RichC | February 13, 2018
Somewhat timely shared archived New York Times newspaper clipping (click image for larger) from 100 years ago. The February 6, 1918 article (tweet below) had me thinking about those in our country handling information that puts operations and the security of our many service personnel and undercover operatives at risk when politicians, intelligence bureaucrats in […]
RichC | February 10, 2018
Here is the short take from the guys who wrote #thememo. No matter which political party is using the FBI, Department of Justice … or for that matter IRS or other agency … in order to stack the deck to achieve their favored political outcome, it has to stop. Those abusing power need to be […]
RichC | February 9, 2018
As a Fox Business addicted viewer, I keep a live-feed running much of the day just as others do for music, talk radio or sports. One of the challenges is that it isn’t convenient or available, especially in a low bandwidth, "just" audio feed … unless I’m in the car and listening on SiriusXM Radio. […]
RichC | February 8, 2018
So much for the "good news" that tax cuts will eventually providing revenue by helping the economy grow. The "hope" is that over time the economy growing will put more people to work (it is) and that the snowball would eventually grow paychecks (it is) AND that we could begin to reduce our country’s yearly […]
RichC | February 2, 2018
I played the “high risk, high reward” game on Friday while watching most if not all stocks collapsed over rising interest rate concerns. It looks more likely that the Federal Reserve may have to be more aggressive in raising rates in order to control inflationary pressures after the jobs report. Unemployment is low, the economy […]
RichC | January 30, 2018
With a rebounding economy, strong stock market and job opportunities for all who want to work … there is optimism in the country. President Donald Trump capitalized on the positive attitude most American have and highlighted the recent tax cuts as something all will start to see in their paychecks this year. Besides the IRS […]
RichC | January 21, 2018
We are dealing with a government shutdown once again. Our ineffective elected politicians in Washington DC can’t figure out how to work together in a way to even keep the federal government doors open for business … let alone do the actual work to improve the country without making someone suffer (those depending on a […]
RichC | December 18, 2017
While waiting for the predicted Tuesday vote on the GOP Tax Plan that has been anticipated ALL year, it is looking like it might actually get done in 2017. It has not been easy or as simple as many of us wanted “Tax Reform,” but the corporate tax cut will make the U.S. more competitive […]
RichC | December 16, 2017
With all the buzz around Bitcoin and bubbles, the really big financial crisis being somewhat overlooked is Student Loan Debt. The number of Americans struggling to pay back the money they borrowed for their education is mindboggling. The WSJ reported that Nearly 5 Million Americans are in Default on their Student Loans … and there […]
RichC | December 15, 2017
Another record high on Wall Street as once again the financial markets believe the Republicans in congress will finally get promised tax reform across the finish line. Even if Democrats see some benefits (many agree US corporate taxes are too high) they haven’t contributed in the GOP plan; they likely will continue to oppose anything […]
RichC | December 6, 2017
So much for using Bitcoin as a cryptocurrency? How does one set prices for products and services "in Bitcoins" when there isn’t any stability of value? So much for using it as currency … more like gambling or speculating on artwork as these bits of invisible computer cyber bytes continue to find pyramid scheme buyers. […]
RichC | November 15, 2017
I occasionally receive emails or comments from friends and acquaintances who know I watch financial markets asking me to share my thoughts on investing. They really want stock "recommendations," but almost always refuse to give advice when it comes to picking and choosing individual companies. For the record, there is always financial risk and the […]
RichC | November 7, 2017
Ethics in journalism, particularly political content, continues to disappear as the line between editorializing and reporting is blurred. Most who consume "their" brand of NEWS recognize there is truth to the sarcastic #FakeNews hashtag on social networks and President Trump’s regular "tweets" complaining about how his administration is treated by the #MSM (Main Stream Media). […]
RichC | November 3, 2017
On Thursday, the long awaited Republican tax reform plan finally saw the light of day after most political and financial watchers haggled over the unknown details most of this year. President Trump has made tax reform and cuts as his centerpiece agenda as essential to growing the economy and stimulating job and wage growth for […]
RichC | October 17, 2017
It’s just a number, but one that is reminiscent of the Greenspan “irrational exuberance” days back in the late 1990s during the dot-com bubble … but the business news media types cheered the mid-day number (yet to see where the market will close). One has to chuckle at as to just how wrong a Nobel […]
RichC | October 5, 2017
One may have thought that the divided nation after the election and political chaos in putting together an administration that worked well together would have been the biggest challenge for the unconventional President Donald Trump when it comes to being POTUS, but after the last 30 days you would be wrong. The president has faced […]
RichC | October 3, 2017
A poor sense of smell may indicate an increased risk for dementia, a new study has found. Researchers recruited 2,906 men and women ages 57 to 85, testing their ability to identify five odors — orange, leather, peppermint, rose and fish. Five years later, 4.1 percent of them had dementia. Of all the factors the […]
RichC | October 2, 2017
What we know so far – 1PM on Monday 10/2/2017 At least 58 people were killed and more than 515 were injured at an country music festival on the Las Vegas Strip, in the deadliest mass shooting in modern US history. The gunman fired for several minutes into a 22,000-person crowd from the windows of […]
RichC | September 28, 2017
President Trump will roll out his administration’s tax reform plan on Wednesday, seeking reductions in both the corporate and individual income tax rates, while doubling the standard deduction. The plan would cut corporate taxes from 35% to 20%, while dropping the top individual tax bracket from 39.6% to 35% and collapsing the current seven brackets […]
RichC | September 18, 2017
Hurricane Maria is seeing rapid intensification and is now a Cat 5 with 160mph winds. Looks to be closing in the Leeward Islands slightly further south than Irma. The U.S. Virgin Islands are again in the hurricane’s path again, but this time Puerto Rico may not be spared — it very well could be a […]
RichC | September 9, 2017
All eyes are on the weather as Hurricane Irma demonstrated her power destroying practically everything on several islands in Caribbean (below). The big storm skirted the northern coast of Cuba and weaken to a Category 3 hurricane. Most watchers expect the warm water of the Straits of Florida to strengthen the winds again as a […]
RichC | September 7, 2017
It is difficult not to be concerned after seeing the power of Hurricane Irma (was 185 mph, but currently 170 mph eyewall winds) and the devastation the powerful storm left behind on several of the Leeward Islands. I’ve been tracking these last few days both concerned for those in the path and for personal ties […]
RichC | August 30, 2017
Good news for our neck of the woods … Amazon will open a new fulfillment center in a Monroe industrial park near Interstate 75, bringing 1,000 new jobs to the region, the state announced Wednesday. The specific location of Amazon’s latest investment in Ohio was not disclosed, but it will be the closest location for […]
RichC | August 28, 2017
Having been away from my computer this past weekend has left me way delayed on posting the landfall of Hurricane Harvey as it piled into southeastern Texas with enough category 4 wind to pummel the coastline and an unprecedented amount of rain causing catastrophic flooding. The residents of the fourth largest populated city of Houston […]
RichC | August 14, 2017
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RichC | August 10, 2017
With the tension rising between the U.S. and North Korea over nuclear weapons, the broad financial markets headed lower today for the first time in a while (or so it seemed). The often cited DJIA closed down 204.69 or about 1% while the Nasdaq doubled that move at 2% down. Even though the tone was […]
RichC | August 3, 2017
Just one more irritation as to how politicians spend tax dollars … and line their own pockets. For the past couple of decades, the private sector has been struggling … particularly the blue collar worker and mid to lower management employees. Pensions are non-existent, benefits eliminated and health care for the private sector a nightmare! […]
RichC | August 2, 2017
The Dow broke above the 22,000 threshold for the first time on Wednesday rising for the seventh straight day. The boost over the "nice round number" happened after Apple posted stronger-than-expected quarterly earnings and iPhone sales met expectations. $AAPL stock rose 5.5% and made its largest single day percentage rise since February. (Story WSJ.com)
RichC | July 12, 2017
The United States is healthy enough to absorb further gradual rate increases and the slow wind down of the massive bond portfolio accumulated by the Federal Reserve during the financial crisis, Fed Chair Janet Yellen said in prepared testimony to be delivered to Congress Wednesday morning. Source: Fed’s Yellen says economy steady enough for more […]
RichC | July 7, 2017
Complaining is getting me nowhere … but those of us old school users of Yahoo and Google continue to be frustrated to see both companies going down the "design for smartphone – card look format" to their pages, even for large display computers. YAHOO A few weeks ago Yahoo Finance forced all users to give […]
RichC | June 14, 2017
Sort of a surprise to most Fed watchers today as the consensus was for the Federal Reserve to raise rates a 1/4 point in September, not June. Perhaps it won’t make much difference for the whole year, but Chair Janet Yellen obviously wants to stay ahead of the curve. The target inflation rate remain 2% […]
RichC | May 28, 2017
The news on Saturday was depressing as that it was announced Gregg Allman passed away at 69 … I was just commenting about a few of my Music Monday posts that included Coyotus Maximus (his self-described nickname) and the Allman Brothers Band since our politics did not mesh. A talented and musically influential force not just for […]
RichC | May 25, 2017
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RichC | May 1, 2017
The rate of U.S. inflation for March was slower than expected just one month after hitting a five-year peak. The number reflects lower gasoline and consumer goods prices, including automobiles. Thiis could ease pressure on the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates, even though central banks have telegraphed increases this year. The U.S. economy is […]
RichC | April 26, 2017
What a start to the week for the stock market! There is optimism that something "will" get done with taxes, unlike #RepealAndReplace legislation. The news is that President Donald Trump will be unveiling his proposal to cut corporate taxes on US companies’ foreign profits and slash the top tax rate has investors in the "buy" […]
RichC | April 1, 2017
The “Trump Rally” as many have dubbed it, provided investors with solid quarterly gains as a brighter economic outlook offset the lackluster Washington DC agenda which has become bogged down in politics. Investors still believe job growth, better corporate financial returns and tax cuts will over shadow the Fed “applying the brakes” in the form of higher […]
RichC | February 22, 2017
Should municipalities and states charge citizens if they exercise a constitutionally protected right? On the surface, most of us would say "no way" should a city or state charge US citizens to "vote," "worship" or to "speak freely" … but that’s what some politically left leaning cities and states do to those who own firearms. […]
RichC | February 19, 2017
Having been around journalists and the media most of my working life, I disagree with the broad brush of many who paint them as "knowingly biased and of misleading the public." Most reporters, professional journalists, aspire to gather and report the relevant facts with the purpose of getting a story correct and providing the facts […]
RichC | February 5, 2017
The Atlanta Falcons as a team deserve some credit in playing Superbowl LI impressively for three full quarters, until they didn’t in the 4th quarter. The New England Patriots basically slept during the first part of the game and came to life in the 4th quarter. In cardiac arrest inducing fashion, New England mounted the most […]
RichC | January 12, 2017
CVS is now selling a rival, generic version of Mylan’s EpiPen at about a sixth of its price, just months after the maker of the life-saving allergy treatment was eviscerated before Congress because of its soaring cost to consumers.The drugstore chain says it will charge $109.99 for a two-pack of the authorized generic version of […]
RichC | December 15, 2016
Forgiving debt and bankruptcy options aren’t new, but those of us who strive to “play by the rules” often feel like suckers when it comes to bureaucrats playing fast and free with tax dollars … or with OPM. While it is understandable that our society wants to be compassionate and lend a helping hand to […]
RichC | December 7, 2016
U.S. stocks charged to fresh highs, with major indexes logging their biggest one-day rally since the election. See WSJ story.
RichC | November 9, 2016
RichC | November 9, 2016
They won’t call it, but it is all but a shoe in for America’s next president … Donald J. Trump. Since both Clinton and Trump are in NYC, here’s the current New York Times website front page. Good night all and hold on for a wild financial market ride tomorrow.
RichC | November 2, 2016
While I suspect a Thursday post to be about game 7 of the World Series between the Cleveland Indians and Chicago Cubs (let’s just call them the comeback kids now that they have won the last 2 games and have tied the series up), I’ll post an election observation and get my bias media post […]
RichC | October 29, 2016
Pakistani police have arrested National Geographic’s green-eyed “Afghan Girl” — whose striking picture became the symbol of the plight of refugees– for having a phony ID card.Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency conducted a raid Wednesday at a residence in the city of Peshawar, where Sharbat Gula was taken into custody. The FIA had gotten word about […]
RichC | October 25, 2016
Looking at Ohio in the presidential election from theskimm.com distance: OHIO DON’T LIVE THERE, DON’T CARE. If you had to bet on who’d win in November, hang out in Ohio first. The state’s voted for the winner every year since 1964. WHAT DO I NEED TO KNOW? That if the US held up a mirror […]
RichC | October 21, 2016
Twitter status above illustrating second attack shutting down services. The cyber threat continues … as a second wave cripples some of the biggest domain names through Dyn (Manchester, NH), a company that provide DNS services for connecting domain names to IP addresses. Dyn said it had resolved one attack, which disrupted operations for about two […]
RichC | October 17, 2016
Rumors are swirling that something or someone has started triggering the Wikileaks "Deadman’s Switch," which has been put in place if something should happen to founder Julian Assange. Some suspect that a "state party" intentionally severing of his Internet link was more than just someone attempting to silence the release of more incriminating emails, which […]
RichC | September 23, 2016
While Twitter shareholders seemed to like the rumor of Salesforce.com showing interest in $TWTR, those holding shares of $CRM are not quite as enthused. This has happened before so we’ll see if there is any real substance … OR if others might be interested? Google??? Salesforce.com Inc. is considering a takeover of Twitter Inc., according […]
RichC | August 31, 2016
Now that I’m going to be a grandfather, it is time to start reading (or re-reading) all those important articles about babies again. Eating Fruit While Pregnant May Boost A Baby’s Intelligence By DANA WECHSLER LINDEN Aug. 29, 2016 9:00 a.m. ET New research raises the intriguing possibility that eating more fruit during pregnancy […]
RichC | August 11, 2016
There are people who have the ability to communicate and can make "simple-sense" of the usually complicated economic issues facing our country. I’d like to believe that IF enough voters are willing to digest the three minutes of conversation below, that they would be less inclined to "dis" a business oriented pro-growth policy that is […]
RichC | July 27, 2016
While I’d prefer watching something more enjoyable than the political sales pitches from Republicans talking about Donald Trump (at the GOP convention) last week or the Democrats attempt to do the same this week, I am trying to be fair by watching both. Frankly at this point is looks like we are stuck with picking […]
RichC | July 21, 2016
Mike Rowe brings a bit of commonsense to the nutty “mostly” media outrage about Melania Trump‘s plagiarism considering almost every politician reads someone elses’ words off a teleprompter in practically every important speech. Are we fooled they aren’t reading a speech someone else wrote anyway? Should we be outraged at every speech a politician give […]
RichC | July 18, 2016
Two years has passed since a missle downed Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, yet 298 families are still without closure. In the US we’ve heard the slogan “too big to fail” when giving a pass to big banks, companies or their decision makers. When it is the powerful like Vladimir Putin and Russia, one wonders if […]
RichC | July 8, 2016
I can’t stomach posting anything polite today after the horrendous targeted sniping of police officers in Dallas, Texas Thursday night. It is an absolutely senseless murder of 5 police officers (6 wounded) after a relatively peaceful Black Lives Matter protest/rally. These were officers who were just doing their job of crowd control and keeping citizens […]
RichC | July 7, 2016
Every public official who has spent decades under the bright lights of public scrutiny are in one way of the other connected to the political machinery, but few are protected as much as the Clintons. The deep Arkansas doo-doo surrounding Hillary and Bill Clinton never goes away and whether you support their political philosophies or […]
RichC | June 29, 2016
Proving how difficult it is to secure soft targets from suicide committed terrorists. Turkish investigators pored over video footage and witness statements on Wednesday after three suspected Islamic State suicide bombers opened fire and blew themselves up in Istanbul’s main airport, killing 41 people and wounding 239. Source: Islamic State prime suspect after suicide bombers […]
RichC | June 28, 2016
As Volkswagen prepares to dole out $15 BILLION in a diesel emissions settlement for their cheating, here is what VW TDI owners need to know (Source: Yahoo Finance): Who can file a claim? Owners of certain Volkswagen and Audi cars with 2.0 liter diesel engines from model years 2009-2015 are eligible under the settlement. The […]
RichC | June 24, 2016
Financial markets around the globe are reeling Friday morning from yesterday’s historic BREXIT vote in the UK as the people have chosen to exit the EU. Big picture is that life has not improved for citizens of Britain under the real or perceived central control — some suggesting it is "their" Independence Day. Even though […]