Rising interest rates won’t crash the housing market… There, I said it. And it probably sounds a little crazy. But hear me out… Most industry experts will tell you that rising rates are putting pressure on housing prices. And they’re right that housing prices have pulled back in some areas. But in the past, interest …
Rising Rates Didn’t Crash Housing in the ’70s… And It Won’t Happen Today Read More »
Roman Emperor Nero needed to fix his image… You see, many folks in his day assumed he started the Great Fire of Rome roughly 1,960 years ago. Some Roman citizens suggested he wanted to create a realistic backdrop for a play about the burning of Troy. Others accused him of wanting to clear land for …
Darryl Rawlings wanted to help pet owners everywhere… He was working as a software developer at a veterinary clinic in 1999. And in that role, he saw that many owners couldn’t afford the excessive costs to take care of their pets. So a year later, he launched Trupanion (TRUP). Trupanion is a pet-insurance company. But …
The Power Gauge Saw This Doomed Stock Before a Famed Short Seller Read More »
The U.S. government can’t borrow any more money… Not yet, at least. You see, as a country, we’ve hit our $31.4 trillion “debt ceiling.” That’s the most money the U.S. can owe at any time. And it works out to roughly $94,000 per citizen today. The U.S. could default on its debt as soon as …
Don’t Worry About This $94,000-per-Citizen Tax Yet Read More »
The market just keeps dodging everything thrown at it… Economists and fundamental analysts continue to debate the state of the economy. And strategists are arguing whether we’ll endure a hard or soft landing. These so-called market experts’ persistent fears of a recession have kept many folks on the sidelines since the October 2022 lows. Meanwhile, …
I think my AI app is brain-dead… Lots of folks have been playing with the latest artificial-intelligence tools lately. One of my colleagues was thrilled to show me the decent answers he was getting from AI. So I asked his app about our Power Gauge. And things didn’t go well. This should have been easy. …
“Location, location, location.” That’s what you hear when people talk about real estate. Noisy neighbors are bad enough. But it’s a lot worse if they own tanks and start threatening to invade your property. That’s what recently sent Warren Buffett off script. The revered “Oracle of Omaha” loves to invest in businesses that will stay …
Warren Buffett Is Leaving the Neighborhood… But an Up-and-Comer Has a Chance to Thrive Read More »
Big, blue-chip companies can always borrow money from somewhere… So-called “investment grade” companies are called that for a reason. They’re worth the investment from banks and other lenders. And they’re at low risk of defaulting on the debt. When a problem arises, it’s often in a less-followed corner of the economy… Not every business can …
Interest Rates Are Up… But They’re Not Catastrophic Read More »
Regional banks are feeling the heat from investors… The mid-March collapses of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank kick-started the trouble. And the fall of First Republic Bank brought this space back into the spotlight last week… The SPDR S&P Regional Banking Fund (KRE) is down more than 40% since early February. Investors are clearly …
Don’t Go ‘Bottom Fishing’ With These Two Regional Banks Read More »
Yet another bank just fell… By now, I’m sure you’ve seen the news about First Republic Bank. It had roughly $229 billion in total assets before megabank JPMorgan Chase (JPM) acquired it this week. That makes it the second-largest bank failure in U.S. history. My colleague Pete Carmasino covered First Republic’s fall in the April …
