Wednesday, April 2, 2025
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 […]
Silver linings. We’ve all been looking for them. I have to stay home… but I get to walk the dog (or play with the cat) more, reconnect with family, catch up on reading (or Netflix (NFLX)), and finally try out meditation or journaling. One of the silver linings emerging from the global situation, not only […]
The pandemic-triggered stock market selloff has been incredibly tough on income investors, and the dividend-paying stocks they like to own. In the current market, investors have been drawn to big-name companies whose business was uninterrupted by the crisis. This group pays small or no dividends. Several factors have kept dividend-paying stocks down, but that means […]
The Rules for the Global Economy Have Changed Did you hear who’s doing a brisk business thanks to the coronavirus pandemic? I don’t mean Amazon, Walmart, or Zoom, even though they’ve all seen big benefits thanks to social distancing and stay-at-home orders. Instead, I’m talking about a product much closer to my heart. Eggo Waffles! […]
The U.S. economy remains mostly shut down to combat the spread of COVID-19. Only history will tell if the politicians got it right. One thing we know is that the shutdown did produce a stock market crash. The challenge now is to find investments that will provide superior returns in what will become the new […]
The financial world had quite a shock last week when crude oil prices dropped into negative territory for the first time. While the price of the front-month oil futures contract is no longer negative, it’s still trading at just over $13 per barrel. With the exception of last week, the price hasn’t been that low […]
Not Everyone Is Feeling the Covid-19 Squeeze Earlier this week, General Motors (GM) said it’s suspending its dividend and halting all share buybacks. This is tough to hear but I can’t say this much of a surprise. The auto giant has been taking it on the chin recently. It’s no secret why. As a result […]
It seems to be every day that I read a press release or two announcing a dividend reduction. The COVID-19 triggered shutdown of the economy has a lot of companies looking to conserve cash. One way to keep money in a company is to cut or suspend dividend payments. While the dividend reduction may be […]
