As usual talking to the wind....but....WAKE UP FED. Fourth-quarter U.S. GDP up just 1.4%, badly missing estimate; inflation firms at 3% https://www.cnbc.com/2026/02/20/pce-inflation-december-2025.html "For the full year in 2025, the U.S. economy grew at a 2.2% pace, down from the 2.8% increase in 2024. At the same time, inflation held firm in December, according to the gauge most closely watched by Fed officials."
Some good discussion of the YEAR TO DATE markets in this little article. At Long Last, Being Underweight Tech Is a Winning Stock Strategy https://finance.yahoo.com/news/long-last-being-underweight-tech-103000620.html
The other fear-mongering issues that will probably have some impact on the markets today.......the media talking about an impending attack on Iran......and....the sudden media speculation about the Supreme Court issuing the tariff opinion today. Either one could happen....of course.....but in reality no one in the media has any clue and this is simply BLATANT SPECULATION masquerading as news. What else is new. AND....of course....these types of headlines are the perfect "stuff" that short term day traders or AI micro second trading platforms just LOVE to trade.....especially to the down side of the markets.
i agree completely with this view....based on what I hear from inside some companies......from insiders that have good awareness of the AI push.Embedding AI and using it is going to be a continuous slow slog......5-10 years. AND.....the impact is also going to take time. I do not expect some big dramatic impact moment....it will simply continuously start to impact business and life....drip by drip by drip. When we look back in hindsight it might look like a sudden change....but living through it...not so much. New research shows companies aren’t as close to AI readiness as execs believe How organizations can bridge the gap between ambitions and outcomes https://www.cnbc.com/advertorial/20...20&mvl=CNBC ROS_Polar - Polar Engine Backfill
YES.....the tariff ruling is in. There will be MUCH analysis over the rest of the day and over the coming weeks. I really dont care one way or another....except for the impact on the markets and in more particular the stocks that I own. I currently have three stocks green....AAPL, AMZN, and GOOGL. So far there does not appear to be much general impact on the markets.
We will now be subjected to MUCH analysis and political BS about the tariff ruling. BUT....for the markets it is a good thing.....no, not the result....but the FACT that the uncertainty is now removed from the markets. CLARITY....takes away all the speculation and fear-mongering. I suspect there will continue to be little to no market impact....while the political and social commentary will be...... through the roof......WHATEVER. Markets LOVE.....CLARITY and CERTAINTY.
Yeah, there will be much chatter about it. Probably some fit throwing, teeth gnashing, and all sorts of media attention. At least the decision is in, which would be nice to move on from this debacle, but I suspect it will not quiet down as you have mentioned.
For me, I don't care much for any politics surrounding this case or any in general. Follow the law and the US Constitution. If the action survives those tests, then so be it. Checks and balances, separation of powers and all of that matter. It should never be about winning and losing based on party affiliation. We need to get away from that type of thinking being fed to us ad nauseum.
As mentioned by WXYZ.....looks like the markets are fairly non-reactive. At least on the green side at this point. Maybe even gaining some steam upward. Although, here lately that could and does change with the wind.
Totally unrelated to market stuff. The Winter Olympics have been a nice watch. Some stunning views in the host country. The US has around 27 medals....with 9 gold as of yesterday I think. I believe Norway leads the medal count last I checked.
this. the market as a whole (the indexes) are definitely not in any sort of correction or even a pullback. i was curious to see what the YTD was for the SPX for example. as of yesterday's close we were essentially sitting at UNCH'd for the year lol. in other words - this market has done a whole lotta nothing and gone absolutely nowhere since the start of the year. pretty uneventful stuff. granted, i don't check up on the day-to-day action much anymore like i used to. i find it to be a complete waste of time. used to be a massive market junkie back in the old days. i feel like my interest fades more and more after every passing year. not sure how many people can also relate to that? there's not a ton going on that's worth of any interest. i suspect this year a whole could be more of the same (absent any black swan surprises). which isn't a bad thing btw. i like what W says, seemingly on a daily basis now. "there is NOTHING going on" which pretty much sums up the first 2 months of this year thus far lol.
Oddly, I wasn't referring to them specifically. That would be a bit scary as well considering their niche' of operations.
A nice Friday for the markets. Actually, a decent little week as well. Still on the green side for the year, despite all of the hand wringing.
I could easily seem them doing some serious blackmailing/un-aliving operations on behalf of our ever-so-above-board government and "allies" with all the data they can collect, centralize, and analyze with incredible AI efficiency. Like Epstein on steroids.
Some interesting charts and thoughts in this article. I am not advocating for or against it. Sharing for the broader audience in case they have some interest in it, other than just solely US investments. Although, I figure our audience here is very small nowadays with no new members. The Ex-U.S. Trade is Working - A Wealth of Common Sense
