Here's a statement of the obvious: The opinions expressed here are those of the participants, not those of the Mutual Fund Observer. We cannot vouch for the accuracy or appropriateness of any of it, though we do encourage civility and good humor.
As the economy unravels, we will hear a lot more of "It had to be done". As if making us economically weaker accomplishes anything. Ot that they are fighting the "good fight". No proof will ever be forthcoming.
I stand corrected, apparently we have a $31 billion deficit on approximately $765 billion in total trade. Not surprising, as we import 4 million barrels of oil a day from Canada.
I might add that I do not personally consider a trade deficit to be …
That was a $7.4 billion trade surplus with Brazil in 2024. And an increase from 2023. Yet, here we are placing tariffs on Brazil. Even more reason for Brazil to strengthen ties with any partner that isn't engaging in unfair trade practices with them…
Add to all of that the deportations and immigration restrictions that will eliminate the low cost labor that allowed us to compete better with lower income trade partners, and will cut us off from the best and brightest.
Conservatives like to talk…
I had PRHSX for decades. I dumped most of my healthcare holdings before I lost too much of the outsized gains I had accumulated. The weakness started in early 2022.
Your link did not work for me, but this works. I have no idea if he is correct, but it is intriguing and I shall be watching closely and have already begun rebalancing to less stocks/more FI and slowly adding an INTL component, well before reading t…
Three straight losing days despite a flurry of tariff announcements. There is a July jobs report that is expected to be rather grim, and expectations of fewer rate cuts as the year progresses. It looks like the salad days are over!
I may consider …
LOLs all around!
I am in a holding pattern with 58% equities and more cash than ever. I perceive the recent surge of U.S. market gains as mainly based on retail investors buying into smoke and mirrors. If I am wrong, I am still sitting at what is a…
I posted this in the other thread, a short read and worth considering. Basically all smoke and no fire.
https://fortune.com/2025/07/29/markets-europe-pulled-wool-over-trump-eyes/
https://fortune.com/2025/07/29/markets-europe-pulled-wool-over-trump-eyes/
"Analysts are hinting this morning that E.U. officials appear to have pulled the wool over Trump’s eyes in the negotiations. The deal includes $750 billion in “strategic pur…
My takeaways on the linked video are that once you eliminate partisan beliefs, there is almost nothing in the recent government actions that would ever be considered positive economic news. From tariffs above Smoot-Hawley levels to the Big Deficit B…
My local energy company has a competition between neighbors to cut their energy usage. They send customers their personal result as compared with their neighborhood. Why are we asking grandmas to cut heating their homes while building data centers t…
Remember everyone that Trump is responsible for the sun rising, but if his tariffs result in diminished GDP or higher prices, we need to blame someone else. Are we all on board right now?
https://www.cnbc.com/2025/07/26/trump-tariffs-trade-lawsuits.html
-A federal appeals court will soon hear oral arguments in a high-profile lawsuit challenging Trump’s authority to impose sweeping “reciprocal” tariffs.
-The case is the furthest alo…
har, shadowstats is laughable
https://www.reddit.com/r/badeconomics/comments/3zik5t/shadowstatscom/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shadowstats.com
'By 2021, the cumulative estimates of ShadowStats imply an average annual inflation rate of 9% for a…
Oh yeah. Didn't see the actual episode. But, the fact that the WH had a cow about the satire made it all even funnier.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/24/business/media/trump-south-park-colbert-stewart.html
Way to keep the news cycle alive!
LOL - I tend to avoid chat "features". One notable exception was Best Buy. I had made a couple larger purchases, and then within the 30 day window, the items went on sale. I was able to easily, and successfully use their chat to get price adjustment…
https://www.thedailybeast.com/musk-immediately-throws-trumps-suck-up-attempt-back-in-his-face/
Musk isn't accepting Trump's olive branch, which appeared to be an effort to get Musk to stop talking about Epstein and the Big Beautiful Deficit Bill. S…
Agreed. If tariff costs are passed along, they will produce higher prices. If they are absorbed they will impact earnings. I expect a combination of the two to affect consumers and investors.
And I would be wary of issues beginning to arise from o…
@hank I have had a few experiences with varnish type products producing "gas leak like" odors. Doing stain and varnish in the garage, the vapors got into the laundry room and made the running clothes dryer smell like a gas leak. I have also had a si…
By the time anyone is able to validate trade agreement compliance, Trump will be gone. It will take a year, or more, just to get preliminary numbers.
As stated, Japan doesn't want our cars. The exception being Jeeps, and the Jeep brand is no longe…
The markets reaction is like finding out that your cancer is treatable. Not good, but better than the alternative. The other shoe will drop soon enough. Tariffs now stand at 100 year highs. A huge tax increase.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/23/b…
No regrets. I like ideas. What people may do with information is their own responsibility. FR/BL funds have taken a breather. We shall see if they resume their gains. My interest in them is as you stated, a transitionary move, as a cash sub.
I am …
I doubt that I hold these long, if they deteriorate, they will be gone ASAP. Their only purpose is to do better than my ultrashort fund. The BL beats on the 1-mo and the 3-mo, but seems to be slipping on the 5-day. I'm thinking that I missed their r…
Yes, I've seen reports there was only one working camera in the "area" and it was actually missing about three minutes, clearly had been edited, and definitely not the raw source video. Clearly Patel and Bondi are lying, and not even doing a good jo…
Murdoch is a bulldog and far more astute than Trump. They will look to depose Trump under oath and dig up all sorts of things to ask him based on his never-ending blathering. Overall, this will drag out the Epstein narrative for years, if Trump does…
I just had a talk with a friend about diversification etc... He was talking about 60/40 US/INTL and I was talking about just US. So I went and did some back testing using VTSAX (total stock) and VTIAX (total intl) Since 2010, US/INTL only beat US…
Yes, that is indeed an irony. And not just in California. I expect this attempt to remove agriculture workers to fail spectacularly. And H2A visa modernization will be interesting. At present migrant farm workers earn under $2/hr. H2A visa requires …
