Did you feel the same way when the former president said some of the things he said? I too, don't want to get political .
I would shut my ears every time trump spoke. Of course he divided the country. Biden is as bad as he is… just happens that he also runs this country as bad. Again.. sad sad day
I am getting used to the RED this week. Another red day for me today.....as the averages seem to have petered out in the afternoon. I had a single stock up today.....Nvidia + 2.08%. I got beat by the SP500 by 0.30%. Good thing there is a MASSIVE amount of time left in the year. So....who cares....bring it on.
On a fairly random note, when Zuckerberg announced the change of Facebook to Meta and a promise of a $10billion investment in the "metaverse", my gut said he's a bit too early to the punch and will end up wasting a ton of capital on an implementation of a "metaverse" that may not even work out. That is, we don't know yet if the metaverse will come in the form of Oculus headsets and a digital reality similar to Ready Player One, or if we'd see an extension of augmented reality systems like Pokemon Go or the failed Google Glasses. Moreover, I couldn't help but think to myself "That Ready Player One videogame lifestyle does not seem nearly enticing enough to invest $10billion into developing it. My general sense was that we are not even close to functioning "metaverse". But then the other week I had an opportunity to actually use an Oculus. Holy moly, the technology on those things is impressive. I've seen videos of people accidentally running into walls, or jumping into tables while wearing a VR headset and thought "wow, those people are not so bright". But then I accidentally punched (and shattered) a glass of water while playing a boxing game with the headset. Turns out, it's far more real seeming than I had imagined. While this post isn't directly related to any current investment decisions, I recently posted about my rule of sticking with successful companies that have products I (or trusted family/friends) actually use. After using a VR headset for a single evening, I firmly believe there will be a ton of money to be made in the "metaverse" concept. The question, in my opinion, is whether Zuckerberg's bet on a "mostly digital" metaverse is correct, or whether the metaverse will take the form of an augmented reality using Google Glass style technology. It'll be fun watching how it all shakes out and I look forward to investing in whichever company puts out a "metaverse" product that I both use and believe will have wide appeal (regardless of whether that product be in the form of VR headsets, or software within these VR worlds).
Sometimes I think presidents get unfairly judged on both sides. The president is limited, granted there are some things they can do, but we have a system of government. Ofcourse I do realize like in anything whoever is considered the head of anything, when bad things happen they get the blame. Anyway, Thanks and back to investing and hoping whoever the president is, WE MAKE SOME MONEY. Edited by moderator to fix some quote syntax
3 of my 4 holdings keep setting new highs, only natural to have pullbacks. #4 has been in the green all week. I have no complaints whatsoever, don't really watch that account much, have mental notes on when to add,use options,etc. TSLA is my wild child, it makes the biggest moves. Reading more into the newest covid strain in France, thats going to be the thorn in our side for now.
It will be nice to be at the end of the week tomorrow. That will bring us one day closer to when this little market turns around and starts to give us some gains. Unfortunately it might not matter what earnings bring.....the markets are going to be preoccupied with the FED and whether they will raise rates in March. We are past due for a slow year....and....the gains the markets have given us over the past few years have been SUPERIOR. SO.....I will simply be patient and do NOTHING.
Elon Musk the business SAVANT. Looks like SpaceX is starting to bring in some money and customers. This will be a fun company to watch over the next five to ten years. SpaceX’s Starlink internet service has more than 145,000 users so far https://www.cnbc.com/2022/01/06/spa...ervice-has-more-than-145000-users-so-far.html (BOLD is my opinion OR what I consider important content) "Key Points SpaceX said on Thursday that its Starlink satellite internet service now has more than 145,000 users in 25 countries worldwide. That’s an increase of about 5,000 users from early November — a marked slowdown in the service’s growth. Elon Musk’s company had previously said that Starlink user growth has slowed due to “silicon shortages” which “have delayed production.” Elon Musk’s SpaceX on Thursday gave an update on its Starlink internet service, as the company launched more satellites into orbit. SpaceX engineer Jessie Anderson said during a webcast of the company’s first launch of the year that Starlink now has more than 145,000 users in 25 countries around the world. That’s up from 140,000 users in early November but represents a slowdown in user growth. The company launched a Falcon 9 rocket from Florida on Thursday, carrying 49 Starlink satellites toward orbit. Starlink is the company’s plan to build an interconnected internet network with thousands of satellites — known in the space industry as a constellation. It’s designed to deliver high-speed internet to consumers anywhere on the planet. SpaceX has about 1,800 Starlink satellites in orbit. The increase of 5,000 users in two months represents a slowdown in growth. Until November, SpaceX had added roughly 11,000 users per month since beginning service in October 2020. Late last year SpaceX noted on its website that “silicon shortages have delayed production” of Starlink user terminals, “which has impacted our ability to fulfill orders.” SpaceX’s valuation has soared beyond $100 billion, which industry analysts attribute in large part to the market potential of its Starlink service." MY COMMENT It will be FUN to watch this company cause all the cable, satellite, cell service providers, internet providers, etc, etc, SQUIRM. No doubt they will end up with capability to provide any sort of digital service through this system as time goes by. They might make ALL the other sorts of companies as obsolete as those giant satellite dishes that people had in their yards decades ago.
I hear some people saying THIS is the primary cause of the drop in the BIG TECH stocks this week. Hedge funds are selling tech shares at their fastest pace in a decade as rates spike https://www.cnbc.com/2022/01/06/hed...-fastest-pace-in-a-decade-as-rates-spike.html (BOLD is my opinion OR what I consider important content) "Surging bond yields have triggered hedge funds to sell growth-focused technology shares at a speed not seen in the past decade. The hedge fund community dumped tech stocks in the four sessions between Dec. 30 and Tuesday as interest rates spiked. The four-session tech unloading marked the biggest sale in dollar terms in more than 10 years, reaching a record since Goldman Sachs’ prime brokerage started tracking the data. Tech stocks are seen as sensitive to rising yields because increased debt costs can hinder their growth and can make their future cash flows appear less valuable. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite has sold off more than 3% this week, underperforming the S&P 500, which dipped 1% during the same period. The rate spike in the new year resumed Thursday, with investors assessing the Federal Reserve’s faster-than-expected policy tightening. The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note hit a high of 1.75% during the session, rising for a fourth straight day. The benchmark rate ended 2021 at 1.51%. Yields jumped after the Fed issued on Wednesday minutes from its last meeting, which showed the central bank could become even more aggressive than expected about raising interest rates and tightening policy. There are some opportunities in security and cloud stocks, says Stephanie Link Goldman noted that hedge funds’ selling of tech stocks is driven almost entirely by long sales, in contrast to mainly short sales seen in the last two months of 2021. The selling was driven by software and semiconductor stocks, the Wall Street firm said. Many Big Tech names have been under pressure. Shares of Netflix have fallen more than 8% this week. Microsoft has dropped 6% in the new year, while Alphabet fell 4%." MY COMMENT Hedge funds.....I knew it. It is the so called "professionals" that are causing the current pain. I consider this good news since the record of Hedge funds is DISMAL. If they are selling tech I see this as a positive contrary indicator.
FUTURES are green across the board at this moment. Does that mean anything for tomorrow......NO. BUT....it is nice to see some green for a change.
I can’t imagine anyone NOT investing in successfull big tech companies at this point… no, no, not AARK experimental tech companies… but AAPL, MSFT, GOOG, even TSLA…. After a very volatile 2021 with so many analysts predicting a dot com bubble and attributing it to inflation, higher rates and the likes… look at us now. So here we go again… inflation is here and nasdaq is gonna get hurt… well, if all the idiots are selling believing apple will go out of business because of inflation, I’m all for it…. Waiting for the numbers to move lower so I can add me more positions for 2022. Hope the “dot com bubble” correction arrives soon!
Another lovely day. I can't complain. I don't own airlines,cruise ships or anything ARKK, just 4 proven winners. Life is good.
edited by moderator to fix some quote syntax. This is the first time I believe I've seen this on this forum, could someone explain. Thanks and Happy investing.
I am.....RIDING THE WAVE.....today and forever. I am up on my wave board standing in a perfect "Walk Like An Egyptian" stance riding along. Of course.....waves run toward the shore and sooner or later they crash against the beach and than they reverse course and pull back into the ocean the other direction. BUT.....since I am fully invested all the time.....I just KEEP RIDING. The process repeats over, and over, and over. NO.....I dont care what the markets are doing at any particular moment. I do CELEBRATE when they are up and just IGNORE them when they are down. What else can I do? I want to stay invested all the time to capture the explosive positive moves in the markets when they come. I know that market timing and trading dont work.......so I simply put up with the......short term to medium term .........negative returns in order to capture the long term CERTAIN gains.
I don't post much, but do I read often. I purposely try NOT to offend anyone and if I did, I apologize. I would like to know what I might have said that caused my reply to be edited. I have enjoyed this thread for over the last year. I appreciate all the comments, suggestions, and knowledge I have received from this thread, it has served me well. Thanks to you all and special thanks to Mr. WXYZ. Happy investing
We are currently at the mercy of the FED.....nothing to do with any particular stock or the markets in general. An outside force that along with the Wall Street traders........drives the short term. Amid Early-Year Fed Fretting, Stay Cool The first rate hike in a tightening cycle isn’t inherently bearish. https://www.fisherinvestments.com/en-us/marketminder/amid-earlyyear-fed-fretting-stay-cool (BOLD is my opinion OR what I consider important content) "The new year is off to something of a rocky start, particularly for Tech stocks, with many wagging an accusatory finger at the Fed. No sooner had the world finished digesting the central bank’s plans to double the pace of “tapering” its quantitative easing (QE) asset purchases, then minutes from the December meeting suggested monetary policymakers determined the economy has largely met their self-imposed criteria for hiking rates. Moreover, they said “it may become warranted to increase the federal funds sooner or at a faster pace than participants had earlier anticipated.” Now Fed watchers think the first rate hike could come in March, when QE is scheduled to end, and they are pinning the blame for the S&P 500’s -1.9% drop Wednesday on this development.[ii] Perhaps—negativity can strike for any or no reason, and Fed pronouncements always get undue attention. But don’t dwell on short-term reactions. Over more meaningful stretches, there is no evidence rate hikes automatically hurt stocks. Exhibit 1 shows the history of S&P 500 returns surrounding the first rate hike in all Fed tightening cycles since 1971. As you will see, returns were positive in the first year after the rate hike 7 out of 10 times. Returns over the next two years were negative just once. Nothing here screams that rate hikes are auto-bearish. Exhibit 1: S&P 500 Returns Surrounding Initial Rate Hikes Source: FactSet, as of 1/5/2022. S&P 500 price returns, 7/16/1970 – 12/16/2017. Now, the time from the first rate hike to the bull market’s eventual peak varies, ranging from a little over a month (1980) to more than six years (1994). The 1986 and 1999 hikes happened less than a year before those bull markets ended, but it was a string of counterproductive moves—not the first rate hike itself—that eventually ended the cycle. In 1987, the Fed’s much more aggressive tightening later in the year, coupled with global currency management efforts, caused a liquidity shortage that contributed to the August – December bear market, in our view. In 1999, we think the Fed’s decision to keep rates lower for longer ahead of Y2K forced them to play catch up in the New Year, leading them to invert the yield curve—which probably made the dot-com bubble crash a bit earlier than it otherwise would have, although that counterfactual is unknowable. Meanwhile, in 1980, it wasn’t just that Paul Volcker’s Fed raised rates, but that the yield curve was already inverted when they hiked aggressively to battle double-digit inflation. That isn’t the case today. There is a healthy 1.6 percentage-point gap between 3-month and 10-year US Treasury yields.[iii] We think this is the most meaningful section of the yield curve as it best approximates banks’ business model—borrowing at short rates, lending at long rates and profiting off the spread. Even though we think long-term rates are likely to stay range-bound this year—meaning, we don’t see them rising much (if at all)—the Fed still has plenty of latitude for one or more hikes. An error is something to watch for, but acting in advance of that would be wrong, as an inverted curve alone isn’t a bull market killer. False signals abound, and inversions usually must be deep, lasting and global to truncate an economic expansion. Stocks are good at seeing through such noise. Again, none of this precludes potential rate hikes hitting sentiment for a while. Maybe interest rate jitters spook markets into a pullback or even a correction (a sharp, sentiment-fueled drop of -10% to -20%). Or maybe they don’t—there is no way to know. Short-term swings ride on sentiment, which is inherently unpredictable. But if things look rocky for a bit, stay cool, remember that history suggests it is fine to fight the Fed, and remember false fears often look “right” for a spell when negativity strikes. But markets climb a wall of worry constructed chiefly from plausible-seeming false fears, and we suspect that will follow the current dust-up, too.' MY COMMENT As I have said many times.....being a 45+ year investor I have seen many time periods of rate hikes. I dont remember any of them being particularly negative other than over the short term. It is just REALITY that sooner or later we have to get rates off their 100 year lows. I PITY the poor people that are heavy into bond funds. I also PITY the people that are into TARGET DATE FUNDS and are near or in retirement. They are being hammered by the drop in stocks and by the drop in their bond values. This is a BIG danger of Target Date funds in my opinion.....they hold way too many bonds for any age group and especially for those in retirement......particularly.....in the current times where we are going to potentially see a sustained time period of rising rates and a decrease in the capital value of the underlying bonds.
