DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Some of Wall Street's top commentators fear a recession is at hand as rates set to go higher for longer
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-09 | by ( Phil Rosen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Yesterday on Capitol Hill, Jerome Powell reiterated his warning that the Fed's more than ready to keep jacking up rates if necessary. Inflation hasn't gone away as easily as policymakers want, and Powell thinks that may just warrant a steeper policy path. That's not the most reassuring assessment of the situation as some of the biggest commentators in markets are saying a recession is right around the corner. The exec also broke down how to use the strategy in today's stock market to make extremely cheap bets that garner "through the roof" returns. Fannie Mae's Home Purchasing Sentiment Index dropped this week while mortgage rates moved higher.

☆ Jerome Powell isn't winning any popularity contests among investors as markets booed his testimony on Tuesday
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( Phil Rosen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

If you missed Jerome Powell's remarks from his first day on Capitol Hill yesterday, the TLDR is that more rate hikes are coming because the economy's still running hot. The market response to Powell's testimony was anything but muted. The idea is to eventually lower inflation — which most recently clocked in at 6.4% — but the more rate hikes we see, the greater the risk of a recession. So in short: stocks sold off, bond yields jumped, and traders eyed greater potential for a bigger rate hike this month. "If the totality of the data were to indicate that faster tightening is warranted, we would be prepared to increase the pace of rate hikes," Powell said.

☆ Here's why hawkish Powell testimony might not derail the stock market rally
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( Phil Rosen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Today, all eyes will be on central bank chairman Jerome Powell as he begins two days of hearings on Capitol Hill. Chairman of the Federal Reserve nominee Jerome Powell testifies during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee November 28, 2017 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. Fed policy aside, the stock market has marched higher to start the year, with the S&P 500 gaining about 6% over the last nine weeks. US stock futures rise early Tuesday, as investors await the two-day testimony of Fed Chair Jerome Powell. The bear market rally isn't over yet as stocks just survived a crucial test.

☆ Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway has quietly stashed $90 billion into investments over the last 3 years
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( Phil Rosen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Berkshire Hathaway's latest annual report illustrates that the company has deployed nearly $90 billion in investments since 2020. In 2020, Buffett and co. had spent a then-unprecedented $25 billion on stock buybacks, and set a new record of $27 billion in 2021. But even after all that, Berkshire still ended last year with $129 billion in cash and short-term investments. Fundstrat expects the stock market to see its strongest rally of the year soon. Avoiding a recession would actually be bad news for the stock market.

☆ The new era of investing is here and stocks will no longer be the key player, a top global strategist says
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-04 | by ( Phil Rosen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

I'm eager to share today's conversation with a top strategist about changes to the current investing landscape — but first I have a question. Seema Shah, Chief Global Strategist at Principal Asset Management. Courtesy of Principal Asset ManagementSeema Shah is the chief global strategist at Principal Asset Management. Seema Shah: The key part of it is that we're not in an era of unlimited central bank liquidity. Historically, in a period of low economic growth and higher-than-expected inflation, it outperforms global fixed income and global equities, almost without exception.

☆ Tesla bulls and bears are duking it out and one strategist now thinks Elon Musk's car company is "boring"
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-03 | by ( Phil Rosen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The presentation did, however, lay out broad plans aimed at making Tesla the largest car company in the world. The announcements were tepid enough that strategists at Vanda Research wrote in a note to clients that this month could see a sell-off for Tesla stock. That said, Zacks Investment Research forecasts 30% upside for Tesla, and that climb could happen in 2023. While Tesla has long been touted as innovative and futuristic over the last decade, Bespoke Investment Group concluded that the company is now actually a normal, boring car maker. The stock market is getting the jitters with a key bearish signal flashing red again.

☆ FTX might not have been the only crypto exchange using customer money for other things
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( Phil Rosen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

As if the universe knew that I hadn't written a crypto newsletter in some time, here we go: Binance, the world's largest crypto exchange, has been under some scrutiny this week. The world's largest crypto exchange reportedly transferred nearly $1.8 billion in stablecoin collateral to hedge funds, the report said. Any move by Binance to shuffle customer money around isn't exactly illegal, but the risks are apparent in the wake of the FTX disaster, part of which involved the exchange using customer money for making big bets via its affiliated trading arm. That account, Reuters reported, was used to send $400 million to a trading firm managed by Zhao. In other news:Traders work on the main trading floor of the New York Stock Exchange March 21, 2007.

☆ The Fed's going to have to come down hard on consumer demand to tame inflation
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( Phil Rosen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

But remember, a strong consumer means high demand, which helps inflation stick around. Higher-for-longer rate hikes don't bode well for the stock market. In JPMorgan's view, the stock market has yet to come to terms with that possibility. (It's worth noting that just a couple months ago, markets were expecting interest rate cuts by late 2023.) The stock market bubble has burst and those betting on a rebound are in denial, according to Richard Bernstein Advisors.

☆ The stock market and the economy are stuck on different pages - but the Fed's going to get the last word
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( Phil Rosen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

It's one of my favorite books, and the idea is relevant today because "Catch-22" is a fitting characterization of what's facing stocks and economy right now. Good news isn't good news and bad news is good news. To be sure, inflation remains hot, as we saw in Friday's Personal Consumption Expenditure data — the Fed's preferred inflation gauge. Even as many top commentators are split on the outlook for the economy, markets appear stuck digesting a host of mixed signals, from strong economic data on the one hand, to fears of higher rates on the other. The billionaire Tesla chief has warned that the central bank could crush the value of the entire stock market.

☆ The Russia-Ukraine war will continue into 2024 and any definitive outcome has risks, a veteran investment chief and former Moscow-based journalist says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-25 | by ( Phil Rosen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Rhys Williams, chief investment officer of Spouting Rock Asset Management. Spouting RockRhys Williams is the chief investment officer at Spouting Rock Asset Management. Phil Rosen: What are the implications for financial markets of Russia's war on Ukraine? What do you think of Williams' insights on markets and the Russia-Ukraine war? The Reddit-loving day traders are back in a big way, piling record amounts of cash into stocks to start the year.

☆ Fed economists say the central bank will have to cause serious pain to Americans and the economy if it sticks to its current path
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( Phil Rosen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

In the Fed minutes released this week, the central bank's own economists have started to sound the alarm on a recession. Jerome Powell, for his part, has insisted that the Fed's 2% inflation target is set in stone. The jobless rate today stands at 3.4%. We will have other things to worry about at that point besides whether the Fed's inflation target should be 2.0 or 2.75 percent." How realistic do you think the Fed's 2% inflation target is?

☆ Speculative bets are cool again and Reddit's army of retail investors is partying like it's 2021
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( Phil Rosen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

And yet, despite the dip this week, markets right now are brimming with bullishness — and Reddit-loving retail investors are partying like it's 2021. Retail investors are rebuffing Jerome Powell in piling into speculative assets. Remember, at the start of the pandemic, government stimulus and near-zero interest rates gave retail investors the perfect opportunity to lay down speculative bets. "With all of these headwinds, retail investors are jumping in on maybe some ill-conceived optimism," Goldman said. But economic data be damned, retail investors are still piling into the riskiest corners of the market.

☆ Wall Street analysts are warning stocks are about to come crashing down
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( Phil Rosen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Today's Fed minutes release should provide more insight on what's to come in March. So according to Wilson, stocks have entered this death zone after climbing too high too fast in hopes the Federal Reserve is about to pull back on its aggressive monetary policy. He's reiterated several times this year that the rally will lose steam, and he expects sticky inflation to push the Fed to hold interest rates higher for longer. The bank's analysts now see the Fed raising rates by 25 basis points in June, which would bring the terminal rate to a target range of 5.25-5.5%. "As [stocks] have reached even higher levels, there is now talk of a "no landing" scenario – whatever that means," Wilson noted.

☆ The stock market has been flipped and investors are taunting the Fed
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( Phil Rosen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

As my colleague Matthew Fox writes, the stock market has been completely flipped upside down so far in 2023. This is the type of trading behavior you'd expect to see when interest rates are closer to 0% than 5%. To Kolanovic, the errant investor behavior foreshadows a plunge in the stock market. US stock futures fall early Tuesday, as investors stay worried that persistent inflation means interest rates will stay higher for longer. SoFi's Liz Young warned that a lack of reserve funds could stop this year's stock market rally: "What the equity market is not pricing in at this point, or is not worried enough about, is consumer spending."

☆ The chief executive of an AI-driven markets analytics company breaks down how to invest in the craze sparked by ChatGPT
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-18 | by ( Phil Rosen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Today, I'm eager to share my conversation with the CEO of a markets analytics platform that leverages the power of artificial intelligence. Jan Szilagyi is the chief executive officer and cofounder of Toggle AI. Toggle AIJan Szilagyi is the chief executive officer and cofounder of Toggle AI. Jan Szilagyi: We've seen a big increase in business and a huge spike in inquiries to Toggle AI. Ultimately, I don't think AI is going to be a fad though.

☆ The good news is markets look resilient — but the bad news is just about everything else
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( Phil Rosen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Wizardry aside, let's see why the stock market has proved so resilient this year, even though the economy's providing nothing to cheer for. DataTrek cofounder Nicholas Colas is chalking up stable markets to strong earnings. "The only explanation that makes sense to us for this conundrum of 'bad' news and stable markets is that US corporate earnings power remains resilient," Colas wrote in a Thursday note to clients. Even as markets act like everything's fine, there's still not quite enough optimism among investors to say that markets are nearing a peak, according to Ned Davis Research. A top-ranked stock-picker said January's hot CPI report suggests the stock market is far from the bottom.

☆ Europe’s now dealing with an oversupply of natural gas after hoarding it for months before winter
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( Phil Rosen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The benchmark price for natural gas futures has cratered about 28% this year, and it's trading roughly 85% cheaper than record highs reached in August. At that time, natural gas was costing buyers about 10 times more than usual ahead of the winter months. As a key energy supplier to Europe, many feared that Russia would cut off natural gas flows in retaliation to Western sanctions. Europe enjoyed its third hottest January ever last month, meaning people used less heating and thus less natural gas. A former Gazprom official told Reuters this week that all the years of work to build up Russia's natural gas exports have become moot.

☆ Wall Street luminaries say it's time to get out of the stock market before the Fed crushes the economy
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Phil Rosen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Tuesday's CPI data showed inflation climbed 0.5% in January, slightly higher than expected, and year-over-year it slowed to 6.4%. Prices, it seems, aren't cooling down as smoothly or quickly as anyone wants, especially the Fed. To Kolanovic, a recession is all but guaranteed if the Fed is serious about its 2% inflation target. And like Kolanovic, Morgan Stanley Wealth Management investment chief Lisa Shalett warned that Fed policy is going to pull stocks lower. US stock futures fall early Wednesday, as investors pick over yesterday's CPI inflation report to assess what it means for the Fed.

☆ Tesla stock is having a dominant start to 2023 and retail investors are loving it
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( Phil Rosen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Not that Elon Musk really needs more attention, but his company's stock warrants a look for a very successful six-week stretch. Last year, Tesla drew headlines for its roughly 65% stock decline. Bank of America strategists have forecasted that the move can ultimately boost sales volume, and Wedbush gave Tesla stock a 35% upside. And according to Vanda Research, retail investors' bullishness for Tesla is driving a FOMO Tesla trade that has pushed inflows from the cohort into the stock market at levels not seen since 2020. Alibaba stock price on Feb.10, 2023 Markets Insider10.

☆ Frustrated Magic: The Gathering fans say Hasbro has made the classic card game too expensive
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( Travis Clark | Max Adams | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Magic: The Gathering fans are upset with how much product Hasbro has been releasing. Some game shop owners have had to sell cards at a lower cost — meaning they lose money and Magic loses value. At this point, given the huge costs to keep up with the game, fans felt that they were rightly concerned that Magic was becoming a luxury hobby. Hasbro's Magic: The Gathering strategy has alienated a lot of longtime fans, LaGaccia said, which has left many game shops with unsold product. Some fans have moved on from Magic to other card gamesSome Magic: The Gathering fans have found alternatives.

☆ A global recession could be coming - at least that's what commodity prices seem to say
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( Phil Rosen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Right now, the chief economist at the Institute of International Finance, Robin Brooks, is watching weakening commodity prices. Specifically, Brooks pointed out that oil and copper prices have slumped roughly 6% each since mid-January, despite China's easing of zero-COVID policies. "Whatever is going on in China, there's no sign that the end of zero-COVID is boosting global growth, based on commodity prices," Brooks said in a tweet. "Oil prices never went up and copper prices are falling after the initial China reopening excitement fades." He pointed to the sharp change in oil prices last week as an example of shallower liquidity.

☆ ChatGPT has investors scrambling to get on the AI bandwagon so much that obscure stocks are soaring just like big-name chip companies
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( Phil Rosen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

That's that for the latest Fed talk — but today, we're taking a closer look at the AI hype train passing through the stock market. And small-cap tech stocks with names that nod to bots like BigBear.ai and SoundHound AI have similarly notched gains so far this year. Tech stocks have come back with a "vengeance," Fundstrat's Mark Newton said. It's a necessary step for policymakers to take, the group said, even if it means declines in stock market returns. Wall Street's biggest firms are warning their clients not to trust the stock market rally.

☆ Here's why the US economy won't fall into a recession this year or next, according to a key market signal
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( Phil Rosen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

In that case, it may be wise to heed a key bond market signal that's saying we'll avoid a recession after all. But if you look at the bond market, there's a clear answer that seems to be forming: The US economy won't enter a downturn this year or next. That's because the spread between corporate bonds and Treasury yields is steadily narrowing, according to DataTrek Research. The spread between corporate bond yields and US Treasuries helps measure the risk appetite of bond traders. Strategists warned that markets have yet to price in an earnings recession, which could pose a major headwind in 2023.

☆ Here's why 2023's stock rally could fizzle out and end up burning bullish investors
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( Phil Rosen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Now let's turn to the stock market. Traders gather on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Friday, March 18, 2016. The surging stock market suggests that investors are fairly optimistic these days. In a Friday note, strategists said the stock market is set to peak in the next two weeks because inflation could come roaring back. US stock futures fall early Monday, after Friday's strong US jobs report fueled speculation that interest rates will rise further.

☆ A top oil analyst explains Europe’s new fuel sanctions on Russia and how that impacts global energy markets
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-04 | by ( Phil Rosen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The flow of crude oil is seen in a container while an oilfield worker works on a drilling rig at an oil well operated by Venezuela's state oil company PDVSA Carlos Garcia Rawlins/ReutersMatt Smith is the lead oil analyst at Kpler. Phil Rosen: This week the EU has new sanctions and a price cap kicking in on Russian oil products, such as diesel. MS: They're one of the leading producers and leading exporters in the world, so we shouldn't expect that to change. What will influence this is how long this war goes on, and how detrimental that is to its energy industry. Demand for cardboard boxes has dropped to levels not seen since the 2008 financial crisis.

Search resuls for: "Max Adams"

25 mentions found