 28-29, but he noted the central bank would have cut rates by now if not for the tariffs introduced by the Trump administration. "We went on hold when we saw the size of the tariffs and essentially all inflation forecasts for the United States went up materially as a consequence of the tariffs," he said. The Fed lowered rates by a full percentage point in 2024 but has held rates steady so far in 2025. "I wouldn't take any meeting off the table or put it directly on the table," Powell said when asked about the possibility of a cut in July. "It's going to depend on how the data evolved."" MY COMMENT I would MUCH rather see a booming economy than get a rate cut. SO....who cares about the FED. As investors we dont need them. They have NOTHING to do with business success as reflected in fundamental results of the best long term companies. In fact....they have little to nothing to do with the economy in general.
AMAZING. Nvidia set to become world's most valuable company in history https://finance.yahoo.com/news/nvidia-set-become-worlds-most-142512077.html What an amazing ride it has been. BUT....I still think....the best is yet to come. Talk about....."FUNDAMENTALS". "Nvidia hit a market value of $3.92 trillion on Thursday, on track to become the most valuable company in history, as Wall Street doubled down on optimism about AI. Shares of the leading designer of high-end AI chips rose as much as 2.4% to $160.98 in morning trading, giving the company a higher market capitalization than Apple's record closing value of $3.915 trillion on December 26, 2024."
I see from the TICKER that I am BIG GREEN today. ALL nine stocks up except for.......HD. I have high hope for a all green close today in just a few hours. the market closes early for the 4th of July holiday. Since the market is dong well on its own....I am going to sit down and shut up for a while.....and do some reading.
GOOD news for house hunters. Mortgage rates are SOLIDLY in the NORMAL historic average range. BUT.....if we can get some.....two to three....FED rate cuts we might see rates about the high fives or low sixes.....in the second half of the year. Average rate on a 30-year U.S. mortgage falls to 6.67%, the fifth straight decline and the lowest level in three months https://finance.yahoo.com/news/average-rate-30-u-mortgage-160012898.html I do see booming sales in some of the large new Master Planned Communities around here that have new construction by big builders. The sales are helped by the financing deals......with very reduced....financing and incentives that the big builders are able to give to new buyers. So....if you are looking for a house and it is an option.....you might want to look at new homes in large suburban neighborhoods with big builders.
Markets are hanging in there as we approach the early close.....in about a half hour. It will be a NICE 4.5 day HOLIDAY for investors. I see that I am now 100% in the GREEN with my nine stocks. GO...GO...GO.....SHOW ME THE MONEY. I might even be able to buy some extra hot dogs for tomorrow.
