Investing Thread

[The Sultan]

Hey, can both of you find another place to have your debate? This topic shouldn't be shut down because y'all can't help yourselves.

[MU82]

Not exactly. He pardoned his son-in-law's father who served time for a crime which is quite different than pardoning your immediate family for crimes they MAY have committed and escaping any consequences.

I was gonna respond similarly to Hards because it's laughable that anyone who supports the current president would criticize ANY other president's pardons ... but Sultan is right: This is the Investing Thread, so can we stick to the topic?

I bought a little Merck (MRK) today after the company released a very good earnings report but offered only muted guidance due to tariff uncertainty. Shares went down 3% shortly after market open, and I thought they presented a compelling value. I generally like boring, defensive, dividend-growing stocks, and I like to buy them when they appear to be "on sale."

[Hards Alumni]

Hey, can both of you find another place to have your debate? This topic shouldn't be shut down because y'all can't help yourselves.

I'm sorry, newly appointed moderator!

[The Sultan]

I'm sorry, newly appointed moderator!

OK, I will just report it to the moderators instead of appealing to y'all to follow the rules so a topic that I like to follow may be kept open.

Noted for future reference. Thanks.

[Hards Alumni]

OK, I will just report it to the moderators instead of appealing to y'all to follow the rules so a topic that I like to follow may be kept open.

Noted for future reference. Thanks.

huh

[rocky_warrior]

JFC!  @muwarrior69 @Hards Alumni knock it off.  @MU82 (and others), you started it!

[rocky_warrior]

Sold a bit today (including the BROS I picked up again a few weeks ago).  I still think earnings in the next couple quarters are going to be relatively bad, so this little rally is a gift if you were looking to exit any specific positions.

However, I'm still holding my all my index funds, long game there.

[tower912]

DM's are your friend.  Then you don't have to pull punches or worry about bans.

[MU82]

Related to investing, because it goes to investor psychology, consumer sentiment and available funds: Home Sales in March Fell 5.9%, Biggest Drop Since 2022

https://www.wsj.com/economy/housing/home-sales-march-2025-drop-mortage-rates-1f9a6047?

Sales of existing homes in March posted their biggest monthly decline in more than two years, after mounting economic uncertainty roiled the housing market at the start of the critical spring selling season.

U.S. existing-home sales fell 5.9% in March from the prior month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.02 million, the National Association of Realtors said Thursday. That marked the biggest month-over-month decline since November 2022. It was also the slowest sales pace for any March since 2009, which was near the peak of the financial crisis.

The sharp drop in sales dashes early hopes that this spring would offer signs of a turnaround. The season is usually the busiest time for home sales because many buyers with children want to move homes over the summer, and sellers wait until the spring to list their homes to meet that higher demand.

So far this spring, supply is increasing faster than demand. The inventory of homes for sale is rising, because some sellers who have been waiting for mortgage rates to fall have decided they can't keep waiting. The average rate on the standard 30-year fixed mortgage was essentially flat this week at 6.81%, according to mortgage-finance giant Freddie Mac.

But with home prices near record highs and mortgage rates holding above 6.5%, buyers are being choosy. That is setting the stage for potentially a third straight year of anemic sales activity, after sales fell in 2023 and 2024 to levels not seen since the mid-1990s.

[Jockey]

One thing my Scoop history suggests is that you are easily swayed by crackpot conspiracy theories generally embraced by those who are not terribly intelligent.

Fox Business correspondent Charles Gasparino reported Thursday that unnamed "people inside the Trump White House are alerting Wall Street execs they are nearing an agreement in principle on trade with India." Gasparino cited "senior Wall Street execs" with ties to the Trump White House.


Might this be called manipulation? As the leader of groupthink here on Scoop, you would probably call it a crazy conspiracy theory.

[The Sultan]

Fox Business correspondent Charles Gasparino reported Thursday that unnamed "people inside the Trump White House are alerting Wall Street execs they are nearing an agreement in principle on trade with India." Gasparino cited "senior Wall Street execs" with ties to the Trump White House.


Might this be called manipulation? As the leader of groupthink here on Scoop, you would probably call it a crazy conspiracy theory.

Are you a dentist?

[SoCalEagle]

Fox Business correspondent Charles Gasparino reported Thursday that unnamed "people inside the Trump White House are alerting Wall Street execs they are nearing an agreement in principle on trade with India." Gasparino cited "senior Wall Street execs" with ties to the Trump White House.


Might this be called manipulation? As the leader of groupthink here on Scoop, you would probably call it a crazy conspiracy theory.

Only 194 more countries to go!!!!

[Jockey]

Only 194 more countries to go!!!!

And only a few dozen more billionaires to tip off.

[MU82]

Only 194 more countries to go!!!!

I just hope we hold the line and refuse to negotiate with the Heard and McDonald Islands. The penguins have been ripping us off bigly for years!

[Jockey]

I just hope we hold the line and refuse to negotiate with the Heard and McDonald Islands. The penguins have been ripping us off bigly for years!

I might even call that a conspiracy.

[forgetful]

Only 194 more countries to go!!!!

Korea should have been the easiest one, their tariff rate on the US was 0.79%, with almost all of the tariffs being on agriculture products that every nation has to have in order to protect their domestic food supply.

It'd be funny if the final deal they negotiate is actually worse than the KORUS FTA which was already binding and congressionally approved.

[Jockey]

Korea should have been the easiest one, their tariff rate on the US was 0.79%, with almost all of the tariffs being on agriculture products that every nation has to have in order to protect their domestic food supply.

It'd be funny if the final deal they negotiate is actually worse than the KORUS FTA which was already binding and congressionally approved.

Nothing is binding.

[MU82]

As Mark Twain might have said, reports of California's demise were greatly exaggerated.

The state now has the world's 4th-largest economy with a GDP of $4.1 trillion, recently passing Japan ($4T). Now only the U.S. ($29T), China ($19T) and Germany ($4.7T) are ahead of California.

Meanwhile, California has experienced population growth in each of the last three years, has more residents than it did in 2017, and is still by far the nation's most populous state.

The flow of major corporations out of California was a very real thing for about a decade but it has slowed to a trickle. New companies are moving into the state, and others, such as Visa, Ford and Nintendo, are significantly expanding operations there. Texas had surpassed California for the state with the most Fortune 500 companies, but California has reclaimed the "title." (Cal now has 57, followed by Tex and NY with 52 each.)

I own stock positions in numerous companies HQed in California, including AAPL, GOOGL, NVDA, AMGN, DIS, META, ADBE, LRCX, SRE, V.

[JWags85]

Fox Business correspondent Charles Gasparino reported Thursday that unnamed "people inside the Trump White House are alerting Wall Street execs they are nearing an agreement in principle on trade with India." Gasparino cited "senior Wall Street execs" with ties to the Trump White House.

Snark and cynicism aside, this is easily the most important agreement outside of China.  If the aggression is gonna keep up with China, India becomes very attractive as an alternative especially if Modi and Trump are playing nice.

The entire diamond and jewellery industry, of which the US is the largest consumer market, is currently basically on hold waiting for this particular negotiation, more or less.

Additionally, there is a ton of tech and other manufacturing in India that largely exists only for the India market (as Ive talked about the inability of Indian companies to work internationally/sell outside India).  From people I talk to over there, there is substantial opportunity for that to expand outwards and for other global customers to subcontract it.

That is if India and Pakistan don't start lobbing nukes at each other.

[Jockey]

I was being neither snarky or cynical. I also was not minimizing the importance of a deal with India.

Simply pointing out another incident of manipulating the market.

[Jay Bee]

Nothing is binding.

Then you've never seen reeko in one of his many corsets

[Uncle Rico]

Then you've never seen reeko in one of his many corsets

Does that image titillate you?  It must if you had it in your head

[muwarrior69]

As Mark Twain might have said, reports of California's demise were greatly exaggerated.

The state now has the world's 4th-largest economy with a GDP of $4.1 trillion, recently passing Japan ($4T). Now only the U.S. ($29T), China ($19T) and Germany ($4.7T) are ahead of California.

Meanwhile, California has experienced population growth in each of the last three years, has more residents than it did in 2017, and is still by far the nation's most populous state.

The flow of major corporations out of California was a very real thing for about a decade but it has slowed to a trickle. New companies are moving into the state, and others, such as Visa, Ford and Nintendo, are significantly expanding operations there. Texas had surpassed California for the state with the most Fortune 500 companies, but California has reclaimed the "title." (Cal now has 57, followed by Tex and NY with 52 each.)

I own stock positions in numerous companies HQed in California, including AAPL, GOOGL, NVDA, AMGN, DIS, META, ADBE, LRCX, SRE, V.

New Jersey's GDP (800B) relative to CA GDP (4T) is about the same as CA has nearly 5 times the population. Now CA compared to India, that is impressive.

[Jockey]

Then you've never seen reeko in one of his many corsets

Can you describe it for me?

Lotsa derails.

[MU82]

New Jersey's GDP (800B) relative to CA GDP (4T) is about the same as CA has nearly 5 times the population. Now CA compared to India, that is impressive.

Cool.