Category: What I’m Reading Today

Be in the know. 25 key reads for Thursday…

  1. Car-rental firm Hertz seeks coronavirus bailout (New York Post)
  2. Fed Gives Banks a Break to Keep Markets Calm (New York Times)
  3. Disney, McDonald’s share secret recipes to cook in quarantine (USA Today)
  4. Where to Look in China’s Data Dump for Any Signs of a Rebound (Bloomberg)
  5. Jeff Bezos Wants to Test All Amazon Employees for Covid-19 (Bloomberg)
  6. The Fed Loves Main Street as Much as Wall Street This Time (Bloomberg)
  7. Some Companies Are Looking Cheap. That Could Drive a Wave of M&A. (Barron’s)
  8. J&J, P&G, Buck the Trend by Raising Dividends (Barron’s)
  9. Fear Is Down, but We’re Not Out of the Woods Yet (Barron’s)
  10. Record Amount of Risky Debt Is Coming Due (Barron’s)
  11. Buy Stocks Now, Investing Legend Burton Malkiel Says (Barron’s)
  12. Jobless claims total 5.245 million as 22 million positions have been lost in a month due to coronavirus (CNBC)
  13. Larry Fink: Coronavirus low last month may have been the market bottom (CNBC)
  14. ‘The shopping list is being readied’: Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi are scouting for cheap investments after the coronavirus sell-off (Business Insider)
  15. Gilead (GILD) Said to Hold Talks to Buy Stake in Arcus Biosciences (RCUS) – Bloomberg (Street Insider)
  16. Working From Home Permanently Could Rise 100% and These Stocks May Benefit (24/7 Wall Street)
  17. Options markets send cautiously bullish signal on U.S. stock rally (Reuters)
  18. U.S. opposes general allocation of Special Drawing Rights to IMF members (Reuters)
  19. States paying extra $600 unemployment aid (Fox Business)
  20. Mainstream Investors Might Get Access to Alts, But They Won’t Get Alpha (Institutional Investor)
  21. Hedgie with a ‘higher purpose’ to run world’s biggest sovereign fund (Financial Times)
  22. Dalio Says Investors ‘Crazy’ to Hold Government Bonds Now (Dalio Says Investors ‘Crazy’ to Hold Government Bonds Now (Yahoo! Finance)
  23. Warren Buffett will ‘let everybody know’ once he invests the bulk of Berkshire Hathaway’s $128 billion cash pile, Bill Ackman says. (Business Insider)
  24. Billionaire bond king Jeff Gundlach sent a bizarre tweet predicting the end of the ‘You blow dry my hair and I’ll blow dry your hair’ economy. (Business Insider)
  25. Coronavirus Closures Froze Swaths of U.S. Economy in March (Wall Street Journal)

Be in the know. 22 key reads for Wednesday…

  1. Weekly mortgage applications rise as rates drop to 30-year low, but it’s all refinances (CNBC)
  2. Could It Be Value Stocks’ Time to Shine? One Long-Skeptical Strategist Thinks So. (Barron’s)
  3. UnitedHealth beats quarterly profit on strength across its businesses (CNBC)
  4. Larry Kudlow’s War Bonds Are Coming But in a Plain Vanilla Wrapper (Bloomberg)
  5. China’s Data on Symptom-Free Cases Reveals Most Never Get Sick (Bloomberg)
  6. Pound May Turn Into Unlikely Winner From Europe’s Virus Troubles (Bloomberg)
  7. Tesla Wooed by $1 Billion Missouri Package for Cybertruck Plant (Bloomberg)
  8. Smartphone Makers Ordering Parts Like There’s No Pandemic (Bloomberg)
  9. Virus Sell-Off Turns Bonds Into ‘Fallen Angels.’ Here’s Why Downgrades Matter (Bloomberg)
  10. Why A 50% Drop in U.S. GDP May Not Be So Bad (Barron’s)
  11. Hedge Funds’ Top Holdings Are Beating the Market. They’re a Familiar Bunch. (Barron’s)
  12. Trump says close to plan to reopen economy possibly, in part, before May 1 (Street Insider)
  13. Saudi energy chief: Historic oil cuts more than double amount reported (Fox Business)
  14. Trump: At least 29 states ‘ready’ to reopen (Fox Business)
  15. Ray Dalio Said ‘Cash Is Trash.’ But Managers Are Hoarding It. (Institutional Investor)
  16. ByteDance looks to hire 10,000 thanks to TikTok boom (Financial Times)
  17. Saudi Arabia says price war was ‘unwelcome departure’ from oil policy (Financial Times)
  18. GlaxoSmithKline, Sanofi Announce Coronavirus Vaccine Program (Barron’s)
  19. Here’s How Much Of Delta Air Lines The Government Will Own After Rescue (Investor’s Business Daily)
  20. 3 reasons why Warren Buffett is so successful in bear markets (USA Today)
  21. When the Coronavirus Outbreak Could Peak in Each U.S. State (Bloomberg)
  22. Six Flags to offer up to $665 million of bonds to repay debt and fund operations (MarketWatch)

Be in the know. 10 key reads for Tuesday…

  1. Ten U.S. states developing ‘reopening’ plans account for 38% of U.S. economy (Reuters)
  2. Signs That New Virus Cases Have Peaked Push Stocks Higher (Barron’s)
  3. IPhone Sales Surged in China (Barron’s)
  4. States Move to Coordinate on Reopening Plans (Wall Street Journal)
  5. Private Equity Firms Plead With Government to Help Salvage Oil and Gas Industry (Institutional Investor)
  6. FDA approves coronavirus saliva test (Fox Business)
  7. Trump Negotiating to Lease Oil Storage Space to Nine Companies (Bloomberg)
  8. World Watches China’s Economy for Signs of Life After Lockdown (Bloomberg)
  9. Exxon borrows $9.5 billion as investment-grade companies race to fill war chests ahead of earnings (MarketWatch)
  10. Wells Fargo Earned 1 Penny in the First Quarter. Why the Stock Is Rising Anyway. (MarketWatch)

Be in the know. 15 key reads for Monday…

  1. The Art of the Oil Deal (Wall Street Journal)
  2. Gilead Sciences (GILD) Remdesivir Study Shows Two-Third of Severe COVID-19 Patients Improved (Street Insider)
  3. Fed’s Clarida says central bank has tools to avoid deflation: BBG (Reuters)
  4. Fauci: ‘Rolling re-entry’ possible in May (Fox Business)
  5. Photo credit: Emily Elconin
  6. Barron’s Picks And Pans: Berkshire Hathaway, Disney, SoftBank And More (Benzinga)
  7. OPEC and its allies strike historic agreement to cut nearly 10 million barrels a day (MarketWatch)
  8. Higher Natural Gas Prices Are On The Horizon (Yahoo! Finance)
  9. OPEC+ deal saved ‘more than 2 million’ jobs in the US: Russian wealth fund (CNBC)
  10. Historic OPEC+ cut is Trump’s ‘biggest and most complex’ deal ever: Dan Yergin (CNBC)
  11. Goldman Sachs abandons its bearish near-term view on stocks, says the bottom is in (MarketWatch)
  12. U.S. Stabilizes, CDC Says; 70 Vaccines in Progress: Virus Update (Bloomberg)
  13. Alaska Bought Up Berkshire Hathaway, Walmart, and AMD Stock (Barron’s)
  14. 12 Stocks That Are Beating the Market During the Coronavirus Crisis—and Can Keep on Growing After (Barron’s)
  15. Can Cruise Lines and Small Theme Parks Survive? (Barron’s)

Be in the know. 20 key reads for Easter…

  1. 7 Reasons Why Smart, Hardworking People Don’t Become Successful (Medium)
  2. A food safety expert on why you’re unlikely to get the coronavirus from groceries or takeout (Vox)
  3. Apple and Google want to turn your phone into a Covid-tracking machine (Vox)
  4. A Truce in the Oil Price War? (CFR)
  5. Early Experience With Remdesivir To Treat Severe COVID-19 Published (NPR)
  6. Episode 990: The Big Small Business Rescue (NPR Planet Money)
  7. How Close Are We To A COVID-19 Vaccine? (538)
  8. Unlikely Optimism: The Conjunctive Events Bias (Farnam Street)
  9. I Got a Pandemic Puppy, and You Can Too (The Atlantic)
  10. What Immunity to COVID-19 Really Means (Scientific American)
  11. How Anthony Fauci Became America’s Doctor (New Yorker)
  12. Airlines Are Negotiating a Bailout Package. The Details Could Emerge Over the Weekend. (Barron’s)
  13. The Fed Has Already Injected $2.3 Trillion Into the Economy — and it’s Just Getting Started (Time)
  14. Trump Makes It Official: We’re Mining the Moon (Popular Mechanics)
  15. Aston Martin V12 Speedster: A Puristic Limited Edition For The Most Demanding Drivers (Just Luxe)
  16. The Next Gauge of the Economy Will Be Corporate Earnings: Live Updates (New York Times)
  17. The S&P 500 has rebounded 25% in less than three weeks. Here’s what’s going on (CNBC)
  18. Mnuchin, Congress leaders to hold new talks on next coronavirus aid bill (Reuters)
  19. Everything Is Awful. So Why Is the Stock Market Booming? (New York Times)
  20. Poison Pills and Coronavirus: Understanding Glass Lewis’ Contextual Policy Approach (Harvard Law)

Be in the know. 20 key reads for Saturday…

  1. As Credit Markets Rebound, Neediest Borrowers Are Left Behind (Bloomberg)
  2. Majority of Americans who qualify for coronavirus aid are expected to receive direct deposits by April 15 (Business Insider)
  3. N.Y. Deaths Dip; Gilead Drug Shows Early Promise: Virus Update (Bloomberg)
  4. The Terrible Costs of Keeping—or Ending—the Lockdowns (Barron’s)
  5. Time to Hit ‘Buy It Now’ Button on eBay Stock (Barron’s)
  6. This Market Is Made For Warren Buffett. Why Has He Gone Quiet? (Barron’s)
  7. In the Face of a “Rare Mispricing,” an Oil-Services Bear Turns Bull (Barron’s)
  8. Fed’s Emergency Lending Has Peaked. At Least for Now. (Barron’s)
  9. Martin Scorsese Courts Apple and Netflix to Rescue Costly DiCaprio Film (Wall Street Journal)
  10. Apple, Google Bring Covid-19 Contact-Tracing to 3 Billion People (Bloomberg)
  11. 16 million people just got laid off but U.S. stocks had their best week in 45 years (MarketWatch)
  12. Ex-FDA commissioner says ‘widespread screening’ needed to reopen economy (CNN)
  13. The Asset Class That’s Not Getting Crushed by Coronavirus (Institutional Investor)
  14. The Relationship Between Earnings and Bear Markets (A Wealth of Common Sense)
  15. Markets Have Priced In the Lockdown Period. Now What? (Wall Street Journal)
  16. IRS Launches Registration Tool For Stimulus Checks (Forbes)
  17. Coronavirus: Is your auto insurer giving refunds? (ValueWalk)
  18. WEEKLY AND MONTHLY CHARTS SHOW IMPROVEMENT (John Murphy)
  19. America’s Best Trump Impersonator Has Some Thoughts About CNN And Dr. Fauci (Digg)
  20. Paul Walker’s 1969 Ford Mustang Boss 429 Is Headed to Auction (Maxim)

Be in the know. 15 key reads for Good Friday…

  1. Pfizer working on promising coronavirus treatment, vaccine (New York Post)
  2. OPEC and Russia Agree to Cut Oil Production (New York Times)
  3. With $2.3 Trillion Injection, Fed’s Plan Far Exceeds Its 2008 Rescue (New York Times)
  4. How the Fed plans to keep credit, a crux of the American economy, flowing to U.S. consumers during the pandemic (MarketWatch)
  5. Dr. Fauci: Antibody tests are coming soon (CNN)
  6. Why Blood From Coronavirus Survivors Could Be a Lifeline for the Sick (Wall Street Journal)
  7. Fed will continue to act ‘forcefully, proactively and aggressively,’ Powell says (Street Insider)
  8. OPEC+ To Cut Oil Output For Two Years But There’s One Holdout (Investor’s Business Daily)
  9. The Magic Kingdom Is Closed. Disney Can Keep Profits Flowing. (Barron’s)
  10. India’s Plunging Stock Prices May Yield Bargains for Investors (Barron’s)
  11. State Farm to slash $2 billion in car-insurance premiums amid pandemic (MarketWatch)
  12. Occidental Seeking Federal Lifeline For U.S. Oil Industry (Yahoo! Finance)
  13. Potential Coronavirus Drugs May Cost as Little as $1, Study Says (Bloomberg)
  14. NHL Stars Get Social in the Era of Social Distancing (Wall Street Journal)
  15. Fed Moves Spark Corporate Bond Rally (Wall Street Journal)

Be in the know. 15 key reads for Thursday…

  1. Federal Reserve unveils details of $2.3 trillion in programs to help support the economy
  2. Federal Reserve takes additional actions to provide up to $2.3 trillion in loans to support the economy (Street Insider)
  3. Small-Business Bailout Needs More Than Banks (Wall Street Journal)
  4. Disney (DIS) Says Disney+ Paid Subscriber Count Surpasses 50 Million Milestone (Street Insider)
  5. Tesla’s China sales hit record high in March: industry association (Street Insider)
  6. U.S. bank results to focus on looming loan losses during coronavirus (Reuters)
  7. Pfizer identifies lead virus drug candidate (Fox Business)
  8. IMF boosts emergency lending capacity to $100bn (Financial Times)
  9. S&P 500 dividends are in better shape than the market expects. (MarketWatch)
  10. European stocks climb on optimism policy makers will find ways to reopen economies (MarketWatch)
  11. Fed to Buy Municipal, Riskier Debt as Part of Expansive Programs New York Times)
  12. Fed Minutes Reveal Increasing Urgency to Ease Virus Impact (Barron’s)
  13. Wells Fargo Gets a Break to Make Small-Business Loans (Barron’s)
  14. Plan to Restart the Economy Soon Would Rely on Antibody Testing (Barron’s)
  15. Trump Eyes Tariffs as Tool to Tame Oil Glut (Wall Street Journal)

The Rodney Atkins, “Keep On Going” Stock Market (and Sentiment Results)…

Each week I try to tie the theme of the stock market to a song that embodies the feeling of the moment.  The last month could best be defined by Rodney Atkins classic hit, “If You’re Going Through Hell…”  The lyrics that follow, tell the whole story of where we are today: Continue reading “The Rodney Atkins, “Keep On Going” Stock Market (and Sentiment Results)…”

Be in the know. 15 key reads for Wednesday…

  1. Hedgies look to capitalize on coronavirus pain à la Warren Buffett (New York Post)
  2. 9 Stocks That Could Outpace the Market if Volatility Keeps Falling (Barron’s)
  3. Covid-19 Testing Is Key to Restarting Economy as U.S. Cases Top 400,000 (Barron’s)
  4. Waiting for a stock-market bottom is ‘folly,’ says billionaire Howard Marks: ‘If something’s cheap…you should buy’ (MarketWatch)
  5. Bill Gross’s Backfiring Trade Finally Pays Off in Coronavirus QE (Bloomberg)
  6. Howard Marks says it’s time to stop playing defense: ‘We’re buying today when we find good value’ (CNBC)
  7. Billionaire Bill Ackman doubled down on Hilton, Starbucks, and Berkshire Hathaway after the coronavirus sell-off (Business Insider)
  8. Pinterest Becomes an Unlikely Social Climber (Wall Street Journal)
  9. FedEx, UPS stocks surge after WSJ report of Amazon halting competing service (Market Watch)
  10. Bank Stocks at Record Lows Relative to S&P 500: 4 to Buy Now (24/7 Wall Street)
  11. Pelosi, Schumer push wider emergency coronavirus funding bill (Reuters)
  12. Oil rallies before Russia, Saudi Arabia meet (Fox Business)
  13. Bernanke rejects Great Depression comparisons as he says GDP could slump by 30% (MarketWatch)
  14. Fauci says he thinks schools will be able to reopen in the fall (MarketWatch)
  15. India Again Allows Export of Antimalarial Drug Touted for Coronavirus Wall Street Journal)