Everyone wants to be a contrarian investor these days. Look no further than your friend’s kid day-trading his life away. Maybe to profitability. But it’s a long way to the finish line. Tired of hearing the war stories? Then let’s run a test. Ask Mr. Smarty Pants about buying a condo in China. That’s what I thought, “Are you kidding?” will be the typical response. But isn’t yesterday’s drop in stocks a unique buying opportunity? You know, everyone wants to buy the dips, but knowing it’s a dip and not a crater is about as reliable as a fortune cookie prediction. We’ll know what this one is … [Read more...]

OK, you know how I feel about your lazy cash sitting on its butt on your couch all day long. It’s time to get it up and moving. Time to get it working for you. Because summer’s over and chances are your cash is doing the same thing today as it was on the Fourth of July. Nothing. Not good. Don’t let inertia beat you down. This is your house. But how do you get your cash working when it doesn’t listen to you? Easy. Remember, I’m Your Survival Guy not your “let’s throw some money at this and see how it plays out” guy. Your cash is as precious as ever, even though it drives you nuts … [Read more...]

You probably never imagined an America where shortages are "now the norm." But that's exactly how the Biden-economy is being described by Reuters. Howard Schneider and Timothy Aeppel report for Reuters: Shortages of metals, plastics, wood and even liquor bottles are now the norm. The upshot is a world where buyers must wait for delivery of items that were once plentiful, if they can get them at all. [Lauren] Rash [owner of Diamond Brand tent manufacturer] has piles of tents she can’t ship because she can’t get the right aluminum tubing for their frames, for instance, while others lack the … [Read more...]

You know I'm no fan of George Soros, (especially since he gave $1 million to reelect Gavin Newsom) but when it comes to BlackRock and their meddling in China, he has a point. In a recent op-ed, Soros points out the hypocrisy in BlackRock's promotion of ESG funds here in the United States, and its foray into Chinese investing. He wrote: BlackRock takes its responsibilities for its clients’ money seriously and is a leader in the environmental, social and governance movement. But it appears to misunderstand President Xi Jinping’s China. The firm seems to have taken the statements of Mr. … [Read more...]

I can’t believe I’m agreeing with George Soros of all people, but what he writes here is correct (except for the part about ESG investing). What’s incredible to me is George Soros has spent the last years of his life fighting tooth and nail against America. Why the change of heart? Perhaps he’s got some money stuck in China? BlackRock, the world’s largest asset manager, has begun a major initiative in China. On Aug. 30 it launched a set of mutual funds and other investment products for Chinese consumers. The New York-based firm is the first foreign-owned company allowed to do so. The launch … [Read more...]

There has been a wave of fund companies rebranding their funds as "green" or ESG in order to generate inflows and to cash in on these investment trends. For them, it's about the fees, not about any lofty goals. Shane Shifflett reports in The Wall Street Journal: Fund companies are rebranding their out-of-fashion investment offerings as green, hoping to grab a portion of the cash pouring into sustainable products. In some cases, the rebranding has been in name only. Last year, companies that manage mutual funds and exchange-traded funds rebranded a record 25 funds as sustainable, according … [Read more...]

It's hard to imagine how the Biden administration, with a straight face, can blame the meatpacking industry for inflation, while at the same time handing out checks like candy, and supporting the Federal Reserve's policy of nearly unlimited liquidity. But it's happening. Rather than take responsibility for driving up the prices on Americans' favored forms of protein, Biden & Co. are instead choosing to blame businesses. In what may have been one of the most tone-deaf speeches ever, Biden's Director of the National Economic Council Brian Deese told Americans that if you remove beef, … [Read more...]

On Tuesday, the price of bitcoin dropped 17% in just a few minutes. Whether or not you believe in the merits of bitcoin, Blockchain, or cryptocurrency at all, you have to ask yourself if you need that kind of volatility in your portfolio. Caitlin Ostroff explains what happened in The Wall Street Journal, writing: Bitcoin’s selloff eased Wednesday, offering some respite to holders of the volatile cryptocurrency after a flash crash a day earlier erased billions of dollars in its value. The largest cryptocurrency by market value fell 1.3% to settle at $46,154.44 apiece, according to 5 p.m. ET … [Read more...]