Goodness. Checking the thread and seeing the vibe about a "nasty market" and "correction" had me checking to see if I had missed something. I just don't see it. I get the MSFT fall and maybe one or two others, but that's about it. There are probably others not mentioned. I suppose some of the software stuff got hammered....I seen a bit about that. Other than that, we aren't in bad shape I don't think. Of course, I guess that "feeling" could certainly be different for many, depending on the individual plan.
I start today with some good GREEN.....COST, MSFT, NVDA, and PLTR. Looks good to me considering that ALL the big averages are currently RED.
The.....SILLY.....market today. YES....of course we are seeing fear-mongering of a conflict with Iran. Stocks slide as traders assess Walmart earnings, potential Iran conflict https://www.cnbc.com/2026/02/18/stock-market-today-live-updates.html
Yes.....these people are investing GENIUSES.....no wonder we elected them to govern us....."little people". Insider Trading and the Wolves of Capitol Hill The 29 Congressional members that beat the street in 2025 https://www.independent.org/article/2026/02/16/congress-beat-stock-market-2025/
A little article on ......the GAMBLIFICATION OF EVERYTHING. It is amazing that all this prediction market BS is allowed to be talked about and sold as....INVESTING. The grift economy is going mainstream 2025 was the year the grift economy went mainstream. Are we doomed to repeat it? https://yourbrainonmoney.substack.com/p/everything-is-pretty-much-a-scam "This is the rip-off economy — or the grift economy — in its purest form: a world where everything — your attention, your data, your daily activities, even events that have already happened — is a surface to extract value from. Where the line between investing and gambling has dissolved. Where the business model is built around exploiting customers."
For those that like IRRELEVANT economic data. U.S. trade deficit totaled $901 billion in 2025 despite Trump’s tariffs https://www.cnbc.com/2026/02/19/us-...1-billion-in-2025-despite-trumps-tariffs.html
As usual we put all the emphasis on "OUTLOOK"......and ignore great earnings beats. This article should be totally focused on the BEAT and NOT outlook. At least WMT is UP today so far. Walmart reports strong holiday growth, but earnings outlook falls short of estimates https://www.cnbc.com/2026/02/19/walmart-wmt-q4-2026-earnings.html I STILL want to add this stock some time in the future when I have some free money to ivnest.
Well I finished up my live CD project in the studio yesterday. It was ALL production and engineering and mastering work...no actual recording. We were able to use.....AI.....to pull material (Stems) out of the raw mix to use in the production. Amazing technology. I am into this little project by about $4000 in cost and time. It is total speculation...... since I now have to get the label to have interest in releasing this material.
That is about it for what I am seeing today. The GUTS of what is going on for the day in the investing and financial world. Not much in reality. AND.....the markets seem to be pretty stable and just lingering....so far. Of course...it is very early in the day.
If I remember well, last time we had a lingering market like we have it now, was during the soft landing, between November 2022 and March 2023.
It's not just the market. It's literally everywhere. Such a widespread social approval of a destructive addiction. It's disgusting.
GREAT NEWS....for people trying to buy a house. Mortgage rates drop to lowest level in nearly 4 years https://finance.yahoo.com/personal-...lowest-level-in-nearly-4-years-110045487.html "The 30-year fixed mortgage rate fell 8 basis points to 6.01% for the week ending Wednesday, according to Freddie Mac. That's the lowest level since September 2022. The 15-year fixed dropped 9 basis points to 5.35%." MY COMMENT For most of my adult life I would have considered this a really good rate.........when we were buying various houses over the past 50+ years.
Who cares.....the click-baiters....got what they wanted and have now moved on. BIG......DUH. Wall Street points to signs the AI scare sell-off is overblown https://finance.yahoo.com/news/wall...re-sell-off-is-overblown-181218462.html?err=1
NOW....on to the fear-mongering topics of the minute....private credit....and....Iran. Stocks are back in a funk with the Dow down 400 points as investors fret about private credit, Iran https://www.cnbc.com/2026/02/18/stock-market-today-live-updates.html Not exactly anything here that matters....one whit....to long term investors.
I like WMT.....but as an owner of AMZN.....this is very good news. Amazon surpasses Walmart in annual revenue for first time, as both chase AI-fueled growth https://www.cnbc.com/2026/02/19/amazon-revenue-passes-walmart-earnings-reports.html
Well....a small loss for me on a listless day today. Not much energy in the markets. At least we did not have the recent NEGATIVE energy today over nothing. I had a small loss today and got beat by the SP500 by....0.04%. Nothing to see here...keep moving. By keep moving I mean...keep doing NOTHING.
Money is a powerful temptation. Getting something for nothing has quite the allure to it. Since "AI" is the word of the century, think about a number of these smaller start-ups and other companies. Many are not even close to profitable at the moment and are chasing anyone with two nickels in their pocket for funding. Now, imagine the sinister/nefarious country or other folks that could easily "buy" them off or purchase some leverage for information, infiltrate some operations, and so on. This is plausible to happen at some point. Then what?
I think most people will think AI is fantastic until they log into their financial accounts and see a zero balance. Imagine AI being 100x better than the best human hacker. What would you do if you owned that much power? I've made sure my wealth is not all digital.
I like this little article.....perhaps some relevance to what TomB16 raises above. The Ghost of 1776: Why the Greatest Wealth Shift in 250 Years Is Happening Right Now A new convergence of AI, economics, and political power is reshaping the global order https://investorplace.com/hypergrow...th-shift-in-250-years-is-happening-right-now/
