Wall Streeters knew President Trump was going to levy tariffs on countries near and far. They were aware that the list would include long-time trading partners. They expected that standing trade agreements would be disregarded. Plus, they knew Trump would use reciprocal, higher tariffs if another country introduced or upped tariffs on U.S. goods. And they knew all of this would be done without the Congressional input or approval. So, why did the stock market plummet? Was Warren Buffet the only person taking preventive action by selling stocks to raise cash? The answer is likely that Wall Streeters thought President…

It is true: these four stocks with low price-earnings ratios greatly outperformed most other stocks on Friday and all hit new 52-week highs. The reasons for each may vary but generally it’s likely that investors felt that these names would not be greatly affected by the Trump tariffs and the ensuing global trade war. That a stock could move higher in price while the major stock market indexes dropped dramatically is some kind of achievement. Further research into each situation is probably required but it’s enough to begin with to see such strength in the face of such market weakness.…

The European Union responded to President Donald Trump’s tariff proposals with anger and talk of retaliation but with details remaining elusive, the first attempts at risk assessment for automakers pointed to Porsche and Stellantis as the most exposed exporters to U.S. risk. Experts at investment bank UBS said they expected tariffs on both sides of the argument to be bid up in early negotiations but to settle back to between 10 and 15% by the end of the year. It’s too early to predict how European automakers in the U.S. will respond. In the short-term they could raise prices or…

The only thing I love more than dividends is dividend growth. And ‘tis the season for payout raises as first-quarter earnings season kicks into gear. I have my eye on companies that have recently announced dividend hikes of 28%, 52%, even 150%. If we get similar dividend growth this time around, great—more money in our pockets. But just as important is the confidence they’d be communicating with big raises amid an extremely uncertain economic environment. Regular readers know about my “Dividend Magnet” strategy—three signs that can lead to massive price gains. The most important sign is dividend growth, which is…

Most indicators are misleading investors right now, with some looking rosy and others seemingly saying it’s time to panic. So today we’re going to parse through the noise and look at what’s really going on under the hood of the US economy. Then I’m going to give you our latest “CEF Insider intel” on what to do with stocks—and funds (specifically closed-end funds) that hold them. We’re also going to dig into one bond fund yielding an outsized 13% that’s set to benefit as uncertainty grows. Investor “Mood Ring” Says It’s Time to Panic … Consider the CNN Fear &…

Last week, I spoke with an investor who said, “I heard you’re supposed to have international investments in your portfolio, but the United States investments are just so much stronger performers, so I got rid of all my international stocks.” Many people all over the world have what’s referred to as home bias, where a disproportionately high amount of their stock portfolio is in their home country. In the United States, this can often result in their portfolio containing 100% stocks from U.S. companies. Recent history is not an indication of future returns and international investments can add diversification to…

Jeffrey Garten’s “Three Days at Camp David” is a riveting, character-driven account of the 1971 meeting where President Richard Nixon severed the dollar’s link to gold, upending the global monetary system—a must-read for anyone interested in how bold economic decisions shape history. Fast forward to 2025, and we may be witnessing an equally transformative moment. President Donald Trump’s aggressive tariff policies and the Senate’s proposed tax bill are poised to rewrite the rules of international trade and fiscal policy in ways that could rival Nixon’s bold gambit. Here’s why these actions are more than just political theater—they’re a revolution in…

Key News Mainland China and Hong Kong markets were closed overnight to celebrate the Ching Ming Festival (“Tomb Sweeping Day”). This is the day when Chinese families visit the tombs of their ancestors to clean the gravesites and make offerings. It is important to note that with China’s markets closed overnight, the natural buyers were absent from the markets, which is leading to a steep selloff in US-listed shares. US-listed stocks and ETFs are being priced lower due to the market closure in Hong Kong. Typically, we don’t publish our daily notes when China’s markets are closed, but given today’s…

U.S. recession risks have risen sharply with the announcement of new tariffs. The chance of a U.S. recession is estimated at 56% by Polymarket and 60% by Kalshi, both relatively liquid prediction markets. Stock markets have also fallen with the S&P 500 currently 9% lower since the announcement of tariffs. That’s in addition to a weak start to 2025. Fed Sees Slower Growth Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said, “While uncertainty remains elevated, it is now becoming clear that the tariff increases will be significantly larger than expected. The same is likely to be true of the economic effects, which…

Bank OZK has been named as a Top 10 dividend-paying financial stock, according to Dividend Channel, which published its most recent ‘’DividendRank” report. The report noted that among shares of financial companies, OZK displayed both attractive valuation metrics and strong profitability metrics. For example, the recent OZK share price of $38.90 represents a price-to-book ratio of 0.8 and an annual dividend yield of 4.42% — by comparison, the average stock in Dividend Channel’s coverage universe yields 4.2% and trades at a price-to-book ratio of 2.3. The report also cited the strong quarterly dividend history at Bank OZK, and favorable long-term…