Mike's Spotlight

Crisis Portfolio Building 2.0 – Live Stream Webinars

on Friday, 5 June 2020 13:48

Back by popular demand, Ryan Irvine and Aaron Dunn of Keystone Financial are sharing their strategies to survive and thrive in this crisis. Is this a tipping point for for behavioural and technological change in areas such as work from home, cloud computing, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, the internet-of-things and more? Considering their 2020 World Outlook Small Cap portfolio is up an average of 24.67% already – this event will be worth your while. ~ Ed
* June 9th @ 6:00pm Pacific / 7:00pm Mountain time
* June 16th @4:00pm Pacific / 5:00pm Mountain time
CLICK HERE to register

History Suggests Record 50-Day Stock Market Rally May Be Just The Beginning

Posted by Wayne Duggan

on Friday, 5 June 2020 8:35

The S&P 500 has gained a record 39.6% since it hit its 2020 low back on March 23. Not only has that rally erased much of the year’s COVID-19-related losses, it’s also the best 50-day stretch in the history of the market.

After such a strong rally, traders are understandably getting uneasy the market is overbought and due for a pullback. However, from a purely historical perspective, the strongest 50-day periods have generally led to even more gains over the year that follows, according to LPL Financial Senior Market Strategist Ryan Detrick…CLICK for complete article

All of the World’s Money and Markets in One Visualization

Posted by Jeff Desjardins

on Thursday, 4 June 2020 11:56

In the current economic circumstances, there are some pretty large numbers being thrown around by both governments and the financial media.

The U.S. budget deficit this year, for example, is projected to hit $3.8 trillion, which would be more than double the previous record set during the financial crisis ($1.41 trillion in FY2009). Meanwhile, the Fed has announced “open-ended” asset-buying programs to support the economy, which will add even more to its current $7 trillion balance sheet.

Given the scale of these new numbers—how can we relate them back to the more conventional numbers and figures that we may be more familiar with? CLICK for complete article

Why The Recovery Will Fall Short of Forecasts

Posted by Michael Lebowitz & Jack Scott

on Wednesday, 3 June 2020 10:29

Market pundits seem to have strong opinions about how fast or slow the economic recovery will be once it starts. Such clairvoyance is stunning given the uncertainty of the current GDP forecast, which is already two-thirds in the books.

If the world’s leading economists cannot come to any consensus about today, why should we assume anyone has clarity for tomorrow? 

We do not have great clarity either, but we can provide guidance using what we know about the past and present. Our logic presented here is grounded in optimistic assumptions and historical data. The result is an outcome that is well below the hope-based forecasts of most economists.

Quite frankly, what we present today may be the best possible scenario. It strays far from the popular narrative but deserves serious consideration… CLICK for complete article

The Disconnect Is Getting Wider And Wider

Posted by Tyler Durden

on Wednesday, 3 June 2020 7:02

What rioting, what 40 million unemployed, what second wave? The MSCI All Country World Index has risen for 8 days in a row, a testament to the fact that not only retail investors but global markets now view stocks as a risk free asset, assuring that the next bursting of the bubble will be unforgettable, prompting even Bill Dudley to say on BBG TV that “some Fed intervention has created a bit of moral hazard.” That’s right Bill, and it may have something to do with the fact that overnight America burned for an 8th consecutive day in nationwide riots as tens of thousands of people defied U.S. curfews to take to the streets.

Anyway, until the next crash all one can do is buy, confident that central banks will always be there to step in and bail everyone out, and sure enough world shares hit three-month highs on Wednesday and the dollar fell for the sixth day on the usual narrative of “hope” and “optimism” for more monetary stimulus and the global economic reopening, while ignoring the worst civil unrest in the United States in 50 years as well as rising COVID-19 tolls. Read More