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J.P. Morgan: Time to Turn Bullish on These 3 Stocks

The markets have been showing mixed messages lately. A look at the chart shows that the NASDAQ’s rate of climb has been slowing recently, although it remains at record high levels. At the same time, the S&P 500 is holding just over 3,200, putting the index back within 5% of its all-time peak. At the same time, uncertainty is up. The coronavirus has come back for a ‘second wave,’ prompting shutdown orders once again – although, with the exception of California, the shutdowns are somewhat less extensive than this past spring. The riots in major urban centers continue, along with …read more […]

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Gold Says We’ve Got Problems the Fed Can’t Fix

The free-money ride to the moon continues.
Everywhere we look, we see folks tapping their foot as they poke Uncle Sam in the belly with their hat-filled hand.
“Hurry up and give us our money” seems to be the theme of the week – perhaps the decade.
And why not… it sure seems to be working.
Despite the atrocities of a global shutdown, most folks made more money during the first half of the year thanks to the coronavirus than they would have made if the bug had passed us by.
The latest personal income figures show – thanks to a whopping 10.8% stimulus-fueled surge …read more […]

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There’s a Wheeler-Dealer Inside Shell

(Bloomberg Opinion) — Sharp swings in the crude price have been an unmitigated pain for the oil industry, right? Not entirely. The silver lining has been a lucrative environment for the oil majors’ trading operations. This was on stark display in the second-quarter performance of Royal Dutch Shell Plc. But it creates a challenge for investors. How do you value this unpredictable and opaque source of income?Shell warned last month that its three-month earnings, released Thursday, would include a colossal impairment charge reflecting the impact of the pandemic on energy demand and prices. That writedown came in at $17 billion …read more […]

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VW Cuts Dividend After $940 Million Loss

(Bloomberg) — Volkswagen AG cut its dividend after losing 2.4 billion euros ($2.8 billion) in the second quarter, when the Covid-19 pandemic shuttered showrooms and factories in key markets.The German manufacturer lowered its proposed 2019 payout by a quarter to help save roughly $1 billion after global deliveries contracted in the six months through June. VW expects markets to recover in the second half after business in July improved from the previous month.The results show the dramatic impact of the industry’s biggest slump since World War II. Europe’s largest automaker cut its full-year outlook in April, echoing peers and parts …read more […]

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Exclusive: Panasonic aims to boost energy density in Tesla batteries by 20% – executive

Panasonic Corp plans to boost the energy density of “2170” battery cells it supplies to Tesla Inc by 20% in five years and commercialize a cobalt-free version “in two to three years”, the head of its U.S. EV battery business said. This is the first time Panasonic, a leading cell provider for the world’s top electric vehicle (EV) maker Tesla, has outlined these targets, putting down a marker in a highly competitive sector to stay ahead of the game. Panasonic introduced the “2170” lithium-ion cells, with the nickel-cobalt-aluminium (NCA) cathode chemistry, for Tesla’s Model 3 in …read more […]

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Shell avoids loss with strong trading, wipes $17 billion off assets

Royal Dutch Shell avoided its first quarterly loss in recent history, helped by a booming trading business, but announced nearly $17 billion in impairment charges reflecting a pessimistic outlook for oil and gas prices. Shell had warned last month it was set to slash the value of its oil and gas assets by up to $22 billion as the coronavirus crisis hollowed out energy demand. “Shell has delivered resilient cash flow in a remarkably challenging environment,” CEO Ben van Beurden said in a statement on Thursday. …read more […]