Good morning.
Between inflation at 40-year highs and two quarters of negative GDP growth, investors in the US are dealing with some tough times. But compared to the rest of the world, the US looks like one of the strongest places to invest now.
Europe is likely in a recession, and its energy shortage due to Russian sanctions will only make it deeper. In contrast, the US has the capacity to be energy independent. The US is also food independent, at a time when grain shipments from Ukraine have finally started up again.
Overall, investors can still be cautious. But they might want to focus on US-based companies over the next few months given the political and economic risks elsewhere in the world right now.
Now here’s the rest of the news:
“Unstoppable” Trillion Dollar Stock Suddenly Collapses
Despite the rally on Friday, the shares of Meta Platforms lost more ground, falling 1.0% to $159.10 at the close, and more after-hours, same price where the shares had first been on July 13, 2017. Five years of nothing, with an exciting roller-coaster-ride in… [Read Here]
Economic Desperation Rises All Over America
It is starting to look a lot like 2008. Extremely long lines are forming at food banks all over the country, job losses and layoffs are starting to spike, countless small businesses are right on the brink of going under, a housing crash that could be… [Read Here]
August 03, 2021
Good morning.
The past few years has seen an explosion of interest in Ark Funds, and Cathie Wood. Her focus on disruptive technology stocks has led to massive returns, and a major fanbase. When tech stocks are out of favor, however, Wood is criticized for underperformance, yet continues to rise again, making her a beloved figure in the investment community.
On the other end of the spectrum is Robinhood (HOOD), which went public last week. Shares had one of the worst-ever performances for an IPO on its first day. Investors are still wary of the company after it shut down trading in popular retail stocks at the start of the year. But following is disastrous IPO, Wood has been out buying shares, picking up over 3 million so far. Time will tell how a beloved investor and one of the most-hated stocks plays out, but chances are it will be worth watching.
Now here’s the rest of the news:
Why the Middle Class Should Start Paying Attention to the Death Tax –Daniel Kowalski, FEE
If a husband and wife are killed in a car crash and they have children under 10 years old, these newly orphaned kids will be forced to hand 40% of what their parents left them to the government… [Read Here]
August 03, 2020
Good morning.
Well, three of the five mega cap companies that dominate the top five holdings of most large cap funds didn’t disappoint with strong advances this week. While they contributed to the S&P 500 holding up on Friday, there is another contributor that many may not be aware of. That is the decline in the U.S. dollar.
Gold’s rise is certainly a strong indication of this, and gold’s monthly performance was significantly better than the overall market. The weakness in the dollar is a direct contributor as the S&P 500 is priced in dollars. Any loss in the value is a direct benefit to the market, all things being equal.
Now here’s the rest of the news:
Here’s What Rising Small-Business Confidence Means for Stocks
“March was a terrifying time for business owners…” says Chris Igou.
COVID-19 was front-page news every day. And as the economy started to close, businesses suffered. Uncertainty became the norm. Small-business confidence fell to its lowest level in seven years as a result. But things have taken a sharp turn since then… The economy is opening in many parts of the U.S. And while some states have put a pause on openings in recent weeks, small-business confidence is rallying. We’ve seen a 10% jump in optimism over the past two months. That might be surprising, given what’s happening in the world and economy today. But it’s a reality. And it has big implications.
You see, in the past, this kind of jump in confidence has been a positive indicator for stocks going forward. It could mean double-digit gains are on the way, starting now.
Let’s explain…
Small businesses thrive when consumers can get out to buy goods. It’s that simple.
Obviously, confidence fell when COVID-19 took the world by storm. But now that some states are opening back up in the U.S., many people are out shopping, eating at restaurants, and going to bars again.
They’re back to being consumers. And that was the boost of optimism business owners needed. In fact, we’ve seen the fastest jump in optimism since 2016. Since bottoming in April, small-business confidence is up 10%. Take a look… You can see the recent spike in the chart above. This shows just how quickly confidence is rebounding. There’s obviously still a lot of bad news out there regarding COVID-19 and the economy. But small-business owners aren’t as worried today as they were in recent months. Importantly, these kinds of quick con-fidence boosts are a sign that stocks can head higher… Since 1990, when business confidence has jumped 5% or more in a two-month span, U.S. stocks have gone on to rally double digits.
SAY OF THE DAY
“The money may be in the list… but the REAL money is in the RELATIONSHIP you have with that list.”
August 03, 2019
Building People Up
By its very definition, leadership requires followers. To become a good leader, it’s necessary to bring people along with you and to help build them into better people – often, to train them as leaders.
Create Safety
A good leader makes it safe to ask questions and make mistakes. The builder of people is approachable and easy to talk to. There are never any stupid questions and mistakes are not only tolerated, but are treated as a necessary process on the way to success.
There’s a story about a top executive at IBM who was in charge of a project that ended in disaster, causing the company ten million dollars in losses.
The executive met with the president to go over what went wrong, expecting the worse. “I suppose you want my resignation,” he stammered. “On the contrary,” said the president, “we just spent ten million dollars educating you. Do you think we want to lose that kind of investment?”
There’s no doubt in my mind that experience went a long way in building a valuable and productive leader for “Big Blue.”
There may not be any such thing as constructive criticism. You are not perfect, nor will you ever be. If you constantly look to build on your own strengths and the strengths of others, you’ll go far. If you look for the best in people, you’re likely to find it.
Don’t Build Me Up, Buttercup … Just To Let Me Down, [later]. 😉
August 03, 2017
Over the course of the next five-days I’ll be focused on ONE task; clarifying in my mind by teaching you how you can make more in a month with your own online business than you currently make in a year. Potentially a lot more.
But before we move on, how much will you need to invest to start an online business (like mine?) USD $2,500 is the magic number. That’s not so much in the great scheme of things.
Your ONLY plan when starting out should be to make your very first sales and bring in cash as soon as possible. It’s as simple as that.
In business, you don’t want to be a price taker. You want to be a price maker.
The sad truth is that 80% of small businesses fail within their first 18 months, costing their owners a lot of money and stress. Many end up right back where they started — working for someone else at an unfulfilling job because it provides a steady paycheque with a lot less risk.
Upon meeting me at one of my live training events, most of my students are surprised to see that I’m just an ordinary guy. The fact that I chose the right business model has contributed to my success far more than any innate talent.
Does all this sound like a wonderful business model? Does it sound too good to be true? Well, it is true — and it’s called affiliate marketing. I preferred to start with network marketing, because I first fell in love with the products and found them easy to talk about. I’m affiliated with the company and I’m payed when I refer the product themselves, or the business of network marketing, or both. Both is easy for me and should be easy for you once I show you how to get rolling. Fast is definitely more affordable and fun than slow!
“So you have your products, and you have a website that explains all the benefits of the product and how someone can buy it. But you have no website visitors. And with no one to see your website, You can’t make a single online sale.” This can be a big problem that we’re going to solve.
REW
