UNH: A Better Hand? A Better Player
Author: Fiona Zhang Imagine sitting down at a poker table and being dealt a difficult hand. The cards are not what you were hoping for. As the people watching begin to see the situation unfold, the conversation quickly turns to the odds stacked against you. The sighs get louder, the confidence fades, and many begin […]
Amateur Stock Traders May Underestimate Drawdown Risk
Author: Phil Wool, PhD “The tour we’ve taken through the last century proves that market irrationality of an extreme kind periodically erupts…investors wanting to do well had better learn how to deal with the next outbreak.” —Warren Buffett Markets may be staring down escalating geopolitical tensions, resurgent inflation, and broadening concerns about the disruptive potential […]
Key Takeaways from Jay Powell’s Final FOMC as Fed Chair
Key Takeaways from Jay Powell’s Final FOMC as Fed ChairAuthor: Phil Wool Key Takeaways from Jay Powell’s Final FOMC as Fed ChairAuthor: Phil Wool, PhD “Economists are basically unanimous that Fed independence is critically important. And to see why, just look at the countries where they don’t have Fed independence. Inflation is higher, unemployment is […]
Europe’s Rearmament Illusion
🌍 Europe’s Rearmament Illusion 📊 The Hype vs. RealityEurope’s “rearmament trade” has investors excited, but the story behind it looks far weaker than the headlines suggest. While defense stocks have surged, the math doesn’t support a true, sustained buildup. Most European nations simply can’t afford large, long-term military increases. ⚖️ Budgets Under StrainEU defense spending […]
Oracle: Back… to the Future!
🕰️ Back… to the Future! Oracle’s latest earnings report surprised to the upside. Investors were encouraged by the company’s ongoing transformation from an old-school database giant into a modern player in cloud services and AI partnerships. Like Marty McFly stepping out of the DeLorean, Oracle is showing it can re-emerge in a new era with […]
From Trade Wars to AI: Lessons for Investors
🌍 Globalization Reframed For years, America’s trade deficit with Asia has been seen as a loss. But there’s another side: U.S. companies outsourced production to lower-cost factories in China, making products like iPhones, Teslas, and Nikes cheaper to build and more competitive worldwide. That outsourcing helped fuel a thirty-year bull market and lifted total U.S. wealth […]
Target Beats Earnings, But Misses the Point
🎯 Target Beats Earnings, But Misses the Point Target reported earnings this week, but the numbers didn’t tell the whole story. While profits beat expectations by just a penny, sales slipped, store traffic fell, and leadership changes rattled investors. Shares dropped 7% on the news, extending a slide that has already taken the stock below […]
Op-Ed: The Process Is the Point
📝 Op-Ed: The Process Is the Point By Gregory Lai For me, investing has never really been about chasing the outcome. It’s about sticking with the process. That might sound strange in a world obsessed with returns and rankings. But the truth is, investing isn’t gambling. Gambling is designed to be a losing game. Real […]
AI: It’s Only Smart When the Lights Are On – Vistra Corp
📘 Part I: What the Bill Actually Does 1. Corporate Tax Cuts Made PermanentThe 21% rate is here to stay. No cliff. No phase-out. Just permanent low taxation for businesses large and small. The math is simple: Lower taxes → higher net income → higher EPS → higher multiples. And with full expensing for capital […]
Op-Ed: The Fed Starts Predicting the Weather
📘 Part I: What the Bill Actually Does 1. Corporate Tax Cuts Made PermanentThe 21% rate is here to stay. No cliff. No phase-out. Just permanent low taxation for businesses large and small. The math is simple: Lower taxes → higher net income → higher EPS → higher multiples. And with full expensing for capital […]