Sunday, December 22, 2024
Did you notice, as much of the economy was forced to shut down and people were told to stay home, how long the drive-through lines became at fast-food restaurants? Americans already loved drive-throughs before the pandemic, and then social distancing rules made the drive-through a necessity of life. Pre-pandemic, I was always amused by the […]
The outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic and spread of COVID-19 infections pushed federal and state leaders to the unprecedented actions of shutting down a wide swath of the economy and telling citizens to stay at home to avoid being exposed to, or spreading, the virus. A primary victim of the shutdown was the dine-in restaurant […]
The shutdowns ordered by city and state officials had the perverse effect of labeling brick-and-mortar businesses as either essential or non-essential. An essential business designation allowed those businesses to remain open. Non-essential companies were forced to close their doors; those companies whose employees could not do their jobs from home soon found they were furloughing […]
Retail stores and sit-down restaurants were two types of business decimated by the coronavirus pandemic. Now in most of the country, these business types are in the early days of reopening. The big question is how fast consumers will return to in-store shopping and dining out. Investors want to know which companies will see business […]
Many investors buy hot or well-known stocks in the hope that share prices will continue to rise. However, as I was advised many years ago, hope is not a plan. The plan I share with my subscribers derives from conversations I had over several decades with investors who have actually become wealthy by investing in […]
The stock market crash that began at the end of February and lasted through the end of March was especially brutal for high-yield investments. There is some logic to the deep sell-off of higher yield dividend stocks. These companies pay out most of their free cash flow as dividends, and the economic shutdown puts those […]
The reopening of closed business in the U.S. has started in anticipation of today’s Memorial Day Holiday. The trend will accelerate as we move into the summer months. However, don’t expect every company to bounce back to what it was before the crisis. Many industries will suffer long-lasting effects from the shutdown. Others may benefit […]
Last week (May 11-15), prices for precious metals spiked higher. In just a week, gold gained 2.7% and silver climbed by 6.5%. But don’t think that you missed your chance. The recent gains are likely to be just the start of a strong run-up in precious metals value. The macro-economic factors now coming to the […]
In the years before the novel coronavirus, stocks in the travel industry—such as airlines and cruise ship companies—could be counted on for attractive yields and growing dividends. Of course, you are surely aware that cruise lines are shut down, and the airline business is off 90%. The question now is: what are the prospects for […]
While stock prices have recovered some from the March lows… The U.S. economy is in a recession. There is no doubt of that fact. First quarter GDP came in negative. But the U.S. stock market is forward-looking. Investors value stocks based on their view of future business results. However, the price discovery process is chaotic. […]
