After missing earnings estimates five straight times, Philip Morris International Inc. (PM – Free Report) delivered a beat in first-quarter 2018. Moreover, top and bottom lines grew year over year and management also raised its bottom-line view for 2018, courtesy of the tax reforms. However, these factors were not enough to placate investors, who were let down by the…
Since the advent of nineteenth-century socialism, politicians and economists in the centre ground have argued for a balanced approach, where vital services are provided by the state, and capitalism is left to provide the rest. Vital services in a modern economy are taken to include pensions, unemployment and disability benefits, healthcare and education. Most states…
Yesterday’s dovish BOC statement send USD/CAD back above the 1.2600 figure — a move that no doubt pleased the Canadian monetary officials who want to see the value of the currency remain relatively low. But the rally could be short-lived if the data continues to surprise to the upside. Tommorrow the market will get a…
Yesterday’s dovish BOC statement send USD/CAD back above the 1.2600 figure — a move that no doubt pleased the Canadian monetary officials who want to see the value of the currency remain relatively low. But the rally could be short-lived if the data continues to surprise to the upside. Tommorrow the market will get a…
Last week we demonstrated a momentum+breadth study which supported the medium term bullish case for the stock market. Now let’s look at the short term case for the stock market. Is the stock market’s EXACT bottom already in? The NYSE cumulative Advance-Decline Line (one of the best breadth indicators) just made a new all-time high yesterday…
Historically, when stocks have risen and decoupled from bonds, and bonds have then sold off to catch up to stocks; the recoupling has led to extended selling pressure in stocks. Will we see the same this time? Something else has shifted today: Tech is underperforming financials…
Novartis AG (NVS – Free Report) reported encouraging results for first-quarter 2018 wherein both earnings and revenues beat estimates driven by strong performance of Cosentyx and Entresto. First-quarter 2018 core earnings of $1.28 per share beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.25 and were up from $1.13 recorded in the year-ago quarter. Novartis AG Price, Consensus and EPS…
DIY investing has become insanely popular the last little while, and for good reason. Investors are tired of paying their banks and mutual fund managers crazy fees. Fees that by the time you retire may be costing you hundreds of thousands of dollars, literally. So you decide to go on your own. It’s as simple…
The Philly Fed prices paid index jumped in April. 59% of firms reported paying more for inputs, up from 44% in March. The April 2018 Philadelphia Fed Manufacturing Business Outlook Survey shows continued expansion but input prices are rising far faster than prices received for manufactured goods. I have not paid much attention to the regional Fed…
Jerry Jung’s passion for reforming the nation’s ethanol laws started when he noticed that the monarch butterflies had vanished from his hobby farm north of Clare, Michigan. After doing a bit of research, he learned that the monarch population had plummeted in recent years. A key reason for the declining population is that large swaths of the…
