Key News Asian equities rebounded following Friday’s weaker US inflation data on light holiday week volumes and little news. Seinfeld’s George Costanza would be proud that, on Festivus Day, Hong Kong and Mainland China underperformers outperformed while outperformers underperformed, i.e. the value factor outpaced the growth factor. In Hong Kong, Exhibit A would be Tencent which fell-1.45% and Meituan, which fell -1.89%. Meanwhile, banks were the top-performing subsector. It was not all bad news for growth stocks. Alibaba gained +1.12% and Baidu gained +3.17% on reports the company’s AI is still in the running to operate China’s iPhones. Tencent’s WeChat…

Legendary investor Warren Buffett advises to be fearful when others are greedy, and be greedy when others are fearful. One way we can try to measure the level of fear in a given stock is through a technical analysis indicator called the Relative Strength Index, or RSI, which measures momentum on a scale of zero to 100. A stock is considered to be oversold if the RSI reading falls below 30. Start slideshow: 10 Oversold Stocks You Should Know About » In trading on Monday, shares of Sunoco entered into oversold territory, hitting an RSI reading of 29.9, after changing…

In a groundbreaking announcement, Google unveiled its latest quantum computing chip, Willow, showcasing performance capabilities that vastly outstrip current hardware and potentially reshaping the competitive landscape for chip manufacturers. The Willow quantum chip, developed by Google’s Quantum AI team, has demonstrated an astonishing leap in computational power. According to Google’s Quantum AI founder Hartmut Neven, Willow completed a benchmarking test in just five minutes – a task that would take today’s most advanced supercomputers an unfathomable 10 septillion years to solve. This mind-boggling performance not only pushes the boundaries of what we thought possible in computing but also raises profound…

The market is expensive, investors wail. There are no cheap stocks anymore. That’s not quite true. Yes, the stock market is expensive, with stocks selling at about 24 times earnings. A normal multiple, historically, is about 15. But there are still some cheap stocks around. To find them, you have to avoid the “Magnificent Seven” investors’ darlings, and look outside the technology sector. You have to poke into out-of-favor sectors and industries, notably energy, banks and homebuilders. As of December 20, there were about seven dozen large-company stocks selling for less than 15 times earnings, five dozen of which had…

The exchange traded funds most widely followed that represent the health care, energy, materials and real estate sectors are showing the most late-year weakness, based on price chart performance. Lots of factors are work. The most likely factor affecting all of these is the sense that interest rate cuts by the Fed have ended. Breaking out sector performance can be deceptive: in some cases, it may that just one or two stocks in the ETF may be so underperforming that it weighs the entire group down more than might be expected. Nevertheless, these price charts are worth examining for any…

The suits on Wall Street will say that $460K isn’t enough to retire on. Well, that “modest” nest egg will earn $64,860 in dividends alone when invested in this simple 7-CEF portfolio. CEFs are the code name for closed-end funds. They are a lesser-known cousin to exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and mutual funds. CEFs tend to have modest assets under management. Which is their superpower. Fewer assets mean greater yields! Consider the 7-CEF portfolio we are about to discuss versus the standard high-yield stock benchmark ETF: There is no comparison! But before we buy blindly, let’s do our homework and make…

If you are employed at a company offering a 401(k), you’ve probably received a fair number of notices regarding your plan. This happens particularly often toward the end of the year. If you’re unfamiliar with the ins and outs of 401(k)s, you may not know which notices should move you to act and which are purely informational. This article discuses how to understand the types of 401(k) notices and when to act. Automatic Enrollment Notice Many 401(k) plans today automatically enroll employees at a specific contribution level once they are eligible to join the plan. You may even be enrolled…

Very bad news. The Trump brand has topped out. Sure, he is President-elect, but the political reality of a three-branch government just upended his first major attempt to rule. It shows his campaign promises are not assured. Issues like deporting millions of residents and their families, and increasing tariffs, even on important trading partners like Canada and Mexico. The House and Senate, with their small Republican majorities, have control over most of what Trump wants to do. Therefore, the initial House defeat of the Trump/Musk bill sets the stage for the need of Trump to negotiate, not dictate. Fundamentals are…

Inflation concerns are on the rise again. The Federal Reserve’s latest Summary of Economic Projections showed central bank officials see inflation potentially ending in 2025 at 2.5%, above their previous forecast of 2.1% and higher than their 2% target. There is a growing possibility of a resurgence in consumer prices and investors should consider adding inflation protection to their portfolios. The employment market is strong, economic growth is exceeding expectations, and potential inflation-inducing changes in fiscal and immigration policy loom large. The bond market has already accepted that the Fed may not further ease monetary policy. Ten-year Treasury yields have…

Goodbye to overwrought speculation – Hello to enlightened reality. When? Likely right away as delayed tax-driven selling starts in January. Why? Because optimistic excitement always gives way to sensible analysis. When easy money gains reverse, speculators exit. Where? Mainly in stocks, but bonds, real estate, and cryptocurrencies are all game, as well. From my previous article, “2025 Outlook – Expect A New Investing Cycle,” here is the list: Bond market – The “bond vigilantes” have returned to reset interest rates to reality. That means investors should focus on economic and financial fundamentals, not the Federal Reserve. Stock market – The…