Well, that was fast. As you no doubt know by now, stocks gave back their post-election bump nearly as fast as they took it. Now they’re more or less where they started pre-election. There’s a story behind this “pop and drop” that showed me something we need to bear in mind more and more as we head into 2025 (and a new presidential term): The need to diversify our portfolios, not only within stocks but (especially, with more volatility likely) beyond them. And that need for diversification goes for our holdings of high-yielding closed-end funds (CEFs), too. Now, market veterans…

Not all Nasdaq tech stocks are trading with sky-high multiples. These five are actually available below their book value: that is, the stock price is less than the figure derived from subtracting total liabilities from total assets. Four of the five pay dividends. Each one has a 5-year earnings record. 5 Nasdaq Stocks Below Book Value. Chipo’s Technologies ADR. The semiconductor services company is based in Taiwan. According to the website, the company provides “a full range of back-end testing services for liquid crystal display (LCD) drivers, high density memory, and mixed-signal semiconductors.” The market capitalization is $712 million and…

Week in Review Asian equities were mixed for the week as Korea and Pakistan outperformed while Hong Kong and Mainland China underperformed. It was a busy week for internet earnings, as we had Q3 earnings releases from Trip.com, which beat expectations, Kuaishou, which beat expectations, fintech Qifu Technology, which beat, and PDD, which missed, among others. China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) encouraged solar panel manufacturers to cut excess after the Ministry of Finance (MOF) reduced the tax rebate for exports of solar panels, moves to lower other countries’ trade deficits with China in preparation for potential trade…

Amid ongoing lawsuits between health technology company Masimo and its recently ousted billionaire ex-CEO Joe Kiani, shareholder RTW Investments was dragged into the fight but for the first time is breaking its silence. In a new filing overnight, the $5.9 billion (assets) New York-based biotech and medtech investment firm filed to dismiss an ongoing lawsuit from Masimo alleging that the firm and Masimo founder Kiani colluded in an “empty voting” scheme to manipulate a board election. RTW asserts in new court filings that the litigation strategy pursued by Masimo’s new leadership is merely a ploy to avoid paying Kiani’s hefty…

Earlier this year, a fleet of new exchange traded funds tracking the price of bitcoin cropped up, and just this week, exchange-traded options on these ETFs began to trade. Bitcoin, meanwhile, has continued to hit new all-time highs, today hitting $98,351.75 for a 36% gain in the month of November. A crypto-friendly incoming Trump administration is behind the recent momentum. Because we usually do our trades only on dividend-paying stocks and appreciate risk redution, we will do a buy write with protective puts on the most liquid of the bitcoin ETFs, iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF (IBIT). Please email me (dobosz@gmail.com)…

Ninety-five years of data show September and October, on average, to be the two worst months of the year. This time around, the scary duo was volatile, providing both tricks and treats, but when all was said and done, the period ended with a slight advance. Nevertheless, we are pleased that the calendar has hit the Thanksgiving month, and the start of the seasonally favorable six months of the year. Indeed, Halloween to May Day has seen terrific performance, on average, since 1990 and going all the way back to 1929. And Value Stocks historically have asserted their dominance during…

The investment remains attractive compared to competitors like Applied Materials and Lam Research By Oliver Rodzianko Summary ASML’s stock declined due to a weaker 2025 demand forecast but is well-valued for future returns. I forecast it will have an enterprise value of $514 billion in six years. Management forecasts $30–$35 billion in revenue for 2025; my projection of $33 billion indicates a 12-month enterprise value growth of nearly 20%. Despite cyclical risks and geopolitical tensions affecting semiconductor demand and ASML’s sales to China, its market-leading position and current valuation make it an attractive investment. ASML (ASML, Financial) is well-known among technology investors…

Six summers ago, Donald Trump lamented privately to Republican donors that he expected Jay Powell to be a “cheap money” Fed chair. To the President’s chagrin, Powell had recently raised interest rates. Thus, making money more expensive. Most real estate guys like Trump are allergic to high rates. Back in 2018 they were certainly no bueno for his growth-focused agenda. The President told Fox Business the Fed was his “biggest threat.” He even admitted to the Wall Street Journal he “maybe” regretted appointing Powell. Appointer’s remorse! Then came Trump’s biggest zinger of them all: “The Fed is like a powerful…

Key News Asian equities were mostly lower overnight following a flat session on Wall Street that saw “Magnificent 7” names hit with profit taking. This was despite a pullback in the US dollar’s strength versus local currencies. Potential Russia-Ukraine escalation also weighed on markets overnight. Mainland China held up better than Hong Kong, as the technology-oriented STAR Board outperformed. However, according to traders, markets in China lacked direction. We are seeing diverging signals about the consumer from different stakeholders, which is interesting. Shares in short video platform Kuaishou was significantly lower overnight as management issued a weak outlook for its…

Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCDs) offer a powerful way to reduce your tax burden required minimum distributions from IRA and other pre-tax accounts while making a difference in your community. This strategy is open to individuals aged 70½ and older to combine retirement planning with philanthropy. With recent updates under SECURE Act 2.0, the strategy has become even more beneficial. Here’s some keys you need to know about how QCDs work, who can use them, and the steps to take advantage of this financial planning opportunity. What Is a QCD? A QCD allows individuals to donate directly from their Individual Retirement…