The Retired Investor: The Economics of Taylor SwiftBy Bill Schmick,
05:42PM / Thursday, February 29, 2024 | |
At this point, few would question the economic impact that Taylor Swift has had on the world. The sheer level of spending the singer has triggered among consumers is breathtaking. The ripple effect of her business affairs has produced unexpected profits for many corporations and even countries worldwide. No wonder she is the only person from the world of entertainment to ever be on the cover of Time magazine.
In my day, Michael Jackson was the pop star who took the world by storm. The "gloved one" was the record breaker in the music and entertainment business every week. He made millions for himself and others. But Taylor Swift, the "anti-hero" singer 0 Comments
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@theMarket: Nvidia Leads Markets to Record HighsBy Bill Schmick,
02:38PM / Friday, February 23, 2024 | |
Stocks forged ahead this week, making new highs with technology stocks continuing to take the lead. Financial flows into equity buoyed the overall market despite some disappointing results in the U.S. government's Treasury auctions.
Credit for the continued move higher must go to the number one AI stock in the world, Nvidia.
It was touch and go on Wednesday night as all eyes waited for Nvidia's earnings results. The Street was divided on which way the markets would go. It depended on whether this leading semiconductor company could beat estimates once again and deliver higher forward guidance on the world's demand for its artificial 0 Comments
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The Retired Investor: The Chocolate Crisis, or Where Is Willie Wonka When You Need HimBy Bill Schmick,
04:36PM / Thursday, February 22, 2024 | |
Valentine's Day has come and gone. About 92 percent of American consumers were planning to share chocolate and other candies for Valentine's Day this year, according to the National Confectioners Association, but the price tag for that heart-shaped box of chocolates may have left a bad taste in many a mouth this year.
Last year, chocolate sales exceeded more than $4 billion. It feels like I paid my fair share of that total. You see my wife, Barbara, loves chocolate, so giving a gift on Valentine's Day was easy. Along with flowers and a card, a generous amount of dark chocolate (but not milk chocolate) in any form — hearts, cups, dipped pretzels, bonbons, 0 Comments
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The Retired Investor: Auto Insurance Premiums Keep RisingBy Bill Schmick,
04:36PM / Thursday, February 15, 2024 | |
Forget fuel and food, auto insurance leads the way in areas where inflation is ramping higher. The rise in premiums has far outpaced the overall inflation rate and we could see further gains in 2024.
Auto premiums are up 43 percent in the past three years and there is no sign the rate increases are over. In 2023 alone, auto insurance prices rose 19.2 percent, as registered by the Consumer Price Index (CPI). The January 2024 CPI data just released this week shows a 20.6 percent increase from last year. It is one of the greatest contributors to the inflation rate and exceeded the price gains in almost every other spending category.
Industry analysts' 0 Comments
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@theMarket: Melt-up in Markets Fueled by MomentumBy Bill Schmick,
01:44PM / Friday, February 09, 2024 | |
Stocks are climbing, scaling new heights while euphoria abounds. Momentum is pushing the technology sector, and AI stocks in particular. How long can it last and how high can it go?
It is the question on the minds of many on Wall Street. At this point, the consensus opinion is that we are due for a pullback. Even the bulls are getting worried as valuations become stretched.
However, valuations are in the eye of the beholder. While the price-earnings ratio of the market is about 21 percent, if you remove a handful of mega-cap stocks the average is only 17 times earnings. That handful of stocks has accounted for more than 50 percent of the gains this year in 0 Comments
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