Just Take A Deep Breath And Relax

Hello MarketClub members everywhere. If you live in the United States or you've been following this year's presidential election maybe it's time just to take a deep breath, let it out and relax. Just when you thought things could not get any crazier, they get crazier.

When FBI Director James Comey came out on a Sunday with no less than two days before the election to say that his original decision not to prosecute Hillary Clinton still stands the market went wild moving up almost 1 1/2% overnight. The question is, is this a significant turnaround for the market or just a dead cat bounce?

MarketClub's Mid-day Market Report

On the other side of the coin, gold has taken a hit this morning down about 1.4%, close to its original breakout point of $1284.03. It also brings gold back to its RSI support line at 50. While the very short term daily Trade Triangle is negative indicating near-term weakness, the weekly Trade Triangle remains green and will only turn red if the $1250 level is broken. I continue to remain longer-term positive on gold. Continue reading "Just Take A Deep Breath And Relax"

The Fed Tease Continues - But For How Much Longer?

George Yacik - INO.com Contributor - Fed & Interest Rates


Way back in high school, my freshman algebra teacher told us about Zeno’s Paradox, which the Greek philosopher (Zeno, not my teacher) explained through the story of Achilles and the Tortoise. According to the story, the two were engaged in a footrace, but no matter how much faster Achilles could run compared to the tortoise, he could never quite catch up to him. Why? Because while Achilles could consistently halve the distance between himself and the slower-footed reptile, the gap between the two could be reduced fractionally an indefinite number of times, so, therefore, he could never catch up – theoretically speaking, of course.

I was reminded of that story when I read the media headlines about the release last week of the minutes of the Federal Reserve’s September 20-21 meeting. Once again, the Fed said it was almost, but not quite, ready to tighten monetary policy. This time, the Fed used the words “relatively soon” to describe the timing of its next rate increase, which would be the first one since last December.

“Several members judged that it would be appropriate to increase the target range for the federal funds rate relatively soon if economic developments unfolded about as the committee expected,” the minutes said. Also, those members – still the majority – who still wanted to “await further evidence” before voting for a rate hike said it was a “close call” in their decision to wait.

In other words, like Achilles chasing the tortoise, the Fed just keeps getting closer and closer to raising rates but just never gets to that point. Continue reading "The Fed Tease Continues - But For How Much Longer?"

The Presidential Nominees Are Set

Noah Kiedrowski - INO.com Contributor - Biotech


The political lines have been drawn, it’s Clinton verses Trump. I written several pieces evaluating the massive sell-offs in the biotech sector. Utilizing the iShares Nasdaq Biotechnology ETF (NASDAQ:IBB) as a proxy, I proposed a loose correlation between opportunistic political posturing by political front-runners and the chronic price suppression of IBB. I content that political posturing played a significant role in the sell-off of the healthcare cohort and more specifically biotech stocks. Drug pricing was used as a centerpiece as the scapegoat for political gains. Throughout this political process, this rhetoric has negatively impacted the sector. IBB fell from $401 in July of 2015 to $240 in February of 2016 or alternatively a 40% hit. This sell-off coincided with political rhetoric aimed at the collective cohort of healthcare and biotech companies. I strongly felt that these events were seasonal and would eventually subside without any significant impact to the underlying stocks within IBB. I felt this political induced sell-off presented a great buying opportunity after the 40% decline. I put my money where my mouth was by purchasing two tranches of IBB at a strike price of $250 in February and June during the market-wide sell-off and the Brexit, respectively. I feel that this is great entry point for any long-term investor that desires exposure to the biotechnology sector.

Are Drug Prices Really The Culprit?

In terms of the overall cost to the healthcare system, drugs comprise less than 10% of the pie. Allergan CEO Brent Saunders stated in an interview with Jim Cramer on Mad Money (Figure 1): Continue reading "The Presidential Nominees Are Set"

President Trump? President Clinton? Gold Up In Both Scenarios

Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton may have very little in common, but Barry Allan, vice chair of mining for Mackie Research Capital, says if either moves into the White House, the U.S. dollar will fall and gold will rise. A higher gold price bodes well for gold equities, and in this interview with The Gold Report, Allan and his colleague Ryan Hanley share the names of some of their top picks for this environment.

Donald Trump and Hilary Clinton

The Gold Report: Barry and Ryan, welcome back to Streetwise Reports. I'm excited to get your thoughts on the market and a few stocks. We've had the first wave of a possible uplift in the precious metals markets. The presidential election is coming up in the U.S. in November. What do you think a Donald Trump or a Hillary Clinton win would mean for gold, gold equities and the Canadian dollar?

Barry Allan: Looking at the election from north of the border and as it pertains particularly to gold bullion, we have taken the view that either a Clinton outcome or a Trump outcome would probably lead to a weaker dollar and, hence, a stronger gold price environment. From where we sit, either of those outcomes, whether it would be Trump, which seems to be controversial to say the least, or Clinton, which would result in a much more Canada-like budget, would probably not play well for the U.S. dollar. We see either outcome as being supportive of the gold price.

We also would layer in there oil prices, which we think are probably going to go higher. That will strengthen the Canadian dollar, but it will hurt the U.S. dollar as well. We see all those things conspiring to put us in a reasonably good gold price future.

TGR: Would that bode well for U.S. investors buying Canadian mining stocks? Continue reading "President Trump? President Clinton? Gold Up In Both Scenarios"

Fill In The Caption

I thought I would dust off an old reader favorite today and add a little humor to the New York primary.

Donald TrumpWhat do you think would be the "perfect caption" for this photograph of Donald Trump?

Here's mine: "See, I AM one of you"!

Feel free to leave your caption, but please keep them above board.

For a good chuckle, be sure to read some of the captions from previous Fill In The Caption pictures.