The Economics of Disney buying Marvel 10 years ago

by chartr When Disney bought Marvel 10 years ago they acquired the rights to some of the most beloved superhero characters of all time. They also seemed to acquire a super power of their own: flawless execution at churning out blockbuster hits. Even after the modest successes of Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk, no-one … Read more

The market is being propped up by a narrowing group of leaders. Not a good omen. With the overall index making new highs, the internals are abysmal.

via Kevin C. Smith, CFA: The market is being propped up by a narrowing group of leaders. Not a good omen. The deteriorating breadth is most evident in the NASDAQ Composite, home to the leading growth stocks of this cycle. With the overall index making new highs, the internals are abysmal.    

The market’s so-called depth has become so shallow that stocks are increasingly vulnerable to exacerbated moves, according to J.P. Morgan

The market’s so-called depth has become so shallow that stocks are increasingly vulnerable to exacerbated moves, according to J.P. Morgan. Market depth here is measured by the volume of orders on both bid and ask side for the S&P 500 E-mini futures contract. “In our mind, this persistently low market depth leaves U.S. equities vulnerable … Read more

40 Million Americans Had Their Credit Card Declined In The Past Year

via valuewalk: bout 40 million Americans had a credit card declined in the past year, according to a new report from CompareCards.com, a LendingTree company that helps consumers improve their credit health. Having a credit card declined can be surprising, embarrassing and frustrating. It can be the result of a big mistake you made – like paying late or … Read more

Trump Administration Moves to End Food Stamps for 3 Million People

via Yahoo: (Bloomberg) — The Trump administration is moving to end food stamp benefits for 3 million people with proposed new regulations curtailing the leeway of states to automatically enroll residents who receive welfare benefits. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said state governments “have misused this flexibility.” “We are changing the rules, preventing abuse of a … Read more

France & the New Digital Tax

by Martin Armstrong The French GAFA tax is an acronym for Google, Apple, Facebook and Amazon which the French government has just passed. They are imposing a 3% tax on all business in France. The US has promised retaliation. This is part of the entire problem the world faces with trade. A lot of people … Read more

Hottest Phones for Next Billion Users — Aren’t Smartphones

NEW DELHI—The hottest phones for the world’s next billion users aren’t made by smartphone leaders Samsung Electronics Co. or Apple Inc. In fact, they aren’t even smartphones. Millions of first-time internet consumers from the Ivory Coast to India and Indonesia are connecting to the web on a new breed of device that only costs about $25. The gadgets look like the inexpensive Nokia Corp. NOK +1.07% phones that were big … Read more

50 miles of new Border Wall completed… Debunked

https://www.cbp.gov/newsroom/national-me…order-wall WASHINGTON – U.S. Customs and Border Protection has completed construction of approximately 50 miles of new bollard wall projects authorized by funding from fiscal years 2017 and 2018. Since January 2017, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) have received funding to support construction of up to approximately … Read more