Russian President Vladimir Putin has long envisioned a return to what he perceives as the glory days of the Soviet Union. Central to this ambition is the reintegration of former Soviet republics. After Russia’s 2008 invasion of Georgia, which resulted in Moscow seizing control of 20% of that nation’s territory, Ukraine became his primary target. The concern among Western European nations is that if Putin succeeds in Ukraine, the Baltic states (Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania) could be next — or even Finland. Belarus is already under his influence, and Hungary, despite its NATO membership, maintains close ties with Moscow. This…

Anne Tergesen’s recent Wall Street Journal piece, The 401(k) Has Reached a Tipping Point in Its Takeover of American Retirement, paints an optimistic picture of a retirement system finally hitting its stride. After nearly five decades, half of private-sector workers are now saving in 401(k) plans—a milestone that signals the defined contribution model has firmly supplanted the traditional pension as America’s retirement backbone. With participation surging, thanks to automatic enrollment, state mandates, and small-business incentives, it’s tempting to call this a triumph of policy and market ingenuity. But beneath the rosy statistics lies a nagging question: Is this tipping point…

I first made Enterprise Products Partners (EPD) a Long Idea in January 2023 and reiterated my thesis in May 2024. Enterprise Products has underperformed as a Long Idea and is one of many stocks that the market has overlooked despite the strength of the company’s business. I expect EPD to benefit from a market that allocates value more efficiently and awards the businesses and stocks that can create the most shareholder value. EPD still offers favorable Risk/Reward based on the company’s: position to profit from rising oil & gas production and demand, “toll-taker” business model, investments to capitalize on future…

Key News Asian equities were mixed but mostly lower overnight following the selloff on Wall Street. Indonesia, Korea, and Thailand outperformed, while Indonesia and Thailand underperformed. China’s markets were little changed, though Hang Seng Tech saw profit taking from Tuesday. Some computing-related stocks rose as optimism grew before an AI conference in Hangzhou on Thursday. Alibaba managed a small gain, though the broader internet sector was mostly lower. Semiconductor Manufacturing and Hua Hong Semiconductor were both lower, though. Shares in Automakers extended gains after wholesale vehicle sales increased 34.4% year over year in February, according to data from the China…

By Daniel Urbina Summary: Since the stock trough of $25.67, the shares have recovered significantly to $110.95 thanks to higher margins and revenue growth. The company is innovative at its core and has increased its tangible addressable market over time, creating new types of solutions for merchants running an online store. Despite the immense growth opportunity, the shares are extremely overvalued at a forward PE of 76.8 and compared to their intrinsic value. Shopify (SHOP) is a Canadian e-commerce web development platform that serves clients of all sizes. It also offers complementary services such as payment processing, shipments, marketing, and…

If you have even a light touch on the pulse on the economy you have probably noticed things feel a little weak. And by weak, I mean the kind of slow-motion collapse economists like me get paid to anticipate. I’ve spent decades teaching economics, and one of the most common questions I get is: “Are we heading into a recession?” I see five waving red flags warning we are headed for an economic slowdown: the quits rate, the index of consumer confidence; unintended inventories; the composite index of leading indicators; and general alarm and gloom on Wall Street. Red Flag…

At this point, I don’t think I really need to say that Trump 2.0 is a lot different than Trump 1.0. And one of those differences—which very few people are talking about—is a huge tailwind for the two big dividends we’re going to dive into today. Think back to our first go-’round with Trump. Remember his relationship with Jay Powell? Terrible, right? Back in 2018, he tweeted that Powell and the Fed had “no sense, no guts, no vision” when they failed to cut rates as much as the president wanted. A year later, he called Powell an “enemy.” And…

Fears of slower growth have spiked as the stock market has fallen in recent weeks. However, recent reported economic data has shown growth and a healthy jobs market. It remains to be seen whether the fears of consumers and businesses are realized in recession, or if predictions of decline are overdone. Recent Economic Data Has Been Positive Recent reported economic data has been consistent with growth. The latest estimate for Q4 gross domestic product is 2.3% growth. Unemployment is at 4.1% as of February, with the economy adding 151,000 jobs, similar to the past 12 months. That said, 4.1% unemployment…

According to NextEarningsDate.com, the Micron Technology next earnings date is projected to be 3/20 after the close, with earnings estimates of $1.97/share on $7.93 Billion of revenue. Looking back, the recent Micron Technology earnings history looks like this: The company has an impressive long-term earnings per share chart: And with equally impressive revenue growth: But earnings reports can often uniquely bring abrupt volatility to a stock, in either direction, as investors digest the fundamental details. And that volatility can be a stock options trader’s dream come true — so such traders will be interested to know that Micron Technology has…

Volkswagen expecting profits and sales to remain about the same in 2025 doesn’t sound very exciting, but as existential problems mount some investors might see this as exceptionally brave. After all, sales in Europe look set to stagnate, while electric vehicles still sit on forecourts for too long as buyers hope for government incentives to be reinstated. One recent EV plus point for VW was the European Union’s decision, awaiting ratification, to ease the rules for CO2 emissions in 2025 by extending them for two extra years. VW was seen as the principal beneficiary of this concession with analysts expecting…