Reaction to JPM Chase earnings today small red flag for continued earnings season rally
The reaction to Wells Fargo (WFC) earnings released before the open this morning was perfectly fitting. The bank lagged its peers again on key metrics (revenue fell 3.1% year over year and earnings per share were down 9% as average loans fell 1%) and the stock was...
Selling Cheniere Energy out of my Jubak Picks portfolio on China trade war
Back when President Donald Trump and President Xi Jinping were best buds they announced a deal in principle that would expand Chinese purchases of liquified natural gas from the United States in general and Cheniere Energy (LNG) in particular. I think we can assume...
I’m adding Citigroup to my Dividend Portfolio
Citigroup (C) is among the big banks that passed the most recent stress test from the Federal Reserve. That means the bank can go ahead with its plans to raise its quarterly dividend to 45 cents from 32 cents and to buyback $17.6 billion in shares. The plan would take...
Tomorrow I’m selling McDonald’s out of my Dividend Portfolio
In my post of June 28 “My baseline stock market scenario for the next 30 days” I pointed to an earnings/post earnings report pattern that I thought posed significant danger to stocks. Analysts, I noted, were projecting knock out earnings growth for the...
One of my core beliefs after running the Jubak Picks portfolio for more than 20 years now is that when the reason I picked a stock to buy evaporates, then it’s time to sell. So today (June 21) I’m selling Starbucks (SBUX) out of my Jubak Picks portfolio....
Selling MGM Resorts on escalating China trade war fears
I still believe in all the catalysts that I touted for MGM Resorts International (MGM) for late this year–yes, the company’s new Macao casino will give the company more exposure to that market, yes, a wave of states legalizing sports gambling plays to...
New catalysts lining up for MGM Resorts–I’ll hold in my Jubak Picks Portfolio for the moment of recognition
Shares of MGM Resorts International (MGM) peaked for 2018 (so far) at $38.03 on January 29, 2018 and since then the trend has been brutally downward. The stock’s 50-day moving average broke below its 200-day moving average (a moment that technical analysts...
Adding Microsoft to my Jubak Picks portfolio–hoping for a July “miss” like that in April
As I wrote in Part 3 of my Special Report “Investing in a Late Cycle Market,” (available to subscribers to my paid JubakAM.com site), I’m adding Microsoft to my Jubak Picks portfolio. The April third quarter earnings “miss” sets Microsoft...
AT&T acquisition of Time Warner clears courts–let the media frenzy begin (and here’s what I’d buy)
Yesterday after the close of trading Judge Richard Leon gave the go-ahead to AT&T’s (T) acquisition of Time Warner, the owner of HBO and other content. The ruling is a green light to other vertical mergers in the media sector. The judge rejected the...
Time to further lighten up on emerging markets: Selling Arcos Dorados out of Jubak Picks
Back when emerging markets started to break down, I sold my positions in Argentina. Then it looked like the damage might be limited to that country. Not though it’s clear that the whole sector is under pressure and that investors trying to avoid the next...
Nektar’s 40% drop yesterday was an extreme over-reaction: What I’m doing now
It’s never good to turn in disappointing results in a drug trial–as Nektar Therapeutics (NKTR) did over the weekend–but to whack 40% off the stock price on this news is an extreme over-reaction. To justify a 40% drop you have to assume 1) that the...
Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference focuses on catching up and differentiation
The keynote that opened Apple’s (AAPL) Worldwide Developers Conference (June 4 through 8) walked a tough balancing act between admitting that Apple needs to catch up with competitors in some areas (Poor Siri) and introducing stuff that will differentiate Apple from...
FDA delivers less than half a loaf to INCY and LLY in approving Olumiant
Today the U.S. Food & Drug Administration did finally approve Baricitinib, now known as Olumiant, for the treatment of moderately-to-severely active rheumatoid arthritis. But the approval carries more restrictions than expected. The FDA approved only the 2...
Canadian government buys Trans Mountain Pipeline and removes huge albatross from neck of Kinder Morgan
Yesterday the Canadian government announced that it will buy the Trans Mountain Pipeline from Kinder Morgan Canada for CAD$ 4.5 billion. Kinder Morgan (KMI), a member of my Dividend Portfolio, owns a 70% stake in Kinder Morgan Canada. The sale, which certainly...
Book keeping changes: Statoil (STO) changes its name and ticker to Equinor (EQNR)
A change in the name and ticker of portfolio holding Statoil (STO). The explanation offered by the company is that it wanted to remove “oil” from its name to better reflect the company’s increasing emphasis on other forms of energy including wind...
Adding shares of Valero Energy to my Jubak Picks Portfolio
Last night on my JubakAM.com and JugglingWithKnives.com subscription sites I laid out the case argued by Morgan Stanley for believing that distillate prices are heading higher in the face of a tight supplies for these refinery products. One of the refiners Morgan...
Stock or options, Nektar needs some understanding and patience now
It hasn’t exactly been a stellar couple of months for shares and options on Nektar Therapeutics (NKTR). The stock, which I hold in my Jubak Picks portfolio, is down 23.1% since it hit a high of $108.44 on March 8. The August 17, 2018 call options with a strike...
Putting gold back into the 50 Stocks Portfolio with Randgold Resources
My criteria for adding a gold stock to my long-term 50 Stocks portfolio have been reasonably consistent over the years: I’ve looked for a gold miner that was growing gold production and reducing production costs. Up until my latest revision of this portfolio in...
Amazon targets digital display ad market with new tool
OK, so even remembering that announcing a new technology product isn’t the same as actually putting a working product into the market (as Microsoft (MSFT) and Intel (INTC) have proved over the years), but this announcement from Amazon (AMZN) is still a very big...
Nvidia crushes earnings; stock falls after hours
Okay, if you’re a trader I sort of understand selling Nvidia (NVDA) after today’s earnings report: Sell on the news; How can it get better? How long can the company keep it up? After all, the stock closed today just pennies below it’s all time high....
No surprise: Oil moves higher on day after U.S. pulls out of Iran nuclear deal
Some days you need to search for an explanation for a market move. Other days the explanation hits you over the head. Today crude oil is up, in a strong but orderly move. Two catalysts. First, yesterday President Donald Trump announced that the U.S. would pull out of...
SolarEdge Technologies beats on earnings and revenue; raises guidance
SolarEdge Technologies (SEDG), a member of my Jubak Picks portfolio, reported first quarter earnings today after the New York markets closed of 87 cents a share, 7 cents a share better than Wall Street projections. Revenue climbed 82.4% year over year (and 10.8% from...
Ignore the short-term oil volatility and continue to hold Pioneer Natural Resources for the long-term story
So much near-term noise. Since Pioneer Natural Resources (PXD) reported earnings on May 2–the company beat Wall Street estimates on earnings by 16 cents a share and reported revenue in-line with projections and up 56.5% year over year–there’s been...
Apple beats on earnings; iPhone sales of 52.2 million slightly below consensus of 52.3 million units
It wasn’t a big beat and iPhone sales weren’t wildly above consensus, but such was the fear and skepticism surrounding Apple (AAPL) that shares rose 3.61% in trading after the earnings announcement. The company reported earnings of $2.73 a share, five...
Merck moves lower in spite of earnings beat
This morning before the New York markets opened Merck (MRK) reported earnings of $1.05 a share, ahead of the $1.00 a share forecast by Wall Street analysts. Earnings were up 19.3% from the first quarter of 2017. Revenue grew 6% to $10 billion. That narrowly missed the...
McDonald’s jumps on earnings beat
McDonald’s reported a solid earnings beat of 12 cents a share ($1.79 vs expectations for $1.67) before the market opened today, April 30. Revenue fell 9.5% year over year to $5.14 billion but that was still ahead of the $4.97 billion Wall Street consensus for...
Positive catalysts are intact for Nektar Therapeutics
Shares of biotech rocket Nektar Therapeutics (NKTR) are down 23.25% since they traded at $106.91 on March 21, 2018. I can’t find evidence that the positive catalysts that led me to recommend the stock for my Jubak Picks portfolio and the options for my...
Israel’s Prime Minister announces major statement Monday night on Iranian nuclear program
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has announced that he will make a statement at 8 p.m. Tel Aviv time tonight on a “significant development” regarding the Iranian nuclear pact. (As best as I can do the conversions, 8 p.m. in Tel Aviv is 1 p.m. in New York.)...
Adding Merck to my Dividend Portfolio
News out of the imuno-oncology sector of the biotech world has hit stocks in my portfolios such as Incyte (INCY) and Nektar Therapeutics (NKTR) hard. But, I’d argue that it has left Keytruda and its owner Merck (MRK) in a measurably stronger position in the...Jim’s Daily Email Alerts:
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