Good morning.
Markets jumped higher yesterday in part on news out of Walmart (WMT). The retailer reported better-than-expected sales, which in turn suggests that consumers are faring well, even with high inflation.
However, in order to fund today’s spending, consumers are increasing their debt. A report by the Federal Reserve indicates that household savings have been drawn down to pre-pandemic levels. And that household debt is rising at its fastest rate in 15 years, fueled in large part by rising credit card use.
That’s a good sign for the credit card companies, which tend to be worth buying on a dip for long-term investors. But if consumers start reducing their spending significantly after the holiday season, investors may want to go shopping for retailers to short.
Now here’s the rest of the news:
Why Housing Inflation Is Not Going Away Anytime Soon
There are signs inflation may fall further in coming months, but housing threatens to mute any improvement. The consumer price index, a key barometer of inflation, rose 7.7% in October from a year ago. While still quite high by historical standards… [Read Here]
Distortions And Denial Are Playing Out In Destabilizing Ways
After years of relative stability, it seems asymmetries, distortions and denial are playing out in unexpectedly destabilizing ways. These complex and often opaque dynamics are interacting with each other and reinforcing each other in difficult to predict ways… [Read Here]
November 16, 2021
Good morning.
There’s still seven weeks left in the year, but that hasn’t stopped Wall Street from dropping its predictions about 2022. The key messages so far? Things will be mixed.
Goldman Sachs (GS) sees unemployment numbers heading back to a pre-pandemic 50-year low by the end of 2022. And some see further economic growth provided that supply chain issues become resolved, even as initial views are that the supply chain would be back and running by the end of the summer.
Many also see inflation rates moving lower, while some see another inflationary burst from government spending such as the latest infrastructure bill. All these early predictions point to a few possible scenarios for future growth, with just a few continued risks mixed in. The most likely outcome for the time being is volatile markets until the picture becomes clearer either way.
Now here’s the rest of the news:
Fed Warns Failing China Real Estate Sector Poses Risks to U.S. Economy –Chad Bray, SCMP
“Given the size of China’s economy and financial system as well as its extensive trade linkages with the rest of the world, financial stresses in China could strain global financial markets…” [Read Here]
November 16, 2020
Good morning.
While a number of state officials warned about the need to increase lockdowns and other social distancing measures amid rising case counts, stocks continued unabated. The S&P 500 closed at an all-time high, the first time since September.
While some areas are looking to put the halt on restaurants and other social gatherings, the news of a Covid vaccine the past week has shown that there is a light at the tunnel. Unlike the start of 2020, the year is shaping up to end on a much more positive note for stocks.
Now here’s the rest of the news:
November 16, 2019
IT IS A BEAUTIFUL DAY! Once again different words convey different understanding.
Any questions? I didn’t think so … 🙂
November 16, 2018
The “Hick’s Law” trap.
I absolutely love simple! That might be why I love cartoons to share my message.
Keep it simple. Why?
Hick’s Law states that the more choices we give our prospects, the harder it becomes for them to make decisions. Human brains are lazy. Having too many choices means our prospects have to think too hard to make up their minds. Short and simple works. Prospects love it. There is an old motivational saying in network marketing:
“If we are on fire, some people will come just to see us burn.”
Might be true. But we can make this better by having something short and good to say while burning.
The longer we talk, the more choices we create. Confusing for our prospects.
So let’s ask ourselves, “What can l say in the first few sentences that will get my prospect to want to join?” If it takes longer, we might want to redo our first few sentences.
Examples?
- Saving for retirement: “With our current jobs, it is already too late to save enough for our retire-ment. We missed our chance by not saving 20% of our salaries when we were 25 years old. That means we either work the rest of our lives, until we die or, start a small part-time business now, so we will have plenty of money when we want to retire.”
- Utilities: “Still overpaying on those utility bills? Let’s get online now and stop them from over-charging you again next month.”
- Health: “Getting older? Yes, it is coming. And there will be a huge gap between the people with great health, enjoying their lives and those trapped in the system of doctor appointments, paper-work, and frustration.”
- Legal services: “Feel bad when others treat you unfairly? Stop feeling like a victim and claim what is yours. Stop cheaters immediately with a phone call to your attorney. Intimidation works.”
- Nutrition: “Dying early is inconvenient. Stop aging now before it is too late.”
- Dieting: “Turn your body into a fat-burning machine now. Lose weight while you watch televi-sion. Make your clothes baggy in only seven days.”
Interestingly, but a bit off-topic, unions are proud to point to their history of moving the workday from 12 hours… to 11… and then to 8, where they stand today. A few companies have tried working on even shorter workdays. One German company has been testing a 5-hour workday, with the require-ment that employees refrain from all activity that tends to slip into the modern workplace: Small talk, checking social media and email, and so on.
However, the company scaled back its plans. The reason? According to the company CEO, “Everyone’s outside life got so much better, at the expense of their passion for the work.”
Back to checking Facebook it is. 😉
