First, I would like to apologize for the pause in posting of my thoughts, articles, and trades. The last month has been very fast paced with lots going on. I was in Vegas for training and learned the latest developments in the banking industry. Then I was off to London to actually do some work. I did get some time to enjoy the weekend in Vegas and celebrate my birthday...let's hope I'm getting wiser with age. Here is a rundown of what's going on and specifically what to be thankful for:
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Friday, October 21, 2011
Peeling Back the Details on Taxes in America...
Excerpt taken from the Wall Street Journal:
According to a letter Mr. Buffett sent to a Republican congressman on Tuesday, the Berkshire Hathaway Inc. chairman and chief executive disclosed that he made almost $63 million last year, yet paid less than $7 million in federal income tax.
Mr. Buffett long has urged lawmakers to raise income-tax rates on the wealthiest, arguing that his secretary paid a higher effective rate than he did last year.
Please head to the Wall Street Journal to read the rest of this article and the details about how different income levels are taxed. Click below:
Friday, October 14, 2011
1st Quarter Premium Stock Alert (Revealed)
If you recall in February of this year, I released my first premium subscription alert. At the time, I posted an update that gave you a hint into the industry, sector, and specifically the product that this company develops. The update provided you with the following hints about the stock I was adding to my portfolio:
STOCK: ******
HEALTHCARE
BIOTECHNOLOGY & DRUGS
TIP: Ribbon
Link: http://urbanomics.blogspot.com/2011/02/february-2011-biotechnology-premium.html
If you'd like to find out which stock was picked up by subscribers to the premium service, please continue on and get a complete view of the stock and the performance since the alert went out.
STOCK: ******
HEALTHCARE
BIOTECHNOLOGY & DRUGS
TIP: Ribbon
Link: http://urbanomics.blogspot.com/2011/02/february-2011-biotechnology-premium.html
If you'd like to find out which stock was picked up by subscribers to the premium service, please continue on and get a complete view of the stock and the performance since the alert went out.
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Market Recession or Rally??
Rally or Recession...
Roughly about a week ago we all were a little queasy after viewing our portfolios and 401K accounts. The economic picture in the US and in Europe made us all nervous and sent the markets in a spiral downward. The levels we briefly hit were low, so low that it nearly reached a 20% drop from the peak of where the market were earlier this year. This dubious drop is typically referred to as a 'Bear Market'. Since April, the markets have dropped about 17% from its levels at that time and have been rocky since then. Sooo are we back and is this RALLY for REAL??? Well you may not like what history says about 'Bear Markets'! Bear Markets are often marked with quick bursts of large gains like we've started to see last week and into this week. Why the roller coaster ride, maybe its because we (e.g. investors) have no clue each day which direction we think the markets are heading. And if we are clueless, history has often indicated that reality will often set in and then begins to turn back down.
URB Brief Notes:
Roughly about a week ago we all were a little queasy after viewing our portfolios and 401K accounts. The economic picture in the US and in Europe made us all nervous and sent the markets in a spiral downward. The levels we briefly hit were low, so low that it nearly reached a 20% drop from the peak of where the market were earlier this year. This dubious drop is typically referred to as a 'Bear Market'. Since April, the markets have dropped about 17% from its levels at that time and have been rocky since then. Sooo are we back and is this RALLY for REAL??? Well you may not like what history says about 'Bear Markets'! Bear Markets are often marked with quick bursts of large gains like we've started to see last week and into this week. Why the roller coaster ride, maybe its because we (e.g. investors) have no clue each day which direction we think the markets are heading. And if we are clueless, history has often indicated that reality will often set in and then begins to turn back down.
URB Brief Notes:
- Netflix fumbles and backtracks. They drop separate websites, keep the high pricing and continue to disappoint.
- Sprint tumbles on news that costs are rising. Not to mention they aren't selling the I Phone 4S, which was just released...just the I Phone 4. I haven't seen David Einhorn bolt from his position so hold tight and double down off the 52 week low.
- I'll be releasing my latest quarterly alerts shortly, an interesting bunch.
Monday, October 03, 2011
Are You Prepared For a Slowdown?
If you're like me, you've probably been keeping a close eye on the wallet nowadays. I wanna believe that things are getting better but I need proof. Unfortunately, part of my everyday routine is to search for clues to as to when the economy is going to get better and I didn't like what I heard. I was listening to an economist named Lakshman Achutan and he had some interesting data to share last week. He is predicting that America is heading into a recession after analyzing different indicators on the direction of our economy. This is just one view of things, however; I would definitely take the time to be cautious until things get a little bit brighter. Click the link to see the video:
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Economic Outlook, YAHOO, All Talk, & Netflix...
Urbanomics Outlook on the Economy
Here is my outlook on the economy. The economy is like a leaky faucet, slowly dripping. If you review the last few months, the data supporting jobs and economic growth have been bad kind of like when your faucet is clogged up. But every now and then you get a surprise and a few gushes come out and occasionally the economic numbers have had a few surprises. But if you put it all together the economy continues to be a very slow drip for a population of Americans that are thirsty for jobs and an economic rebound to our investments, 401K portfolios, real estate, and lifestyles.
Do You Yahoo?
I know I do. I use Yahoo all the time. Yahoo is my home page, my email service and also my source for fantasy football. But even with all these reasons they are having trouble keeping up with the big boys of technology (Google, Amazon, Ebay). They are even used as a verb, no one ever asks whether you ‘Yahooed’ something! Well it may be time to circle the wagon on this old reliable tech company. We have a little help in stirring the pot. Dan Loeb, founder of the hedge fund Third Point sent a scathing letter to Yahoo’s Board and then kindly reminded them that he now owns a roughly 5% stake in the company. Here at Urbanomics we are fans of investors that stir the pot and when it happens at unloved companies like Yahoo we get excited.
Here is my outlook on the economy. The economy is like a leaky faucet, slowly dripping. If you review the last few months, the data supporting jobs and economic growth have been bad kind of like when your faucet is clogged up. But every now and then you get a surprise and a few gushes come out and occasionally the economic numbers have had a few surprises. But if you put it all together the economy continues to be a very slow drip for a population of Americans that are thirsty for jobs and an economic rebound to our investments, 401K portfolios, real estate, and lifestyles.
Do You Yahoo?
I know I do. I use Yahoo all the time. Yahoo is my home page, my email service and also my source for fantasy football. But even with all these reasons they are having trouble keeping up with the big boys of technology (Google, Amazon, Ebay). They are even used as a verb, no one ever asks whether you ‘Yahooed’ something! Well it may be time to circle the wagon on this old reliable tech company. We have a little help in stirring the pot. Dan Loeb, founder of the hedge fund Third Point sent a scathing letter to Yahoo’s Board and then kindly reminded them that he now owns a roughly 5% stake in the company. Here at Urbanomics we are fans of investors that stir the pot and when it happens at unloved companies like Yahoo we get excited.
Monday, August 08, 2011
The Market's Continuous Drop...
I've been listening to some smart investors talk about how to invest in an environment like this. These theories vary and this helps me shape my frame of reference. It allows me to hear how bankers, investors, and politicians think and then I can ground some of that in reality because I can probably tell what's going on with the everyday person better than they might experience.
Right now we are in rapidly changing times in the US, some parts of the world and of course in the stock market. The stock market has been violently gyrating and for the last few weeks it has been decidedly lower. The smart money will tell you not to panic and while I subscribe to this theory it can be very difficult. The economy is weak and some are reporting the increasing risk of a double dip recession. For me, I go with my gut feeling and I have stayed consistent that too many Americans are hurting for anyone to be blindly buying stocks. I agree that certain actions along the way have helped to stimulate the economy but not enough has been done to help alleviate the areas that the average citizen is being hampered by. I believe the economy will continue to be fragile until: 1) Jobs return in a consistent fashion 2) Debt levels for the average American must get rightsized, and 3) Housing burdens for the average person become less of a constant drag on people and their local economies. I'm not happy with the fact that are politicians can't stay focused on some of these core issues that are plaguing us today and make this their top priority. So I will remind you to not get fooled by their gimmicks of last minute deal-making and understand that this slow painful decline will continue until they address the real problems at hand.
I do wish I had sounded a louder alarm because I've noticed that many big investors had recently been hedging their bets and protecting themselves if things got bad. And as you can see they got bad in a hurry. I think my approach will not change from the points I've been highlighting from the beginning of the year, and that is this is the YEAR OF DEFENSE. See the following articles to learn what we've been doing to stay defensive in these uncertain markets:
Right now we are in rapidly changing times in the US, some parts of the world and of course in the stock market. The stock market has been violently gyrating and for the last few weeks it has been decidedly lower. The smart money will tell you not to panic and while I subscribe to this theory it can be very difficult. The economy is weak and some are reporting the increasing risk of a double dip recession. For me, I go with my gut feeling and I have stayed consistent that too many Americans are hurting for anyone to be blindly buying stocks. I agree that certain actions along the way have helped to stimulate the economy but not enough has been done to help alleviate the areas that the average citizen is being hampered by. I believe the economy will continue to be fragile until: 1) Jobs return in a consistent fashion 2) Debt levels for the average American must get rightsized, and 3) Housing burdens for the average person become less of a constant drag on people and their local economies. I'm not happy with the fact that are politicians can't stay focused on some of these core issues that are plaguing us today and make this their top priority. So I will remind you to not get fooled by their gimmicks of last minute deal-making and understand that this slow painful decline will continue until they address the real problems at hand.
I do wish I had sounded a louder alarm because I've noticed that many big investors had recently been hedging their bets and protecting themselves if things got bad. And as you can see they got bad in a hurry. I think my approach will not change from the points I've been highlighting from the beginning of the year, and that is this is the YEAR OF DEFENSE. See the following articles to learn what we've been doing to stay defensive in these uncertain markets:
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