Cannabis Stocks Rally Despite Lack Of News
by ValueWalk - March 2nd, 2021 5:01 pm
By Michelle Jones. Originally published at ValueWalk.
Cannabis stocks are rallying today, driven by little news. Tilray popped 14% after opening bell this morning, while Aphria was up 10%. Canopy Growth rose by about 5%, while Cronos gained 4%, and Aurora Cannabis gained more than 7%.
Q4 2020 hedge fund letters, conferences and more
Cannabis stocks rally with little news
The rally in cannabis stocks continued for a second day after Virginia lawmakers voted to legalize recreational marijuana over the weekend, sending a few related bills to the governor’s desk. Gov. Ralph Northam hasn’t signed the legislation yet, but he is expected to do so soon.
The new laws will legalize recreational marijuana starting in 2024, although they also allow flower sales in Virginia beginning in the fall. Virginia is set to become the first southern state to make recreational pot legal. However, USA Today reports that critics have blasted the bills’ delay, saying it extends the unjust treatment of people of color in the criminal justice system.
So far, 16 states and the District of Columbia have voted to legalize recreational marijuana, including Virginia. Thirty-six states allow for medical use of marijuana.
The problem with buying pot stocks now
Many investors have been snapping up weed stocks because they expect recreational pot to be legalized at the federal level during the Biden administration. However, many of the cannabis stocks that have been rallying are Canadian firms, which means they won’t benefit if marijuana is legalized at the federal level in the U.S. Current law requires cannabis to be grown in the U.S., so lawmakers would have to change that law before Canadian marijuana growers would be able to benefit from federal legalization.
The rally in cannabis stocks may be a bit premature, as there is no guarantee that recreational pot will be legalized in the U.S. President Joe Biden has supported decriminalization and rescheduling of marijuana, which are different from full legalization.
Decriminalizing means loosening the criminal penalties associated with personal cannabis use, but it keeps manufacturing and sale of the drug illegal. If pot is decriminalized, it would mean law enforcement would just ignore possession of small amounts of pot held for personal use. It could also mean…
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Senator Mitch McConnell: “The GameStop Fiasco Is A Slippery Slope To Communism”
by ValueWalk - March 2nd, 2021 5:01 pm
By Eloise Williams. Originally published at ValueWalk.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is making headlines after stating in an interview with CNBC that “The GameStop fiasco is a slippery slope to communism; people attempting to redistribute wealth by stealing from the rich and giving to the poor is exactly what the likes of Castro envisioned.”
Q4 2020 hedge fund letters, conferences and more
Outrage Over McConnell Comparing The GameStop Fiasco To Communism
Many Reddit investors who are invested deeply into GameStop were outraged at the statement, one Twitter user named “SPY315500C” said, “nobody cares you ugly fucking turtle looking ghoul, I’m only 16 and I turnt my Wendy’s paycheck of $850 into your yearly salary off these $GME calls bum.”
Other leading economic leaders like Michael Burry said on Twitter “What the turtle man doesn’t understand is that this is the free market at work, people will only pay for something if they think it is worth that price.”
McConnell later apologized for making these statements but gave a word of caution to investors stating “This is a very risky situation, you could lose money, however if you want to make money simply invest in whatever I am invested in because my insider *coughs* deep economic awareness allows me to make smart investments which is why my portfolio is up over 1000% since being elected.”
This article first appeared on The Stonk Market
The post Senator Mitch McConnell: “The GameStop Fiasco Is A Slippery Slope To Communism” appeared first on ValueWalk.
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Is Biden Driving Investor Sentiment Towards Green Investment?
by ValueWalk - March 2nd, 2021 5:01 pm
By EXANTE. Originally published at ValueWalk.
In the first half of 2020, everyone was hearing about the work from home (WFH) start-ups and their likely success, not only during the lockdowns, but also after them. Many of these start-ups have fared well in the last few months, and some, such as Palantir and Zoom, have even been judged to be extremely overvalued by experts as a result. At the same time, the end of the year brought with it new trends associated not only with the pandemic, but also with the change of administration with the American White House. Thus, the arrival of the Biden administration promising more generous monetary stimulus, the increasing fear surrounding the devaluation of the dollar played strongly in favour of growing demand in the cryptocurrency market. Another important trend in the Biden era is an increase in the prospects for companies associated with “green” energy, as well as for ESG companies in general.
Q4 2020 hedge fund letters, conferences and more
What is ESG
There is a stereotype that “money does not smell”, and for the sake of profitability, an investor is ready to close his eyes to how this profit is obtained. However, today 95% of Americans in the 25-40 age group (the so-called Millennials and Generation Y) say that it is important for them to understand the social value of the company when investing money. Sociologists estimate that generation Y will inherit tens of trillions of dollars in assets from boomers and older generations in the coming decades. This is one of the reasons why in recent years the popularity of evaluating companies and funds according to the ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) criterion has grown. This category includes businesses that pay attention to environmental protection, healthy human relations within their company and in their interaction with customers, as well as an effective management organisation. By investing in ESG an investor is confident that their funds will be used in good faith, for the common good, and not for the prosperity of some people through the deterioration of the lives of others. ESG is an asset for those investors who are concerned not only with personal enrichment, but also with a non-aggressive, socially responsible way of this enrichment.
But…
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Qualivian Investment Partners 4Q20 Letter: Quality Compounders
by ValueWalk - March 2nd, 2021 4:55 pm
By Jacob Wolinsky. Originally published at ValueWalk.
Qualivian Investment Partners commentary for the fourth quarter ended December 2020, discussing their holdings in quality compounders.
Q4 2020 hedge fund letters, conferences and more
I very frequently get the question: “What’s going to change in the next 10 years?’… I almost never get the question: ‘What’s not going to change in the next 10 years?’ And I submit to you that the second question is actually the more important of the two.” – Jeff Bezos
Introduction
2020 was a year that tried investors souls. Between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31, the S&P 500 returned 18% which was “good” by historical standards. However, “good”, in 2020’s case, conceals much. It reminds us of the statistician who had his lower half in an oven and the upper half in the freezer. Asked how he was feeling, he said, “on the average I feel good.”
The sharp selloff in the back half of February and March and equally rapid recovery ignited the powerful whiplash of greed and fear: “Do I really know this stock?”, “What if it goes down further?”, “Maybe I should lock in my gains?”, and “Should I increase my cash holding?” were likely some of the questions spooking investors who were suffering from Covid post-traumatic stress disorder.
The selloff in the first quarter may have caused some to panic and sell at or near the lows, since the end of the pandemic was uncertain. This would have hurt their performance since many investors likely did not re-enter the market prior to its snapback. This is exactly why short termism hurts investment performance: the market is very hard to predict in the short term. This is consistent with the observation that being out of the market even temporarily can substantially affect long-term returns. For example, being out of the market for the 30 best days out of the last 25 years would reduce annualized returns from 9% to 1.5%5.
2020 Performance Review
We outperformed the S&P 500 by 12.0% and 11.2% on a gross and net basis respectively during 2020. In the first three quarters our holdings in quality compounders, which included internet, ecommerce, and payment stocks helped us outperform by 15.6% and 15.1%…
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Cuomo – “Eat the Whole Sausage” vs “Kiss [my Penis]“
by ValueWalk - March 2nd, 2021 3:55 pm
By JOHN F. BANZHAF. Originally published at ValueWalk.
Cuomo – “Eat the Whole Sausage” vs “Kiss [my Penis]”; Not All Sex Talk Constitutes Illegal Sexual Harassment
Q4 2020 hedge fund letters, conferences and more
Cuomo Asks A Female Reporter To Eat The Whole Sausage
WASHINGTON, D.C. (March 2, 2021) – The New York Post just posted a video showing New York Governor Andrew Cuomo challenging a female reporter at a dinner to “eat the whole sausage” in an article suggesting that his words constitute “sexual harassment,” or at least support other allegations against him of sexual harassment.
Indeed, it includes a quote saying “it’s almost like he’s sexually harassing her in front of everybody,” notes public interest law professor John Banzhaf, who has won over 100 legal cases of sex discrimination against women.
But Banzhaf – whose legal complaints forced the Cosmos Club to begin admitting women, The Citadel to admit its first female cadet, and the Congress to construct a restroom just off the House floor for female legislators – wonders of such conduct actually comes anywhere near meeting the legal definition of sexual harassment, especially in light of an earlier case likewise involving a governor.
Bill Clinton Had A Young Female State Employee Brought To His Room
In that case then-governor Bill Clinton allegedly had a young female state employee brought to a hotel room by a law enforcement officer. Then, according to the court opinion, in the private hotel room with no one else present, “he put his hand on her leg, started sliding it toward her pelvic area, and bent down to attempt to kiss her on the neck, all without her consent.” Then he “lowered his trousers and underwear, exposed his penis (which was erect) and told [her] to ‘kiss it.’”
Based upon these facts, the court held that Clinton’s behavior did not constitute sexual assault, intentional infliction of severe emotional distress ["outrage"], or sexual harassment.
With regard to the sexual assault, it ruled:
“While the Court will certainly agree that plaintiff’s allegations describe offensive conduct, the Court, as previously noted, has found that the Governor’s alleged conduct does not constitute sexual assault. Rather, the conduct as alleged by plaintiff describes a mere sexual proposition or encounter, albeit an odious one,…
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A Stock Market Leadership Change Is Underway
by ValueWalk - March 2nd, 2021 2:47 pm
By Gorilla Trades. Originally published at ValueWalk.
Commenting on the stock market leadership change and today’s markets strategist Louis Navellier wrote in a note to investors:
Q4 2020 hedge fund letters, conferences and more
The ISM Manufacturing Index Will Likely Stay Strong In The Upcoming Months
The ISM manufacturing index has risen for nine straight months and the details within the most recent report were especially encouraging. A strong housing sector is helping boost manufacturing activity for appliance, furniture and building materials. But a global chip shortage for OLED and LED screens is creating a growing backlog in the automotive sector that will likely keep the ISM manufacturing index strong in the upcoming months…
The other exciting thing that boosted financial markets is that the 1-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine for Covid-19 was approved by the FDA and distribution is now underway. The number of new Covid-19 cases continue to plummet, with growing vaccine supply that will get a boost from the 1-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine . . . However, as we get out and about, the velocity of money – how quickly money changes hands —naturally picks up and prosperity rises. Interestingly, we also tend to get out and about more in the spring as the weather improves. The two catalysts combined is likely to keep GDP growth strong…
The strength in earnings in the upcoming first quarter earnings is going to be stronger than than the fourth quarter just ended. This is because the first quarter forecasted sales and earnings momentum is still accelerating and will keep equity markets strong through May, though pullbacks are likely . . . Stocks should benefit immensely from quarter-end window dressing that typically appears mid-March as institutional investors continue to accumulate stocks…
Stock Market Leadership Change
A big stock market leadership change is underway… As many of the big components of the S&P 500 stumble a bit this year, institutional dollars are now chasing small caps, mid caps and international ADRs…
China’s chief banking regulator, Guo Shuqing, the Chairman of the China Bank & Insurance Regulatory Commission on Tuesday warned about risks in Chinese property markets and global financial markets. comparing Chinese property bubble to a “gray rhino.” While I don’t know…
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Cardin, Reed Outline The American Rescue Plan
by ValueWalk - March 2nd, 2021 1:59 pm
By Jacob Wolinsky. Originally published at ValueWalk.
Cardin, Reed Outline The American Rescue Plan to Get Overdue, Targeted COVID-19 Relief to Small Businesses and Critical Community Services
Q4 2020 hedge fund letters, conferences and more
American Rescue Plan would boost COVID-19 response, help prevent small business closures and mass layoffs, and allow communities to target federal funds to meet most pressing challenges
Cardin, Reed Put Out A Bold Solution To Support Small Businesses
(Washington, DC) – The COVID-19 pandemic and economic disruption continues to wreak havoc on families, businesses, health systems, and our economy. Americans are still reeling from the Trump Administration’s botched COVID-19 response, which left the nation with hundreds of thousands of COVID-19 deaths, over 10 million Americans out of work, and put nearly 100,000 small businesses permanently out of businesses.
U.S. Senate Committee on Small Business & Entrepreneurship Chair Ben Cardin (D-Md.) and U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-R.I.), a senior member of the Senate Banking Committee and a key proponent of the $150 billion Coronavirus Relief Fund in the CARES Act, were joined on a press call today by Pawtucket Mayor Donald Grebien and Small Business Majority Founder & CEO John Arensmeyer to discuss the urgent need for COVID-19 relief for small businesses and states, localities, and Tribal nations, and U.S. Territories responsible for essential community services.
Urge The Senate To Pass The American Rescue Plan
“The American Rescue Plan is a bold solution to get Americans vaccinated and support small businesses through the remainder of the pandemic,” Cardin said. “This bill will provide overdue relief to the hardest hit small businesses, including restaurants and Black- and Latino-owned small businesses. We must pass this overdue relief as quickly as possible to put our nation on the road to recovery.”
“Congressional Republicans have made a calculated decision to oppose the American Rescue Plan in lock step. But that won’t stop Democrats from delivering much-needed, long-overdue targeted assistance to the American people. And even though Republicans inside the Beltway oppose the plan, it has broad bipartisan support from people across the country, and from Red state Governors and nearly three dozen independent and Republican Mayors who all recognize the need to surge vaccines, save lives and jobs, and strengthen our economy. I hope Republicans will…
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Stanphyl Capital February 2021 Commentary: Myriad Exogenous Events
by ValueWalk - March 2nd, 2021 1:25 pm
By Jacob Wolinsky. Originally published at ValueWalk.
Stanphyl Capital commentary for the month ended February 2021, disucssing that myriad exogenous events can pop this market.
Friends and Fellow Investors:
Stanphyl Capital Performance
For February 2021 the fund was up 12.8% net of all fees and expenses. By way of comparison, the S&P 500 was up 2.8% while the Russell 2000 was up 6.2%. Year-to-date 2021 the fund is up 13.7% net while the S&P 500 is up 1.7% and the Russell 2000 is up 11.6%. Since inception on June 1, 2011 the fund is up 54.6% net while the S&P 500 is up 246.2% and the Russell 2000 is up 196.8%. Since inception the fund has compounded at 4.6% net annually vs 13.6% for the S&P 500 and 11.8% for the Russell 2000. (The S&P and Russell performances are based on their “Total Returns” indices which include reinvested dividends. The fund’s performance results are approximate; investors will receive exact figures from the outside administrator within a week or two. Please note that individual partners’ returns will vary in accordance with their high-water marks.)
This month (except for our gold & silver positions) the longs went up (at least long enough for us to book some gains in them) and the shorts went down. (Every once in a while, that happens!) More specifically…
We remain long value stocks & precious metals and short bubble stocks, positioned for the PE multiple-crushing inflation that I (and perhaps now the bond market) believe we’ll soon see (and in fact may already be seeing) as over 200 million Americans get vaccinated while Congress jams through trillions more in “stimulus,” thereby accelerating the velocity of all this newly printed M2:
Myriad Exogenous Events Could Pop This Market
In fact, equity indexes are so stretched that myriad exogenous events (both “known unknowns” and “unknown unknowns”) could pop this market regardless of near-term inflation fears or the Fed’s actions. Courtesy of Yardeni Research we can see that the S&P 500’s ratio of price-to-sales and the overall stock market’s ratio of price-to-GNP are the highest they’ve been in modern history…
…while Tobin’s Q ratio of stock prices relative to the replacement cost of their underlying assets shows the same thing:
And when the…
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These Are The Poorest Countries In The World
by ValueWalk - March 2nd, 2021 1:06 pm
By Aman Jain. Originally published at ValueWalk.
We all have an idea of the richest countries in the world, but the same can’t be said when it comes to the poorest countries. There is no precise measure defining how poor a country is. However, GDP per capita is regarded as the best indicator showing how poor or wealthy countries are in relation to each other. We have also used the same indicator to come up with the list of poorest countries in the world.
Q4 2020 hedge fund letters, conferences and more
Poorest countries in the world
Our list of poorest countries in the world is based on the list from Focus Economics. The publication, in turn, used the forecasts for GDP per capita in 2025 to rank the poorest countries. According to the publication, the GDP per capita forecasts are based on the individual forecasts of more than a thousand popular “investment banks, economic think tanks and professional economic forecasting firms.” Here are the 10 poorest countries in the world:
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Zimbabwe ($1,185 GDP per capita)
After Zimbabwe gained independence in 1980, it was expected that the country would soon be able to give its citizens a decent standard of living. Zimbabwe features fertile land, developed infrastructure, significant mineral wealth and an educated population. However, the country witnessed high unemployment and hyperinflation under the leadership of Robert Mugabe. Moving ahead, an uncertain political environment and extremely high inflation will continue to pose a risk to the country’s economic growth.
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Rwanda ($1,122 GDP per capita)
Rwanda has come a long way since the genocide in 1994. The country’s per capita GDP increased from $250 in 2000 to $800 in 2019. Although the country has witnessed a surge in investment in recent years, it faces a few risks as well. These risks include low domestic savings, rising energy prices and a weak fiscal position.
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Uganda ($1,100 GDP per capita)
After gaining independence from the U.K. in 1962, Uganda has faced years of insecurity and political turmoil. However, over the past few years, the nation has witnessed rapid growth, especially in the industry and service sectors. …
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What’s Going On At Goldman? Another Senior Exec Just Jumped Ship
by Zero Hedge - March 2nd, 2021 11:46 am
Courtesy of ZeroHedge View original post here.
In the last few days, Goldman Sachs has lost two very senior executives from the investment bank's two biggest bets on the future – consumer finance (Marcus) and wealth-management – and now, the behemoth's chief lawyer is abandoning ship.
Leaving many asking – what is going on at Goldman?
Sunday saw Omer Ismail – the head of Goldman's consumer-facing commercial bank – Marcus – jump ship to join Walmart (and David Stark, one of Ismail's top lieutenants at Goldman will join him in the new venture).
Monday saw Eric Lane - the co-head of Goldman’s $8 billion asset-management business – make a sudden exit from the firm to join Tiger Global.
And now Tuesday, Karen Seymour – Goldman's general counsel – is exiting the bank.
Seymour played a crucial role in helping the bank settle criminal probes in the 1MDB scandal last year (Goldman forked over $5 billion in penalties while avoiding any sanctions that would hobble its operations).
Seymour is perhaps best known for winning an obstruction-of-justice conviction against Martha Stewart in 2004, when she was with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York. She joined Goldman Sachs from Sullivan & Cromwell LLP, where she also started her career in 1987.
One can't help but wonder if there is much more turbulence below the Goldman surface than the bank's impressive recent earnings would suggest.
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Philip R. Davis is a founder Phil's Stock World, a stock and options trading site that teaches the art of options trading to newcomers and devises advanced strategies for expert traders...
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