Yet, the point of this post isn’t about the upcoming earnings—that’s short-term. I want to highlight a major trend where Apple is cementing its leadership while no other tech companies are making similar strides: health tech. This is not entirely new; Apple Watch has included fitness tracking and heart rate monitoring for years. Apple continued to improve by adding features like sleep monitoring, ECG, and blood oxygen measurement, expanding its capabilities in health monitoring. Additionally, Apple has been criticized for being slow to the AI race, where rivals like Microsoft and Alphabet are seen as leaders in this hot new field. Last week, Apple’s stock was briefly overtaken by Nvidia, losing its crown as the most valuable company globally by market cap. While it has since reclaimed the
Why Is the Stock Market Coming Down Year end ? Several factors could explain the recent drop. GDP Concerns: The U.S. economy grew at 2.8% in the third quarter, missing the 3.1% forecast. U.S. stocks have been buoyed by strong economic growth and low unemployment, despite high interest rates. Yet, fears of a recession linger, and investors are especially sensitive to any slowdown signals. The third-quarter GDP miss reignited these concerns. Rising Bond Yields Despite Fed Cuts: Bond yields have continued to rise even as the Fed cuts rates. This can partly be attributed to overly optimistic market expectations for rate cuts, which initially factored in 0.5% reductions but have since been adjusted to a more modest 0.25%. Additionally, the growing U.S. debt burden means higher yields may be nee
Bloomberg recently reported that while 75% of companies have beaten analysts' estimates, this is the lowest rate since 4Q2022. In other words, a 75% beat rate no longer signifies a standout performance, as companies are typically expected to exceed estimates due to conservative management guidance. Microsoft delivered a 16% year-over-year (YoY) revenue growth, surpassing analysts' expectations. However, its share price declined by 3.71% in after-hours trading.Although a breakdown of the next quarter’s guidance for the Azure + Cloud segment wasn’t provided, this segment has maintained over 30% YoY growth in recent quarters, including the latest. This consistency is reassuring, yet Microsoft’s overall revenue growth forecast of 10.6% might signal a potential slowdown in Azure + Cloud as well
While deploying a momentum-based strategy can be challenging for individual investors, there are now several momentum ETFs available. However, many of these ETFs fail to outperform index returns, making it more practical for investors to simply buy the S&P 500 ETF. Momentum capitalizes on delayed reactions and herd behavior among investors. We see this in daily life, such as when we choose a restaurant with rave reviews and long lines. A recent example in the stock market is Nvidia, where the AI narrative attracted investors, and as the share price climbed, more investors piled in, driving it even higher. A common concern is the risk of a price collapse. That's why a systematic approach to taking profits and limiting losses is crucial for managing risk in momentum strategies.That said,
Tesla plans to begin producing the Cybercab before 2027, though Musk acknowledged potential delays. As for the Robovan, a specific production timeline remains elusive. Both vehicles will form the backbone of Tesla’s new business model, positioning the company to compete with Alphabet’s Waymo, General Motors’ Cruise, and ride-sharing titans like Uber and Lyft. However, despite the fanfare, the event focused more on long-term vision than immediate deliverables. Musk shared little about Tesla’s driverless taxi business model, and there was no mention of the ride-hailing app Tesla previewed to investors earlier this year. Musk’s lofty ambitions are not new. He predicted fully autonomous Teslas by 2017 and robotaxis by 2020—both timelines that have since passed without realization. This has lef
With the latest new in Middle East .The Middle East conflict is worsening. In 2023, Hamas attacked Israel and took hostages back to Gaza. Israel retaliated by invading Gaza, and the situation remains unresolved. Israel is now battling on a second front, engaging Hezbollah, and in October, it invaded Lebanon. Last week, Iran launched 180 ballistic missiles at Israel, most of which were intercepted. In response, it is expected that Israel will retaliate, and there are rumors that Iran’s oil facilities may be the target. Iran, a member of OPEC, accounts for about 3% of global output. While this is not a significant share, especially considering the economic sanctions Iran faces that restrict its supplies from reaching most markets, the real issue is Iran’s geographic influence. Iran controls
Have U heard of PayPal ,as a digital wallet, PayPal also faces intense competition from Apple Pay and Google Pay. These two platforms have significant advantages in hardware and operating systems, boasting massive user bases and easily integrating their digital wallets into their existing ecosystems. The development of NFC technology was also a boon for both Apple and Google, enhancing their convenience for in-person payments. Personally, I regularly use Apple Pay because it’s so convenient, whereas I haven't used PayPal for years. One reason for this decline is external and beyond PayPal’s control. During the pandemic, when people were confined to their homes, online transactions surged, and PayPal thrived. This period also saw a spike in interest in fintech, and as a major player in the
Intel has also secured a $3.5 billion government grant to manufacture chips for the U.S. military, another avenue for continued government support to bolster U.S. semiconductor manufacturing capabilities. The biggest news, however, is the rumor that Qualcomm might launch a takeover of Intel. This would make strategic sense, giving Qualcomm a foothold in both the mobile and desktop computing markets. Even so, I believe the foundry business should still be spun off eventually. Separately, Apollo Global Management has expressed interest to invest $5 billion into Intel in exchange for a stake. Intel’s CEO, Pat Gelsinger, is crafting a plan to rescue the company. Intel has announced layoffs of 15% of its workforce and plans to reduce capital expenditures to $21.5 billion by 2025, a 17% decrease
Should foreign investors be interested in the China securities stock A 500 ETFs,? The good news is that these ETFs listed on Mainland exchanges are available through Stock Connect, enabling foreign investors to buy and sell them once they begin trading.A major limitation of the CSI A500 is its lack of representation of Hong Kong-listed counters and U.S. ADRs. This has long been an issue with China's equity markets, as they are fragmented with restrictions. Foreigners can only access A-shares through the Stock Connect program via Hong Kong, and mainland investors have quotas for investing in overseas stocks, such as U.S. ADRs. Many of China’s big tech companies, like Tencent, Alibaba, Meituan, and PDD, are listed in Hong Kong or the U.S. As a result, the CSI A500 has a smaller alloca
Regardless of whether you choose to invest for the longer term or just want to make a short term play, the key is to take action before it’s too late. some market watchers have warned that if the Fed does not cut rates fast enough, the Fed may be too late to prevent a recession. If the Fed cut rates fast enough, the S-REITs will transition of growth where they would see higher revenue, lower interest expenses and higher valuations. This would also allow them to carry out acquisitions to further boost DPU growth.Cromwell European Real Estate Investment Trust and ESR-LOGOS REIT are two REITs that can be viewed as shorter term speculative plays, as investors lean towards smaller logistics/industrial plays. These REITS have shown some resilience, with low-teens to high single-digits DPU declin
You might have seen many charts showing that September has historically delivered the lowest returns among all months, and some data even suggest that these poor returns have worsened in recent years. This trend could be amplified by the widespread distribution of such information through social media, creating a self-fulfilling prophecy where more investors decide to sell off stocks in September, anticipating declines.This bearish trend is not limited to U.S. stocks alone. Globally, stocks have also tended to perform poorly in September. This is not entirely surprising, considering that many international stock markets often take their cue from the U.S. markets. When something spooks U.S. investors, it typically has a ripple effect, causing anxiety among investors worldwide. While it appe
In 2022, PepsiCo invested $550 million in Celsius for an 8.5% ownership stake, at a market cap of approximately $7 billion. Celsius currently has a market cap of about $9.4 billion. These partnerships enable the younger brands to leverage Coca-Cola and Pepsi's extensive distribution networks, allowing them to reach the market much faster than they could on their own. Meanwhile, the established beverage giants benefit by avoiding the need to develop their own energy drink brands, instead backing products that have already demonstrated traction. It's a win-win partnership for both sides Energy drink stocks, Monster Beverage (NASDAQ: MNST) and Celsius (NASDAQ: CELH), have both struggled in the year to date and over the past 12 months. Monster has declined 20% YTD and 18% over the past year. H
Starbucks has already begun to see revenue declines in the U.S. since the start of this year, and its guidance for FY24 projects flat or single-digit declines in revenue growth. Let's start by discussing the economic slowdown. Starbucks' revenue growth is often seen as an indicator of economic strength and consumer confidence. When the economic outlook is positive and consumers have higher disposable income, Starbucks typically experiences increased demand for its coffee. This is largely because Starbucks charges a premium for its products, making it a form of discretionary spending. During periods of high inflation and slower economic growth, however, Starbucks is often one of the first expenditures consumers cut back on to save money and focus on essentials. This trend is evident now, as
I think Cutting rates would lower short-term interest rates and could potentially un-invert the yield curve. While some have argued that the inverted yield curve might not be a reliable recession predictor this time, I believe it's too early to conclude. Historically, recessions have often followed the un-inversion of the yield curve, which could happen if three rate cuts totaling a 0.75% reduction in short-term rates boost the yield curve back into positive territory. This could then lead to an official recession declaration. If that happens, it typically signals that the stock market has bottomed and is poised for a subsequent rally.Not only in September, but the futures market is also predicting more than a 50% chance for rate cuts in November and December. After the recent FOMC meeting
The “Magnificent 7” (MAGS) declined by 5.7% this week, dragging down the Nasdaq 100 (QQQ) and the S&P 500 (SPY) by 4.3% and 1.7%, respectively. Meanwhile, small caps, represented by the Russell 2000 (IWM), have risen by 1.4%. The winners are small caps once more, with the Russell 2000 Value (IWN) outperforming its growth counterpart (IWO), gaining 1.8% compared to IWO’s 0.4% gain. We should view this positively rather than negatively. The dominance of Big Tech has been overdone and overdue for a correction. Investors have been complaining about the lack of a broad market recovery, and now we’re finally seeing it. As the leaders wane, the laggards are rising, leading to a more balanced and healthy market environment. The S&P 500 has had a fantastic run since the start of 2023, and t
Why did small-cap and value stocks take so long to rally considering the “higher for longer” interest rate theme has been running for a while? It’s likely because the AI rally captured most of investors’ attention. This may be a delayed effect in a small-cap value rally. At the same time, we shouldn’t write off growth stocks altogether. There is no certainty that the small-cap value rally will sustain, as it did fizzle out for months after a brief rally at the start of 2024. Also, AI-related stocks have run up so much that experiencing some correction is warranted and I won’t say the AI run is over just yet. One might ask why the increased market expectation of a looming rate cut helped value small caps and not growth stocks, since lower rates are better for the latter