He feels threatened and his latest threat should be taken seriously — despite what some commentators say — On Sept. 22 Putin said this: “This is not a bluff. And those who try to blackmail us with nuclear weapons should know that the weathervane can turn and point towards them.” Immediately various commentators began to downplay his threat as a negotiating ploy. The Washington Post called it “nuclear…

Customs and Border Protection shows over 2.7 million illegal crossings in the last year — The Customs and Border Protection division of the Department of Homeland Security reported on Sept. 14 that the U.S. has had 2.7 million nationwide “encounters” at the border over the last year. You can see in the graph below that I have prepared from their monthly data that this number…

Especially with the company’s large buybacks — Apple (AAPL) stock took a hit on Tuesday Sept. 13 after the disastrous inflation results. It closed down for the week by about 6%. At $150.70 on Friday, Sept. 16, it is now down over 17% year-to-date (YTD). Don’t count on AAPL stock staying down for long. One reason could…

The CPI-W inflation rate rose 8.3% in August, implying a Q3 rate of 8.7% — The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that CPI-U inflation came in at 8.3%, down slightly from 8.5% last month. The more critical CPI-W rate, which the Social Security Administration uses to calculate the benefits COLA (cost of living adjustment) hikes, came in at 8.7%. CPI-W stands for the Consumer Price…

The annual COLA Hike depends on the monthly CPI-W average during Q3 — Every year the Social Security Administration (SSA) raises the Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA). The annual COLA is based on the average inflation numbers for each month during Q3. This article will show how we can estimate that the annual 2023 COLA hike could be as much as 8.8% or…

These 3 high-tech stocks look like bargains now — Microsoft For example, Microsoft (MSFT) recently reported stellar Q2 results on July 26 with a 34.3% free cash flow (FCF) margin. MSFT stock is now trading at a bargain valuation. For example, MSFT is down over 3.9% in the past week and is off almost 23.5% YTD. …

KB Home (KBH) stock is dirt cheap today at 3x forward earnings, well below its historical valuation metrics. In addition, it offers enterprising investors attractive short put and short call income plays. The homebuilder reported sales up 19% YoY in Q2 for the period ending May 31 and plenty of…

Chevron’s record free cash flow will allow it to raise its dividend and buybacks over the next year — Chevron used its record free cash flow to pay dividends, reduce debt, purchase renewal energy companies, and increased its buyback activity. Expect Chevron to hike its dividend, keep on repurchasing large amounts of its stock and find other ways to spend its massive free cash flow. Chevron Corp (CVX) reported…

These 2 stocks have good earnings, high yields and now have good short put income plays — These 2 oil and gas stocks have low price-to-earnings and high yields, and they have out-of-the-money (OTM) short put income plays worth investing in over the next month. Marathon Oil Corp (MRO) The first one is Marathon Oil Corporation (MRO), which produces most of its money from the Bakken fields in North Dakota and…