Market News

The Yacktman Fund (Trades, Portfolio) pared many more holdings than they increased in the first quarter, most of which posted gains year to date, as the managers gathered cash should more opportunities arise this year.“In early 2016, markets around the globe have begun to collapse and the U.S. stock market posted its worst start of the year in history,” their fourth-quarter letter said.“We prepared for this environment and continue to have excess cash to deploy as stocks go on sale. We also have a portfolio full of what

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After eight years of unconventional monetary policy initiatives of immense scale from the world's global central banks, we appear to be grappling with the limitations of monetary policy. Despite herculean efforts over the better part of a decade by global central bank policy makers to boost inflation, inflation around the world has remained stubbornly low. What Slowflation means to investors is that we are likely to remain in a muted global growth environment. Monetary policy will likely remain very accommodative globally, keeping nominal government bond rates low to negative. Inflation measures may creep slowly higher, but any sharp acceleration is likely to be transitory. Meanwhile, economic growth in the U.S. seems likely to continue to inch forward and remain weak but not vulnerable.

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Nikkei.com continues with negative Apple spin yet again

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Stocks continued to surprise the majority last week as the market gains were quite impressive. As I pointed out last week the S&P 500 A/D line moved above the May 2015 highs. The weekly NYSE Advance/Decline has also now moved above its 2015 high, line b. The A/D line is also accelerating to the upside which is bullish for the intermediate term. This implies an eventual move in the NYSE Composite above the May 2015 high which means a potential 8% increase from Friday's close. What could cause such a rally?

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Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk talked “sustainability” and “CO2 reduction” at the reveal of the Model 3 prototype, but it seems lifetime carbon dioxide from electric cars is actually not much different from conventional internal combustion engines. Until most electricity is generated by clean, renewable sources, claims electric cars are saving the planet are hollow.

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They’re two deadly mistakes I see retirees—and non-retirees—make again and again: being seduced by so-called “safe” investments and overpaying on fees.

Fees, in particular, can be a killer. A recent study found that even a 1% annual fee would pluck $70,000 from a typical worker’s retirement account over 40 years, compared to cheaper options.

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Many foreign investors with good reason regard the policing of insider trading and accounting abuse in China’s capital markets skeptically. Yet you can’t say that authorities aren’t making any effort at all.

The China Securities Regulatory Commission, China’s top stock regulator, has fined 14 auditing firms and asset evaluation companies for a long list of problems, commission spokesman Deng Ge said last Friday, according to a report in the government-published Securities Times.

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Growth in the world’s most feared and revered economy, China, came to just 6.7% in the first three months of the year, the lowest year-on-year quarterly gain since 2009. Can we panic yet? The figure comes as no surprise, since academics and officials have forecast growth around that level from now through 2020. But it’s still a change from the double-digit growth stats before 2011. But more sloth in the world No. 2 economy threatens countries everywhere that depend on China’s trade, vast market or overseas investments. China makes up 37% of annual global GDP growth compared to 24% from the United States, notes Jack Perkowski, managing partner of merchant bank JFP Holdings in Beijing. “No other country comes close to having this much impact on the global economy,” he says in a list of predictions for 2016.

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At optionsstrategynetwork.com we seek to assist traders and investors in finding the best value for meeting their investment goals. Understanding the dynamics of pricing structure enables you to offset some of your equity exposure through the use of derivatives, specifically Options on the E-mini Futures Contracts or SPY (SPDR S&P 500 ETF). Fortunately, this can be done with good value.

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Regarding what’s coming for the week of April 18, I checked in with InsiderScore to scan for interesting insider moves that occurred over the previous quarter. Additionally, I screened for company announcements, headlines and stock moves.

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