DAILY UPDATE: Federal Health Agencies and PBMs as Technology Stock Plunge!

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Federal health agencies are canceled—well, their meetings are at least. In the days following his inauguration, President Donald Trump’s administration asked officials within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)—which has a $1.7 trillion budget and includes the FDA, the CDC, and the National Institutes of Health (NIH)—to stop all external communication, according to an internal memo. This means no new health advisories, social media posts, or website posts.

“As the new administration considers its plan for managing the federal policy and public communications processes, it is important that the president’s appointees and designees have the opportunity to review and approve any regulations, guidance documents, and other public documents and communications (including social media),” the memo read. The pause began on Jan. 21st, and according to the memo, will remain in effect until Feb. 1st

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The FTC’s second interim staff report on consolidated pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) found that the three largest of these middlemen—CVS Health’s Caremark Rx, Cigna Group’s Express Scripts, and UnitedHealth Group’s OptumRx—”marked up two specialty generic cancer drugs by thousands of percent and then paid their affiliated pharmacies hundreds of millions of dollars of dispensing revenue in excess of estimated acquisition costs for each drug annually.”

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The NASDAQ tanked on Monday as a Chinese startup rattled faith in US leadership and profitability in AI, taking a hammer to Nvidia (NVDA), wiping out a record $589 billion in market value. The NASDAQ Composite (^IXIC) sank more than 3%, while the S&P 500 (^GSPC) dropped nearly 1.5%. The blue-chip Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI), which is less dependent tech stocks gained more than 0.6% as investors flocked to defensive sectors. Shares of Apple (AAPL) and software giant Salesforce (CRM) also bucked the tech rout.

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Visualize: How private equity tangled banks in a web of debt, from the Financial Times.

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DAILY UPDATE: Medicare and PBMs as Markets Slither

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The S&P 500 (^GSPC) just capped its best first four trading days under a new president since Ronald Reagan’s first week in 1985. And, the week ahead will bring investors a deluge of news that will put that rally to the test.

Earnings from more than 100 members of the S&P 500 — highlighted by results from tech heavyweights Meta (META), Microsoft (MSFT), Apple (AAPL), and Tesla (TSLA) — are set for release, with Wednesday serving as the week’s busiest. Starbucks (SBUX), Exxon (XOM), and Chevron (CVX) are also set to report.

On this coming ednesday afternoon, the Federal Reserve will also announce its latest monetary policy decision, with the central bank expected to keep interest rates unchanged and investors focused on what Fed Chairman Jay Powell has to say about the balance of 2025.

Last week, the S&P 500, NASDAQ Composite (^IXIC), and Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) each rallied during a holiday-shortened four day trading week. Over the last five days, the S&P 500 and Dow have gained more than 2.8%; the tech index is leading gains over that period, rising more than 3.1%.

Markets welcomed Trump’s initial days in office as limited news on tariffs steadied investors and a massive AI investment announcement helped boost tech stocks.

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The FTC’s second interim staff report on consolidated pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) found that the three largest of these middlemen—CVS Health’s Caremark Rx, Cigna Group’s Express Scripts, and UnitedHealth Group’s OptumRx—”marked up two specialty generic cancer drugs by thousands of percent and then paid their affiliated pharmacies hundreds of millions of dollars of dispensing revenue in excess of estimated acquisition costs for each drug annually.”

CITE: https://tinyurl.com/2h47urt5

Medicare and the Trump 2.0 Administration

People have been concerned about the future of Medicare for years. Now that Donald Trump has begun his second term in office, the question becomes: What will happen next?

According to the JAMA Network and ABC News, here are some predictions for what may come:

  • There will be greater price transparency: During his first term, Trump worked to make prices more transparent to both individuals and health care organizations. This may very well continue.
  • More emphasis on Medicare Advantage plans: Under Project 2025, it’s possible that Medicare Advantage plans will become the “default option for Medicare coverage.” This could lead to a privatization of the program.

Medicare’s future remains to be seen. For now, the best thing current and future retirees can do is keep an eye on their coverage options and costs.

CITE: https://tinyurl.com/tj8smmes

Visualize: How private equity tangled banks in a web of debt, from the Financial Times.

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NASH Equilibrium in Game Theory

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Nash equilibrium, in game theory, is an outcome in a noncooperative game for two or more players in which no player’s expected outcome can be improved by changing one’s own strategy.

The Nash equilibrium is a key concept in game theory, in which it defines the solution of N-player non-cooperative games. It is named for American mathematician John Nash, who was awarded the 1994 Nobel Prize for Economics for his contributions to game theory.

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DAILY UPDATE: Wall Street Momentum Rises

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At the closing bell, the blue-chip Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 0.9% to 44,565.

And a late-day surge carried the NASDAQ Composite into positive territory in the aftermath of Wednesday’s prodigious AI-driven rally, the tech-heavy index rising 0.2% to 20,053.

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U.S. stocks rose to a record Thursday as Wall Street regained some of the momentum that catapulted it to 57 all-time highs last year.

The S&P 500 climbed 0.5% to surpass its record set early last month after coming close the day before. It was the seventh gain in eight days for the main measure of Wall Street’s health.

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DAILY UPDATE: Markets Blast Off, Again!

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Tech stocks led the market on Wednesday as Netflix (NFLX) stock surged to a record, while President Donald Trump’s boost to AI demand hopes outweighed fresh tariff worries.

The NASDAQ Composite (^IXIC) rose nearly 1.3%, bolstered by a jump in Netflix shares on the heels of surprisingly strong earnings. The S&P 500 (^GSPC) climbed more than 0.6% to close just shy of its record high of 6,090.

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Meanwhile, the Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) was up 0.3%, coming off a rise of over 500 points on a winning Tuesday on Wall Street.

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Investment Advisor [IA] VERSUS Financial Advisor [FA]

DEFINITIONS

By Staff Reporters

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While IAs and FAs may seem the same, they are not the same. The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) and the Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) have clearly defined investment advisors as distinct from financial advisors.

The term financial advisor is a generic one that can encompass many different financial professionals, although it most commonly refers to stock brokers (individuals or companies that buy and sell securities).

Investment advisor, on the other hand, is a legal term and thus has a more clear-cut definition – or at least as clear as legalese is apt to be.

KEY DIFFERENCES:

  • Financial advisors help with all aspects of your finances, including saving, budgeting, insurance, retirement planning, and taxes.
  • Investment advisors focus specifically on choosing and managing investment portfolios.
  • Financial advisors offer broader financial guidance, while investment advisors concentrate solely on investments.
  • Investment advisors are held to the fiduciary standard, while financial advisors who work as brokers may operate under different rules.

MORE: https://www.financestrategists.com/financial-advisor/advisor-types/investment-advisor/

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EMBRACING Stock Market Stoicism

By Vitaliy Katsenelson CFA

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Embracing Stock Market Stoicism 

2024 brought me back to a core Stoic principle that I hold close to my heart: the dichotomy of control. Here’s the gist: Some things are within our power—our values, our character, our decisions—and some aren’t—like your brother-in-law’s random (and possibly dumb) comment, your spouse’s mood, or the fact that every traffic light turns red right as you pull up.

In investing, it’s the same. We can control:

  • The quality of our research—being logical and thorough in our research
  • Our decisions and discipline—systematically following our research
  • Our reactions—how we react to the news and external environmental pressure (I will discuss this at the end of the letter)

The market can price our stocks however it pleases on a month-to-month—or even year-to-year—basis. That’s the part we can’t control. We have to remember that these market prices are merely opinions, not final verdicts. The Stoics teach us to focus our energy on what we can influence (our process) and accept what we can’t (the market’s whims).

This probably sounds straightforward, but there’s a twist that makes it harder for you, the client, to see how this all plays out in real time. You can easily check the portfolio’s value—my decisions, not so much. In theory, I could make subpar investments and hide behind fancy Stoic talk.

That’s exactly the why of these very detailed letters: to show you our thinking, walk you through our individual decisions. I write, you read—that’s our agreement. You’re the judge of whether my process makes sense. But I can’t do that part for you.

CONTINUE READING: https://investor.fm/embracing-stock-market-stoicism/?mc_cid=25f3bd9eb4&mc_eid=7a63a03234

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ICE and Bank of America [BoA] Indices

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The ICE 3-Month USD LIBOR interest rate is the average interest rate at which a selection of banks in London are prepared to lend to one another in American dollars with a maturity of 3 months.

The Bank of America US High Yield Constrained Index is a market value-weighted index of all domestic high-yield bonds and Yankee high-yield bonds (issued by a foreign entity and denominated in U.S. dollars), including deferred interest bonds and payment-in-kind securities.

The ICE BofA BB-B US High Yield Constrained Index is composed of U.S. dollar-denominated corporate debt publicly issued in the U.S. market rated BB through B, based on an average of Moody’s, S&P and Fitch ratings, with issuer exposure capped at 2%.

ICE BofA U.S. Convertible Index tracks the performance of publicly issued, exchange-listed US dollar denominated convertible securities of US companies with at least $50 million face amount outstanding and at least one month remaining to the final conversion date. Index constituents are market capitalization-weighted and rebalanced monthly.

ICE BofA ML MOVE Index is a widely used measure of bond market volatility, similar to the VIX Index for stocks. The MOVE Index (also known as the Merrill Lynch Option Volatility Estimate) is a yield-curve-weighted index that tracks the market’s expectation of volatility in the U.S. bond market based on 1-month Treasury options.

ICE Exchange-Listed Preferred & Hybrid Securities Index tracks the performance of exchange-listed US dollar denominated hybrid debt, preferred stock and convertible preferred stock publicly issued by corporations in the US domestic market. Preferred stock and notes must have a minimum amount outstanding of $100 million; convertible preferred stock must have at least $50 million face amount outstanding. Index constituents are market capitalization-weighted subject to certain constraints. The index is re-balanced monthly.

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DAILY UPDATE: TikToc, Walgreens & Hindenburg Research All Down as Markets Blast Off

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WASHINGTON — The US Supreme Court on Friday delivered a blow to TikTok by upholding a law that could potentially lead to the video-sharing social media platform being banned in the United States. The justices in an unsigned opinion with no dissents rejected a free speech challenge filed by the company, meaning the law is set to go into effect on Sunday as planned. The bipartisan law requires China-based TikTok owner ByteDance to divest itself of the company by Sunday, the day before President-elect Donald Trump is to take office. If no sale takes place, the platform used by millions of Americans will in theory be banned.

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Legendary short seller Nate Anderson announced this week that he is shutting down his firm, Hindenburg Research, due to extreme job stress. With only 11 employees, Anderson took gargantuan swings at companies—and their billionaire leaders. Hindenburg published deeply researched reports about companies it believed were overvalued and rife with corruption. It got its big break when it shorted electric truck-maker Nikola in 2020, calling the company an “intricate fraud.” Regulators took note, and it led to three fraud convictions for Nikola founder Trevor Milton.

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US stocks jumped on Friday amid a tech stock revival as investors assessed a week of key data and earnings reports alongside potential policy shifts under a Trump administration.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) gained 0.8% while the S&P 500 (^GSPC) rose 1%, coming off a losing day for the major gauges. The tech-heavy NASDAQ Composite (^IXIC) put on 1.5% as Nvidia (NVDA) and Tesla (TSLA) shares nudged back into the green.

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The US Department of Justice (DOJ) filed a lawsuit against Walgreens (WBA), one of the nation’s largest pharmacy chains, alleging widespread prescription drug practice violations. According to the DOJ, Walgreens improperly dispensed millions of prescriptions from August 2012 to the present day that either lacked “legitimate medical purpose” or were otherwise invalid.

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BLOOMBERG: U.S. Universal Index

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The Bloomberg U.S. Universal Index represents the union of the U.S. Aggregate Index, U.S. Corporate High Yield Index, Investment Grade 144A Index, Eurodollar Index, U.S. Emerging Markets Index, and the non-ERISA eligible portion of the CMBS Index.

The index covers USD-denominated, taxable bonds that are rated either investment grade or high-yield. Some Bloomberg U.S. Universal Index constituents may be eligible for one or more of its contributing sub-components that are not mutually exclusive. These securities are not double-counted in the index.

The Bloomberg U.S. Universal Index was created on January 1st, 1999, with index history back-filled to January 1st, 1990.

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DAILY UPDATE: PBM Mark-Ups as Stocks Waiver

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The FTC’s second interim staff report on consolidated pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) found that the three largest of these middlemen—CVS Health’s Caremark Rx, Cigna Group’s Express Scripts, and UnitedHealth Group’s OptumRx—”marked up two specialty generic cancer drugs by thousands of percent and then paid their affiliated pharmacies hundreds of millions of dollars of dispensing revenue in excess of estimated acquisition costs for each drug annually.”

CITE: https://tinyurl.com/2h47urt5

The S&P 500 fell 0.2%. The NASDAQ 100 lost 0.7%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average slid 0.2%. A gauge of the “Magnificent Seven” megacaps slipped 1.9%. The Russell 2000 added 0.2%. The KBW Bank Index declined 0.2%.

The yield on 10-year Treasuries declined four basis points to 4.61%. The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index rose 0.1%.

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Visualize: How private equity tangled banks in a web of debt, from the Financial Times.

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HFR INVESTMENTS: Two Indices

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HFRX Equity Hedge Index serves as a daily-priced proxy for alternative strategies that maintain positions long and short, primarily in equity and equity derivative securities.

HFRX Fixed Income – Credit Index serves as a daily-priced proxy for alternative strategies that provide exposure to credit strategies. Credit strategies refers to a wide range of sub-strategies and may include corporate, sovereign, distressed, asset-backed, capital structure arbitrage, and other relative value approaches. Strategies may also include and utilize equity securities, credit derivatives, commodities, or currencies.

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JUNK: Rally Back?

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A Junk Rally is a general trend of out performance by companies that tend to score poorly along several dimensions, such as price-to-earnings (P/E) ratios, return on assets (ROA), balance sheet strength, levels of debt and volatility.

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DAILY UPDATE: Capital One, CPI and Medicare as Wall Street Blasts Off

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The U.S. Department of Labor reported a 0.4% increase in the monthly CPI after seasonal adjustment, overshooting the forecast of 0.3% and the previous value of 0.3%. On an annual basis, inflation climbed to 2.9%, up from 2.7% in November, the highest rate since July 2024.

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US stocks ripped higher on Wednesday as high hopes for bank earnings paid off and a crucial consumer inflation update showed key prices increased less than expected in December.

The benchmark S&P 500 (^GSPC) popped more than 1.8%, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) rose more than 1.6%, or over 700 points. Meanwhile, the tech-heavy NASDAQ Composite (^IXIC) soared 2.5%.

Stocks took a leg higher after the Consumer Price Index (CPI) showed progress toward the Fed’s 2% inflation target in December. Prices climbed 0.2% month-on-month on a “core” basis, which strips out the more volatile costs of food and gas, an easing from November’s 0.3% gain. Over last year, core CPI rose 3.2%.

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Capital One is being sued by the US government’s consumer watchdog agency for “cheating millions of consumers” and not paying more than $2 billion in interest to holders of its high-interest savings accounts.

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As of January 1st 2025, beneficiaries enrolled in Part D prescription drug plans will have their out-of-pocket spending capped at $2,000 for the year. This new policy was part of President Joe Biden’s 2022 Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), which included other drug pricing measures such as capping the cost of insulin at $35 per month for seniors.

But only a small share of Medicare enrollees will benefit from the cap, according to an analysis from nonprofit organization AARP’s Public Policy Institute, as most don’t spend more than $2,000 annually on their medications after hitting their deductible (which is up to $590 for standard plans in 2025). Beneficiaries spent an average of $400 to $500 per year as of 2022, the Hill reported, citing data from the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

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DAILY UPDATE: Dow Up While NASDAQ Drops

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The Producer Price Index, which tracks price changes companies see at a wholesale level, rose 3.3% over last year, up from 3% in November but less than economists expected. It rose 0.2% over the previous month, also less than expected. The report lays the groundwork for Wednesday’s heavily anticipated CPI print.

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US stocks closed mixed Tuesday as investors took in the first of two key inflation reports this week, which showed prices rose less than expected in December. Also in focus was a report that the incoming Trump administration could hike tariffs more gradually to ease inflationary pressures.

Investors will now turn their attention to Wednesday morning’s update on consumer prices, which are expected to remain sticky as the Federal Reserve continues its inflation fight.

On Tuesday, the benchmark S&P 500 (^GSPC) finished the trading day about 0.1% higher, while the tech-heavy NASDAQ Composite (^IXIC) dropped around 0.2% following a bumpy session on Wall Street. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) moved roughly 0.5% higher to cap off back-to-back winning days for the blue chip index.

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OPEN LETTER: MARCINKO Associates, Inc.

MISSION STATEMENT

Open Letter from the CEO

Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA CMP™

http://www.MarcinkoAssociates.com

ALL MEDICAL AND HEALTHCARE COLLEAGUES

Did you know that at MARCINKO & Associates, all medical colleagues throughout the United States may contact us when they are considering the sale, purchase, strategic operating improvement, merger, acquisition and/or other financial business or related personal financial planning transaction?

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Our difference is “hard” knowledge and insider financial guidance that helps medical colleagues, nurses, private practitioners, clinics, ambulatory surgery, radiology and outpatient wound care centers realize their ultimate economic goals. This typically includes managerial and cost accounting, financial ratio analysis, fair market valuation business appraisals, business plan creation and personal financial planning.

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Our “expert witness” business litigation support service and divorce mediation, arbitration, asset division, settlement and second opinion offerings are always available, as well.

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And, our “soft” skill professional career guidance and mentoring center includes executive coaching, consulting and mentoring advisory programs for stressed, conflicted or burned-out physicians and medical practitioners.

Most importantly, our professional fees are reasonable and always transparent.

MARCINKO & Associates also serves universities, medical, business, graduate and nursing schools; physicians, dentists, podiatrists, optometrists and legal societies. This includes accountants, financial service providers, wealth and hedge fund managers, emerging entities, hospitals, CEOs and their BODs, the press, media and related organizations.

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Contact us for an educational white-paper on most any topic.

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Now, please review our website to learn more.

And, always retain us when needed.

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DAILY UPDATE: Stock Markets Close Mixed

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Stocks closed mixed on Monday, with Big Tech names paring losses as the dollar and bond yields climbed amid fading hopes for interest rate cuts ahead of this week’s key consumer inflation reports.

The S&P 500 (^GSPC) settled almost 0.2% higher after falling as much as 1% during the session, while the NASDAQ Composite (^IXIC) fell 0.4%. Shares of Nvidia (NVDA) and Apple (AAPL) closed off their session lows, though most “Magnificent Seven” tech megacaps fell during the session.

The blue-chip Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI), which includes fewer tech stocks, rose 0.8%, or more than 350 points.

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Stocks navigated another volatile session after Friday’s plunge, which wiped out all year-to-date gains for Wall Street’s major gauges. A hot December jobs report rattled markets, spurring concern that signs of strength in the economy will encourage the Federal Reserve to keep rates higher for longer.

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DAILY UPDATE: HSA Reform & BoA Paper Bond Losses as Wall Street Tanks!

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 Healthcare insurance plans could undergo major changes under the incoming Trump administration thanks to a new bill being introduced this week seeking to reform health savings accounts. Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) introduced the Healthcare Freedom Act on Thursday seeking to reform the healthcare system by expanding health savings accounts to broaden coverage for U.S. taxpayers and “give Americans the quality of care they deserve.”

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Barron’s estimates that Bank of America’s paper losses on a portfolio of $568 billion of bonds, mostly U.S. agency mortgage securities, could widen to $111 billion or more, compared with $86 billion at the end of September.

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US stocks plunged Friday as investors digested a better-than-expected jobs report that soured expectations of future rate cuts from the Federal Reserve. The Dow dropped by 697 points, closing at 41,938, while the S&P 500 fell by 1.5% and the tech-heavy NASDAQ index was lower by 1.6%. The three indices all finished the week in the red as Friday’s selloff erased the week’s previous gains.

The selloff comes as the economy added 256,000 jobs in December, far outpacing expectations of around 153,000 jobs. While strong job growth signals a healthy economy, it raises the question of how soon the central bank needs to cut interest rates again. Traders now expect just a 2.7% chance the Fed will cut rates at its policy meeting later this month, according to the CME FedWatch Tool.

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CURRENCY: Carried Orientated

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Carry-oriented currencies are higher-yielding currencies of countries where interest rates are generally higher than those of countries with lower-yielding currencies.

These higher-yielding currencies are targeted for “carry trades,” where investors borrow money in a low-interest rate currency and invest in a higher yielding currency, potentially profiting from the difference in interest rates.

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NOTIONAL Value

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Notional Value is the face value or principal amount that an investor holds of a debt security.

This value is not subject to market pricing.

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CREDIT: Much About Agreements!

By Staff Reporters

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Credit report with score on a desk

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Credit analysis is a form of financial analysis used primarily to determine the financial strength of the issuer of a security, and the ability of that issuer to provide timely payment of interest and principal to investors in the issuer’s debt securities. Credit analysis is typically an important component of security analysis and selection in credit-sensitive bond sectors such as the corporate bond market and the municipal bond market.

Credit default swap index (CDX) is a credit derivative, based on a basket of CDS, which can be used to hedge credit risk or speculate on changes in credit quality.

Credit default swaps (CDS) are credit derivative contracts between two counterparties that can be used to hedge credit risk or speculate on changes in the credit quality of a corporation or government entity.

Credit quality reflects the financial strength of the issuer of a security, and the ability of that issuer to provide timely payment of interest and principal to investors in the issuer’s securities. Common measurements of credit quality include the credit ratings provided by credit rating agencies such as Standard & Poor’s and Moody’s. Credit quality and credit quality perceptions are a key component of the daily market pricing of fixed-income securities, along with maturity, inflation expectations and interest rate levels.

Credit Rating Agency (CRA) is a company that assigns credit ratings for issuers of certain types of debt obligations as well as the debt instruments themselves. In the United States, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) permits investment banks and broker-dealers to use credit ratings from “Nationally Recognized Statistical Rating Organizations” (NRSRO) for similar purposes. As of January 2012, nine organizations were designated as NRSROs, including the “Big Three” which are Standard and Poor’s, Moody’s Investor Services and Fitch Ratings.

Credit rating downgrade, by a credit rating agency (Standard & Poor’s, Moody’s or Fitch) means reducing its credit rating for a debt issuer and/or security. This is based on the agency’s evaluation, indicating, to the agency, a decline in the issuer’s financial stability, increasing the possibility of default. A downgrade should not to be confused with a default; a debt security can be downgraded without defaulting. And, conversely, a debt issuer can suddenly default without being downgraded first–credit ratings and credit rating agencies are not infallible.

Credit ratings are measurements of credit quality provided by credit rating agencies. Those provided by Standard & Poor’s typically are the most widely quoted and distributed, and range from AAA (highest quality; perceived as least likely to default) down to D (in default). Securities and issuers rated AAA to BBB are considered/perceived to be “investment-grade”; those below BBB are considered/perceived to be non-investment-grade or more speculative.

Credit risk is the inability or perceived inability of the issuers of debt securities to make interest and principal payments will cause the value of those securities to decrease. Changes in the credit ratings of debt securities could have a similar effect.

Credit Risk Transfer Securities (CRTS) are unsecured obligations of the GSEs (Government Sponsored Enterprises). Although cash flows are linked to prepays and defaults of the reference mortgage loans, the securities are unsecured loans, backed by general credit rather than by specified assets.

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IBBOTSON: Intermediate-Term Treasuries Index

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Ibbotson Intermediate-Term Treasuries Index constructed by Ibbotson Associates using long-term historical data. The index calculates total returns from historical index prices and calculates income using a coupon accrual method.

The index replicates intermediate-term bond performance by selecting the Treasury bond with maturity closest to five years, holds it for the calendar year, then rolls to the next five-year bond.

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SUSTAINABILITY Defined

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Sustainability focuses on meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. There are many different approaches to Sustainability, with motives varying from positive societal impact, to wanting to achieve competitive financial results, or both.

Methods of sustainable investing include active share ownership, integration of ESG factors, thematic investing, impact investing and exclusion among others.

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DAILY UPDATE: United Health Owned Insurance Fined and CFPB Hides Medical Debt as Nvidia Leads Stock Markets Down

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Three UnitedHealth-owned insurance companies must pay over $165 million for misleading thousands of customers in Massachusetts into paying for additional health insurance, a state judge has ruled.

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Nvidia stock (NVDA) tumbled more than 6% Tuesday, a day after shares closed at a record high in anticipation of CEO Jensen Huang’s keynote at the tech industry’s annual CES trade show in Las Vegas.

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Dow ends down nearly 180 points, NASDAQ tumbles 1.9% as Treasury yields surge after job-openings, ISM services data

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The Biden administration’s Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) issued a new rule Tuesday that will hide an estimated $49 billion in medical debt from credit reports. The rule, which is slated to affect 15 million Americans, prohibits the inclusion of medical bills on credit reports and bars creditors from using medical information in making lending decisions. The policy specifically targets national credit-reporting companies Equifax, Experian and Transunion, which provide detailed evaluations of consumer finances to banks, employers and landlords.

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DAILY UPDATE: Medicare Advantage Bonus Payments as Stocks Rise and Technology Pops

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Health plans made billions in Medicare Advantage bonus payments. A yearlong investigation reveals how. (the Wall Street Journal)

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The 10-year Treasury note yield ($TNX) is higher by ~3 basis points to 4.63%.

The U.S. Dollar Index ($DXY) is lower by 0.69 to 108.26.

WTI Crude Oil (/CL) is trading higher by 0.68% to $74.46 per barrel.

Gold prices have traded in a range of $2,624.60 to $2,663.80 and were last seen trading lower by 0.39% to $2,644.40/oz.

Natural Gas prices have traded in a range of $3.502-3.726 and were last seen trading higher by 7.30% to $3.599/MMBtu.

Bitcoin (/BTC) is trading higher by 3.83% to $102,114.50 today.

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US stocks largely rose on Monday as chip names popped and investors awaited the release of key monthly jobs data later this week.

The S&P 500 (^GSPC) was up about 0.5%, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) fell about 0.1% after being higher for most of the session. The tech-heavy NASDAQ Composite (^IXIC) led the gains, adding about 1.2%, after a tech-led rally on Friday.

Chip stocks rallied after a record revenue and a strong sales forecast from Nvidia (NVDA) server partner Foxconn (2317.TW, HNHPF), which boosted optimism for AI-fueled growth. Shares of Nvidia climbed more than 3%, as the stock closed at a record high. Meanwhile peer Micron Technology (MU) rose over 10%.

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MONEY Supply in Circulation

By Staff Reporters

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MONEY SUPPLY: The amount of money in circulation. The money supply measures
currently (1985) used by the Federal Reserve System are:


 M 1 – Currency in circulation + demand deposit + other check-type deposits. 35
 M2 – M 1 + savings and small denomination time deposits + overnight repurchase
agreements at commercial banks + overnight Eurodollars + money market mutual
fund shares.
 M3 – M2 + large-denomination time deposits (Jumbo CDs) + term repurchase
agreements.
 M4 – M3 + other liquid assets (such as term Eurodollars, bankers acceptances,
commercial paper, Treasury securities and U.S. Savings Bonds)

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BULLET Bond Structure

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A Bullet bond structure is a bond portfolio structure that clusters a portfolio’s bond maturities around a single maturity (usually an intermediate-term maturity).

This structure tends to perform best when the yield curve is moving from flat to steep (long-term rates are rising faster than short-term rates, or short-term rates are falling faster than long-term rates).

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DAILY UPDATE: Dental and Medical Record Data Breaches as Stocks Jump!

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Nvidia stock (NVDA) led gains among the “Magnificent Seven” tech stocks to start the new year after a group-wide sell-off in the last days of 2024. Shares of the AI chip-maker rose 4.5% Friday after gaining roughly 3% the prior day.

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Stat: 18. That’s how many dental data breaches there were in the US in 2024. (Becker’s Dental + DSO Review)

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Quote: “If your credit card gets compromised, your bank will alert you, cancel it and send you get a new one. But your medical records have a long lifespan. They can be misused without detection for long periods of time, because it’s harder to identify malicious activity. That makes them very valuable.”—Geetha Thamilarasu, associate professor at the University of Washington Bothell, on why hackers want healthcare information (the Wall Street Journal)

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That upswing followed a 4% dip between Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve as megacap tech stocks dropped across the board in the absence of a “Santa Claus” rally, where the stock market typically enjoys a surge between December 24th and January 2nd. Tesla (TSLA) stock plunged nearly 13% over that time frame, while Amazon (AMZN) and Microsoft (MSFT) dropped more than 4%. Meanwhile, Meta (META) and Google (GOOG) fell just under 4%, and Apple (AAPL) dropped 3%.

Even with its December decline, Nvidia shares still ended 2024 up more than 150%. Wall Street analysts have remained bullish on the stock, estimating shares will rise to roughly $173 over the next year from their current level of $138, according to Yahoo Finance data.

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OUTCOME: Bias

By Staff Reporters

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Outcome bias is judging a decision based on its result rather than the quality of the decision at the time it was made.

It’s like saying a bad poker play was smart because you won the hand. Or, a bad stock picker or financial advisor was good because the price went up!

According to psychologist and colleague Dan Ariely PhD, this bias ignores the process and focuses solely on the outcome. It’s why we celebrate lucky breaks and criticize thoughtful risks that didn’t pan out.

So, the next time you’re evaluating a decision, focus on the reasoning behind it, not just the end result.

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DAILY UPDATE: Chinese Stocks and Wall Street Down

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China’s stock market suffered its worst start to a year in nearly a decade, as investors brace for Donald Trump to impose tariffs on the world’s second-largest economy. The CSI 300 index closed down 2.9pc on Thursday, marking its steepest drop on the first day of annual trading since 2016, while the Hang Seng in Hong Kong fell 2.2pc.

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The fall for US stocks accompanied a rally in the dollar, a popular haven, which set a fresh two-year high Thursday and opened little changed Friday. The yen climbed in early trading after a third daily decline against the greenback in the prior session. The moves are a sign the selling that has sapped US equities over the past week may be starting to turn. Investors are preparing to implement asset-allocation strategies for the 2025 year ahead after a rocky end to 2024.

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K SHAPED: Economy and Recovery

By Staff Reporters

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Understanding the K-shaped Economy

According to Olivia Voltaggio, in a V-shaped economy, things go down but then bounce back for everyone. In a K-shaped economy, the overall economy might go down. Only some parts of it recover, while others keep struggling.

In a K-shaped economy, people’s financial situations vary widely. Not everyone faces the same struggles. Lenders and financial institutions need to be flexible with strategy. They need to understand the different challenges their customers are dealing with.

Navigate with caution: The gaps in economic recovery highlight the importance of taking a careful, strategic approach.

How did we end up with a K-shaped recovery in 2024?

Inflation-driven price increases seem to be getting more stable. But, they may not reach the goal set by the government until 2026. This has made things more expensive for regular families.

For example, people with student loan debt had to start paying it back in October 2023. This was after a pandemic-induced grace period. Student loan repayment made budgeting harder. Borrowers might need to spend more on average than expected. For young adults (Gen Z), it could be even more.

Finally, more people are using credit cards because things are getting more expensive. Some are struggling to pay their credit card bills on time.

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DAILY UPDATE: Markets Down Closing Out Year!

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US stocks slipped Tuesday, closing 2024 with an uncharacteristic down note after a roaring year of trading. The S&P 500 (^GSPC) fell 0.4%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) dropped just below the flatline, while the tech-heavy NASDAQ Composite (^IXIC) led the losses at 0.9%.

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Despite the sour final stretch, the benchmark S&P 500 closed 2024 up 23%, according to Yahoo Finance data. The tech-heavy NASDAQ Composite gained almost 30%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average posted a more modest 13% win. The S&P’s annual gain roughly matches 2023’s performance, logging the highest consecutive back-to-back annual gain in nearly 30 years.

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Visualize: How private equity tangled banks in a web of debt, from the Financial Times.

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LUCAS Paradox

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The Lucas Paradox occurs when capital is not flowing from developed countries to developing countries despite the fact that developing countries have lower levels of capital per worker, and therefore higher returns to capital.

According to Wikipedia, economic theory predicts that capital should flow from rich countries to poor countries, due to the effect of diminishing returns of capital. Poor countries have lower levels of capital per worker – which explains, in part, why they are poor. In poor countries, the scarcity of capital relative to labor should mean that the returns related to the infusion of capital are higher than in developed countries.

In response, savers in rich countries should look at poor countries as profitable places in which to invest. In reality, things do not seem to work that way. Surprisingly little capital flows from rich countries to poor countries. This puzzle was famously discussed in a paper by Robert Lucas PhD in 1990.

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CHINA: Li Keqiang Index

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The Li Keqiang Index was created in 2010 by The Economist and measure’s China’s economy using three indicators: railway cargo volume, electricity consumption and bank loans.

The index is seen as an alternative to official gross domestic product numbers released by the Chinese government.

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OPEN / CLOSED: Today and Tomorrow?

By Staff Reporters

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Is the Stock Market Open or Closed on New Year’s Eve?

Bond markets will close early at 2 p.m. Eastern on Tuesday, while the New York Stock Exchange and the NASDAQ Stock Market will hold regular hours from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Eastern. Over-the-counter markets, where securities trade over a broker-dealer network rather than a major exchange, will keep normal hours.

Is the Stock Market Open or Closed on New Year’s Day?

Both the U.S. bond and stock markets will be closed in observance of New Year’s Day. Over-the-counter markets will be shut, too.

What About International Markets?

Foreign exchanges, such as the London Stock Exchange, the Euronext Paris, the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong, the Shanghai Stock Exchange, and the Tokyo Stock Exchange, will be closed on Wednesday, January 1st.

Will Banks and Post Offices Be Open?

Federal Reserve banks and United States Post Service locations will be closed in observance of New Year’s Day.

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DAILY UPDATE: Covid-19 Update as Stock Markets Fall Again and US Treasury Hacked

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Stat: 4 in 10. That’s about how many US nursing home residents got an updated Covid-19 vaccine in the winter of 2023–24, according to the CDC, despite the recommendation that adults 65 and older get the new shot. (KFF)

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Stocks fell on Monday, with the woes of the three major indexes continuing in the final week of the year as an otherwise strong 2024 comes to a close.

The benchmark S&P 500 (^GSPC) slipped more than 1% while the tech-heavy NASDAQ Composite (^IXIC) fell roughly 1.2%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) fell about 0.8%.

Stocks moved lower as the 10-year Treasury yield (^TNX) retreated from a seven-month high to hover near 4.55%. Stocks closed out last week with a Friday slide from Big Tech names like Tesla (TSLA) and Nvidia (NVDA), with the NASDAQ Composite falling 1.5% and the S&P 500 down over 1%.

The highly anticipated “Santa Claus” rally, which is statistically one of the most consistent seven-day positive stretches of the year for the S&P 500, has flopped thus far. Since 1950, the S&P 500 has risen 1.3% during the seven trading days beginning December 24th, well above the typical seven-day average of 0.3%, according to LPL Financial chief technical strategist Adam Turnquist. In the current period, the S&P 500 is down nearly 1%.

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Chinese state-sponsored hackers breached the U.S. Treasury Department’s computer security guardrails this month and stole documents in what Treasury called a “major incident,” according to a letter to lawmakers that was provided to Reuters on Monday.

The hackers compromised third-party cybersecurity service provider BeyondTrust and were able to access unclassified documents, the letter said.

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PHANTOM: Income Tax on TIPS

By Staff Reporters

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“Phantom Tax” or “Phantom Income” for direct owners of Treasury inflation-protected securities (TIPS) TIPS adjust their principal values and interest payments for inflation. As with other directly owned Treasury securities, TIPS principal, including the inflation adjustments, is not paid back to investors until the securities mature.

However, the principal adjustments are taxed by the IRS as income in the year in which they occur, even though no actual payments are made in those years to investors who own TIPS directly. This is why this income is called “phantom income” and the tax on it is known as the “phantom tax.”

Investors can avoid the phantom income/tax issue for TIPS by holding TIPS in tax-deferred retirement accounts. Mutual funds and Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) typically take the “phantom” factor out of TIPS ownership by distributing the principal adjustments as taxable dividends.

As with direct ownership of TIPS, the tax consequences of these distributions by mutual funds and ETFs can be reduced by holding TIPS-owning instruments in tax-deferred retirement accounts

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COGNITIVE BIAS: Envy and Jealousy

By Staff Reporters

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Envy / Jealousy: This bias also relates to the contrast and social proof biases.  Prudent financial and business planning and related decision-making are based on real needs followed by desires.  People’s happiness and satisfaction is often based more on one’s position relative to perceived peers rather than an ability to meet absolute needs. 

The strong desire to “keep up with the Jones” can lead people to risk what they have and need for what they want.  These actions can have a disastrous impact on important long-term financial goals. 

According to colleague Dan Ariely PhD, clear communication and vivid examples of risks is often needed to keep people focused on important financial goals rather than spurious ones, or simply money alone, for its own sake.

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DAILY UPDATE: Veterans Scammed as 3 Major Markets Drop

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Read: Health insurers reportedly took billions of dollars from Medicare to cover veterans who didn’t use services. (the Wall Street Journal)

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US stocks closed the holiday week on a downbeat note as Wall Street slogged to the finish of a largely triumphant year.

The S&P 500 (^GSPC) lost 1.1%, while the tech-heavy NASDAQ Composite (^IXIC) shed 1.5% Friday at the close. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) gave up 0.8%. Meanwhile, the 10-year Treasury yield (^TNX) hovered near seven-month highs around 4.6%.

After stacking impressive gains this year, some of the biggest names in tech lost ground as investors took profits, rebalance portfolios, or reassessed their lofty valuations. Tesla (TSLA) lost 5%. Nvidia (NVDA) gave up c2%, while Amazon (AMZN) decreased by 1%.

Wall Street has just three trading days remaining in a 2024 full of big gains, but markets have been unable to mount a “Santa Claus” rally into the end of the year.

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Visualize: How private equity tangled banks in a web of debt, from the Financial Times.

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STOCK MARKET TRAPS: Overbought Bulls and Oversold Bears

By Staff Reporters

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What Is a Bull Trap?

A bull trap, according to James Chen, is a false signal, referring to a declining trend in a stock, index, or other security that reverses after a convincing rally and breaks a prior support level. The move “traps” traders or investors that acted on the buy signal and generates losses on resulting long positions. A bull trap may also refer to a whipsaw pattern. Read: Bull Trap.”

What is a Bear Trap

The opposite of a bull trap is a bear trap, which occurs when sellers fail to press a decline below a breakdown level.

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DAILY UPDATE: Medicare Tele-Health Out as DJIA Finishes Up a Tad

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Absent Congressional action, beginning January 1sy, 2025, the statutory limitations that were in place for Medicare telehealth services prior to the COVID-19 PHE will retake effect for most telehealth services.

This means most telehealth visits will not be covered by Medicare in 2025, unless Congress acts by the end of December 2024.

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(Reuters) -The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed fractionally higher on Thursday, stretching its winning streak to five sessions despite light trading volumes and rising U.S. Treasury yields weighing on some of the dominant technology megacaps.

While the NASDAQ Composite and the S&P 500 were broadly unchanged, the indexes both finished slightly in negative territory. This snapped the NASDAQ’s four-session run of higher closes, and ended the S&P 500’s own run at three sessions.

On a day of few catalysts, investors responded to yields on U.S. government bonds inching higher, including the yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note hitting its highest since early May at 4.64% earlier in the session. And, a strong auction of seven-year notes early in the afternoon though helped yields come off slightly, with the 10-year note at 4.58% in late-afternoon trade.

Higher yields are traditionally seen as negative for growth stocks, as it raises the cost of their borrowing to fund expansion. With markets increasingly dominated by the megacap technology stocks known as the Magnificent Seven, crimping their performance – especially in lieu of other market catalysts – will put downward pressure on benchmark indexes.

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The S&P 500 slipped 2.45 points, or 0.04%, to 6,037.59 points, while the NASDAQ Composite lost 10.77 points, or 0.05%, to 20,020.36. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 28.77 points, or 0.07%, to 43,325.80.

Six of the megacaps fell, with Tesla leading decliners with a 1.8% fall. The outlier was Apple, rising 0.3% and continuing to edge closer to becoming the first company in the world to hit a market value of $4 trillion.

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Visualize: How private equity tangled banks in a web of debt, from the Financial Times.

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CORPORATE EARNINGS: Per Share, Yield and EBDITA

DEFINITIONS

By Staff Reporters

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Earnings per share (EPS): The portion of a company’s profits allocated to each outstanding share of its common stock. It is as an indicator of a company’s profitability.

Earnings yield: Earnings per share for the most recent 12 months, divided by the current market price per share; it is the inverse of the price to earnings (P/E) ratio.

EBITDA: Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) is an approximate measure of a company’s operating cash flow.

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TRUST: Deferred Sales

DEFINITION

By Staff Reporters

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A deferred sales trust (DST) is an advanced tax strategy that allows investors to delay capital gains taxes on the sale of assets that have significantly risen in value, such as real estate or businesses. By selling the asset to a trust, the seller can receive payments over time, spreading out tax liabilities and allowing the profits to grow tax-deferred.

For example, a business owner may sell their company to a DST, avoiding a large tax bill upfront and instead receive income over multiple years. However, DSTs can be complex, and there are often fees involved in setting up and maintaining the trust.

Now, let’s point out some of the pros and cons of Deferred Sales Trusts.

One potential positive feature of using an installment sale to defer your capital gains taxes rather than a 1031 exchange is that installment sales don’t come with the same strict guidelines that govern 1031 exchanges. In particular, in light of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, 1031 exchanges are restricted to real property, whereas Deferred Sales Trusts and other installment sale arrangements can be used to defer capital gains for any kind of asset.

Conversely, the IRS has provided little to no guidance on how to defer taxes using an installment sale.

The basic rationale behind why you don’t receive capital gain is that you are not profiting immediately from the sale made with a Deferred Sales Trust. Given this rationale, there are various constraints on how a Deferred Sales Trust must be organized so that no capital gains taxes are in fact realized.

  • The third party to whom you transfer your asset generally cannot be a “related person” to you, such as a family member or a corporation in which you hold an interest. Except in special circumstances, if you attempt to set up a Deferred Sales Trust with a related person it will be viewed as a “sham trust” made just for the purposes of avoiding capital gains taxes, and will not be protected by the provisions in Section 453.
  • As with the 1031 exchange, you, the seller, cannot at any point in the transfer of your asset be in constructive receipt of the proceeds from the third party’s sale of that asset. To successfully defer capital gains taxes, either the third party or the trust of which they are trustee must be the only party which receives cash in the sale of the transferred asset. This includes receipt of a bond which is payable on demand.

This has been a general, informal introduction to Deferred Sales Trusts. As always, before attempting to carry out any important financial decision, investors should consult with a qualified tax or legal advisor regarding the specifics of their situation.

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DAILY UPDATE: Ascension Healthcare Cyber Crime Attack as Stock Market “Christmas Rallies” On!

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MERRY CHRISTMAS and HAPPY HANUKKAH

The financial markets will close early on Tuesday, December 24th, for Christmas Eve and will be closed on Wednesday, December 25th, for Christmas Day. Brokerage firms will process transaction requests received after 1 p.m., Eastern time, on Tuesday, December 24th, as if received on Thursday, December 26th, before 4 p.m., Eastern Standard time

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Healthcare provider Ascension has revealed the sensitive data of 5.6 million patients was compromised in a massive cyberattack earlier this year. The ransomware attack occurred in May and threw the company into turmoil, with patient portals and files inaccessible, elective services postponed, and some ambulances diverted, according to a filing with the Maine Attorney General that was reported by TechRadar. Ascension did not name the hackers, but CNN reporting indicated it stemmed from a Russian-speaking cybercrime affiliate known as Black Basta. It’s not clear if Ascension paid a ransom to get their systems back online.

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US stocks rallied in the final, shortened trading session before the Christmas holiday. The benchmark S&P 500 (^GSPC) finished the session up over 1.1%, while the tech-heavy NASDAQ Composite (^IXIC) rose roughly 1.4%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) climbed around 0.9%.

Wall Street successfully entered its Christmas break rejuvenated, after tech stocks including AI chip giant Nvidia (NVDA) led the march higher. Markets closed at 1 p.m. ET and are off tomorrow for Christmas Day.

Sizable gains in the past three trading sessions have put the indexes back on the path toward their record highs, from which they took a Fed-fueled nosedive last week.

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Visualize: How private equity tangled banks in a web of debt, from the Financial Times.

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DAILY UPDATE: FDIC Misconduct as Stocks Climb

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The stock market will be open on Christmas Eve 2024 but will close early at 1 p.m. ET in anticipation of Christmas Day. This early closure allows market participants to wind down ahead of the holiday.

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The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation has suspended pay bonuses for roughly two dozen executives under investigation for misconduct, a year after a Wall Street Journal investigation revealed a toxic and sexualized workplace culture at the bank regulator.

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Stocks climbed on Monday as tech rallied and investors considered the path of interest rates next year after the Fed hinted they would stay higher for longer.

The S&P 500 (^GSPC) gained 0.7%, while the tech-heavy NASDAQ (^IXIC) rose almost 1%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) erased earlier losses to edge almost 0.2% higher.

Semiconductor stocks gained, as shares of chipmakers Nvidia (NVDA) and Broadcom (AVGO) rose more than 3% and 5%, respectively. And, robust gains from social media platform Meta (META) and EV giant Tesla (TSLA) also helped lead the broader market higher.

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INVESTMENT PORTFOLIO: More on Year End Mutual Fund “Window Dressing”

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By Steve Selengut

December values may not be what they seem

NOTE: Mr. Selengut is a private investor and a contributing editor to LIFE & Health Advisor. He is the author of the book ‘The Brainwashing of the American Investor: The book that Wall Street does not want you to read.

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As [physician] investors, and we all are investors these days, it is important that we understand the idiosyncrasies of year-end Stock Market activity. On Wall Street, investing can be a minefield for those who don’t appreciate the non-economic, non-business-model, factors contributing to the market value numbers in fourth quarter brokerage account summaries.

Year end market values may not be what they seem ….

“Portfolio Window Dressing” (PWD) produces security pricing that is more a function of next year’s institutional marketing programs than a reflection of the economic forces that we would like to think are their primary determining factors. Not even close…

Toward the end of every calendar quarter, we hear the financial media report that “institutional PWD activities” are in full swing. But that is as deep as the stories ever go. What are they talking about, and just what does it mean to you as an investor?

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READ MORE: https://www.lifehealth.com/year-end-portfolio-window-dressing/

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