In comments on the market, Daniel Berkowitz, investment director for investment manager Prudent Management Associates wrote: Earnings Matter A Fed-bounce and strong earnings from Meta Platforms Inc (NASDAQ:META) have provided another day of gains for equity investors. The rise in stock prices is certainly welcome as we turn the page from an abysmal year in […] In comments on the market, Daniel Berkowitz, investment director for investment manager Prudent Management Associates wrote: Earnings Matter A Fed-bounce and strong earnings from Meta Platforms Inc (NASDAQ:META) have provided another day of gains for equity investors. The rise in stock prices is certainly welcome as we turn the page from an abysmal year in 2022. if (typeof jQuery == 'undefined') { document.write(''); } .first{clear:both;margin-left:0}.one-third{width:31.034482758621%;float:left;margin-left:3.448275862069%}.two-thirds{width:65.51724137931%;float:left}form.ebook-styles .af-element input{border:0;border-radius:0;padding:8px}form.ebook-styles .af-element{width:220px;float:left}form.ebook-styles .af-element.buttonContainer{width:115px;float:left;margin-left: 6px;}form.ebook-styles .af-element.buttonContainer input.submit{width:115px;padding:10px 6px 8px;text-transform:uppercase;border-radius:0;border:0;font-size:15px}form.ebook-styles .af-body.af-standards input.submit{width:115px}form.ebook-styles .af-element.privacyPolicy{width:100%;font-size:12px;margin:10px auto 0}form.ebook-styles .af-element.privacyPolicy p{font-size:11px;margin-bottom:0}form.ebook-styles .af-body input.text{height:40px;padding:2px 10px !important} form.ebook-styles .error, form.ebook-styles #error { color:#d00; } form.ebook-styles .formfields h1, form.ebook-styles .formfields #mg-logo, form.ebook-styles .formfields #mg-footer { display: none; } form.ebook-styles .formfields { font-size: 12px; } form.ebook-styles .formfields p { margin: 4px 0; } Get The Full Henry Singleton Series in PDF Get the entire 4-part series on Henry Singleton in PDF. Save it to your desktop, read it on your tablet, or email to your colleagues (function($) {window.fnames = new Array(); window.ftypes = new Array();fnames[0]='EMAIL';ftypes[0]='email';}(jQuery));var $mcj = jQuery.noConflict(true); Q4 2022 hedge fund letters, conferences and more   With that said, we aren’t surprised that markets are brushing off Fed guidance regarding the future path of interest rates - the markets haven’t been buying what the Fed is selling for some time now. The rally in asset prices, in particular for those that were punished last year (like growth stocks and cryptocurrencies), generally reflects expectations that the Fed will have to cut rates throughout 2023 in response to economic slowdown. While this certainly isn’t an unreasonable outcome, we view it as a less likely scenario than the Fed sticking to its word and holding rates steady for the remainder of this year after reaching the desired terminal rate. Chairman Powell has noted that entrenched inflation is the worse of two evils when weighing inflation relative to a potentially steeper recession. At least part of today’s positive reaction is also related to the fact that Powell didn’t push back as forcefully as he could have (and has before) about the divergence in Fed-market expectations and the recent loosening of financial conditions. Employment-Cost Index Remains Stubbornly High From our perspective, already seemingly forgotten by the market is Tuesday’s employment-cost index reading, which remained stubbornly high at 5.1% year-over-year. Though the data showed movement in the right direction, current levels of wage growth are still running a few percentage points too hot to be consistent with the Fed’s 2% mandate.   The unemployment data released today showing a further decline in claims only further highlights the labor market’s current strength. The Fed is increasingly watching the labor market for signs of protracted inflation. Strong wage growth fuels inflation in that it’s often passed through as a cost via higher prices for consumers in addition to further buttressing consumer spending. And since the “transitory” pivot, the Fed has been explicit in that it will seek to avoid any echo of the 1970s wage-price spiral at all costs. Therefore, when Chairman Powell says the Fed has “more work to do”, we are not at this point in time as inclined, as the wider market appears to be, to dismiss his word. About Prudent Management Associates Prudent’s core investment philosophy focuses on minimizing risk over time. As a result, the company does not react to market events, but rather considers them in a larger context to develop a long-term outlook for the development and maintenance of investment portfolios......»»

S&P 500 continued higher on very good market breadth and with bond market support, but already yesterday I announced I was looking for a NFPs facilitated setback aka daily correction preceded by relatively shallow premarket session as job creation, unemployment rate, participation rate and hours worked all showed that the job market remains tight, spurring […] S&P 500 continued higher on very good market breadth and with bond market support, but already yesterday I announced I was looking for a NFPs facilitated setback aka daily correction preceded by relatively shallow premarket session as job creation, unemployment rate, participation rate and hours worked all showed that the job market remains tight, spurring fresh bets on hawkish Fed to the delight of dollar bulls. .first{clear:both;margin-left:0}.one-third{width:31.034482758621%;float:left;margin-left:3.448275862069%}.two-thirds{width:65.51724137931%;float:left}form.ebook-styles .af-element input{border:0;border-radius:0;padding:8px}form.ebook-styles .af-element{width:220px;float:left}form.ebook-styles .af-element.buttonContainer{width:115px;float:left;margin-left: 6px;}form.ebook-styles .af-element.buttonContainer input.submit{width:115px;padding:10px 6px 8px;text-transform:uppercase;border-radius:0;border:0;font-size:15px}form.ebook-styles .af-body.af-standards input.submit{width:115px}form.ebook-styles .af-element.privacyPolicy{width:100%;font-size:12px;margin:10px auto 0}form.ebook-styles .af-element.privacyPolicy p{font-size:11px;margin-bottom:0}form.ebook-styles .af-body input.text{height:40px;padding:2px 10px !important} form.ebook-styles .error, form.ebook-styles #error { color:#d00; } form.ebook-styles .formfields h1, form.ebook-styles .formfields #mg-logo, form.ebook-styles .formfields #mg-footer { display: none; } form.ebook-styles .formfields { font-size: 12px; } form.ebook-styles .formfields p { margin: 4px 0; } Get The Full Ray Dalio Series in PDF Get the entire 10-part series on Ray Dalio in PDF. Save it to your desktop, read it on your tablet, or email to your colleagues (function($) {window.fnames = new Array(); window.ftypes = new Array();fnames[0]='EMAIL';ftypes[0]='email';}(jQuery));var $mcj = jQuery.noConflict(true); Q4 2022 hedge fund letters, conferences and more   Today‘s analysis will be brief as things have worked pretty fine – and you know I had been very busy this week on Twitter… I‘m so glad to hear how you‘ve been killing it in the markets! Let‘s keep charting our path! Daily supports are the badly test 4,145 followed by 4,085, which the bears would like to see reached today – and I think they can get halfway there today. For next week (not meaning Monday to be clear), we have.4,225 on the upside as the most ambitious target that would provoke a battle to get overcome. Chart courtesy of www.stockcharts.com. Hop on my Twitter feed and go through some more of the key events shaping up this week, announced as of Tue and today. High standards, transparency and quality of service rule! Keep enjoying the lively Twitter feed serving you all already in, which comes on top of getting the key daily analytics right into your mailbox. Plenty gets addressed there (or on Telegram if you prefer), but the analyses (whether short or long format, depending on market action) over email are the bedrock. So, make sure you‘re signed up for the free newsletter and that you have my Twitter profile open with notifications on so as not to miss a thing, and to benefit from extra intraday calls.   Thank you for having read today‘s free analysis, which is a small part of my site‘s daily premium Monica's Trading Signals covering all the markets you're used to (stocks, bonds, gold, silver, miners, oil, copper, cryptos), and of the daily premium Monica's Stock Signals presenting stocks and bonds only. Both publications feature real-time trade calls and intraday updates. While at my site, you can subscribe to the free Monica‘s Insider Club for instant publishing notifications and other content useful for making your own trade moves. Turn notifications on, and have my Twitter profile (tweets only) opened in a fresh tab so as not to miss a thing – such as extra intraday opportunities. Thanks for all your support that makes this great ride possible! Thank you, Monica Kingsley Stock Trading Signals Gold Trading Signals Oil Trading Signals Copper Trading Signals Bitcoin Trading Signals www.monicakingsley.co mk@monicakingsley.co All essays, research and information represent analyses and opinions of Monica Kingsley that are based on available and latest data. Despite careful research and best efforts, it may prove wrong and be subject to change with or without notice. Monica Kingsley does not guarantee the accuracy or thoroughness of the data or information reported. Her content serves educational purposes and should not be relied upon as advice or construed as providing recommendations of any kind. Futures, stocks and options are financial instruments not suitable for every investor. Please be advised that you invest at your own risk. Monica Kingsley is not a Registered Securities Advisor. By reading her writings, you agree that she will not be held responsible or liable for any decisions you make. Investing, trading and speculating in financial markets may involve high risk of loss. Monica Kingsley may have a short or long position in any securities, including those mentioned in her writings, and may make additional purchases and/or sales of those securities without notice......»»

One of the stumbling blocks for people who want to get involved in blockchain is getting their head around the concept to begin with. To put it in the simplest possible terms, blockchain is a digital ledger of transactions distributed across a network of computers, which means it is decentralized and transparent. Each block in […] One of the stumbling blocks for people who want to get involved in blockchain is getting their head around the concept to begin with. To put it in the simplest possible terms, blockchain is a digital ledger of transactions distributed across a network of computers, which means it is decentralized and transparent. Each block in the blockchain contains a number of transactions. With each new transaction, a record of that transaction is added to the ledger. That decentralized database – that blockchain – is also known as distributed ledger technology. You can picture it like a digital version of Legoland. if (typeof jQuery == 'undefined') { document.write(''); } .first{clear:both;margin-left:0}.one-third{width:31.034482758621%;float:left;margin-left:3.448275862069%}.two-thirds{width:65.51724137931%;float:left}form.ebook-styles .af-element input{border:0;border-radius:0;padding:8px}form.ebook-styles .af-element{width:220px;float:left}form.ebook-styles .af-element.buttonContainer{width:115px;float:left;margin-left: 6px;}form.ebook-styles .af-element.buttonContainer input.submit{width:115px;padding:10px 6px 8px;text-transform:uppercase;border-radius:0;border:0;font-size:15px}form.ebook-styles .af-body.af-standards input.submit{width:115px}form.ebook-styles .af-element.privacyPolicy{width:100%;font-size:12px;margin:10px auto 0}form.ebook-styles .af-element.privacyPolicy p{font-size:11px;margin-bottom:0}form.ebook-styles .af-body input.text{height:40px;padding:2px 10px !important} form.ebook-styles .error, form.ebook-styles #error { color:#d00; } form.ebook-styles .formfields h1, form.ebook-styles .formfields #mg-logo, form.ebook-styles .formfields #mg-footer { display: none; } form.ebook-styles .formfields { font-size: 12px; } form.ebook-styles .formfields p { margin: 4px 0; } Get Our Activist Investing Case Study! Get the entire 10-part series on our in-depth study on activist investing in PDF. Save it to your desktop, read it on your tablet, or print it out to read anywhere! Sign up below! (function($) {window.fnames = new Array(); window.ftypes = new Array();fnames[0]='EMAIL';ftypes[0]='email';}(jQuery));var $mcj = jQuery.noConflict(true); Q4 2022 hedge fund letters, conferences and more   The best way to think of it is as a network of computers, similar to the internet except there are no central points where all the data is stored. The blockchain data is stored and copied on every computer or node in the network all over the world by whoever chooses to run a computer or node, which means the data is not controlled by a single group, party, or entity. (A node is a device or data point in a larger network. In networking, a node is either a connection point, a redistribution point, or a communication endpoint.) Every node on the network can be operated by anyone. If you download a bitcoin wallet, you’re probably running a bitcoin node without having to do anything to actively, or even knowingly, support the network. In addition to being decentralized, an important facet of the technology is the fact that it is secure. Every block of transactions is cryptographically secured through what is called a hash, which is a string of numbers and letters. Each unique hash can only be decrypted with a private key, or seed, provided by the person sending something via blockchain that has that hash attached to it. Now this may sound a little complicated, but at the most basic conceptual level, it is no different from buying a car or house and getting the unique set of keys to it along with your purchase. The Byzantine Generals Problem So why is blockchain such a game changer? The thing with blockchain is that it is the first time a network has been able to solve the Byzantine Fault Problem, also commonly known as the Byzantine Generals Problem. The problem is essentially this: Imagine you are in a battle and have an army attacking on two or more fronts; the enemy is strong enough to defend itself from one attacking army at a time but not two or more simultaneously. All parties must agree on a strategy and act in concert – otherwise your army will face complete failure and defeat. To add to the complexity, there may be officers, messengers, or other actors who are unreliable or corrupt working to undermine your victory. So how do you coordinate your soldiers to attack or retreat as one? If you are in multiple locations involving multiple decision-making processes and multiple actors, how do you reach consensus on what to do and execute that decision at the same time? While it is an interesting thought experiment, it is also a common real-world problem in many facets of society, including the internet. Blockchain creates consensus over the internet with transactions. It confirms transactions with many different nodes, which are then propagated as transactions across the network. It creates a permanent public record, so to speak. It takes the internet as it is today and adapts it to a completely digital world. What’s New About Blockchain? More and more of our everyday activity is taking place online. We have entered the age of the Internet of Things, wherein all devices are connected. We are sharing our lives and connecting online through social media, gaming, and other forums. We conduct our businesses, manage bank accounts, make purchases, and do a whole host of other things online. Blockchain opens up even more opportunities to do things online, but with one clear distinction: to have control over them. Let’s say you set up an Instagram account. You have ownership and control of your account – you can post whatever you like for the most part – but ultimately it’s not owned by you. The account is owned by the company. With blockchain/Web 3.0, you can create your own version of an Instagram account that no one can shut down or moderate. You can post anything, monetize it how you wish, take it with you anywhere (digitally or in the real world), and it connects to just about everything frictionlessly.   What Can You Do With Blockchain? If you’re a coder or developer, you can create a blockchain. The challenge is to create one that is efficient, cost-effective, secure, private, and scalable to millions if not billions of users and transactions – basically whatever your end user wants. Enter Vitalik Buterin. He is one of the most important people in the crypto space. Vitalik and a few other collaborators saw what Bitcoin was able to do, looked at the underlying technology that made it possible, and asked, “How can this decentralized, distributed network fulfill other uses?” Eventually they created Ethereum. Ethereum uses open-source blockchain technology to create other things that are decentralized, such as smart contracts. These are essentially self-executing contracts that do not require an entity to fulfill them. With a smart contract, you can do all kinds of things. It means you can eliminate a middleman. A smart contract establishes an agreement between party A and party B. For example, if you were to purchase real estate, you would normally need a broker. But using blockchain, you no longer need that broker to help navigate the legal and financial practices of the industry – in particular, the transferral of ownership. So there’s a crash course for you on blockchain. It is a flexible technology, and as such there are so many industries that blockchain will become an integral part of. We have only skimmed the surface of what can actually be done at scale. Article By Brandon Zemp About Brandon Zemp Brandon Zemp is an entrepreneur and investor. He made his mark early on as a trader in the fast-paced crypto market, and soon established his first company, BlockHash LLC, a blockchain consultancy providing educational resources for small business owners, students, developers, and investors......»»

InvestED is the most popular stock trading podcast, with the most Google searches per month Podcasts Animal Spirits and Mad Money are the second most popular podcasts, both receiving 1,400 searches per month worldwide Invest Like The Best is the third most popular stock trading podcast A new study reveals the most popular stock trading […] InvestED is the most popular stock trading podcast, with the most Google searches per month Podcasts Animal Spirits and Mad Money are the second most popular podcasts, both receiving 1,400 searches per month worldwide Invest Like The Best is the third most popular stock trading podcast A new study reveals the most popular stock trading podcasts, with InvestED taking the top spot as the most popular. .first{clear:both;margin-left:0}.one-third{width:31.034482758621%;float:left;margin-left:3.448275862069%}.two-thirds{width:65.51724137931%;float:left}form.ebook-styles .af-element input{border:0;border-radius:0;padding:8px}form.ebook-styles .af-element{width:220px;float:left}form.ebook-styles .af-element.buttonContainer{width:115px;float:left;margin-left: 6px;}form.ebook-styles .af-element.buttonContainer input.submit{width:115px;padding:10px 6px 8px;text-transform:uppercase;border-radius:0;border:0;font-size:15px}form.ebook-styles .af-body.af-standards input.submit{width:115px}form.ebook-styles .af-element.privacyPolicy{width:100%;font-size:12px;margin:10px auto 0}form.ebook-styles .af-element.privacyPolicy p{font-size:11px;margin-bottom:0}form.ebook-styles .af-body input.text{height:40px;padding:2px 10px !important} form.ebook-styles .error, form.ebook-styles #error { color:#d00; } form.ebook-styles .formfields h1, form.ebook-styles .formfields #mg-logo, form.ebook-styles .formfields #mg-footer { display: none; } form.ebook-styles .formfields { font-size: 12px; } form.ebook-styles .formfields p { margin: 4px 0; } Get The Full Ray Dalio Series in PDF Get the entire 10-part series on Ray Dalio in PDF. Save it to your desktop, read it on your tablet, or email to your colleagues (function($) {window.fnames = new Array(); window.ftypes = new Array();fnames[0]='EMAIL';ftypes[0]='email';}(jQuery));var $mcj = jQuery.noConflict(true); Q4 2022 hedge fund letters, conferences and more   The trading world has seen an ever-growing amount of interest over the past few years; worldwide searches for ‘how to get into trading’ increased 178%, and searches for ‘trading tips’ have seen a 195% increase over the past five years. Searches for ‘stock trading tips’ have increased by 204% worldwide over the past five years, proving how many people worldwide are interested in delving into the trading world. With the rise in popularity for podcasts skyrocketing over the past few years too, research was conducted to see which trading podcasts are the most popular. Ranking Most Popular Stock Trading Podcasts The research conducted by UK financial services provider CMC Markets explored Google search data by examining the average number of monthly searches for the top stock and trading podcasts, which resulted in a ranking of the most popular stock and trading podcasts. The most popular podcast in the rankings is InvestED, hosted by three-time New York Times best-selling author and hedge fund manager Phil Town and his daughter Danielle. The pair give advice and cast a light on the best investment strategies used by some of the most influential investors in the world. Stretching over 400 episodes, the father-daughter duo dominates the stock and trading podcast space, with fans worldwide tuning in to hear their advice. Searches for ‘InvestED podcast’ average at 1,600 searches per month worldwide, proving just how popular the podcast is. The following two podcasts in the rankings receive an average of 1,400 searches per month worldwide, placing them in joint second. The Animal Spirits podcast explores life, markets and investing and is hosted by Michael Batnick, a managing partner at Ritholtz Wealth Management and Ben Carlson, the author of the wealth management blog A Wealth of Common Sense. Their goal is to share their experiences in the markets and help make finance more understandable and accessible for their listeners. There are currently 454 episodes available for streaming, and with the podcast averaging 1,400 searches per month worldwide, fans are certainly listening to what they have to share. The Mad Money podcast is hosted by one of Wall Street’s most successful and influential money managers, Jim Cramer. The first episode was released in March 2005, and since then, the podcast has grown into a guide for people worldwide to become better investors. The podcast has a huge number of episodes, so there is plenty of advice on how to dominate the stock market. Cramer helps his listeners navigate the jungle of Wall Street investing in a lightning round where he offers his buy, sell and hold options to callers keen to hear his expertise. The third most popular stock trading podcast in the rankings is Invest Like The Best, hosted by Patrick O’Shaughnessy. This podcast provides insight into the minds of some of the best business and investment leaders across the globe, highlighting their trial-and-error methods of success and sharing stock market secrets exclusively to the show. The main goal of this podcast is to guide listeners on how to spend their time and money better, resulting in successful investment outcomes. Searches for ‘Invest Like the Best podcast’ average 1,000 searches per month worldwide, which secures its third-place spot in the rankings. The Meb Faber show is the fourth most popular stock trading podcast, averaging 400 monthly searches for the ‘Meb Faber podcast’ worldwide. The podcast aims to help listeners grow through wealth by making smarter investment decisions alongside featuring an array of top investment professionals dishing out their wisdom regarding investments. The podcast currently stretches to 526 episodes and is hosted by Meb Faber, a co-founder and Chief Investment Officer of Cambria Investment Management. Faber has also written numerous successful books and is a frequent speaker on investment strategies which is why fans worldwide are keen to be regular listeners of the podcast.   The following two podcasts in the rankings receive an average of 300 searches per month worldwide, placing them in joint fifth. With currently over 1,000 episodes, is Motley Fool Money, a multi-viewpoint podcast hosted by investment genius Chris Hill, in which he is joined by a team of top investment analysts who explore the day's top headlines in finance and business. The podcast is aimed at business-driven investors and helps to break down the stock market by sharing the perspectives of Hill’s special guests. We Study Billionaires is currently strung over 650 episodes and has gained over 95 million downloads. Hosted by Stig Broderson, Clay Finck and Trey Lockerbie, We Study Billionaires is the chief podcast of The Investor’s Podcast Network. During the show, the hosts are joined by some of the industry's most famous financial billionaires, who guide listeners on applying the best strategies and methods in the stock market. The Most Popular Stock Trading Podcasts Rank Podcast Name Search Term Global Monthly Search Volume 1 InvestED Invested Podcast 1,600 2 Animal Spirits / Mad Money Animal Spirits Podcast Mad Money Podcast 1,400 3 Invest Like the Best Invest Like the Best Podcast 1,000 4 The Meb Faber Show Meb Faber Podcast 400 5 Motley Fool Money We Study Billionaires Motley Fool Money Podcast We study Billionaires Podcast 300.....»»

Investing is one of the best ways to build wealth and secure your financial freedom as you get older, especially post-retirement. But if you’re looking to get into the investment game now, you need to beware of certain investing mistakes that are easy for first-time investors to make. Read on for 9 beginner investing mistakes […] Investing is one of the best ways to build wealth and secure your financial freedom as you get older, especially post-retirement. But if you’re looking to get into the investment game now, you need to beware of certain investing mistakes that are easy for first-time investors to make. Read on for 9 beginner investing mistakes to avoid. .first{clear:both;margin-left:0}.one-third{width:31.034482758621%;float:left;margin-left:3.448275862069%}.two-thirds{width:65.51724137931%;float:left}form.ebook-styles .af-element input{border:0;border-radius:0;padding:8px}form.ebook-styles .af-element{width:220px;float:left}form.ebook-styles .af-element.buttonContainer{width:115px;float:left;margin-left: 6px;}form.ebook-styles .af-element.buttonContainer input.submit{width:115px;padding:10px 6px 8px;text-transform:uppercase;border-radius:0;border:0;font-size:15px}form.ebook-styles .af-body.af-standards input.submit{width:115px}form.ebook-styles .af-element.privacyPolicy{width:100%;font-size:12px;margin:10px auto 0}form.ebook-styles .af-element.privacyPolicy p{font-size:11px;margin-bottom:0}form.ebook-styles .af-body input.text{height:40px;padding:2px 10px !important} form.ebook-styles .error, form.ebook-styles #error { color:#d00; } form.ebook-styles .formfields h1, form.ebook-styles .formfields #mg-logo, form.ebook-styles .formfields #mg-footer { display: none; } form.ebook-styles .formfields { font-size: 12px; } form.ebook-styles .formfields p { margin: 4px 0; } Get The Full Ray Dalio Series in PDF Get the entire 10-part series on Ray Dalio in PDF. Save it to your desktop, read it on your tablet, or email to your colleagues (function($) {window.fnames = new Array(); window.ftypes = new Array();fnames[0]='EMAIL';ftypes[0]='email';}(jQuery));var $mcj = jQuery.noConflict(true); Q4 2022 hedge fund letters, conferences and more   Investing Without a Plan First and foremost, investing without a plan is never a good idea, even if you receive a 100% guaranteed profitable stock investing tip from a friend or financial expert. When you put money into the market, you need to know: What is the purpose of that money When you’ll take the money out (“take profit”) For example, if you are investing for retirement, you should have retirement investment goals and immediately take money out of the market when you hit those goals. The sooner you have an investment plan, the sooner you can make wise decisions for your portfolio.  Buying Without Research Similarly, you should never purchase a stock, ETF (exchange-traded fund), or another market instrument without extensive research beforehand. If you don’t know what to look for, rely on the advice of a financial advisor who has already done the research for stocks and the market at large and who can make good decisions based on your financial goals and existing savings. Misunderstanding Investing Fees It’s also a mistake to misunderstand investment fees. When you invest your money in the stock market, you’ll use an investing platform like Fidelity, Due, or something else. Many of these platforms charge minor fees, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing! In fact, as a first-time investor, it’s often beneficial to spend $10 or more to get the help and advice of financial advisors so you don’t move your money around unwisely. Don’t think of investing fees as always bad news. Sometimes, they’re necessary to make the most of the stock market. Chasing Trends Never chase temporary, hot-button trends when it comes to investing. Those trends might appear attractive and potentially profitable, but they are impossible to predict by nature. If you’re unlucky, you could put a lot of money into a trending stock, only for that stock’s value to decrease the next day, causing you to lose a lot of money. Watching the Market 24/7 You’ll drive yourself crazy if you watch the stock market and its endless arrays of charts, lines, and bar graphs 24/7. It’s much better to invest your money and then move on to something else. Check the market every day or week, depending on your goals and the kinds of investments you’ve made. But don’t spend all your time and attention on the market, or you’ll become impatient and potentially make other first-time investing mistakes. Following Dubious Advice There’s a lot of bad investing advice on the internet, particularly on social media sites, posted by “gurus” who claim to know the secrets to making tons of money. In truth, the best advice isn’t free or readily shared on Facebook. Try to avoid following dubious advice from people you don’t know or trust, especially those advisors with no real-world credentials to back up their claims. Investing Money You Don’t Have When you invest in the market, only put the money you can afford to lose in stocks, bonds, or other assets. For example, if you’ve been saving up to buy a home, resist the urge to invest that money anywhere until you’re ready to buy your property. Even in the best cases, no one can predict how the market will turn with 100% certainty. Investing money you may need elsewhere soon could jeopardize your financial future or harm your ability to make mortgage payments and cover other essential living expenses.  Developing Company Loyalty From time to time, you might become emotionally attached to a specific company and may want to purchase its stocks for reasons other than making money. This is a beginner’s mistake. It’s much wiser to avoid developing any loyalty for companies you invest in. At the end of the day, they’re businesses looking to make money – they have the same goal as you do. The company doesn’t have any loyalty to you, so you should feel no qualms about selling your stocks or other assets in those companies in favor of different investments if the price is right. Delaying Investing One of the biggest mistakes you can make as a first-time investor is delaying investing. The earlier you put money in the market, even if it’s in a slow-growth, low-risk mutual fund, the more money you’ll have when you retire. Putting money into the market earlier is also better if you’re young since any hypothetical market downturns or bear markets will likely turn back up by the time you need to withdraw your investment cash for retirement or other purposes. The sooner you start investing, the better, so get started now, even if it’s just kicking in $50 a month into a safe mutual fund.   Bonus Mistake: Being Impatient Here’s one last mistake you should avoid as a first-time investor: being impatient. When you invest money into a company or any other asset, remember that it will take time to grow in value. “Meme” stocks that catapult in value over a few days or weeks are rare, so don’t let those fool you into thinking they are the norm. Instead, it’s more common for your investments to take years or decades to pay off. That’s okay! The last thing you need to do is be impatient and constantly withdraw your money in pursuit of short-term riches. If you’ve made wise investments or are following the advice of a knowledgeable financial advisor, you can let your money sit and grow without any attention on your part. Final Words Investing for the first time can be exciting, but it can also be risky. Stay smart and cautious, and consider signing up for a financial advisor or retirement advisory service like Due so you can learn the ropes of smart, profitable investing. Article by Kiara Taylor, Due About the Author Kiara Taylor is a financial writer and Research Analyst. She is an expert at risk-based modeling having worked in the finance vertical for the past twenty years. She has a Master's Degree in Finance from Ohio State and has worked at Fifth Third Bank, J.P. Morgan and Citi in emerging markets and equity research......»»

On February 1, 2023, UBS upgraded their outlook for FinVolution Group (NYSE:FINV) Group from Neutral to Buy. Analyst Price Forecast Suggests 11.19% Upside As of February 2, 2023, the average one-year price target for FinVolution Group is $6.42. The forecasts range from a low of $5.74 to a high of $7.21. The average price target […] On February 1, 2023, UBS upgraded their outlook for FinVolution Group (NYSE:FINV) Group from Neutral to Buy. Analyst Price Forecast Suggests 11.19% Upside As of February 2, 2023, the average one-year price target for FinVolution Group is $6.42. The forecasts range from a low of $5.74 to a high of $7.21. The average price target represents an increase of 11.19% from its latest reported closing price of $5.77. if (typeof jQuery == 'undefined') { document.write(''); } .first{clear:both;margin-left:0}.one-third{width:31.034482758621%;float:left;margin-left:3.448275862069%}.two-thirds{width:65.51724137931%;float:left}form.ebook-styles .af-element input{border:0;border-radius:0;padding:8px}form.ebook-styles .af-element{width:220px;float:left}form.ebook-styles .af-element.buttonContainer{width:115px;float:left;margin-left: 6px;}form.ebook-styles .af-element.buttonContainer input.submit{width:115px;padding:10px 6px 8px;text-transform:uppercase;border-radius:0;border:0;font-size:15px}form.ebook-styles .af-body.af-standards input.submit{width:115px}form.ebook-styles .af-element.privacyPolicy{width:100%;font-size:12px;margin:10px auto 0}form.ebook-styles .af-element.privacyPolicy p{font-size:11px;margin-bottom:0}form.ebook-styles .af-body input.text{height:40px;padding:2px 10px !important} form.ebook-styles .error, form.ebook-styles #error { color:#d00; } form.ebook-styles .formfields h1, form.ebook-styles .formfields #mg-logo, form.ebook-styles .formfields #mg-footer { display: none; } form.ebook-styles .formfields { font-size: 12px; } form.ebook-styles .formfields p { margin: 4px 0; } Get The Full Henry Singleton Series in PDF Get the entire 4-part series on Henry Singleton in PDF. Save it to your desktop, read it on your tablet, or email to your colleagues (function($) {window.fnames = new Array(); window.ftypes = new Array();fnames[0]='EMAIL';ftypes[0]='email';}(jQuery));var $mcj = jQuery.noConflict(true); Q4 2022 hedge fund letters, conferences and more   The projected annual revenue for FinVolution Group is $13,065MM, an increase of 23.18%. The projected annual EPS is $9.65, an increase of 15.93%. What Are Large Shareholders Doing? Gold Dragon Worldwide Asset Management holds 16,548,051 shares representing 5.80% ownership of the company. In it's prior filing, the firm reported owning 17,673,940 shares, representing a decrease of 6.80%. The firm increased its portfolio allocation in FINV by 4.36% over the last quarter. Susquehanna International Group, Llp holds 16,488,262 shares representing 5.78% ownership of the company. No change in the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings holds 10,933,728 shares representing 3.83% ownership of the company. In it's prior filing, the firm reported owning 11,439,728 shares, representing a decrease of 4.63%. The firm decreased its portfolio allocation in FINV by 54.53% over the last quarter. EMGAX - Wells Fargo Emerging Markets Equity Fund holds 4,401,985 shares representing 1.54% ownership of the company. No change in the last quarter. VEIEX - Vanguard Emerging Markets Stock Index Fund Investor Shares holds 2,140,019 shares representing 0.75% ownership of the company. No change in the last quarter.   Fund Sentiment There are 126 funds or institutions reporting positions in FinVolution Group. This is an increase of three owners or 2.44% in the last quarter. Average portfolio weight of all funds dedicated to US:FINV is 0.4252%, a decrease of 2.9441%. Total shares owned by institutions increased in the last three months by 1.46% to 70,249K shares. FinVolution Group Background Information (This description is provided by the company.) FinVolution Group is a leading fintech platform in China, connecting underserved individual borrowers with financial institutions. Established in 2007, the Company is a pioneer in China's online consumer finance industry and has developed innovative technologies and has accumulated in-depth experience in the core areas of credit risk assessment, fraud detection, big data and artificial intelligence. The Company's platform features a highly automated loan transaction process, which enables a superior user experience. As of December 31, 2020, the Company had over 116.1 million cumulative registered users. Article by Fintel.....»»

Meta Platforms issued mixed results and sent shares skyrocketing, investors should be wary. The news puts a floor in action but may not sustain a rally just yet. The analysts are warming up to Meta again and volatility is the only thing certain in the outlook. 5 stocks we like better than Meta Platforms Meta […] Meta Platforms issued mixed results and sent shares skyrocketing, investors should be wary. The news puts a floor in action but may not sustain a rally just yet. The analysts are warming up to Meta again and volatility is the only thing certain in the outlook. 5 stocks we like better than Meta Platforms Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META), formerly known as Facebook, showed signs of a bottom long before the Q4 results were released. However, the combination of technical activity and analysts’ sentiment had the stock in a rebound from 7-year lows, which was confirmed by the Q4 results. The question now is if this will be a Vee-shaped recovery for the stock or if there is something more investors should be prepared for. if (typeof jQuery == 'undefined') { document.write(''); } .first{clear:both;margin-left:0}.one-third{width:31.034482758621%;float:left;margin-left:3.448275862069%}.two-thirds{width:65.51724137931%;float:left}form.ebook-styles .af-element input{border:0;border-radius:0;padding:8px}form.ebook-styles .af-element{width:220px;float:left}form.ebook-styles .af-element.buttonContainer{width:115px;float:left;margin-left: 6px;}form.ebook-styles .af-element.buttonContainer input.submit{width:115px;padding:10px 6px 8px;text-transform:uppercase;border-radius:0;border:0;font-size:15px}form.ebook-styles .af-body.af-standards input.submit{width:115px}form.ebook-styles .af-element.privacyPolicy{width:100%;font-size:12px;margin:10px auto 0}form.ebook-styles .af-element.privacyPolicy p{font-size:11px;margin-bottom:0}form.ebook-styles .af-body input.text{height:40px;padding:2px 10px !important} form.ebook-styles .error, form.ebook-styles #error { color:#d00; } form.ebook-styles .formfields h1, form.ebook-styles .formfields #mg-logo, form.ebook-styles .formfields #mg-footer { display: none; } form.ebook-styles .formfields { font-size: 12px; } form.ebook-styles .formfields p { margin: 4px 0; } Get The Full Series in PDF Get the entire 10-part series on Charlie Munger in PDF. Save it to your desktop, read it on your tablet, or email to your colleagues. (function($) {window.fnames = new Array(); window.ftypes = new Array();fnames[0]='EMAIL';ftypes[0]='email';}(jQuery));var $mcj = jQuery.noConflict(true); Q4 2022 hedge fund letters, conferences and more   The key takeaway from Facebook's report isn't that business us good; it's that it isn't getting any worse, which is enough for the market right now. Add in the new catchphrase, "the year of efficiency", and the stage is set for a larger recovery in share prices, but now it's time for the company to prove itself. Facebook Pops On Mixed Results Facebook reported what can only be called a mixed quarter and is mixed in ways unfavorable to higher share prices. The revenue of $32.17 billion beat the consensus estimate by $0.480 billion, which is good, but the margin of outperformance is slim; revenue is down 4.5% from last year, and margins contracted severely. Also mixed was news about DAP/MAPs and DAU/MAUs. The number of daily and monthly users rose in all metrics but did not result in an increase in revenue or aid the margin. Margins are impacted by restructuring, so that must be factored in, but a restructuring does little to improve the company's ability to monetize its traffic, only its costs. Regarding the earnings, the company reported $1.76 in GAAP earnings, which fell nearly 50% YOY and missed the Marketbeat.com consensus estimate by almost $0.50. The good news is that capital plans are still in effect, share repurchases have been increased, and strategies for "efficiency" are in the works, but these earnings are still very poor. The company will regain some margin as restructuring costs diminish, but how much and will it be able to improve monetization? Turning to the guidance, this news is also very mixed. Again, the good news is that guidance is as expected, but the bad news is that it's only as expected, and the bottom line is getting aided by a reduction in CAP-EX. This raises the question of how efficiency will impact the company's future. Saving money now is good, but foregoing reinvestment could hamper profitability in the future. And then there is the new repurchase plan. $40 billion in repurchases will help support price action, but could this money be spent in better ways? Bottom line, Meta's results and plans are what the market needed to hear, but they may not be enough to sustain a prolonged rally just yet, even if share prices move higher today. The Analysts Are Pushing The Stock Higher The analysts are pushing this stock higher so Meta stock could be expected to rally another potential 30%. There have been at least 22 commentaries released since the report was issued all including a price target reduction and three come with upgrades. The consensus price target is now at $199, which is up in the one and 3-month comparison but still below a potentially strong level of resistance. Since this stock has not yet had a major correction since the rebound began, investors should expect one to come. It may not happen at the $180 level, but it should be expected to begin at the $200 level if not sooner. In addition, the stock is already up a solid 100% since hitting its bottom, which is an attractive trigger for profit-taking.   Looking at the chart, the question is whether this is a VEE-bottom. If it is, the market should plow right through the $180 level on its way to $200, and then that barrier should fall fairly quickly. If not, the market should expect a double-bottom or even a head & shoulders to form, and those could take several quarters to play out and could even hit new lows before a rally truly takes hold. Should you invest $1,000 in Meta Platforms right now? Before you consider Meta Platforms, you'll want to hear this. MarketBeat keeps track of Wall Street's top-rated and best performing research analysts and the stocks they recommend to their clients on a daily basis. MarketBeat has identified the five stocks that top analysts are quietly whispering to their clients to buy now before the broader market catches on... and Meta Platforms wasn't on the list. While Meta Platforms currently has a "Moderate Buy" rating among analysts, top-rated analysts believe these five stocks are better buys. Article by Thomas Hughes, MarketBeat.....»»

Harley-Davidson beat on the top and bottom lines and kick-started a rally. Profitability is on the rise and powering a robust dividend outlook. An increase to pre-pandemic levels is possible and worth 100% to current investors. 5 stocks we like better than Harley-Davidson Harley-Davidson (NYSE:HOG) has not had an easy time over the past 5 […] Harley-Davidson beat on the top and bottom lines and kick-started a rally. Profitability is on the rise and powering a robust dividend outlook. An increase to pre-pandemic levels is possible and worth 100% to current investors. 5 stocks we like better than Harley-Davidson Harley-Davidson (NYSE:HOG) has not had an easy time over the past 5 or 6 years, but those tough times are rapidly falling behind. The company’s Hardwire strategic plan and the push into EV via the LiveWire segment are gaining traction and have this stock set up for a good year in 2023. Economic conditions may still impact the business, but it has surpassed the pre-pandemic levels, which is good news for investors. if (typeof jQuery == 'undefined') { document.write(''); } .first{clear:both;margin-left:0}.one-third{width:31.034482758621%;float:left;margin-left:3.448275862069%}.two-thirds{width:65.51724137931%;float:left}form.ebook-styles .af-element input{border:0;border-radius:0;padding:8px}form.ebook-styles .af-element{width:220px;float:left}form.ebook-styles .af-element.buttonContainer{width:115px;float:left;margin-left: 6px;}form.ebook-styles .af-element.buttonContainer input.submit{width:115px;padding:10px 6px 8px;text-transform:uppercase;border-radius:0;border:0;font-size:15px}form.ebook-styles .af-body.af-standards input.submit{width:115px}form.ebook-styles .af-element.privacyPolicy{width:100%;font-size:12px;margin:10px auto 0}form.ebook-styles .af-element.privacyPolicy p{font-size:11px;margin-bottom:0}form.ebook-styles .af-body input.text{height:40px;padding:2px 10px !important} form.ebook-styles .error, form.ebook-styles #error { color:#d00; } form.ebook-styles .formfields h1, form.ebook-styles .formfields #mg-logo, form.ebook-styles .formfields #mg-footer { display: none; } form.ebook-styles .formfields { font-size: 12px; } form.ebook-styles .formfields p { margin: 4px 0; } Get The Full Henry Singleton Series in PDF Get the entire 4-part series on Henry Singleton in PDF. Save it to your desktop, read it on your tablet, or email to your colleagues (function($) {window.fnames = new Array(); window.ftypes = new Array();fnames[0]='EMAIL';ftypes[0]='email';}(jQuery));var $mcj = jQuery.noConflict(true); Q4 2022 hedge fund letters, conferences and more   Find A Qualified Financial Advisor Finding a qualified financial advisor doesn't have to be hard. SmartAsset's free tool matches you with up to 3 fiduciary financial advisors in your area in 5 minutes. Each advisor has been vetted by SmartAsset and is held to a fiduciary standard to act in your best interests. If you're ready to be matched with local advisors that can help you achieve your financial goals, get started now. The real takeaway in all this is the outlook for the dividend. The dividend was cut sharply in 2020 to help preserve capital in the face of the pandemic shutdowns, and it has not been reinstated to its previous glory. The company has increased the payment twice since the cut and is on track to raise it again at the next declaration. That declaration is due anytime and could be a compelling catalyst for investors. As it is, the company’s dividend payout is worth about 1.35% in yield, which is only 12% of the earnings projection. Because the company is outperforming the Marketbeat.com consensus estimate smartly, it is possible the next declaration could bring the payment close, if not back to the previous level, which would be an increase greater than 100%. Harley-Davidson Has Strong Quarter, Guides Higher Harley-Davidson had a strong quarter in Q4 , and it was able to guide the market higher. The company reported $1.14 billion in revenue, up 11.8% over last year and beat the Marketbeat.com consensus estimate by 250 basis points. The gain was driven by sales of motorcycles and apparel that shrunk the operating loss for the HDMC Segment by more than 50%. That loss was more than offset by the HDFS segment, even with the 30% decline in operating profit. This left the GAAP earnings at $0.28, which is not only up 100% from last year but negates an expected decline and beats the consensus figures by $0.23. Looking forward, the company is expecting the core HDMC segment to grow by 4% to 7% in 2023 and to drive business for the HDFS segments. The Livewire segment is expected to deliver a minimum of 750 wholesale vehicles in 2023, which is an increase greater than 1000%. These targets are above the Marketbeat.com consensus expectations and are helping to drive the stock higher now. The Analysts Might Drive HOG Even Higher The analyst's sentiment has cooled over the past year, but they are still holding on to the stock. The consensus rating is pegged at a strong Hold with a price target that assumes the stock is fairly valued at current levels but has been firming over the last month. Marketbeat.com has yet to track any new commentaries, but the expectation is for higher price targets if not upgrades and the institutional activity is promising as well. Net activity has been mixed over the past year but slacked off at the end of 2022 and turned bullish in the first month of 2023. If this trend continues the stock should move sideways at current levels if not move higher.   Turning to the chart, shares of HOG are up 8% on the news and have the market on track to confirm a major reversal. A move above $52 would put the stock at pre-COVID highs and on track to reclaim the previous all-time highs near $70. That’s a gain of 40% and it could happen over the next year to 18 months. Should you invest $1,000 in Harley-Davidson right now? Before you consider Harley-Davidson, you'll want to hear this. MarketBeat keeps track of Wall Street's top-rated and best performing research analysts and the stocks they recommend to their clients on a daily basis. MarketBeat has identified the five stocks that top analysts are quietly whispering to their clients to buy now before the broader market catches on... and Harley-Davidson wasn't on the list. While Harley-Davidson currently has a "Hold" rating among analysts, top-rated analysts believe these five stocks are better buys. Article by Thomas Hughes, MarketBeat.....»»

Mullen Automotive shoots higher on good news yet again. The bears are still out in force but there are signs they are weakening. If this stock gets about $0.40 it could move up to $0.60 PDQ. 5 stocks we like better than Mullen Automotive Mullen Automotive (NASDAQ:MULN) did it again. The company released more good […] Mullen Automotive shoots higher on good news yet again. The bears are still out in force but there are signs they are weakening. If this stock gets about $0.40 it could move up to $0.60 PDQ. 5 stocks we like better than Mullen Automotive Mullen Automotive (NASDAQ:MULN) did it again. The company released more good news that has the market moving higher. The latest news in a string of positive events that could launch this company to success is a new pilot program at LAX. The program collaborates with Menzies and builds on the partnership formed with Loop Capital last fall. if (typeof jQuery == 'undefined') { document.write(''); } .first{clear:both;margin-left:0}.one-third{width:31.034482758621%;float:left;margin-left:3.448275862069%}.two-thirds{width:65.51724137931%;float:left}form.ebook-styles .af-element input{border:0;border-radius:0;padding:8px}form.ebook-styles .af-element{width:220px;float:left}form.ebook-styles .af-element.buttonContainer{width:115px;float:left;margin-left: 6px;}form.ebook-styles .af-element.buttonContainer input.submit{width:115px;padding:10px 6px 8px;text-transform:uppercase;border-radius:0;border:0;font-size:15px}form.ebook-styles .af-body.af-standards input.submit{width:115px}form.ebook-styles .af-element.privacyPolicy{width:100%;font-size:12px;margin:10px auto 0}form.ebook-styles .af-element.privacyPolicy p{font-size:11px;margin-bottom:0}form.ebook-styles .af-body input.text{height:40px;padding:2px 10px !important} form.ebook-styles .error, form.ebook-styles #error { color:#d00; } form.ebook-styles .formfields h1, form.ebook-styles .formfields #mg-logo, form.ebook-styles .formfields #mg-footer { display: none; } form.ebook-styles .formfields { font-size: 12px; } form.ebook-styles .formfields p { margin: 4px 0; } Get The Full Series in PDF Get the entire 10-part series on Charlie Munger in PDF. Save it to your desktop, read it on your tablet, or email to your colleagues. (function($) {window.fnames = new Array(); window.ftypes = new Array();fnames[0]='EMAIL';ftypes[0]='email';}(jQuery));var $mcj = jQuery.noConflict(true); Q4 2022 hedge fund letters, conferences and more   Find A Qualified Financial Advisor Finding a qualified financial advisor doesn't have to be hard. SmartAsset's free tool matches you with up to 3 fiduciary financial advisors in your area in 5 minutes. Each advisor has been vetted by SmartAsset and is held to a fiduciary standard to act in your best interests. If you're ready to be matched with local advisors that can help you achieve your financial goals, get started now. Menzies is the world’s largest airport services company, operating at 250 airports in 58 countries. Its fleet comprises 8,000 vehicles and it wants to upgrade to electric as part of its ambitious plan to reach net neutrality by 2033. What this means for Mullen and Loop is a 60-day opportunity to prove their value. Mullen will supply class-1 EV cargo test vans that will be evaluated in multiple use cases across LAX. Loop will provide the EV-charging infrastructure and fleet management software. The combination should enable the active use of EVs in virtually all scenarios, including recharging and maintenance. Among Loop’s offerings is cloud-based EVFMaaS or EV fleet management as a service which is a budding and potentially lucrative new industry. “Collaborating with suppliers, airports, and our airline customers is vital for Menzies to achieve its sustainability goals. We have committed to switching to electric vehicles wherever possible to reduce our carbon emissions; however, charging infrastructure can be a barrier, so it’s great to work with Mullen and Loop to pilot a solution at LAX. Early feedback is positive, and I’m looking forward to seeing the results from this collaboration,” said John Redmond, executive vice president of Americas, Menzies Aviation. What Does This Mean For Mullen Shareholders? So, what does this mean for Mullen shareholders? Assuming the pilot program is successful, it could result in another order for several thousand EV vehicles. That would be yet another resounding vote of confidence in the company and one that proves demand. In this scenario, Mullen Automotive may find it increasingly easier to find willing partners with the cash to ensure operations and production gets off to a good start. In this light, as speculative as it may be, the company may not have to lean into capital-raising activities like a dilutive share sale. It might also mean the share price would move higher, which is why the stock is moving higher now. The short interest in Mullen Automotive has ticked lower over the last week or so, but it remains very high at 47% and this could be driving share prices higher. The risk in the news trend is that Mullen will succeed, if not with Menzies then with one of its other ventures and this may have some short-sellers getting nervous. Penny stocks like this one can see wicked-fast price swings that take action up or down by high-double to triple digits with no apparent cause, and there are a growing number of catalysts for this one. The recent string of new hires is consistent with the idea production will start soon. The company is expected to begin delivering the first of the 6,000 vans ordered by the Randy Marion Group by the end of the quarter so the expectations are high. This, along with the first sales of the I-Go in Europe, would be another mover for the stock and one the short-sellers could not ignore. The Technical Outlook: Mullen Is A Coiled Spring The price action over the last few quarters has Mullen Automotive wound up like a tightly coiled spring. The market has been bouncing between downward-sloping resistance and upward-sloping support, which is coming to a head very soon.   The latest action has the price moving upward toward the top of the range, but short-sellers may meet it. If so, the wind-up will continue until the next news is released. If not, this stock may keep increasing, and the next target for resistance is near the $0.60 level or 50% above the current action. Should you invest $1,000 in Mullen Automotive right now? Before you consider Mullen Automotive, you'll want to hear this. MarketBeat keeps track of Wall Street's top-rated and best performing research analysts and the stocks they recommend to their clients on a daily basis. MarketBeat has identified the five stocks that top analysts are quietly whispering to their clients to buy now before the broader market catches on... and Mullen Automotive wasn't on the list. While Mullen Automotive currently has a "hold" rating among analysts, top-rated analysts believe these five stocks are better buys. Article by Thomas Hughes, MarketBeat.....»»

For weekend reading, Gary Alexander, senior writer at Navellier & Associates, offers the following commentary: After fueling inflation in 2021, the Fed’s greatest hits of 2022 are to destroy the housing market, injure the stock market, end a 40-year bond bull market, puncture the Bitcoin bubble, drive up the interest on the federal debt by […] For weekend reading, Gary Alexander, senior writer at Navellier & Associates, offers the following commentary: After fueling inflation in 2021, the Fed’s greatest hits of 2022 are to destroy the housing market, injure the stock market, end a 40-year bond bull market, puncture the Bitcoin bubble, drive up the interest on the federal debt by a factor of about five, and now it has even managed to dethrone King Dollar, once again. if (typeof jQuery == 'undefined') { document.write(''); } .first{clear:both;margin-left:0}.one-third{width:31.034482758621%;float:left;margin-left:3.448275862069%}.two-thirds{width:65.51724137931%;float:left}form.ebook-styles .af-element input{border:0;border-radius:0;padding:8px}form.ebook-styles .af-element{width:220px;float:left}form.ebook-styles .af-element.buttonContainer{width:115px;float:left;margin-left: 6px;}form.ebook-styles .af-element.buttonContainer input.submit{width:115px;padding:10px 6px 8px;text-transform:uppercase;border-radius:0;border:0;font-size:15px}form.ebook-styles .af-body.af-standards input.submit{width:115px}form.ebook-styles .af-element.privacyPolicy{width:100%;font-size:12px;margin:10px auto 0}form.ebook-styles .af-element.privacyPolicy p{font-size:11px;margin-bottom:0}form.ebook-styles .af-body input.text{height:40px;padding:2px 10px !important} form.ebook-styles .error, form.ebook-styles #error { color:#d00; } form.ebook-styles .formfields h1, form.ebook-styles .formfields #mg-logo, form.ebook-styles .formfields #mg-footer { display: none; } form.ebook-styles .formfields { font-size: 12px; } form.ebook-styles .formfields p { margin: 4px 0; } Get The Full Henry Singleton Series in PDF Get the entire 4-part series on Henry Singleton in PDF. Save it to your desktop, read it on your tablet, or email to your colleagues (function($) {window.fnames = new Array(); window.ftypes = new Array();fnames[0]='EMAIL';ftypes[0]='email';}(jQuery));var $mcj = jQuery.noConflict(true); Q4 2022 hedge fund letters, conferences and more   For the first 125 years of American history, 1788 to 2013, the dollar was stable under a program of gold and silver coinage drafted in 1792. Since the creation of the Federal Reserve in 2013, however, the U.S. dollar has lost about 96% of its value to the Consumer Price Index, and about -99% to an ounce of gold. However, there are short-term spurts when the dollar can appreciate against other global paper currencies. At the end of the third quarter, the U.S. Dollar Index (DXY) peaked at 114, up from 90 at the end of May 2021 – rising nearly 27% in 16 months – due mostly to zero interest rates in Europe and Japan. In the last four months, however, the European Central Bank has raised its rates faster than the Fed, so the DXY is down over 10% to 102, while gold is up 19% and silver has risen 27%. Some other key commodities have not followed suit: Crude oil has actually fallen 3% in those same four months, thanks to President Biden trying to buy votes from motorists by draining our Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) by record amounts. As Ed Yardeni and many other analysts have pointed out, gold tends to trade in a negative correlation to the U.S. dollar, so when gold was declining (in dollar terms) during the first nine months of 2022, it was rising fairly briskly in terms of the euro, pound, and yen. Here is Ed Yardeni’s long-term (nearly 30-year) chart of the inverse relationship of the price of gold (blue line) to the U.S. Dollar exchange rate (red line). In addition, it is now far more widely assumed, by a growing army of analysts, that the Fed is far closer to the end of its rate-raising cycle than previously thought, and that is good news for gold. Even though gold reached its all-time high (in real terms) in 1980, when U.S. interest rates were also at their recent high, the general assumption is that gold offers no interest or yield so it can’t perform as well when rates are high. In the third quarter of 2022 (the latest quarter with compete statistics available), central banks bought a record high amount of gold, and in the fourth quarter China entered the fray, officially, although they had been rumored to be in the central bank accumulation market through clandestine means in previous years. Long before its invasion of Ukraine, Russia began selling dollars to stockpile gold to defend its ruble in any future crisis, so that Russia could make the ruble convertible to gold on a limited basis last year: At Navellier, we are one of the few stock-centric advisory services that respects gold for its historic role as a currency alternative. Gold has outperformed all currencies over time. It is not meant or designed to compete with stocks, as some “gold bugs” mistakenly believe. It is a superior currency alternative over time, even to the “new kid on the block,” the cyber-currencies. For those who feel that the coming tax consequences or regulation of Bitcoin and other electronic money are a serious federal intrusion into your financial freedom, you ought to consider what the Feds have done to punish gold hoarders over the years.   America’s 41-Year War Against Gold Investors, 1933-1974 When FDR assumed office in 1933, he said, “We have nothing to fear but fear itself,” but he soon added two new fears – (1) we couldn’t access our money in the bank, since FDR declared a bank holiday by closing all banks for four days, and then (2) he called in all gold coins and bars under penalty of fines up to $10,000 and 10 years in jail. Later, on FDR’s 52nd birthday, January 30, 1934, once most of those coins and bars were in government hands, FDR revalued gold from $20.67 to $35.00 per ounce, a 69% return for the Feds – and a birthday gift to FDR denied to all other Americans – devaluing the dollar by 41%. Gold was near $200 when it was legalized 41 years later. Americans missed the 10-fold gain from $20 to $200, so don’t complain about Bitcoin regulations. Whatever happens is small potatoes compared to gold. Late January is an important historical time for gold from many angles: January 21 marked gold’s high-point in real terms at $850 per ounce (a one-day spike) in 1980. January 22 was the start of China’s ‘Year of the Rabbit’ in 2023, an auspicious gold-buying day. January 24 marked the 175th anniversary of the discovery of Gold in California in 1848. The world changed on January 24, 1848, on California’s American River. It took over a year for the 49ers to finally make their way west, but about 2% of American males tried one of three treacherous routes – over the Panama isthmus, across the American plains or around the tip of South America by ship. Thousands of immigrants from China, Germany, and almost every other nation also came to California, but the real winners were the shovel and pick merchants, the food importers, and Levi Strauss’ jeans shop. Such is the lure of gold. Nobody ever sailed around Tierra del Fuego to mine a bitcoin – not yet anyway......»»

Stimulus checks and other COVID-19 benefits are no longer available, but a new tax credit is now available to claim. This new tax credit, however, is available to low-to-moderate-income individuals and families in Washington. This new tax credit from Washington, called the Working Families Tax Credit (WFTC), could give up to $1,200 to eligible families. […] Stimulus checks and other COVID-19 benefits are no longer available, but a new tax credit is now available to claim. This new tax credit, however, is available to low-to-moderate-income individuals and families in Washington. This new tax credit from Washington, called the Working Families Tax Credit (WFTC), could give up to $1,200 to eligible families. New Tax Credit From Washington: How To Apply On February 1, the Washington State Department of Revenue (DOR) launched a new credit for individuals and families meeting certain eligibility requirements. The credit amount ranges from $50 to $1,200 depending on several factors, including qualifying children and income. This tax credit returns some of the sales tax paid each year. if (typeof jQuery == 'undefined') { document.write(''); } .first{clear:both;margin-left:0}.one-third{width:31.034482758621%;float:left;margin-left:3.448275862069%}.two-thirds{width:65.51724137931%;float:left}form.ebook-styles .af-element input{border:0;border-radius:0;padding:8px}form.ebook-styles .af-element{width:220px;float:left}form.ebook-styles .af-element.buttonContainer{width:115px;float:left;margin-left: 6px;}form.ebook-styles .af-element.buttonContainer input.submit{width:115px;padding:10px 6px 8px;text-transform:uppercase;border-radius:0;border:0;font-size:15px}form.ebook-styles .af-body.af-standards input.submit{width:115px}form.ebook-styles .af-element.privacyPolicy{width:100%;font-size:12px;margin:10px auto 0}form.ebook-styles .af-element.privacyPolicy p{font-size:11px;margin-bottom:0}form.ebook-styles .af-body input.text{height:40px;padding:2px 10px !important} form.ebook-styles .error, form.ebook-styles #error { color:#d00; } form.ebook-styles .formfields h1, form.ebook-styles .formfields #mg-logo, form.ebook-styles .formfields #mg-footer { display: none; } form.ebook-styles .formfields { font-size: 12px; } form.ebook-styles .formfields p { margin: 4px 0; } Get The Full Henry Singleton Series in PDF Get the entire 4-part series on Henry Singleton in PDF. Save it to your desktop, read it on your tablet, or email to your colleagues (function($) {window.fnames = new Array(); window.ftypes = new Array();fnames[0]='EMAIL';ftypes[0]='email';}(jQuery));var $mcj = jQuery.noConflict(true); Q4 2022 hedge fund letters, conferences and more   A single person can get up to $300 in credit. The credit amount increases by $300 for every child, with a maximum of $1,200 for a family with three or more children. The Working Families Tax Credit (WFTC) is expected to benefit over 400,000 low-income households in the state. The Washington State Department of Revenue started accepting applications for the Working Families Tax Credit on Wednesday, February 1. The DOR notes that not all applicants will qualify for the program. You can apply for the Working Families Tax Credit online, by paper application, or by using tax preparation software. Visit this link to get more information on how to apply for the new tax credit from Washington. Applicants can also get free help to apply for the credit.   “We’ve partnered with community organizations across the state that can help you file your application or learn more about the program,” the Washington State DOR says. Working Families Tax Credit: Who Will Get It? The new tax credit from Washington is available to undocumented immigrants and mixed-status families. Specifically, families and individuals need to meet the following requirements to qualify for the WFTC: Applicants must have a valid SSN (Social Security Number) or ITIN (Individual Taxpayer Identification Number). They must have lived in Washington for at least 183 days in 2022. Applicants should be at least 25 and under 65 years of age, or have a qualifying child in 2022. They must have filed a 2022 federal tax return. Applicants must be eligible to claim the federal EITC (Earned Income Tax Credit) on their 2022 tax return.   Apart from the above requirements, individuals and families also need to meet income requirements to get the new tax credit. According to the DOR, those experiencing homelessness may also qualify for the Working Families Tax Credit. Such individuals need to provide proof that they "reside" in Washington. The proof could be a letter from a community organization or shelter confirming that they know the individual, the individual resides in a particular area in the state, and that the individual has lived in that area for at least 183 days in the year for which the credit is being claimed......»»

The stock market finished January on a positive note. This is a good sign for investors, who incurred huge losses last year. A drop in the inflation rate helped push the S&P 500 up over 6% last month. A rally in January is generally a good sign for the rest of the year. According to […] The stock market finished January on a positive note. This is a good sign for investors, who incurred huge losses last year. A drop in the inflation rate helped push the S&P 500 up over 6% last month. A rally in January is generally a good sign for the rest of the year. According to Ned Davis Research, the S&P 500 rises by 8.6% on average when it posts a gain in the first month. Let’s take a look at the five best and worst performing mega-cap stocks in Jan 2023. Five Best Performing Mega-Cap Stocks In Jan 2023 We have taken the January return data of mega-cap stocks from finviz.com to rank the five best and worst performing mega-cap stocks in Jan 2023. Here are the five best performing mega-cap stocks in Jan 2023: if (typeof jQuery == 'undefined') { document.write(''); } .first{clear:both;margin-left:0}.one-third{width:31.034482758621%;float:left;margin-left:3.448275862069%}.two-thirds{width:65.51724137931%;float:left}form.ebook-styles .af-element input{border:0;border-radius:0;padding:8px}form.ebook-styles .af-element{width:220px;float:left}form.ebook-styles .af-element.buttonContainer{width:115px;float:left;margin-left: 6px;}form.ebook-styles .af-element.buttonContainer input.submit{width:115px;padding:10px 6px 8px;text-transform:uppercase;border-radius:0;border:0;font-size:15px}form.ebook-styles .af-body.af-standards input.submit{width:115px}form.ebook-styles .af-element.privacyPolicy{width:100%;font-size:12px;margin:10px auto 0}form.ebook-styles .af-element.privacyPolicy p{font-size:11px;margin-bottom:0}form.ebook-styles .af-body input.text{height:40px;padding:2px 10px !important} form.ebook-styles .error, form.ebook-styles #error { color:#d00; } form.ebook-styles .formfields h1, form.ebook-styles .formfields #mg-logo, form.ebook-styles .formfields #mg-footer { display: none; } form.ebook-styles .formfields { font-size: 12px; } form.ebook-styles .formfields p { margin: 4px 0; } Get The Full Henry Singleton Series in PDF Get the entire 4-part series on Henry Singleton in PDF. Save it to your desktop, read it on your tablet, or email to your colleagues (function($) {window.fnames = new Array(); window.ftypes = new Array();fnames[0]='EMAIL';ftypes[0]='email';}(jQuery));var $mcj = jQuery.noConflict(true); Q4 2022 hedge fund letters, conferences and more   Amazon.com (25%) Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) shares are up by over 24% in the last three months, bringing their 12-month return to -28%. As of this writing, Amazon shares are trading at around $109 with a 52-week range of $81.43 to $170.83, giving the company a market capitalization of more than $1 trillion. The company reported revenue of more than $469 billion in 2021, compared to over $386 billion in 2020. Walt Disney (26%) Walt Disney Co (NYSE:DIS) shares are up by almost 14% in the last three months, bringing their 12-month return to -20%. As of this writing, Walt Disney shares are trading at around $113 with a 52-week range of $84.07 to $157.50, giving the company a market capitalization of more than $199 billion. The company reported revenue of more than $67 billion in 2021, compared to over $65 billion in 2020. Meta Platforms (27%) Meta Platforms Inc (NASDAQ:META) shares are up by almost 108% in the last three months, bringing their 12-month return to -20%. As of this writing, Meta Platforms shares are trading at around $187 with a 52-week range of $88.09 to $242.61, giving the company a market capitalization of more than $407 billion. The company reported revenue of more than $117 billion in 2021, compared to over $85 billion in 2020. NVIDIA (43%) NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA) shares are up by over 53% in the last three months, bringing their 12-month return to -11%. As of this writing, NVIDIA shares are trading at around $214 with a 52-week range of $108.13 to $289.46, giving the company a market capitalization of more than $515 billion. The company reported revenue of more than $26 billion in 2021, compared to over $16 billion in 2020. Tesla (47%) Tesla Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) shares are down by over 9% in the last three months, bringing their 12-month return to -38%. As of this writing, Tesla shares are trading at around $190 with a 52-week range of $101.81 to $384.29, giving the company a market capitalization of more than $570 billion. The company reported revenue of more than $23 billion in 2021, compared to over $31 billion in 2020. Five Worst Performing Mega-Cap Stocks In Jan 2023 Here are the five worst performing mega-cap stocks in Jan 2023: UnitedHealth Group (-6%) UnitedHealth Group Inc (NYSE:UNH) shares are down by almost 13% in the last three months, bringing their 12-month return to -2%. As of this writing, UnitedHealth Group shares are trading at around $473 with a 52-week range of $445.74 to $558.10, giving the company a market capitalization of more than $464 billion. The company reported revenue of more than $287 billion in 2021, compared to over $257 billion in 2020. Eli Lilly & Co. (-6%) Eli Lilly And Co (NYSE:LLY) shares are down by almost 8% in the last three months, bringing their 12-month return to almost 37%. As of this writing, Eli Lilly shares are trading at around $332 with a 52-week range of $231.87 to $384.44, giving the company a market capitalization of more than $338 billion. The company reported revenue of more than $28 billion in 2021, compared to over $24 billion in 2020.   Johnson & Johnson (-7%) Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) shares are down by over 3% in the last three months, bringing their 12-month return to -4%. As of this writing, Johnson & Johnson shares are trading at around $166 with a 52-week range of $155.72 to $186.69, giving the company a market capitalization of more than $431 billion. The company reported revenue of more than $93 billion in 2021, compared to over $82 billion in 2020. AbbVie (-9%) AbbVie Inc (NYSE:ABBV) shares are down by almost 1% in the last three months, bringing their 12-month return to almost 3%. As of this writing, AbbVie shares are trading at around $144 with a 52-week range of $134.09 to $175.91, giving the company a market capitalization of more than $259 billion. The company reported revenue of more than $56 billion in 2021, compared to over $45 billion in 2020. Pfizer (-14%) Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) shares are down by over 6% in the last three months, bringing their 12-month return to -16%. As of this writing, Pfizer shares are trading at around $44 with a 52-week range of $41.45 to $56.32, giving the company a market capitalization of more than $246 billion. The company reported revenue of more than $81 billion in 2021, compared to over $41 billion in 2020......»»

Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN)’s net sales rose 12% to $149.2bn in the fourth quarter, which was better than expected. Growth was entirely driven by North America and Amazon Web Services (AWS), while International sales fell 5%. Operating profit fell to $2.7bn from $3.5bn a year ago. The decrease includes a $2.7bn charge relating to the group’s […] Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN)’s net sales rose 12% to $149.2bn in the fourth quarter, which was better than expected. Growth was entirely driven by North America and Amazon Web Services (AWS), while International sales fell 5%. Operating profit fell to $2.7bn from $3.5bn a year ago. The decrease includes a $2.7bn charge relating to the group’s restructuring efforts, including severance costs. AWS was the only division to generate profit, which came in at $5.2bn. if (typeof jQuery == 'undefined') { document.write(''); } .first{clear:both;margin-left:0}.one-third{width:31.034482758621%;float:left;margin-left:3.448275862069%}.two-thirds{width:65.51724137931%;float:left}form.ebook-styles .af-element input{border:0;border-radius:0;padding:8px}form.ebook-styles .af-element{width:220px;float:left}form.ebook-styles .af-element.buttonContainer{width:115px;float:left;margin-left: 6px;}form.ebook-styles .af-element.buttonContainer input.submit{width:115px;padding:10px 6px 8px;text-transform:uppercase;border-radius:0;border:0;font-size:15px}form.ebook-styles .af-body.af-standards input.submit{width:115px}form.ebook-styles .af-element.privacyPolicy{width:100%;font-size:12px;margin:10px auto 0}form.ebook-styles .af-element.privacyPolicy p{font-size:11px;margin-bottom:0}form.ebook-styles .af-body input.text{height:40px;padding:2px 10px !important} form.ebook-styles .error, form.ebook-styles #error { color:#d00; } form.ebook-styles .formfields h1, form.ebook-styles .formfields #mg-logo, form.ebook-styles .formfields #mg-footer { display: none; } form.ebook-styles .formfields { font-size: 12px; } form.ebook-styles .formfields p { margin: 4px 0; } Get The Full Henry Singleton Series in PDF Get the entire 4-part series on Henry Singleton in PDF. Save it to your desktop, read it on your tablet, or email to your colleagues (function($) {window.fnames = new Array(); window.ftypes = new Array();fnames[0]='EMAIL';ftypes[0]='email';}(jQuery));var $mcj = jQuery.noConflict(true); Q4 2022 hedge fund letters, conferences and more   Amazon said it had a record-breaking holiday season in the US. The group expects net sales to be between $121.0bn - $126.0bn in the first quarter of 2023, with operating profit between $0 - $4.0bn. Amazon shares fell 4.1% in after-hours trading. Amazon's Earnings Sophie Lund-Yates, Lead Equity Analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown: “Amazon is a classic a bellwether for consumer confidence, and the slowdown in activity shines a light on the very real pull back in consumer sentiment and spending. Consumer discretionary stocks have been seeing declines in recent months as the market weighs up the likelihood of the current downturn being prolonged. While declines haven’t been as steep as feared, they could become more pronounced. Overall, real personal consumption in the US is holding up reasonably well, but savings rates are depleting at a rapid rate. That means by the middle of the year we could see a pronounced change in behaviour which will hurt Amazon, and all other businesses selling non-essential goods.   To a large extent, this has been priced into expectations. Markets are also being steadied by the fact central banks are sticking to the script where interest rates are concerned. However, that doesn’t mean further shocks to Amazon’s valuation can be ruled out. As usual, it’s AWS carrying the entire team with quarterly profits in excess of $5bn still not enough to stoke growth overall. Amazon’s formidable web business is largely the reason for the above average valuation, but the reality is there’s a large hurdle causing a drag on group performance. Amazon’s retail operation grew too fast after the pandemic-boom and volumes weren’t there to meet the new infrastructure. That’s an ongoing problem, and all the cloud magic in the world can’t distract investors from that truth.”.....»»

Mobile remittance channels are among the cheapest in the world and yet account for only a small portion of the total transaction volume. Finder’s Elizabeth Barry explores why this is and the barriers to using a mobile remittance provider. Despite economic uncertainties and the changing nature of global migration since 2020, remittances remain an important […] Mobile remittance channels are among the cheapest in the world and yet account for only a small portion of the total transaction volume. Finder’s Elizabeth Barry explores why this is and the barriers to using a mobile remittance provider. Despite economic uncertainties and the changing nature of global migration since 2020, remittances remain an important part of life for both individuals and businesses. People must send money to their families. Digital nomads need to manage expenses. Businesses need to accept payments and pay international invoices, and the list goes on. if (typeof jQuery == 'undefined') { document.write(''); } .first{clear:both;margin-left:0}.one-third{width:31.034482758621%;float:left;margin-left:3.448275862069%}.two-thirds{width:65.51724137931%;float:left}form.ebook-styles .af-element input{border:0;border-radius:0;padding:8px}form.ebook-styles .af-element{width:220px;float:left}form.ebook-styles .af-element.buttonContainer{width:115px;float:left;margin-left: 6px;}form.ebook-styles .af-element.buttonContainer input.submit{width:115px;padding:10px 6px 8px;text-transform:uppercase;border-radius:0;border:0;font-size:15px}form.ebook-styles .af-body.af-standards input.submit{width:115px}form.ebook-styles .af-element.privacyPolicy{width:100%;font-size:12px;margin:10px auto 0}form.ebook-styles .af-element.privacyPolicy p{font-size:11px;margin-bottom:0}form.ebook-styles .af-body input.text{height:40px;padding:2px 10px !important} form.ebook-styles .error, form.ebook-styles #error { color:#d00; } form.ebook-styles .formfields h1, form.ebook-styles .formfields #mg-logo, form.ebook-styles .formfields #mg-footer { display: none; } form.ebook-styles .formfields { font-size: 12px; } form.ebook-styles .formfields p { margin: 4px 0; } Get The Full Henry Singleton Series in PDF Get the entire 4-part series on Henry Singleton in PDF. Save it to your desktop, read it on your tablet, or email to your colleagues (function($) {window.fnames = new Array(); window.ftypes = new Array();fnames[0]='EMAIL';ftypes[0]='email';}(jQuery));var $mcj = jQuery.noConflict(true); Q4 2022 hedge fund letters, conferences and more   So you would think the cost of sending money would be close to, if not at the top of, the list of concerns for people transferring money into another currency. But one of the cheapest ways to send money — through a mobile provider –– isn’t the most popular. How Important Are Remittances, Anyway? Remittances mean different things to different people globally and are much more than what they appear at face value. For many people in low- and middle-income countries, for example Nepal or El Salvador, they are also a key driver of financial inclusion. According to a report by the Financial Stability Institute (FSI) of the Bank for International Settlements (BIS), remittance flows are so important to low- and middle-income countries that they have been greater than official development assistance since the mid-1990s and have surpassed foreign direct investment since 2019. “Remittances are usually the first financial service used by migrants and their families, thus providing a point of contact with the financial sector that can be leveraged to increase access to other financial services,” the report said. The digitization of remittances can therefore “further enhance their contribution to financial inclusion.” The Cost Of Currency Interestingly, the widely accepted definition of international remittances, provided by the World Bank, includes the fact that they are “typically recurrent.” This, coupled with the fact that low- and middle-income countries and migrants heavily rely on remittances, means it's essential to keep money transfer costs accessible for these groups. Costs differ depending on provider, payment method and country and can prevent huge barriers to those looking to send money internationally. Banks continue to be the costliest way to send money globally. A report by the World Bank found that it costs an average of 10.94% to transfer money with a traditional financial institution in the first quarter of 2022. That same report found it cost an average of 5.28% to send money with a money transfer operator during the same period — or 2.87% with a mobile operator. The report also found cost discrepancies when using different payment methods to send and receive remittances, although not as stark. However, sending and receiving money through mobile still came out as the cheapest in the first quarter of 2022, with an average cost of 2.77% when used to fund the transaction and 4.22% when disbursing the funds. More Mobile? So, with mobile money providers being the cheapest way to send money internationally, it must also be the most popular, right? Well, it isn't — not by a long shot. Mobile money represented less than 3% of all remittances globally as of 2021, and this is well below estimates. The State of the Industry Report on Mobile Money 2022 found that while total remittance flows to low- and middle-income countries were expected to increase by 7.3% in 2021, mobile money-enabled remittances grew faster by 48% to reach $15.9 billion. “Despite this impressive growth, the total value of remittances sent through the mobile money channel still represents just 2.7% of total forecasted flows to low- and middle-income countries, estimated at $589 billion in 2021. This indicates that, even after remarkable growth, the mobile money channel still has considerable potential,” the report said. So, why aren’t more people using mobile for global remittances? For one, cash is still king in foreign currency. Despite being more expensive to send remittances in cash, many people transferring money in low- and middle-income countries don't have access to traditional financial services and so need cash to complete the transaction. “Access to cheaper digital remittances requires both senders and receivers to access a transaction account. This is a big challenge for undocumented migrants on the sending side and financially excluded families on the receiving side,” said the BIS report. The report details that the dominance of cash is also “due to lack of access to transaction accounts, lack of options for receiving transfers using digital channels or lack of knowledge of digital products.” “[...] there could be a lack of an enabling ecosystem for digital payments: If money received digitally must be withdrawn in cash for use in places where digital payments aren’t widely accepted, cash might be the most convenient option.” Is There A Way Forward For Mobile Remittances? The barriers preventing a faster uptake of mobile remittances don’t outweigh the benefits of saving people money for those same remittances. The World Bank report found sending money using cash cost, on average, 6.37% in the first quarter of 2022 compared to 2.77% with mobile money.   It’s also estimated that a 1% cost reduction leads to a 1.6% increase in remittances to low- and middle-income countries, leading to increased financial inclusion outcomes. And while the growth in mobile remittance uptake has been slow, it’s making progress. Mobile money payments surpassed over $1 trillion in 2021, which was a 31% year-over-year (YOY) increase. And YOY, the cost of remittances has been trending down from 2011 to 2022. The UN has also identified bringing down remittance costs as one of its 10 strategic goals to reduce inequality. It aims to reduce the transaction costs of migrant remittances to less than 3% and eliminate remittance corridors with costs higher than 5%. The future looks brighter, cheaper and more mobile......»»

Beginning in January 2020 the world experienced something we have not seen since the 2009 H1N1 influenza outbreak. For the most part we had become comfortable with the idea that modern medicine could keep the population of the world healthy. However, COVID 19 spread like wildfire, hopping from continent to continent via world travelers who […] Beginning in January 2020 the world experienced something we have not seen since the 2009 H1N1 influenza outbreak. For the most part we had become comfortable with the idea that modern medicine could keep the population of the world healthy. However, COVID 19 spread like wildfire, hopping from continent to continent via world travelers who were unaware they were carrying a virus. The chaos that began to ensue in the wake of the initial spread was soon calmed. However, the changes this pandemic brought about would leave indelible imprints on our memories. if (typeof jQuery == 'undefined') { document.write(''); } .first{clear:both;margin-left:0}.one-third{width:31.034482758621%;float:left;margin-left:3.448275862069%}.two-thirds{width:65.51724137931%;float:left}form.ebook-styles .af-element input{border:0;border-radius:0;padding:8px}form.ebook-styles .af-element{width:220px;float:left}form.ebook-styles .af-element.buttonContainer{width:115px;float:left;margin-left: 6px;}form.ebook-styles .af-element.buttonContainer input.submit{width:115px;padding:10px 6px 8px;text-transform:uppercase;border-radius:0;border:0;font-size:15px}form.ebook-styles .af-body.af-standards input.submit{width:115px}form.ebook-styles .af-element.privacyPolicy{width:100%;font-size:12px;margin:10px auto 0}form.ebook-styles .af-element.privacyPolicy p{font-size:11px;margin-bottom:0}form.ebook-styles .af-body input.text{height:40px;padding:2px 10px !important} form.ebook-styles .error, form.ebook-styles #error { color:#d00; } form.ebook-styles .formfields h1, form.ebook-styles .formfields #mg-logo, form.ebook-styles .formfields #mg-footer { display: none; } form.ebook-styles .formfields { font-size: 12px; } form.ebook-styles .formfields p { margin: 4px 0; } Get The Full Henry Singleton Series in PDF Get the entire 4-part series on Henry Singleton in PDF. Save it to your desktop, read it on your tablet, or email to your colleagues (function($) {window.fnames = new Array(); window.ftypes = new Array();fnames[0]='EMAIL';ftypes[0]='email';}(jQuery));var $mcj = jQuery.noConflict(true); Q4 2022 hedge fund letters, conferences and more   Movement Restriction Nations all around the globe began instituting incredibly strict mandates regarding travel, the wearing of masks, and in some cases restricted citizens to staying inside their homes. Even within the United States we saw governors, mayors and other politicians pass ordinances and bills restricting the movement of citizens. This was all done in an attempt to limit face to face interactions and staunch the spread of the virus that was sweeping across the planet. However, all of these lockdowns also had another much darker effect. Mental Health Related Issues As people went into lockdown mode, not leaving their homes for months in some cases, mental health became an issue. Portions of society already at high risk for mental health related issues found themselves cut off from human interaction. Humans are sociable creatures. We thrive on interaction with each other as a means of coping with the day to day stress of survival. We congregate for many different types of gatherings in an effort to mingle with each other. Weddings, funerals, birthdays, weekend barbecues, and family vacations are just a few ways we strengthen our social bonds with other humans. When all of these events were suddenly restricted or stopped altogether, the human race found itself staring at an empty abyss of loneliness. How Technology Helped During A Pandemic However, there was one bright light that helped families and friends stay connected throughout the pandemic. Social media has become a major part of most of the world's daily life over the last two decades. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and other social media platforms have become focus points for people to share their opinions and photographs with other people. Video communication platforms, such as Facebook's messenger and Zoom, became a means for families to stay connected by hosting family video chats and meetings. Aside from families, the workplace also took part in a paradigm shift that led to millions of people working directly from home via their computers. Zoom, Discord and other voice and video communication apps saw huge increases in the number of active users. These increased numbers indicated one important fact - humans NEED social interaction with each other to maintain their mental health. When that interaction was limited due to health risks, the human race sought another way to interact and survive. We found that solution in technology. While most people think of community as their neighbors on the block, or the town they live in, that word has taken on a whole new definition in a post pandemic world. Streaming services like Twitch.tv saw a dramatic increase in the number of content creators on its platform who were sharing their daily life in a live stream video format. Millions of people flocked to these streaming services to share their own experiences, or simply to watch the experiences of others in an effort to maintain a sense of normalcy. Content creators suddenly found themselves with a community made up of people who liked the same things they did, and friendships began to be formed in a whole new way. Gaming content creators grew exponentially during the pandemic, as people who liked the same genres of games began to gather and create communities. The friendships created through these platforms are just as real as friendships created through face to face encounters in a local setting.   Building Relationships The relationships are also equally important to the people involved in them as face to face relationships. In a report from Ohio Wesleyan University, Assistant Professor of Psychology Kira Bailey, writes that "there's nothing virtual about online connections." She states that websites like eHarmony provide a real and solid platform for building relationships. In fact, nearly 40% of all dating relationships take place in an online setting in modern times. While some may write this off as being unimportant, the numbers do not lie. The current national average divorce rate is around 50%. However, the divorce rate among couples who met on eHarmony is just 4%. During the pandemic the world began to look for ways to stay connected. Social media platforms, streaming services, and dating platforms provided this connection. Had it not been for modern technology, we most likely would have seen a much higher spike in mental health related illnesses. In short, technology helped keep the world sane during one of the worst pandemics any of us have ever seen in our lifetime......»»

Following is the unofficial transcript of a CNBC interview with AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) CEO John Stankey on CNBC’s “Squawk Box” (M-F 6AM – 9AM ET) today, Friday, February 3rd for AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in Pebble Beach, California. AT&T CEO: Societal Trends For Networking Companies Paint A Rosy Future Picture JOE KERNEN: Let’s get right […] Following is the unofficial transcript of a CNBC interview with AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) CEO John Stankey on CNBC’s “Squawk Box” (M-F 6AM – 9AM ET) today, Friday, February 3rd for AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in Pebble Beach, California. AT&T CEO: Societal Trends For Networking Companies Paint A Rosy Future Picture JOE KERNEN: Let’s get right to our first guest of the hour to talk telecom and much more probably not Bitcoin, AT&T CEO John Stankey. AT&T has sponsored the Pebble Beach Pro-Am since 1986 and thank you for doing that and I guess we should start out what, how much has the charity in Monterey area accumulate to— if (typeof jQuery == 'undefined') { document.write(''); } .first{clear:both;margin-left:0}.one-third{width:31.034482758621%;float:left;margin-left:3.448275862069%}.two-thirds{width:65.51724137931%;float:left}form.ebook-styles .af-element input{border:0;border-radius:0;padding:8px}form.ebook-styles .af-element{width:220px;float:left}form.ebook-styles .af-element.buttonContainer{width:115px;float:left;margin-left: 6px;}form.ebook-styles .af-element.buttonContainer input.submit{width:115px;padding:10px 6px 8px;text-transform:uppercase;border-radius:0;border:0;font-size:15px}form.ebook-styles .af-body.af-standards input.submit{width:115px}form.ebook-styles .af-element.privacyPolicy{width:100%;font-size:12px;margin:10px auto 0}form.ebook-styles .af-element.privacyPolicy p{font-size:11px;margin-bottom:0}form.ebook-styles .af-body input.text{height:40px;padding:2px 10px !important} form.ebook-styles .error, form.ebook-styles #error { color:#d00; } form.ebook-styles .formfields h1, form.ebook-styles .formfields #mg-logo, form.ebook-styles .formfields #mg-footer { display: none; } form.ebook-styles .formfields { font-size: 12px; } form.ebook-styles .formfields p { margin: 4px 0; } Get The Full Walter Schloss Series in PDF Get the entire 10-part series on Walter Schloss in PDF. Save it to your desktop, read it on your tablet, or email to your colleagues. (function($) {window.fnames = new Array(); window.ftypes = new Array();fnames[0]='EMAIL';ftypes[0]='email';}(jQuery));var $mcj = jQuery.noConflict(true); Q4 2022 hedge fund letters, conferences and more   JOHN STANKEY: This charity actually has a record for the PGA Tour. It's over $200 million throughout the longevity of the tournament and they just do a fantastic job. We really like working with them on it. KERNEN: I wanted to make that birdie on 17 so badly. STANKEY: I heard you choked. KERNEN: I didn’t choke. BECKY QUICK: Did you make it? STANKEY: You choked. You missed it. KERNEN: Yeah but it was about 12 foot putt. Did, it was the best— STANKEY: How many times have you played that green Joe? I mean you think you’d know it by now. KERNEN: I mean it’s all green at least. Yeah, I wanted to because if I did, it would have been 2,500 to, for someone to get— STANKEY: There’s some poor child in Monterey County now that doesn't have a laptop because your— KERNEN: Because of my crappy— because of my. You have a much more focused company— STANKEY: We do. KERNEN: As we know, but then I when I look at what you're going to try to do in the future, I, it's really not any easier in terms of how smart you need to be, how expensive it's going to be, and decisions you're gonna have to make just connecting everyone so that we can do everything, we have the giga data to do what we want to do, and it's going to be an unbelievable future, but it's up to you to to make it happen again so you can't relax. STANKEY: Yeah, I think you're, you're making the case why it's so encouraging what the future holds, the skilled infrastructure and a high-performance network that is going to be really critical. And there aren't just a lot of companies around who can do this kind of thing. And I think we're one of the unique companies that have the scale and the wherewithal and the experience in doing the hard work to actually get the right amount of infrastructure out in this country. And when you start talking about the applications and what's to come, it's needed. It's going to be required. And so I actually think it's a really rosy future given it's going to be customer applications, and just what I would call societal trends that can be really good for networking companies like ours. KERNEN: But it's still going to take, what, what do you think you'll average in terms of capital expenditures over the next— STANKEY: You know, we'll probably settle in somewhere around the 15% of revenues range, you know, maybe a little bit more one year, a little bit less the next, but it will be probably right around that range. But we also have a dynamic coming on where there's nearly $50 billion of government subsidy that's about ready to be released into the system later this year. I think we can be a really competitive force in deploying that, so there'll be some government subsidy that comes in and acts as a private capital. That may take the industry up a bit over the next three, call it three, four years. QUICK: Hey John on that call, your CFO just pointed out that for this year, you're anticipating about 24 billion in capex, thinks that it will come down after 2023. Is that because you don't need to spend as much when it comes to 5G or other issues or is that because you're bringing in partners like Blackstone with what you're doing? STANKEY: It's a combination of all those things, Becky. What you look at right now is we are at a unique time where we are deploying a new area interface in the wireless business 5G that comes about once every 10 years and when it comes, it drives a bit of an uptick in capital deployment. And so, we're going to be through that cycle largely this year. And then we're largely at that point left with more fiber capillaries. So that allows us to take it down because we're through that cycle and you know, it's just a normal trend we typically see and look, when you see what we're trying to do right now with alternate partnerships to bring other investors into the business, our you know, our BlackRock discussion is a really important one because we can go try some different things that we haven't done before. We're moving outside of our traditional operating footprint. The capital that they're going to bring in allows us to try some different deployment constructs and different business models. We think it's going to be really, really helpful and it's going to give us a little more scale. KERNEN: Where the payout is now in the dividend coverage, it's not, you're not concerned with it. You're not up at night, at all. STANKEY: We made a lot of hard decisions, you know, probably starting a year and a half two years ago prior to the divestiture of WarnerMedia, and one of it was resizing our capital structure and thinking about what we wanted to be over the next several years and we set the dividend at a level that we thought was sustainable for the business we have now. And I think you look at last year's performance and you look at the cash flow dynamics and we've got to do this year, you know, we got to do a $16 billion cash flow number, our dividend obligation and the years about 8 billion gives us a lot of latitude on top of that and we expect, you know, over the next three years or so, we have a great opportunity to manage our business more efficiently. We've done a really nice job taking cost out, about $5 billion over the last three years. We're going to do even more as we move forward and that gives us the flexibility we need especially with the growth we have. KERNEN: Can I keep my landline for how much longer? STANKEY: You know, I don't think copper-based landlines are long for this world. There's a lot of states that— KERNEN: So that’s a no. That’s what you told me.   STANKEY: But you've got a lot of other great replacements that work better than it and do a lot more than that. I think you'll be able to talk to somebody on the telephone forever Joe so you can still call. KERNEN: The way you just described what you need to do and I think maybe you are on to something, you don't need dealing with producers and directors and you don't need to create that content that's going to be on all these connected networks that you're building. If you had to do both, there's just no way and there's just no way you could have— STANKEY: Somebody made that choice, I guess. That's correct. And look there, I do believe we have a lot to do as you started out with. We are very focused on doing that and doing it well. I think in the future KERNEN: Stock’s starting to work too John so— STANKEY: I like it a lot better where we are right now than where we were this time last year. KERNEN: I like where we are right here at a place called Pebble Beach too so thank you, but good to have you on. STANKEY: Absolutely......»»

Following are excerpts from the unofficial transcript of a CNBC interview with Chevron Corporation (NYSE:CVX) CEO Michael Wirth on CNBC’s “Squawk Box” (M-F 6AM – 9AM ET) today, Friday, February 3rd for AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in Pebble Beach, California. Chevron CEO Mike Wirth On Pushback From White House, Capital Expenditure Q4 2022 hedge fund […] Following are excerpts from the unofficial transcript of a CNBC interview with Chevron Corporation (NYSE:CVX) CEO Michael Wirth on CNBC’s “Squawk Box” (M-F 6AM – 9AM ET) today, Friday, February 3rd for AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in Pebble Beach, California. Chevron CEO Mike Wirth On Pushback From White House, Capital Expenditure if (typeof jQuery == 'undefined') { document.write(''); } .first{clear:both;margin-left:0}.one-third{width:31.034482758621%;float:left;margin-left:3.448275862069%}.two-thirds{width:65.51724137931%;float:left}form.ebook-styles .af-element input{border:0;border-radius:0;padding:8px}form.ebook-styles .af-element{width:220px;float:left}form.ebook-styles .af-element.buttonContainer{width:115px;float:left;margin-left: 6px;}form.ebook-styles .af-element.buttonContainer input.submit{width:115px;padding:10px 6px 8px;text-transform:uppercase;border-radius:0;border:0;font-size:15px}form.ebook-styles .af-body.af-standards input.submit{width:115px}form.ebook-styles .af-element.privacyPolicy{width:100%;font-size:12px;margin:10px auto 0}form.ebook-styles .af-element.privacyPolicy p{font-size:11px;margin-bottom:0}form.ebook-styles .af-body input.text{height:40px;padding:2px 10px !important} form.ebook-styles .error, form.ebook-styles #error { color:#d00; } form.ebook-styles .formfields h1, form.ebook-styles .formfields #mg-logo, form.ebook-styles .formfields #mg-footer { display: none; } form.ebook-styles .formfields { font-size: 12px; } form.ebook-styles .formfields p { margin: 4px 0; } Get The Full Henry Singleton Series in PDF Get the entire 4-part series on Henry Singleton in PDF. Save it to your desktop, read it on your tablet, or email to your colleagues (function($) {window.fnames = new Array(); window.ftypes = new Array();fnames[0]='EMAIL';ftypes[0]='email';}(jQuery));var $mcj = jQuery.noConflict(true); Q4 2022 hedge fund letters, conferences and more   All references must be sourced to CNBC. Wirth On Financial Priorities We actually are doing exactly what the White House is calling for. We’re staying consistent with our financial priorities and financial framework that we’ve long had for decades which is first to prioritize the dividend. We increased it 6% the 36th year in a row for dividend increases. We increased organic capital spending this year 30% above what it was last year, keep a very strong balance sheet and when we have cash excess for those needs, we return it to the owners of the company. Wirth On Repurchase Program We had a prior repurchase program that was authorized five years ago when we were repurchasing at about $5 billion a year and the program was a $25 billion program. We’re a stronger company this year. We’re repurchasing at $15 billion a year, a five-year execution on that plan would be $75 billion dollars. Wirth On Production Growth We’re growing at 3 to 4% production growth over the next several years. The demand for oil and gas is growing about 1% so we’re actually growing at a rate much faster than market demand. Wirth On China We’re starting to see signs out of China that there’s more activity that will drive demand. So you’re seeing a significant increase in airline flights being scheduled, so these are forward flights. We’re seeing road traffic and road congestion. There’s a number of different ways you measure this use of public transportation, people are moving around. Supply chains are restarting, businesses are restarting. I spoke to people in Davos that run businesses in China that are ramping up production so we do see indicators that the Chinese economy is beginning to grow and beginning to come out of the restrictions that it’s been under......»»

We have all watched reality shows like Flip or Flop, where investors go into a dirty, run down house and buy it for pennies on the dollar. Then, after spending just a few weeks working on the home to remodel it, they sell it for a huge profit. In some cases, the profit is in […] We have all watched reality shows like Flip or Flop, where investors go into a dirty, run down house and buy it for pennies on the dollar. Then, after spending just a few weeks working on the home to remodel it, they sell it for a huge profit. In some cases, the profit is in the millions. However, most of these shows are overly dramatized and faked. It is easy to watch these shows and think “I could do that.” The idea of making millions for a few weeks of work and with a relatively small up front investment appeals to almost everyone. However, there are a few catches the shows fail to highlight in their 45 minute long episode. if (typeof jQuery == 'undefined') { document.write(''); } .first{clear:both;margin-left:0}.one-third{width:31.034482758621%;float:left;margin-left:3.448275862069%}.two-thirds{width:65.51724137931%;float:left}form.ebook-styles .af-element input{border:0;border-radius:0;padding:8px}form.ebook-styles .af-element{width:220px;float:left}form.ebook-styles .af-element.buttonContainer{width:115px;float:left;margin-left: 6px;}form.ebook-styles .af-element.buttonContainer input.submit{width:115px;padding:10px 6px 8px;text-transform:uppercase;border-radius:0;border:0;font-size:15px}form.ebook-styles .af-body.af-standards input.submit{width:115px}form.ebook-styles .af-element.privacyPolicy{width:100%;font-size:12px;margin:10px auto 0}form.ebook-styles .af-element.privacyPolicy p{font-size:11px;margin-bottom:0}form.ebook-styles .af-body input.text{height:40px;padding:2px 10px !important} form.ebook-styles .error, form.ebook-styles #error { color:#d00; } form.ebook-styles .formfields h1, form.ebook-styles .formfields #mg-logo, form.ebook-styles .formfields #mg-footer { display: none; } form.ebook-styles .formfields { font-size: 12px; } form.ebook-styles .formfields p { margin: 4px 0; } Get The Full Henry Singleton Series in PDF Get the entire 4-part series on Henry Singleton in PDF. Save it to your desktop, read it on your tablet, or email to your colleagues (function($) {window.fnames = new Array(); window.ftypes = new Array();fnames[0]='EMAIL';ftypes[0]='email';}(jQuery));var $mcj = jQuery.noConflict(true); Q4 2022 hedge fund letters, conferences and more Watching an episode of one of these shows and thinking you know enough to try it on your own would be the equivalent of watching the World Poker Tour on TV and then attempting to win a high stakes game at a table in Vegas using only that knowledge. You would learn very quickly there is no camera allowing you to see what cards the other players are holding in their hands. Tips To Become A Successful Real Estate Investor Just as you would not walk blindly into a poker tournament risking a large investment, you cannot jump into a real estate investment blindly either. Brad Hovis, author of Rollover to Retire, is a real estate investor who has mastered the art of investing in properties that provide constant passive income. He has three very important tips for prospective investors that could mean the difference between bankruptcy and financial freedom. The first thing Brad notes about real estate investing is that it is important to do it in a debt free scenario. Being in debt on an investment property is a risk you do not need or want to take. So how do you invest without going into debt if you do not personally have the capital? This is where Brad says "you have to know your role." There are two roles in investing, he claims. The blue collar role and the white collar role are equally important, but if you want to be successful as an investor, you must know which role you should take. The blue collar role is the person who can spot potential investment properties, and know enough about remodeling and flipping them to understand the cost associated with making them profitable. This person would be able to complete basic remodeling tasks, or have contractors on tap who can complete them in a timely manner. The white collar role would be the person who has enough capital to purchase and pay for the renovations on an investment property. The white collar partner in an investment venture may not know exactly what home renovations need to be done, or even how much they will cost, but they have the ability to cover those costs. Brad stresses the importance of avoiding bank loans to complete an investment. If the investment does not immediately turn a profit, a physical human partner is much easier to deal with than a bank when it comes to the capital involved. By utilizing a partner who has the funding to invest, you eliminate the need for personal debt. One of the tips Brad offers potential investors is that it is possible to be the white collar partner in an investing venture by using retirement funds to invest in real estate. A typical 401K account only yields about a 5-8% return each year in growth, according to Smart Asset. However, an investment property can offer a much higher percentage rate on the return in a much shorter time. Flipper Force says that a real estate investor should aim for at least a 10 to 20% return when investing in a property. Typical renovations on homes like this should take less than 4 months. That means that an active flipper in a hot market can turn at least two or three properties per year. This equates to a much higher rate of return on money you already have invested. One key point to remember is that passive income is king. Being able to flip a house for a relatively fast profit is handy for a young investor. However, as we age we tend to want to spend less time working and more time enjoying our life. Active income is the money we earn by completing a task. For most of the world that involves working for someone else or owning a small business. Passive income is created when you find a way to yield profits without actively having to be involved in the production of those profits. Investing in rental properties is a great way to build passive income. However, the keys to success remain the same. You must do it in a debt free environment. So, if you are not yet at the point of being a white collar partner, you need to find an investor who has the capital. The third, and probably most important tip Hovis has to offer is that "you have to keep emotions out of the deal." He says emotions are not your friend when investing in real estate and all investments need to be looked at with an eye for profit. Basically, if you want to be successful in real estate investing, follow these three guidelines. First, stay debt free in your investment. Second, know which role applies to you and be good at it. Third, keep your emotions out of the deal and approach the venture logically and armed with good accounting skills. Following these tips can make anyone successful and ignoring them can bankrupt any unwary investor......»»

Sound Financial Bancorp Inc (NASDAQ:SFBC) said on January 27, 2023 that its board of directors declared a regular quarterly dividend of $0.17 per share ($0.68 annualized). Shareholders of record as of February 8, 2023 will receive the payment on February 23, 2023. Previously, the company paid $0.17 per share. At the current share price of […] Sound Financial Bancorp Inc (NASDAQ:SFBC) said on January 27, 2023 that its board of directors declared a regular quarterly dividend of $0.17 per share ($0.68 annualized). Shareholders of record as of February 8, 2023 will receive the payment on February 23, 2023. Previously, the company paid $0.17 per share. At the current share price of $39.80 / share, the stock’s dividend yield is 1.71%. Looking back five years and taking a sample every week, the average dividend yield has been 1.80%, the lowest has been 1.30%, and the highest has been 3.33%. The standard deviation of yields is 0.35 (n=205). if (typeof jQuery == 'undefined') { document.write(''); } .first{clear:both;margin-left:0}.one-third{width:31.034482758621%;float:left;margin-left:3.448275862069%}.two-thirds{width:65.51724137931%;float:left}form.ebook-styles .af-element input{border:0;border-radius:0;padding:8px}form.ebook-styles .af-element{width:220px;float:left}form.ebook-styles .af-element.buttonContainer{width:115px;float:left;margin-left: 6px;}form.ebook-styles .af-element.buttonContainer input.submit{width:115px;padding:10px 6px 8px;text-transform:uppercase;border-radius:0;border:0;font-size:15px}form.ebook-styles .af-body.af-standards input.submit{width:115px}form.ebook-styles .af-element.privacyPolicy{width:100%;font-size:12px;margin:10px auto 0}form.ebook-styles .af-element.privacyPolicy p{font-size:11px;margin-bottom:0}form.ebook-styles .af-body input.text{height:40px;padding:2px 10px !important} form.ebook-styles .error, form.ebook-styles #error { color:#d00; } form.ebook-styles .formfields h1, form.ebook-styles .formfields #mg-logo, form.ebook-styles .formfields #mg-footer { display: none; } form.ebook-styles .formfields { font-size: 12px; } form.ebook-styles .formfields p { margin: 4px 0; } Get The Full Henry Singleton Series in PDF Get the entire 4-part series on Henry Singleton in PDF. Save it to your desktop, read it on your tablet, or email to your colleagues (function($) {window.fnames = new Array(); window.ftypes = new Array();fnames[0]='EMAIL';ftypes[0]='email';}(jQuery));var $mcj = jQuery.noConflict(true); Q4 2022 hedge fund letters, conferences and more   The current dividend yield is 0.27 standard deviations below the historical average. Additionally, the company's dividend payout ratio is 0.23. The payout ratio tells us how much of a company's income is paid out in dividends. A payout ratio of one (1.0) means 100% of the company's income is paid in a dividend. A payout ratio greater than one means the company is dipping into savings in order to maintain its dividend - not a healthy situation. Companies with few growth prospects are expected to pay out most of their income in dividends, which typically means a payout ratio between 0.5 and 1.0. Companies with good growth prospects are expected to retain some earnings in order to invest in those growth prospects, which translates to a payout ratio of zero to 0.5. The company's 3-Year dividend growth rate is 0.30%, demonstrating that it has increased its dividend over time. Fund Sentiment There are 50 funds or institutions reporting positions in Sound Financial Bancorp. This is unchanged over the last quarter. Average portfolio weight of all funds dedicated to US:SFBC is 0.3283%, an increase of 3.6214%. Total shares owned by institutions decreased in the last three months by 0.87% to 1,139K shares. What Are Large Shareholders Doing? Stilwell Value holds 317,936 shares representing 12.36% ownership of the company. No change in the last quarter. FJ Capital Management holds 204,000 shares representing 7.93% ownership of the company. No change in the last quarter. M3F holds 163,297 shares representing 6.35% ownership of the company. In it's prior filing, the firm reported owning 175,940 shares, representing a decrease of 7.74%. The firm increased its portfolio allocation in SFBC by 7.06% over the last quarter. Alliancebernstein holds 111,736 shares representing 4.34% ownership of the company. In it's prior filing, the firm reported owning 114,669 shares, representing a decrease of 2.62%. The firm decreased its portfolio allocation in SFBC by 6.61% over the last quarter.   VTSMX - Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund Investor Shares holds 53,437 shares representing 2.08% ownership of the company. No change in the last quarter. Sound Financial Bancorp Background Information (This description is provided by the company.) Sound Financial Bancorp, Inc., a bank holding company, is the parent company of Sound Community Bank, and is headquartered in Seattle, Washington with full-service branches in Seattle, Tacoma, Mountlake Terrace, Sequim, Port Angeles, Port Ludlow and University Place. Sound Community Bank is a Fannie Mae Approved Lender and Seller/Servicer with one Loan Production Office located in the Madison Park neighborhood of Seattle, Washington. Article by Fintel.....»»

Altria stock is rising after beating on the bottom line and announcing a $1 billion share buyback program. The earnings beat is due to higher prices that, for now, are overcoming slumping sales. Altria is trying to expand away from its core tobacco business. MO stock can be held for its dividend now, but when […] Altria stock is rising after beating on the bottom line and announcing a $1 billion share buyback program. The earnings beat is due to higher prices that, for now, are overcoming slumping sales. Altria is trying to expand away from its core tobacco business. MO stock can be held for its dividend now, but when investors start to look for growth there are better options. 5 stocks we like better than Altria Group On a day when it’s important for companies to beat on earnings, Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) delivered. The company reported better-than-expected earnings per share (EPS) of $1.18, which was two cents higher than consensus estimates of $1.16. .first{clear:both;margin-left:0}.one-third{width:31.034482758621%;float:left;margin-left:3.448275862069%}.two-thirds{width:65.51724137931%;float:left}form.ebook-styles .af-element input{border:0;border-radius:0;padding:8px}form.ebook-styles .af-element{width:220px;float:left}form.ebook-styles .af-element.buttonContainer{width:115px;float:left;margin-left: 6px;}form.ebook-styles .af-element.buttonContainer input.submit{width:115px;padding:10px 6px 8px;text-transform:uppercase;border-radius:0;border:0;font-size:15px}form.ebook-styles .af-body.af-standards input.submit{width:115px}form.ebook-styles .af-element.privacyPolicy{width:100%;font-size:12px;margin:10px auto 0}form.ebook-styles .af-element.privacyPolicy p{font-size:11px;margin-bottom:0}form.ebook-styles .af-body input.text{height:40px;padding:2px 10px !important} form.ebook-styles .error, form.ebook-styles #error { color:#d00; } form.ebook-styles .formfields h1, form.ebook-styles .formfields #mg-logo, form.ebook-styles .formfields #mg-footer { display: none; } form.ebook-styles .formfields { font-size: 12px; } form.ebook-styles .formfields p { margin: 4px 0; } Get The Full Ray Dalio Series in PDF Get the entire 10-part series on Ray Dalio in PDF. Save it to your desktop, read it on your tablet, or email to your colleagues (function($) {window.fnames = new Array(); window.ftypes = new Array();fnames[0]='EMAIL';ftypes[0]='email';}(jQuery));var $mcj = jQuery.noConflict(true); Q4 2022 hedge fund letters, conferences and more   Find A Qualified Financial Advisor Finding a qualified financial advisor doesn't have to be hard. SmartAsset's free tool matches you with up to 3 fiduciary financial advisors in your area in 5 minutes. Each advisor has been vetted by SmartAsset and is held to a fiduciary standard to act in your best interests. If you're ready to be matched with local advisors that can help you achieve your financial goals, get started now. But the real reason that MO stock is up over 5% in mid-morning trading is the company’s announcement of a $1 billion share buyback program. By many metrics, Altria stock was undervalued heading into earnings. That means a share buyback program can have two noticeable benefits. First, it will increase the company’s earnings per share. A company’s outstanding shares is the denominator in the earnings per share calculation. It can also reduce the pressure on a company’s dividend payouts. That bodes well for Altria because the dividend is the most compelling reason to own the stock. It currently has a dividend yield of 7.96% and pays out $3.76 per share annually. Altria also has a 13-year track record of increasing its dividend. For investors looking for areas to wait out a recession, dividend stocks are a compelling option. But there’s something inside the numbers that suggests investors should proceed with caution regarding MO stock. Pricing Power Is An "Or" Not An "And" As noted above, Altria beat on the bottom line. But the top line was a different story. On the surface, it doesn’t look too bad. Revenue came in at $5.08 billion, just shy of the $5.14 billion expected. However, it’s always important to look at the management’s commentary to understand why. In this case, management is saying that the revenue reflects higher prices that helped offset declining volume. The idea that Altria would have pricing power is not surprising. The tobacco company’s products will always be in demand even if consumers move to lower-priced products. However, you’d like to see pricing power be evident in addition to increasing sales. So, you would say that a company increased sales or at least saw flat sales while profits increased. When a company reports declining revenue but higher profits, it’s an “or” statement. That would concern me as an investor, particularly as the tobacco industry continues to be on the wrong side of ESG policies. Where Could Investors Be Right? Altria isn’t unaware of the threat that faces the tobacco industry. Through its U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Company unit, Altria is “the leading producer and marketer of moist smokeless tobacco.” Additionally, the company has a 45% equity stake in Cronos Group, Inc., a leading cannabinoid company headquartered in Canada. But in both cases, the argument could be made that Altria is shuffling deck chairs on the Titanic. That may be too harsh, but the premise is the same. The company is in an industry that is out of favor.   What To Do with Altria Stock? Heading into earnings, analysts surveyed by MarketBeat gave Altra stock a Hold rating with a price target of $46.91. Coincidentally, that’s right about where the stock is in mid-day trading. Of course, analysts may issue more bullish guidance after the report. But with interest rates likely to remain elevated and an economy weakening, I wouldn’t count on that. If I owned Altira stock, holding on to it and collecting a dividend would be a good strategy for now. The market will likely post tepid gains at best, and MO stock may be able to keep up. But if the January effect turns into something more, investors may want to look for better options. Should you invest $1,000 in Altria Group right now? Before you consider Altria Group, you'll want to hear this. MarketBeat keeps track of Wall Street's top-rated and best performing research analysts and the stocks they recommend to their clients on a daily basis. MarketBeat has identified the five stocks that top analysts are quietly whispering to their clients to buy now before the broader market catches on... and Altria Group wasn't on the list. While Altria Group currently has a "Hold" rating among analysts, top-rated analysts believe these five stocks are better buys. Article by Chris Markoch, MarketBeat.....»»