Berkshire Hathaway is the holding company of super-investor Warren Buffett. He transformed a struggling textile mill into a conglomerate with a significant portfolio of equites and significant interests in railroads, insurance, utilities, industrials etc. Because of the size of his equity portfolio investments, Berkshire Hathaway has to report its US equity holdings every quarter to the… To read the whole article, please click on the article title above. [Read More...]

China Launches Military Exercises In South China Sea As Biden Arrives In Asia Authored by Andrew Thornebrooke via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours), China launched military drills in the contested South China Sea as U.S. President Joe Biden arrived in South Korea to meet with President Yoon Suk-yeol and promote his forthcoming economic plan for the region. U.S. President Joe Biden boards Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on May 19, 2022, as he travels to South Korea and Japan. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images) Biden is currently touring East Asia to develop better relations with the nation’s partners in the Indo-Pacific and drum up support for his Indo-Pacific Economic Framework, which he is expected to announce in Japan on … [Read More...]

Broad Equity Market Tone:Advance/Decline Line: Substantially LowerSector Performance: Almost Every Sector DecliningVolume: Around Average Market Leading Stocks: Performing In LineEquity Investor Angst:Volatility(VIX) 32.0 +9.2% Bloomberg Global Risk On/Risk Off Index 3,726.0 -155.0 points Euro/Yen Carry Return Index 138.82 -.26% Emerging Markets Currency Volatility(VXY) 12.7 +.2% CBOE S&P 500 Implied Correlation Index 48.8 +6.1% ISE Sentiment Index 76.0 -41.0 pointsTotal Put/Call 1.22 +.83% NYSE Arms 1.62 +67.0% Credit Investor Angst:North American Investment Grade CDS Index 92.34 +2.7% US Energy High-Yield OAS 446.46 +.44%European Financial Sector CDS Index 110.50 +1.8% Italian/German 10Y Yld Spread 206.0 basis points +10.0 basis pointsAsia Ex-Japan Investment Grade CDS Index 130.62 -.87%Emerging Market CDS Index 303.39 +1.1%China Corp. High-Yield Bond USD ETF(KHYB) 28.65 -.09%Russia Sovereign Debt Credit Default Swap 10,121.0 -18.2%2-Year … [Read More...]

Broad Equity Market Tone:Advance/Decline Line: Substantially HigherSector Performance: Almost Every Sector RisingVolume: Above Average Market Leading Stocks: Performing In LineEquity Investor Angst:Volatility(VIX) 30.0 -5.6% Bloomberg Global Risk On/Risk Off Index 3,970.0 +416.0 points Euro/Yen Carry Return Index 138.5 +1.0% Emerging Markets Currency Volatility(VXY) 12.8 +.6% CBOE S&P 500 Implied Correlation Index 48.9 +1.9% ISE Sentiment Index 108.0 +115.0 pointsTotal Put/Call .95 -24.6% NYSE Arms .44 -33.3% Credit Investor Angst:North American Investment Grade CDS Index 86.0 -1.6% US Energy High-Yield OAS 429.54 -.89%European Financial Sector CDS Index 102.50 -2.4% Italian/German 10Y Yld Spread 190.0 basis points -1.0 basis pointAsia Ex-Japan Investment Grade CDS Index 130.75 -1.2%Emerging Market CDS Index 293.99 -.92%China Corp. High-Yield Bond USD ETF(KHYB) 28.64 -.57%Russia Sovereign Debt Credit Default Swap 5,280.66 -2.3%2-Year Swap Spread 28.75 basis points +.5 … [Read More...]

I review the list of dividend increases every week, as part of my monitoring process. I usually focus my attention on the companies with a ten year streak of annual dividend increases, and then review each company using my criteria. I am always on the lookout for new ideas, and to determine if my existing holdings are working. I also want to be ready to act quickly, when the right time… To read the whole article, please click on the article title above. [Read More...]

Mapped: The World’s Population Density By Latitude When you think about areas with high population densities, certain regions spring to mind. This could be a populous part of Asia or a cluster of cities in North America or Europe. Usually density comparisons are made using cities or countries, but this map from Alasdair Rae provides another perspective. This world map depicts population density by latitude, going from the densest populated coordinates in deep red to the sparsest in light blue. Why Certain Latitudes (and Regions) Are More Densely Populated As Visual Capitalist’s Anete Lusina details below, numerous factors affect an area’s population density. These can range from topography, or the physical terrain characteristics of the place, to more direct factors like an area’s climate, which can impact … [Read More...]

Broad Equity Market Tone:Advance/Decline Line: Substantially LowerSector Performance: Most Sectors DecliningVolume: Above Average Market Leading Stocks: UnderperformingEquity Investor Angst:Volatility(VIX) 31.1 -.4% Bloomberg Global Risk On/Risk Off Index 4,236.0 +202.0 points Euro/Yen Carry Return Index 141.92 +.47% Emerging Markets Currency Volatility(VXY) 12.4 +3.9% CBOE S&P 500 Implied Correlation Index 50.02 -.2% ISE Sentiment Index 98.0 -9.0 pointsTotal Put/Call 1.08 -3.6% NYSE Arms 1.02 -52.1% Credit Investor Angst:North American Investment Grade CDS Index 85.08 +2.5% US Energy High-Yield OAS 385.44 +1.1%European Financial Sector CDS Index 106.49 +2.2% Italian/German 10Y Yld Spread 200.0 basis points unch.Asia Ex-Japan Investment Grade CDS Index 125.5 +3.6%Emerging Market CDS Index 290.92 +2.1%China Corp. High-Yield Bond USD ETF(KHYB) 29.21 -.68%Russia Sovereign Debt Credit Default Swap 4,730.62 +9.5%2-Year Swap Spread 32.75 -1.25 basis pointsTED … [Read More...]

I like to study successful investors, as part of my effort to continuously improve on my process. Tom Russo is one such investor. I believe I can learn from him. Between 1990 and 2021, his fund, Semper Vic Partners delivered a total return of 12% to its investors. This was better than the 11.10% return of Dow Jones Industrials average and 10.50% return on S&P 500. Russo invests in a few… To read the whole article, please click on the article title above. [Read More...]

“The Whole Planet Is A Pot, And We’re All Frogs” Authored by Ugo Bardi via The Seneca Effect blog, The lockdown in China: if the powerful are doing something that looks stupid, it’s because whatever they’re doing IS actually stupid I received several comments on my post “The Shanghai Lockdown: a Memetic Analysis,” and I think that some were so interesting to be worth reproducing in a full-fledged post. The first comment comes from an anonymous commenter living in China. It seems to me believable, and also consistent with my interpretation. In practice, the Chinese were (and are) not the only one who are conditioned by factors such as avoiding a loss of face. Italians did the same during the lockdowns of 2020 and 2021. There seems … [Read More...]

A reader writes in, asking: “Would it be possible for you to write an article on how to best account for state income taxes when planning as a retiree or near-retiree?” It’s obviously challenging to write any sort of catch-all article about state taxation, because the rules vary from one state to another. But the following are the primary questions that I start with when doing a retirement/tax plan. (Of course, the answers to these questions sometimes bring up other questions.) What are the state’s rules regarding taxation of Social Security benefits? What are the state’s rules regarding distributions from traditional IRAs? What are the state’s rules regarding distributions from tax-deferred employer plan accounts such as … [Read More...]

I started my website over fourteen years ago in early 2008. During that time I shared my process of looking for and analyzing companies. I discussed my strategy in detail, delved into topics such as building and monitoring a portfolio. I have discussed resources I use, books I have read, and investors who have inspired me. Back in 2018, I decided to put all of this information to practical use… To read the whole article, please click on the article title above. [Read More...]

Broad Equity Market Tone:Advance/Decline Line: Substantially LowerSector Performance: Most Sectors DecliningVolume: Around Average Market Leading Stocks: Performing In LineEquity Investor Angst:Volatility(VIX) 30.9 +2.9% Bloomberg Global Risk On/Risk Off Index 4,173.0 -5.0 points Euro/Yen Carry Return Index 140.72 -.35% Emerging Markets Currency Volatility(VXY) 12.1 -.74% CBOE S&P 500 Implied Correlation Index 51.4 +.2% ISE Sentiment Index 91.0 -1.0 pointTotal Put/Call 1.20 +6.2% NYSE Arms .91 +33.8% Credit Investor Angst:North American Investment Grade CDS Index 83.0 +2.7% US Energy High-Yield OAS 375.02 -.45%European Financial Sector CDS Index 101.92 +2.2% Italian/German 10Y Yld Spread 184.0 +3.0 basis pointsAsia Ex-Japan Investment Grade CDS Index 118.67 -1.62%Emerging Market CDS Index 284.88 +5.2%China Corp. High-Yield Bond USD ETF(KHYB) 29.30 +.46%Russia Sovereign Debt Credit Default Swap 3,707.59 -83.6%2-Year Swap Spread 33.5 +1.5 basis … [Read More...]

The People Behind DHS’s Orwellian “Disinformation Governance Board” Authored by Jeff Thompson via The Organic Prepper blog, A “Disinformation Governance Board” has just been created and is going to be run by the Department of Homeland Security. Their primary goal is going to be to “police” what is deemed to be “misinformation” or “disinformation.” No clarification has been given as of yet as to what this policing will mean, but it has been pointed out that the creation of this new Disinformation Governance Board is going to have the full strength of the DHS behind it. DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said, “the goal is to bring the resources of (DHS) together to address this threat.” Nina Jankowicz has been chosen to head up the new … [Read More...]

How Much Are We Prepared To Sacrifice To Help The US Win A Propaganda War Against Putin? Authored by Caitlin Johnstone via Substack, There’s a very important question that we all need to be asking ourselves at this point in history, and that question is as follows: how much are we as a society willing to sacrifice so that the US government can win a propaganda war against Vladimir Putin? Let me explain. One severely under-discussed aspect of the latest round of escalations in Silicon Valley censorship which began at the start of the Ukraine war is the fact that it’s an entirely unprecedented order of censorship protocol. While it might look similar to all the other waves of social media purges and new categories of … [Read More...]

Broad Equity Market Tone:Advance/Decline Line: Substantially LowerSector Performance: Every Sector DecliningVolume: Around Average Market Leading Stocks: Performing In LineEquity Investor Angst:Volatility(VIX) 26.5 +16.7% Bloomberg Global Risk On/Risk Off Index 4,450.0 -246.0 points Euro/Yen Carry Return Index 142.64 -.29% Emerging Markets Currency Volatility(VXY) 11.2 +2.2% CBOE S&P 500 Implied Correlation Index 44.1 +10.4% ISE Sentiment Index 80.0 -6.0 pointsTotal Put/Call 1.23 +12.8% NYSE Arms 1.25 -1.6% Credit Investor Angst:North American Investment Grade CDS Index 79.28 +5.1% US Energy High-Yield OAS 354.16 +1.4%European Financial Sector CDS Index 90.78 +2.7% Italian/German 10Y Yld Spread 170.0 +4.0 basis pointsAsia Ex-Japan Investment Grade CDS Index 112.97 +2.5%Emerging Market CDS Index 272.05 +4.4%China Corp. High-Yield Bond USD ETF(KHYB) 29.49 +.17%Russia Sovereign Debt Credit Default Swap 12,011.3 +6.0%2-Year Swap … [Read More...]