💡Stock Market Weekly Journal | 12.17.23

Pending IPO, Top 3 Stocks, Rate Hikes Explained and more!

Recommendations

If you are like me and like listening to investing information while running errands, I highly recommend joining the network!

🎙️ For years, The Investor’s Podcast Network has chatted with the world’s best investors. With 100+ million downloads, they make podcasts by investors, for investors. 

Now, they’re joining the newsletter space. Get smarter about markets and investing by reading their expert insights daily. 

💡Interesting tweets of the week:

Analysis

Fed Interest Rate Cuts Explained?

📉 Current Dilemma: High Rates, Slow Growth Interest rates are at historic highs, making loans expensive and putting a damper on the housing market and job growth.

🔄 A Turnaround: Fed Signals Rate Cuts In a recent economic projection, the US Federal Reserve hinted at significantly lower rates in the coming year, signaling a potential reversal. This could have widespread positive implications for consumers, businesses, and investors alike.

🏠 Cheaper Borrowing Ahead? Lower rates may translate into cheaper borrowing costs, providing relief for homeowners and businesses. Mortgage rates, currently near a two-decade high, could see a welcome decrease, making the dream of homeownership more attainable.

💼 Boost for Corporate Profits and Stocks With reduced business lending costs, corporate profits may flourish.

🛑 Avoiding Economic Risks Lowering rates could mitigate risks associated with high rates, potentially preventing a hard landing scenario. Central banks have historically struggled to balance economic slowdowns without crashing into recessions, but a measured approach to lower rates might soften the blow.

🌐 Global Impact and Economic Growth Expectations are high, with analysts predicting rate cuts starting in March and continuing through the spring.

🚨 Risks to Consider Lower rates may lead to a decrease in US savings rates, and historically, rate cuts have been associated with concerns about an economic slowdown. Cutting rates DOES NOT mean the cost of food, housing, and cars will get cheaper. In fact, though interest rates will be lower, this will convince people to buy more houses, driving the price higher than it already was.

Last week’s full CPI (Consumer Price Index) report. Here

How Fund Rates Work for Banks
(recommended education)

MARKET INSIGHTS

Login or Subscribe to participate in polls.

Economic Insights

Risk of a Reverse Pivot

Too Much, Too Soon?

The Federal Reserve's attempt to navigate the economic landscape amid inflation concerns has led to a series of rate cuts. While the intention is to stimulate growth and ease financial pressures, I have a growing concern that the aggressive nature of these rate cuts might lead to unintended consequences.

  1. Volatility in the Markets: A Roller Coaster Ride

One potential outcome of a reverse pivot is increased market volatility. While rate cuts can initially boost investor confidence, a hasty and aggressive approach may trigger uncertainty, causing erratic movements in the stock market. Investors may find themselves on a roller coaster ride, grappling with unpredictable shifts in asset prices.

  1. Cost of Living Pressures: Balancing Act Required

A reverse pivot could also impact the cost of living. While lower interest rates aim to spur spending and borrowing, they may contribute to rising prices, exacerbating inflationary pressures. This delicate balancing act requires the Fed to gauge the fine line between stimulating economic activity and preventing an uncontrollable surge in living costs. We talked more about this HERE

Mixed messaging. It’s always two sides!

Inflation is too high... and the path forward is uncertain

Powell, Fed Chair

Potential Scenarios: Holding Rates or Reverse Course?

As the economy walks this tightrope, one plausible scenario is the Fed adopting a more conservative stance, holding rates at a certain level to prevent further inflationary pressures. However, the worst-case scenario could involve a complete reversal, with the Fed forced to increase rates again to counteract the unintended consequences of aggressive cuts.

Investors Lab

Cyclical vs. Non-Cyclical Stocks

Investors often categorize stocks based on their sensitivity to economic cycles, distinguishing between cyclical and non-cyclical stocks.

Cyclical Stocks: Riding the Economic Waves

Cyclical stocks are closely tied to the economic cycle. They thrive during periods of economic expansion but may face challenges during downturns.

image by lehner investments

  • Sensitive to Economic Conditions: These stocks perform well when the economy is booming, as consumer spending and business investments rise.

  • High Beta: Cyclical stocks typically have a higher beta, indicating greater volatility relative to the broader market.

  • Industry Examples: Automotive, construction, and travel industries are often cyclical.

Non-Cyclical Stocks aka Secular or Defense: Stability in Volatility

Non-cyclical stocks, also known as defensive or secular stocks, exhibit more stability and resilience, irrespective of economic conditions.

  • Stability in Downturns: These stocks tend to be more resilient during economic downturns due to the consistent demand for their products or services.

  • Steady Dividends: Non-cyclical stocks often provide steady dividends, appealing to income-focused investors. 7 high-paying dividend companies.

  • Industry Examples: Sectors like healthcare, utilities, and consumer staples are considered non-cyclical.

Companies Going Public

Pending IPO companies!

Reddit Inc. | $15 billion in valuation

  • A Reddit IPO could come as early as the first quarter of 2024, Bloomberg reports.

  • More Info HERE

Panera Brands $7.5 billion

  • To prepare for the IPO, Panera announced plans to lay off 17% of its workforce, aiming to streamline the business and enhance its financial performance.

  • More info HERE

Imagine getting detailed notes like this

3-5 times a week, Top stocks of the week and Daily Pre market notes 
for Less than a McDonald’s lunch meal! ✨ 

Prices will go back to $30/m in 2024.

DISCORD / TELEGRAM TRADE RECAP

Premium Daily Insights

Stocks mentioned in our Daily Analysis

$CHWY
Bought at $18, and this saw a high of $22.

Discord/Telegram Alerts
(results)

Golden Play:
$TSLA 255c
Bought for $70 and took a profit at $500. +700% return! 

Others:
$SQ 90c (this was a swing trade from 2 months ago)
Bought for $36 dollars and took a partial profit at $270. +700% return! 

Did you make money in the stock market this month?

Login or Subscribe to participate in polls.

What’s next? Deep dive into weekly levels and stocks on our radar!

Subscribe to Unlock Exclusive Investment Ideas & Trading Entries to read the rest.

Become a paying subscriber of Unlock Exclusive Investment Ideas & Trading Entries to get access to this post and other subscriber-only content.

Already a paying subscriber? Sign In

A subscription gets you:
Elite Investing: Follow the Wealthy Investors
Equity Swing Trade Ideas for Proactive Investors
Strategic Midweek Update. Tuesday/Thursday based on market conditions
Stocks, Options, E-mini Futures

Reply

or to participate.