I will recommend him to buy more $Visa(V)$share. $Visa(V)$is one of the few mega-cap companies to post an unequivocally positive earnings report this season.As investors digest the impressive results, Visa shares should move higher: The company's fiscal second-quarter earnings leapt to $1.79 per share from $1.38 per share for the same period a year earlier. Importantly, this was miles ahead of analyst expectations at $1.65.Payment volumes also jumped, surging 17% year over year, with all-important cross-border transactions up a sizzling 38%. Those international payments are vital, since Visa gets to keep a much higher take rate on that class of purchases. While the tech sector is having a downbeat earnings seas

Midterm elections could have a profound impact on trading this week. Usually, markets are jumpy going into an election cycle, especially with how contentious the elections have been as of late. Still, this cycle holds particular significance because of its implications on energy and inflation. With the current administration doubling down on their restrictive energy policy, as the world is being throttled on power, any more announcements could cause the markets to move. It's possible we could see more aggressive rate moves coming post-election, and those will start to be indicated as soon as the votes are tallied. With the non-farm number coming in hot this week in the US markets, it's a sign that the actions to date aren't enough to curb the inflation beast. If the republicans gain some g

Midterm elections could have a profound impact on trading this week. Usually, markets are jumpy going into an election cycle, especially with how contentious the elections have been as of late. Still, this cycle holds particular significance because of its implications on energy and inflation.With the current administration doubling down on their restrictive energy policy, as the world is being throttled on power, any more announcements could cause the markets to move. It's possible we could see more aggressive rate moves coming post-election, and those will start to be indicated as soon as the votes are tallied. With the non-farm number coming in hot this week in the US markets, it's a sign that the actions to date aren't enough to curb the inflation beast.If the republicans gain some gro

I like $Apple(AAPL)$ because its shares have a long track record of rewarding investors. In fact, the stock has outperformed the S&P 500 by a wide margin over the last 10, five, three, and one year periods. A close look at the stock and, more importantly, the underlying business suggests there's likely more meaningful growth to come for Apple shareholders. Apple boasts a powerful "engine" of loyal users. The iPhone accounts for over half of the company's annual revenue and is obviously imperative to the business. But the real driver for Apple's business is the user behind the iPhone. The company's efforts to consistently deliver an integrated ecosystem of hardware, software, and services that delight cu

U.S. stocks posted outsized gains Thursday, logging their biggest one-day climb in two years, as Wall Street cheered lighter-than-expected inflation data and monitored midterm election tallies. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) for October reflected a 7.7% increase over last year and 0.4% increase over the prior month, better than Wall Street expected. Economists surveyed by Bloomberg called for a 7.9% annual rise and 0.5% monthly gain. The S&P 500 (^GSPC) rallied 5.5% — its biggest intraday gain since April 2020 — while the Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) jumped 1,200 points, or 3.7%, the most since May 2020. The technology-heavy Nasdaq Composite (^IXIC) advanced a whopping 7.4%, its sharpest climb since emerging from the pandemic crash in March 2020. Meanwhile, Treasury yields tumbl

I vote for $Apple(AAPL)$ because its shares have a long track record of rewarding investors. In fact, the stock has outperformed the S&P 500 by a wide margin over the last 10, five, three, and one year periods. A close look at the stock and, more importantly, the underlying business suggests there's likely more meaningful growth to come for Apple shareholders. Apple boasts a powerful "engine" of loyal users. The iPhone accounts for over half of the company's annual revenue and is obviously imperative to the business. But the real driver for Apple's business is the user behind the iPhone. The company's efforts to consistently deliver an integrated ecosystem of hardware, software, and services that deligh

U.S. stocks drifted higher on Friday to log gains across the board, capping the final full trading week of 2022. When the closing bell rang on Wall Street, the S&P 500 (^GSPC) rose 0.6%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) rose 0.5%, while the technology-heavy Nasdaq Composite (^IXIC) gained 0.2%. The U.S. stock and bond markets will be closed on Monday, Dec. 26, in observance of the Christmas holiday. With Friday's move, the S&P 500 and Dow managed to stave off losses for the week, while the Nasdaq fell around 1.5%. Still, markets are on pace to finish off the worst year for equity markets since 2008 as the trading year wraps up on Friday, December 30. Oil prices ascended Friday and paced toward a big weekly gain as investors expected a drop in supply of Russian crude. WTI cru

As the United States pushes ahead with its steepest interest rate hikes in a generation, investors are unusually poised to buy in Asia's emerging markets, betting authorities can tame inflation without triggering the capital-flight chaos of previous cycles.While no rally is underway, steadying currency, debt and equity markets suggest investors may have already stopped rushing for the exits.Beaten-down currencies such as South Korea's won and the Malaysian ringgit rallied on Thursday, and stock and bond markets in Seoul, Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta and Manila responded positively to the Federal Reserve's latest rate hike. The Fed, which met market expectations with a 75 basis point (bp) rise overnight, has now lifted rates by a total of 150 bps in two meetings - the fastest pace since the early

Stocks closed higher Wednesday after a choppy session as investors looked past Federal Reserve meeting minutes that showed the central bank will remain aggressive in its policy to tame high inflation. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 133 points, or 0.40%, to close at 33,269.77. The S&P 500 climbed 0.75% to 3,825.97 and the Nasdaq Composite gained 0.69% to close at 10,458.76. Bond yields were lower, even as the Fed reiterated that rates would move higher this year. All three indexes notched their first positive close of the year, breaking two consecutive days of losses, after rallying from negative territory in the afternoon. Stocks opened in positive territory Wednesday following Tuesday's rough start to the year, but briefly dipped in the morning following two key economic releas

Investors are gearing up for the flurry of bank earnings that typically mark the start to a new earnings reporting period, with results from JPMorgan (JPM), Citi (C), Wells Fargo (WFC), and Morgan Stanley (MS) all due out. Other companies set to report this week included PepsiCo (PEP) and Delta Air Lines (DAL). Analysts are bracing for a painful earnings season as persistent inflation, higher interest rates, and geopolitical headwinds weigh on companies’ bottom lines. Also on Wall Street’s plate is September consumer price data, one of the most pivotal reports ahead of the FOMC’s next policy-setting meeting in November. While the headline reading is expected to moderate again, all eyes will be on the “core” component of the report, which strips out the volatile food and energy categories.

a). Describe your half-year performance in one word.Funb). What did you learn from a fluctuating market?Volatility or fluctuating market is an inevitable part of investing; a necessary evil and investors must always be prepared to ride the ups and downs. Keeping everything in cash is the most secure thing to do in the short term but keeping too much in the longer term it is likely to be a poor decision. Inflation could gradually erode its spending power. Through compounding more volatile stock market returns, and ignoring short-term noise, I give myself a better chance of meeting long-term financial goals. It is often the case that the market falls more quickly than it rises, which is psychologically challenging. It is particularly bad luck if you have just invested a lump sum, but there i

U.S. equity futures were lower Sunday evening after surging interest rates and foreign currency turmoil pushed the major averages to near their lows of the year.Dow Jones Industrial Average futures fell 0.55%. S&P 500 futures also fell 0.61% and Nasdaq 100 futures dropped 0.65%.On Friday stocks ended a brutal week with the blue-chip Dow finding a new intraday low for the year and closing lower by 486 points. The broad-market S&P 500 temporarily broke below its June closing low and ended down 1.7%. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite lost 1.8%.Investors were reacting to the Federal Reserve's commitment to its rate hiking plan to help tame inflation. At the conclusion of the FOMC meeting, chair Jerome Powell said the central bank could raise rates as high as 4.6% before pulling back. The

Friday was a washout day on Wall Street, with the Dow suffering its worst day since May. All 11 sectors finished down at least 1%, with tech falling more than 4%.Here's how the three major averages faired:The Dow dropped 1,008 points, or 3.03%, for its worst day since May 18. The Dow finished the week down 4.22%.The S&P 500 fell 3.37%, its worst day since June 13, to finish the week down 4.04%.The Nasdaq Composite fell 3.94%, its worst day since June 16, to finish the week down 4.44%.@Daily_Discussion

Intuit was the best-performing stock in the S&P 500, up 5.5%, following strong earnings results and upbeat guidance. CEO Sasan Goodarzi said in a statement that the company is "more confident than ever" in its long-term business strategy.In its fiscal fourth quarter, the business software company behind TurboTax and QuickBooks reported earnings of $1.10 per share on revenue of $2.4 billion. Analysts surveyed by Refinitv were expecting earnings of 98 cents per share on revenue of $2.34 billion in the quarter ending June 30.Meanwhile, Advanced Auto Parts was the worst-performing stock, down 9.6%, after missing earnings expectations and lowering its full-year guidance.The auto parts retailer reported earnings of $3.74 per share on revenue of $2.67 billion. Analysts surveyed by Refinitiv w

No. 1 - I will never buy stocks in businesses that I do not understand. Without proper research, I stand to lose my hard-earned money, particularly if I do not know the company's financial viability. However, when I research and understand a business and its industry, I have a naturally built-in advantage over most other investors. If I invest outside my knowledge base, I may not know the subtleties and complexity of the company in question. Thus, proper due diligence is critical. No 2 - I will never put all my eggs in one basket. If I put all of my eggs into one investment, one negative event could damage my entire portfolio and, therefore, my financial future. Diversifying my portfolio helps reduce my risk so that if one of my investments underperforms, it doesn’t necessarily i

U.S. stock futures fell on Thursday night as Wall Street headed toward a losing week, and traders absorbed an ugly earnings warning from FedEx.Dow Jones Industrial Average futures dropped by 142 points, or 0.46%. S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 futures declined 0.56% and 0.64%, respectively.Shares of FedEx plunged 15% in extended trading after the shipments company withdrew its full-year guidance, and said it will implement cost-cutting initiatives to contend with soft global shipment volumes as "macroeconomic trends significantly worsened."The three major averages were on pace to notch their fourth losing week in five. The Dow Jones Industrial Average declined 3.70% this week, while the S&P 500 is 4.08% lower. The Nasdaq Composite is down 4.62%, headed toward its worst weekly loss since Ju

OPEC+ said in a statement that Monday's decision to revert back to August levels of production was because the upward adjustment was "intended only for the month of September."Oil prices traded sharply higher but were off the day's highs on Monday afternoon. International benchmark Brent crude futures were up 2.5% at $95.54 a barrel at around 1 p.m. ET, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures were up 2.6% at $89.16 a barrel.Oil prices have fallen around 25% since early June after touching multiyear highs in March. The decline has been fueled by growing concerns that interest rate hikes and Covid-related restrictions in parts of China could slow global economic growth and curtail oil demand.@Daily_Discussion