The Long Term Investor

We have some friends that are now caught up in the TURMOIL in Puerto Vallarta. They have been going there annually for at least 20 years. They are locked down in a resort. They were staying in a smaller time-share and were moved to the larger resort when the trouble started. They have no idea when they might be able to get out.

They have probably asked us to go with them at least 10 times. We always say NO WAY. We have been to Mexico on cruise ships many, many, times. But going and staying at a resort in the city that is the headquarters of one of the largest CARTELS in Mexico....NOPE. We have NO desire to vacation in Mexico. Too corrupt, too brutal, too untrustworthy.

 

YES....it is down by 4% today. It is currently STUCK being a trading and short vehicle. For what it is worth:

Palantir's Growth Engine Is Accelerating With Valuation Getting More Reasonable

https://seekingalpha.com/article/48...rating-with-valuation-getting-more-reasonable

AND......NO I have ZERO plans to sell any PLTR. I still have massive gains and the company is putting up BIG earnings numbers every quarter. I consider them the most successful company when it comes to selling the actual use of AI in real world business.

 

I have a sort meeting at 10:00 today. It will take me out of the house for a while. As the RED slowly mounts in the markets.....it will be nice to have an excuse to simply get out and IGNORE it all. there is NO content of any sort that is relevant to LONG TERM INVESTING today.

THUS....my words of the day......ENDURE.....IGNORE.

 

I see that my long time....former....holding will report earnings tomorrow. I am talking about.....HOME DEPOT.

The stock has done NOTHING over the past year. BUT.....I still like the company and the fact that they have a near monopoly on the hardware, lumber, home repair, and contractor business. (other than Lowes).

If I had some spare money I would consider adding them back and they will continue on my wish list for the future. I consider HD and WMT my best future targets for purchase......but....I also dont see this happening any time soon since I WILL NOT sell anything to buy either one.

At least I already own both HD and WMT as part of my SP 500 Index Fund and as part of Fidelity Contra fund.

 

HERE....is the latest INSANITY hitting the investment world......based on "AI disruption". Of course ALL of this is simply speculation. NONE of this "stuff" or the market reaction is based on FACT. But....since when did that matter anymore.

Software, Payments Shares Tumble After Citrini Post on AI Risks

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/software-payments-shares-tumble-citrini-162303649.html

 

Probably the best news of the day......especially for those trying to buy a house.

Mortgage rates just dropped below 6%, matching lowest level since 2022

https://www.cnbc.com/2026/02/23/mortgage-rates-below-6percent-lowest-in-4-years.html

The average rate on the popular 30-year fixed mortgage fell to 5.99% on Monday.

 

I like this little article....in spite of the markets being caught up in self-loathing and negativity. The markets simply have no positivity.....they are mired in defeatism right now. Every day the markets go out of their way to look for the negative in some BS speculative story, or some non business event, or some made up issue. At the same time....actual fundamental business information is IGNORED and discounted to death. The greatest and largest companies in the world are disrespected and fear-mongered constantly and relentlessly.

Here’s a response to all of the ‘Yeah, buts’ that followed my 2026 economic forecast

https://nypost.com/2026/02/23/busin...-followed-ken-fishers-2026-economic-forecast/

"It is all beautiful and bullish music to my ears – showing that, despite broadly building optimism, the stock market’s wall of worry remains intact. Let’s kick these “buts.”"

LETS HOPE this does happen....it will be interesting to watch it all......and see if we are at the start of a NEW NORMAL...or if old business based markets drivers still exist and prevail.

"The “midterm miracle” I detailed turbocharges US stocks late in midterm years. But the early and middle parts of midterm years typically slog, with shrill extremist campaigning stoking fearful uncertainty. There isn’t enough time for the “miracle” to spark huge gains before year-end."

 

This is what this thread is really for.

11 of the Best Investing Books for Beginners
The smartest investment? A library of the best minds in the business.

https://money.usnews.com/investing/articles/best-investing-books-for-beginners

 

Lots of good data and charts in this interesting article.

Rich Old People

https://awealthofcommonsense.com/2026/02/rich-old-people/

 

All the BS about "disruption".....simply IGNORES the fact that in general what is predicted to occur will be MASSIVELY POSITIVE for business in general and the economy. In some cases "people" may be hurt or impacted.....but the bottom line for most businesses....is higher profits and higher revenue and higher productivity.

Disruption Creates Opportunities for Investors

https://www.apolloacademy.com/disruption-creates-opportunities-for-investors/

 

I dont care about this sort of data....but some might.

US consumer confidence improves modestly in February after cratering the first month of 2026

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/us-consumer-confidence-improves-modestly-151137978.html

 

A perfect example of where we are STUCK right now. The markets are determined to be negative and......true or not....right or not....NOTHING else matters.

AI scare trade casualty: IBM

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/ai-scare-trade-casualty-ibm-142611356.html

 

The....."ok"....market so far today. But the green that we are seeing is not broad based. I will take it anyway.

Stocks bounce from Monday’s rout, led by AMD, software stocks

https://www.cnbc.com/2026/02/23/stock-market-today-live-updates.html

 

Here is the daily REAL news ....versus all the speculative, opinion based, AI disruption, and other FAKE story-lines.

Meta strikes AI chip deal with AMD days after committing to deploy millions of Nvidia GPUs

https://www.cnbc.com/2026/02/24/met...-days-after-expanded-nvidia-ai-chip-deal.html

REALITY....business is BOOMING. REALITY.....the markets simply dont care......they are off cowering in the shadows....afraid to embrace success. At the same time....the average retail investor.....siting and doing NOTHING.

 

Unfortunate....but true.

Nvidia earnings report collides with Wall Street skepticism over AI spending

https://www.cnbc.com/2026/02/24/nvi...-wall-street-skepticism-over-ai-spending.html

 

I am doing "OK" today so far today. HERE is the HD earnings:

Home Depot Hits the Mark: Revenue Surpasses Expectations as Dividend Hike Signals Confidence

https://markets.financialcontent.co...ectations-as-dividend-hike-signals-confidence

A GOOD BEAT on EPS and Revenue.

Home Depot tops earnings estimates for the first time in a year as demand for projects remains muted

https://www.cnbc.com/2026/02/24/home-depot-hd-q4-2025-earnings-.html

"Despite the fourth-quarter sales decline, Home Depot topped Wall Street’s revenue and earnings expectations for that period."

 

We are slowly seeing the GREEN spread today.

AND......I will just mention....does anyone really think that AI will crush software companies or credit companies or all the other companies being fear-mongered in the current financial coverage about AI disruption?

These companies will thrive. AI will DRIVE their business higher and higher.......AI needs these companies....it can not exist in a vacuum. They will use it in their business operations.....and in the products and services that they will SELL to their customers.

IGNORE THE INSANITY.