BOARD CERTIFICATION EXAM STUDY GUIDES Lower Extremity Trauma
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Posted on September 4, 2024 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™
The BOTOX Predictor Index?
By Staff Reporters
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It’s looking more than likely that we’ll see a recession in the next year, and Americans are preparing themselves by taking steps like delaying major purchases, allocating more of their income to savings, and staying in jobs they don’t love. Another thing they’re not doing? Getting Botox. And that’s bad news for AbbVie; according to Neal Freyman of Morning Brew.
AbbVie, one of the biggest drug manufacturers in the US, brought Botox into its medical aesthetics portfolio—which also includes the popular dermal filler Juvederm—in 2020, when it bought rival drug maker Allergan for $63 billion. AbbVie CEO Richard Gonzalez said during the company’s Oct. 28th earnings call that the company expects the aesthetics business to take a hard hit in 2024 as recession fears cause consumers to be more cautious with their spending.
“Based on all the data we’ve been observing, especially in the US, with both the consumer-confidence index and real personal consumption expenditures trending down and continued high inflation, these factors are putting pressure on consumer’s discretionary spending,” Gonzalez said.
AbbVie lowered its 2022-23 full-year forecast for its aesthetics business by $600 million, down to $5.3 billion. After the earnings call, AbbVie’s stock fell 4.3%. Through the third quarter of 2022, Botox has brought in $1.97 billion for the aesthetics business. The third quarter saw $637 million in cosmetic Botox sales, down from an expected $640 million. Gonzalez said he doesn’t think the hit on sales will last long, though.
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“As consumer confidence improves, we would once again expect the market growth to accelerate. Our aesthetics portfolio experienced a rapid and sustained recovery following the 2008, 2009 recession,” Gonzalez said.
But Botox also faces a new competitor, called Daxxify, which just got FDA approval in September. Made by Revance Therapeutics, the drug may last longer: In clinical trials, Daxxify injections lasted six to nine months, while Botox injections typically last three months.
Posted on September 4, 2024 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™
MEDICAL EXECUTIVE-POST–TODAY’SNEWSLETTERBRIEFING
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Essays, Opinions and Curated News in Health Economics, Investing, Business, Management and Financial Planning for Physician Entrepreneurs and their Savvy Advisors and Consultants
“Serving Almost One Million Doctors, Financial Advisors and Medical Management Consultants Daily“
A Partner of the Institute of Medical Business Advisors , Inc.
The September Effect refers to the historically weak stock market returns observed during the month of September. In fact, September has been the worst performing month, on average, going back nearly a century.
Stat: $1 trillion. That’s how much Berkshire Hathaway is now worth. The Warren Buffet-led company is the first outside of tech to join the trillion-dollar club, joining behemoths like Apple, Amazon, and Microsoft. (the Washington Post)
Southwest Airlines ascended 2.28% on the news that activist investor Elliott Investment Management has accrued enough shares of the airline to call a special shareholder meeting.
Vaxcyte exploded 36.39% after an early-stage trial for its invasive pneumococcal disease vaccine showed promising results.
What’s down
Nvidia sank 9.53% as investors continue to digest the chipmaker’s earnings report from last week, which hinted at a slowdown in growth. Semiconductor stocks across the board had a terrible day.
Boeing descended 7.32% after a Wells Fargo analyst downgraded the company and lowered his price point, noting Boeing’s mounting expenses will hinder its free cash flow.
Cleanspark plunged 15.62% after the bitcoin miner released its latest monthly mining update, which revealed that it has been pulling in fewer and fewer bitcoins.
The S&P 500® index (SPX)dropped 119.47points (–2.12%) to 5,528.93; the Dow Jones Industrial Average® ($DJI) fell 626.15 points (–1.51%) to 40,936.93; the $COMP plummeted 577.32 points (–3.26%) to 17, 136.30.
The 10-year Treasury note yield gave back seven basis points to 3.84%.
The VIX soared to 20.72, the highest since August 13.
Posted on September 3, 2024 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™
By Staff Reporters
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A quantum computer is a computer that exploits quantum mechanical phenomena. At small scales, physical matter exhibits properties of both particles and waves, and quantum computing leverages this behavior using specialized hardware. Classic physics cannot explain the operation of these quantum devices, and a scalable quantum computer could perform some calculations exponentially faster than any modern “classical” computer. In particular, a large-scale quantum computer could break widely used encryption schemes and aid physicists in performing physical simulations; however, the current state of the art is largely experimental and impractical.
The basic unit of information in quantum computing is the qubit, similar to the bit in traditional digital electronics. Unlike a classical bit, a qubit can exist in a superposition of its two “basis” states, which loosely means that it is in both states simultaneously. When measuring a qubit, the result is a probabilistic output of a classical bit. If a quantum computer manipulates the qubit in a particular way, wave interference effects can amplify the desired measurement results. The design of quantum algorithms involves creating procedures that allow a quantum computer to perform calculations efficiently and quickly.
Quantum Computing in Finance
Quantum-computing use cases in finance are slightly further in the future. The long-term promise of quantum computing in finance lies in portfolio and risk management.
Posted on September 3, 2024 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™
By Staff Reporters
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A currency pair is the quotation of the relative value of a currency unit against the unit of another currency in the foreign exchange market. The currency that is used as the reference is called the counter currency, quote currency, or currency and the currency that is quoted in relation is called the base currency or transaction currency.
Currency pairs are generally written by concatenating the ISO currency codes (ISO 4217) of the base currency and the counter currency, and then separating the two codes with a slash. Alternatively the slash may be omitted, or replaced by either a dot or a dash. A widely traded currency pair is the relation of the euro against the US dollar, designated as EUR/USD. The quotation EUR/USD 1.2500 means that one euro is exchanged for 1.2500 US dollars. Here, EUR is the base currency and USD is the quote currency (counter currency). This means that 1 Euro can be exchangeable to 1.25 US Dollars.
Posted on September 3, 2024 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™
MEDICAL EXECUTIVE-POST–TODAY’SNEWSLETTERBRIEFING
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Essays, Opinions and Curated News in Health Economics, Investing, Business, Management and Financial Planning for Physician Entrepreneurs and their Savvy Advisors and Consultants
“Serving Almost One Million Doctors, Financial Advisors and Medical Management Consultants Daily“
A Partner of the Institute of Medical Business Advisors , Inc.
Recent data suggest that the US labor market is softening, and the Federal Reserve appears to be taking notice. The Fed gave a strong signal in July that it was prepared to cut the federal funds rate target by 25 basis points in September. And so, Vanguard RIA is anticipating an additional second 25-basis-point cut this year and a target range of 3.25%–3.5% at the end of 2025.
The U.S. economy created 114,000 jobs in July, and the unemployment rate rose to 4.3%. The unemployment rate increase is attributable to labor force growth exceeding job growth rather than an increase in job losses.
Broad consumer prices rose in July at the slowest year-over-year pace since early 2021. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose by 2.9% compared with July 2023, with shelter price increases accounted for nearly 90% of the monthly increase. The report reaffirms our view that shelter inflation will remain sticky through the rest of the year as supply expands only slowly and demand remains steady.
The Fed’s preferred inflation measure to guide policymaking, the core Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) price index, held steady year-over-year in June, rising by 2.6%. We foresee the pace of core PCE rising to 2.9% by year-end because of challenging comparisons with year-earlier data.
The U.S. economy displayed continued resilience in the second quarter, with real GDP growth increasing by an annualized 2.8%, with support from increases in consumer spending, nonresidential fixed investment, and government spending. Through midyear, GDP growth is tracking largely in line with our 2% outlook for the year.
Posted on September 2, 2024 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™
By Staff Reporters
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The first Labor Day holiday was celebrated on Sept. 5th, 1882, in New York City, in accordance with the plans of the Central Labor Union. President Grover Cleveland signed a law on June 28th, 1894, that made the first Monday in September of each year a national holiday, according to the Department of Labor.
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The financial markets will be closed today Monday, September 2nd, for Labor Day, 2024. Most brokerages will process transaction requests received after 4 p.m., Eastern time, on Friday as if received before 4 p.m., Eastern time, on Tuesday, September 3rd, 2024.
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The stock market has had a strong 2024 so far, but that doesn’t mean investors won’t enjoy the long weekend. The Dow Jones Industrial Average has gained 11% this year, while the S&P 500 has climbed 15% and the NASDAQ Composite has moved 21% higher. A handful of tech stocks, such as Nvidia (ticker: NVDA) and Meta Platforms (META), have led the charge as traders bet on the future of artificial intelligence.
Posted on September 2, 2024 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™
MEDICAL EXECUTIVE-POST–TODAY’SNEWSLETTERBRIEFING
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Essays, Opinions and Curated News in Health Economics, Investing, Business, Management and Financial Planning for Physician Entrepreneurs and their Savvy Advisors and Consultants
“Serving Almost One Million Doctors, Financial Advisors and Medical Management Consultants Daily“
A Partner of the Institute of Medical Business Advisors , Inc.
All U.S. and Canadian markets will be closed in observance of Labor/Labour Day.
There will be no Pre-Market or After Hours trading sessions.
Any trades placed on Friday, August 30, 2024, will settle on Tuesday, September 3, 2024.
Requests to move money (MoneyLink, wire transfers, check requests, and IRA distributions) received after the standard cut-off times on Friday, August 30, 2024, will not be processed until Tuesday, September 3, 2024.
The Financial Times reports that the ChatGPT-maker is discussing changing its corporate structure, which currently has it governed by a nonprofit entity, to make it more attractive to investors as the company works to complete a funding round that values it at $100 billion.
Stock Markets celebrated Labor Day 2024 and the end of summer with the Dow Jones Industrial Average closing at another record high and the S&P 500 clinching its fourth straight winning month. The Fed’s favorite inflation gauge came in as expected, providing yet another sign pointing to a September interest rate cut.
And Intel rose on reports that the beleaguered micro chip maker is considering various options, including breaking up the business, to overcome its slump.
Financial professionals like me think nothing of asking clients this question.
But, if the tables were turned, though, and clients or prospective clients asked the same question of us, how would we respond?
The “Talk”
Every now and then this issue comes up in conversations among financial planners. Some advisors think their net worth is none of their clients’ business, any more than doctors’ cholesterol levels are any business of their patients.
Others are concerned that a single number like net worth is incomplete information and can even be misleading. Knowing a financial professional has a net worth of, say, five million dollars doesn’t necessarily mean the person is trustworthy or a capable financial planner. Net worth tells prospective clients nothing about where the money came from. The planner may have inherited it, won the lottery, earned it through a business other than financial planning, earned it from commissions on poor investments, or even obtained it illegally.
Wither the “Number”
Nor does net worth reveal anything useful about the understanding of money or knowledge of financial planning. I’ve worked with plenty of multi-millionaires who were skilled at making money but were horrible money managers and inept at investing. Even more, there are many brilliant young planners who haven’t had the time to accumulate a large net worth.
I suspect that most clients who want to know about their planners’ net worth actually have several deeper questions in mind. Some may be asking if the professional actually follows his or her own advice. Imagine how troubling it might be to find out your financial planner doesn’t have a retirement plan, is a habitual over-spender, or hasn’t gotten around to making a will.
Other Reasons Why
Another reason for the question may be a concern whether the planner is financially stable and will be around in the future. During the Great Recession, many financial professionals saw their revenues fall by 30% to 40%. Some who did not have a business emergency reserve had to resort to laying off staff, cutting services, or in some cases closing their doors.
Still another concern may be whether the planner is familiar with a potential client’s particular financial issues. This is especially true of high net worth clients. They need to know a planner can relate to the complexities, responsibilities, and emotional challenges of managing wealth.
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The Questions
All of these are legitimate concerns. Knowing a financial planner’s net worth, however, doesn’t address those concerns. To discover whether a planner is a good fit for you, it would be more useful to ask questions like the following:
Do you follow the same advice you give clients? Give me some examples.
Do you have six months’ living expenses in an emergency account?
Do you invest your money in the same manner you will invest mine?
If I were to run a credit report on you, what would it tell me?
What are some of the things you have learned from your financial mistakes?
Tell me what your company has in place for emergency planning and succession planning.
Tell me why you can relate to someone with my net worth and the issues I am facing.
Assessment
If a planner is offended by these questions or dances around answering them, that may be a red flag. If a planner offers answers freely and transparently, you may have found someone who provides exceptional service. Planners who share some of their own financial information are clearly committed to building the trust that is so essential between planner and client.
As a prospective client, you may hesitate to ask these questions even though you want to know the answers. Don’t be shy; ask.
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Speaker: If you need a moderator or speaker for an upcoming event, Dr. David E. Marcinko; MBA – Publisher-in-Chief of the Medical Executive-Post – is available for seminar or speaking engagements. Contact: MarcinkoAdvisors@msn.com
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The Marcinko & Associates second opinion service is a physician-to-advisor telephone or e-mail portal that connects independent financial and business management professionals and consultants, with doctors or healthcare executives desiring affordable and unbiased financial or business advice on an as-needed, or per-use basis.
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Medical professionals and healthcare executives can now receive direct access to us in the areas of Practice Enhancement, Investing, Financial Planning, Asset Allocation, Portfolio Management, Insurance, Mortgage and Lending, Practice Management, Information Technology, Human Resources and Employee Benefits. To assist our doctor / healthcare executive members, we can be contracted with per-hour or per-project fees, and contacted by client phone, email or secure instant messaging.
This Marcinko & Associates service is designed to fill a growing need for medically focused financial or managerial advice that traditional consultants have not been able to serve.
Posted on August 31, 2024 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™
MEDICAL EXECUTIVE-POST–TODAY’SNEWSLETTERBRIEFING
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Essays, Opinions and Curated News in Health Economics, Investing, Business, Management and Financial Planning for Physician Entrepreneurs and their Savvy Advisors and Consultants
“Serving Almost One Million Doctors, Financial Advisors and Medical Management Consultants Daily“
A Partner of the Institute of Medical Business Advisors , Inc.
Elastic NV plummeted 26.49% after the software maker announced a weak quarterly report and forecast worse quarters ahead.
Alnylam Pharmaceuticals stumbled 8.47% in spite of announcing positive Phase 3 trial results for its new heart disease drug. Shareholders don’t think the new drug is as groundbreaking as it could’ve been compared to offerings from competitors like BridgeBio, which popped 13.12% on the news.
The SPX climbed 56.44 points (1.01%) to 5,648.40, roughly flat for the week; the $DJI rose 228.03 points (0.55%) to 41,563.08, up almost 1% for the week; the NASDAQ Composite®($COMP) added 197.19 points (1.13%) to 17,713.62, down nearly 1% from a week ago.
The 10-year Treasury note yield (TNX) climbed three basis points to 3.91% but fell about 20 basis points in August.
The CBOE Volatility Index® (VIX) fell moderately to 14.96, well below levels above 30 recorded earlier this month.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has been doing victory laps since announcing discounts on August 15 for 10 of the most expensive Medicare Part D drugs, a change that is set to go into effect in 2026. These discounts, called maximum fair prices (MFPs), kick off annual negotiations between the CMS and drug manufacturers. The negotiations were made possible by the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), which also brings other changes such as Medicare Part D benefit redesign.
Visualize: How private equity tangled banks in a web of debt, from the Financial Times.
And, Remember NFTs? This is an excellent history of OpenSea, the largest NFT marketplace, and all the chaos within its walls.
Posted on August 30, 2024 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™
By Staff Reporters
Remember NFTs? This is an excellent history of OpenSea, the largest NFT marketplace, and all the chaos within its walls.
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You have to report your crypto and NFT transactions to the IRS
While not technically new, for 2024. the IRS is making a more concerted effort to track cryptocurrency sales and trades. Whenever you sell or trade your crypto or purchase an item with crypto, you trigger a taxable event. Currently, crypto is taxed like property, making it subject to short- or long-term capital gains taxes. This also means you can report any crypto losses to help offset any gains. Since 2022 saw a drastic drop and rise in the value of cryptocurrencies like bitcoin and ethereum, if you sold or traded your crypto at a loss, you may be able to reduce your tax bill by reporting your capital loss. The same goes for NFTs.
And though the IRS will flag any unreported crypto gains, if you don’t report a loss that can lower your tax burden, the IRS won’t adjust your return on your behalf. “If you leave it off, it stays off. “Tax deductible losses from your virtual currency activity do have real consequences on your tax return, and can save you real dollars.
So we always tell people, if you’ve got something that you don’t fully understand, you certainly should seek out guidance from a trained experienced tax professional.”
Beside market, limit and stop orders, there are some other miscellaneous orders for the physician or guided investor, to know:
A stop limit order is a stop order that, once triggered or activated, becomes a limit order. Realize that it is possible for a stop limit to be triggered and not executed, as the limit price specified by the doctor may not be available.
In addition, there are all or none and fill or kill orders, and even though both require the entire order to be filled, there are distinct differences. An all or none (AON) is an order in which the broker is directed to fill the entire order or none of it.
A fill or kill (FOK) is an order either to buy or to sell a security in which the broker is directed to attempt to fill the entire’ amount of the order immediately and in full, or that it be canceled.
The difference between an all or none and a fill or kill order is that with an all or none order, immediate execution is not required, while immediate execution is a critical component of the fill or kill. Because of the immediacy requirement,
FOK orders are never found on the specialist’s book. Another difference is that AON orders are only permitted for bonds, not stocks, while FOK orders may be used for either.
Also, there exists an immediate or cancel order (IOC), which is an order to buy or sell a security in which the broker is directed to attempt to fill immediately as much of the order as possible and cancel any part remaining. This type of order differs from a fill-or-kill order which requires the entire order to be filled. An IOC order will permit a partial fill. Because of the immediacy requirement, IOC and FOK orders are never found on the specialist’s book.
Long and Short Positions
A long buy position means that shares are for sale from a market makers inventory or owned by the medical investor outright. Market makers take long positions when customers and other firms wish to sell, and they take short positions when customers and other firms want to buy in quantities larger than the market maker’s inventory. By always being ready, willing, and able to handle orders in this way, market makers assure the investing public of a ready market in the securities in which they are interested. When a security can be bought and sold at firm prices very quickly and easily the security is said to have a high degree of liquidity, also known as marketability.
A short position investor seeks to make a profit by participating in the decline in the market price of a security.
Now; let’s see how these terms, long and short, apply to transactions by medical investors [rather than market makers] in the securities markets.
When a doctor buys any security – he is said to be taking a long position in that security. This means the investor is an owner of the security. Why does a doctor take a long position in a security? Well, receiving dividend income to make a profit from an increase in the market price is one reason. Once the security has risen sufficiently in price to satisfy the investor’s profit needs, the investor will liquidate his long position, or sell his stock. This would officially be known as a long sale of stock, though few people in the securities business use the label “long sale”. This is the manner in which the above investor had made a profit is the traditional method used; buy low, sell high.
Let’s look at an actual investment in General Motors to investigate this principle further. A medical investor has taken a long position in 100 shares of General Motors stock at a price of $70 per share. This means that the manner in which he can do that is by placing a market order which will be executed at the best “available market price at the time, or by the placing of a buy limit order with a limit price of $70 per share. The investor firmly believes, on the basis of reports that he has read about the automobile industry and General Motors specifically, that at $70 a share, General Motors is a real bargain. He believes that based on its current level of performance, it should be selling for a price of between $80 and $85 per share. But, the doctor investor has a dilemma. He feels certain that the price is going to rise but he cannot watch his computer, or call his broker, every hour of every day. The reason he can’t watch is because patients have to be seen in the office. The only people who watch a computer screen all day are those in the offices of brokerage firms (stock broker registered representatives), and doctor day traders, among others.
In the above example, with a sell limit order, if the doctor investor was willing to settle for a profit of $12 per share, what order would he place at this time? If you said, “sell at $82 good ’til canceled”, you are correct. Why GTC rather than a day order? Because our doctor investor knows that General Motors is probably not going to rise from $70 to $82 in one day. If he had placed an order to sell at $82 without the GTC qualification, his order would have been canceled at the end of this trading day. He would have had to re-enter the order each morning until he got an execution at 82. Marking the order GTC (or open) relieves him of any need to replace the order every morning. Several weeks later, when General Motors has reached $82 per share in the market, his order to sell at 82 is executed. The medical investor has bought at 70 and sold at 82 and realized a $12 per share profit for his efforts.
Let’s suppose that the medical investor, who has just established a $12 per share profit, has evaluated the performance of General Motors common stock by looking at the market performance over a period of many years. Let’s further assume that the investor has found by evaluating the market price statistics of General Motors that the pattern of movement of General Motors is cyclical. By cyclical, we mean that it moves up and down according to a regular pattern of behavior.
Let’s say the investor has observed that in the past, General Motors had repeated a pattern of moving from prices in the $60 per share range as a low, to a high of approximately $90 per share. Further, our investor has observed that this pattern of performance takes approximately 10 to l2 months to do a full cycle; that is, it moves from about 60 to about 90 and back to about 60 within a period of roughly l2 months. If this pattern repeats itself continually, the investor would be well advised to buy the stock at prices in the low to mid 60’s hold onto it until it moves well into the 80’s, and then sell his long position at a profit. However, what this means is that our investor is going to be invested in General Motors only 6 months of each year. That is, he will invest when the price is low and, usually within half a year, it will reach its high before turning around and going back to its low again. How can the doctor-investor make a profit not only on the rise in price of General Motors in the first 6 months of the cycle, but on the fall in price of General Motors in the second half of the cycle? One technique that is available is the use of the short sale.
The Short Sale
If a doctor investor feels that GM is at its peak of $ 90 per share, he may borrow 100 shares from his brokerage firm and sell the 100 shares of borrowed GM at $ 90. This is selling stock that is not owned and is known as a short sale. The transaction ends when the doctor returns the borrowed securities at a lower price and pockets the difference as a profit. In this case, the doctor investor has sold high, and bought low.
Odd Lots
Most of the thousands of buy and sell orders executed on a typical day on the NYSE are in 100 share or multi-100 share lots. These are called round lots. Some of the inactive stocks traded at post 30, the non-horseshoe shaped post in the northwest corner of the exchange, are traded in 70 share round lots due to their inactivity. So, while a round lot is normally 700 shares, there are cases where it could be 10 shares. Any trade for less than a round lot is known as an odd lot. The execution of odd lot orders is somewhat different than round lots and needs explanation.
When a stock broker receives an odd lot order from one of his doctor customers, the order is processed in the same manner as any other order. However, when it gets to the floor, the commission broker knows that this is an order that will not be part of the regular auction market. He takes the order to the specialist in that stock and leaves the order with the specialist. One of the clerks assisting the specialist records the order and waits for the next auction to occur in that particular stock. As soon as a round lot trade occurs in that particular stock as a result of an auction at the post, which may occur seconds later, minutes later, or maybe not until the next day, the clerk makes a record of the trade price.
Every odd lot order that has been received since the last round lot trade, whether an order to buy or sell, is then executed at the just noted round lot price, the price at which the next round lot traded after receipt of the customer’s odd lot order, plus or minus the specialist’s “cut “. Just like everything else he does, the specialist doesn’t work for nothing. Generally, he will add 1/8 of a point to the price per share of every odd lot buy order and reduce the proceeds of each odd lot sale order by 1/8 per share. This is the compensation he earns for the effort of breaking round lots into odd lots. Remember, odd lots are never auctioned but, there can be no odd lot trade unless a round lot trades after receipt of the odd lot order.
Posted on August 30, 2024 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™
MEDICAL EXECUTIVE-POST–TODAY’SNEWSLETTERBRIEFING
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Essays, Opinions and Curated News in Health Economics, Investing, Business, Management and Financial Planning for Physician Entrepreneurs and their Savvy Advisors and Consultants
“Serving Almost One Million Doctors, Financial Advisors and Medical Management Consultants Daily“
A Partner of the Institute of Medical Business Advisors , Inc.
Affirm Holdings soared 31.92% due to a beat-and-raise quarter for the buy-now-pay-later company.
Nutanix gained 20.31% after the cloud infrastructure company took advantage of a rival’s recent acquisition to gobble up market share.
What’s down
Okta, the security software maker that never lets you get into your company files when you really need to, dropped 17.64% after issuing mixed guidance for the coming quarter.
Salesforce sank at the open but recovered a bit, falling 0.94% after the cloud computing company announced solid earnings.
Pure Storage plunged 15.84% after beating estimates but announcing that full-year earnings will come in lower than expected.
An early rally lost steam, once again victimized by selling in semiconductors and mega caps despite signs of progress elsewhere. That progress helped lead the Dow Jones Industrial Average® ($DJI) to a new all-time high for the third time in four sessions.
The SPX fell 0.22 points (0.00%) to 5,591.96; the $DJI rose 243.63 points (0.59%) to 41,335.05; the NASDAQ Composite®($COMP) dropped 39.59 points (–0.23%) to 17,516.43.
The 10-year Treasury note yield (TNX) climbed two basis points to 3.86%.
Posted on August 29, 2024 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™
MEDICAL EXECUTIVE-POST–TODAY’SNEWSLETTERBRIEFING
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Essays, Opinions and Curated News in Health Economics, Investing, Business, Management and Financial Planning for Physician Entrepreneurs and their Savvy Advisors and Consultants
“Serving Almost One Million Doctors, Financial Advisors and Medical Management Consultants Daily“
A Partner of the Institute of Medical Business Advisors , Inc.
McKesson plans to grow its oncology platform by investing nearly $2.5 billion for a 70% stake in Community Oncology Revitalization Enterprise Ventures (Core Ventures), which was launched earlier this year by Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute (FCS). The institute is a group practice of more than 250 physicians, 280 advanced practice providers and almost 100 Florida locations that will remain independent following the deal’s close. The deal will bring advanced treatments and improved care to patients while reducing the overall cost of care, McKesson’s chief executive said.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a new report detailing total complaints related to the No Surprises Act and Affordable Care Act compliance. Providers and consumers earned $4.18 million in relief. More than 12,000 complaints were tied to the No Surprises Act compliance, 10,300 of which were against providers, facilities and air ambulance services. Most of such complaints were about surprise billing for non-emergency services at an in-network facility, followed by surprise billing for emergency services and good faith estimates.
And…Electronic health records giant Epic recently announced plans to transition its customers to TEFCA, the Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement, a nationwide network to exchange patient data that was mandated by the 21st Century Cures Act back in 2016. On the same day, Carequality, an interoperability network that Epic belongs to, also announced that it plans to align with TEFCA. As one of the largest health IT vendors in the industry, Epic’s commitment to moving customers over to TECFA is noteworthy and will likely help to drive adoption, health IT experts say.
Box rose 10.83% with the cloud company upping its sales outlook for the year.
AeroVironment was up 9.06% after the defense firm secured a $990 million five-year contract with the US Army.
What’s down
Super Micro Computer plunged 19.02% after announcing it would delay filing its annual financial disclosures with the SEC. Yesterday, short-seller Hindenburg Research accused the high-flying server maker of “glaring accounting red flags” and other sketchy business practices.
Abercrombie & Fitch’s 21% revenue growth last quarter wasn’t enough to impress investors, who sent the retailer’s stock down 16.99%. They got spooked when CFO Fran Horowitz mentioned the “increasingly uncertain environment” in the second half of the year.
Trump Media stock dipped below $20/share for the first time since the Truth Social owner went public in March. It’s down more than 75% from its intraday peak set that month.
Foot Lockerbeat top and bottom line estimates for the second quarter. But its stock dropped 10.24% when it kept its full-year outlook steady and announced store closures in Asia and Europe.
The S&P 500® index (SPX) fell 33.62 points (–0.60%) to 5,592.18; the Dow Jones Industrial Average® ($DJI) declined 159.08 (–0.39%) to 41,091.42; the NASDAQ Composite®($COMP) dropped 198.79 points (–1.12%) to 17,556.03.
The 10-year Treasury note yield (TNX) rose about one basis point to 3.84%.
The CBOE Volatility Index® (VIX) climbed to 16.95, back toward levels seen nearly a week ago.
Posted on August 28, 2024 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™
By Staff Reporters
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What it is: With its use as a commodity tracing back to Ancient Lydian merchants over 2,500 years ago, gold has the most staying power of any indicator on this list. When investors talk about gold prices today, they’re most likely referring to the price per ounce of gold bullion.
How it works: Gold is priced in U.S. dollars around the world. Investors can buy physical gold in the form of bullion or coins or go for more intangible gold securities, such as futures, ETF shares, or investments in gold mining companies.
Why it matters: In a 21st century economy where currencies aren’t pegged to the gold standard and credit cards are the medium of exchange, some investors argue gold is a relic. But others turn to the metal for diversification or as a “safe-haven asset”—something to buy during times of geopolitical or economic uncertainty because it holds onto its value.
Posted on August 28, 2024 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™
By Staff Reporters
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A consumer confidence index (CCI) is an economic indicator published by various organizations in several countries.
In simple terms, increased consumer confidence indicates economic growth in which consumers are spending money, indicating higher consumption. Decreasing consumer confidence implies slowing economic growth, and so consumers are likely to decrease their spending.
The idea is that the more confident people feel about the economy and their jobs and incomes, the more likely they are to make purchases. Declining consumer confidence is a sign of slowing economic growth and may indicate that the economy is headed into trouble.
FOR EXAMPLE:
Consumers’ assessment of current business conditions was mixed in November, 2022.
18.2% of consumers said business conditions were “good,” up from 17.7%.
On the other hand, more consumers, 26.7%, said business conditions were “bad,” up from 24.0%.
Consumers’ appraisal of the labor market was somewhat more favorable.
45.8% of consumers said jobs were “plentiful,” up from 44.8%.
13.0% of consumers said jobs were “hard to get,” unchanged from last month.
Posted on August 28, 2024 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™
MEDICAL EXECUTIVE-POST–TODAY’SNEWSLETTERBRIEFING
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Essays, Opinions and Curated News in Health Economics, Investing, Business, Management and Financial Planning for Physician Entrepreneurs and their Savvy Advisors and Consultants
“Serving Almost One Million Doctors, Financial Advisors and Medical Management Consultants Daily“
A Partner of the Institute of Medical Business Advisors , Inc.
The National Football League is expected to vote to allow private equity ownership of franchises, marking a significant change to its ultra-exclusive ownership club. The vote, all but guaranteed to pass, is a historic softening by the NFL, which will be the last of the major sports leagues in North America to permit private equity ownership. The NBA, MLB and NHL currently allow PE to own up to 30% of a team, while the NFL’s expected cap is 10%.
And, the stock of PDD Holdings, parent company of the fast-growing Temu shopping app, sank more than 30% on Monday, losing more than $50 billion in market value, after the e-commerce giant posted disappointing revenue results and executives warned of rapid competition and non-business challenges that may dampen growth and profits going forward.
Costco (+1.84%) hit an all-time high and topped $900/share for the first time. Don’t be surprised if it becomes the latest retailer to announce a stock split after Chipotle, Walmart, and Williams-Sonoma, according to Barron’s.
Hain Celestial Group, the better-for-you food company that makes those veggie straw snacks in your office pantry, popped 18.59% after beating profit expectations for the latest quarter.
What’s down
Hims & Hers, the direct-to-consumer provider of generics, fell 7.51% after Eli Lilly announced a cheaper version of its weight loss drug Zepbound.
Paramount Global dropped 7.15% after billionaire Edgar Bronfman Jr. decided he wouldn’t pursue an acquisition of the legacy media company. That leaves Skydance Media poised for an $8 billion takeover.
Cannabis stocks including Curaleaf Holdings (-13.52%), Canopy Growth (-9.56%), and Green Thumb Industries (-10.76%) went up in smoke when the DEA said it would hold its hearing over changing the classification of cannabis on Dec. 2—after the election.
Cava got bowled over 6.10% after its CEO and other insiders revealed stock sales.
The S&P 500® index (SPX) rose 8.96 points (0.16%) to 5,625.80; the Dow Jones Industrial Average® ($DJI) rose 9.98 (0.02%) to 41,250.50; the NASDAQ Composite®($COMP) added 29.05 points (0.16%) to 17,754.82.
The 10-year Treasury note yield (TNX) increased nearly two basis points to 3.83%.
The CBOE Volatility Index® (VIX) slipped to 15.42.
About half of S&P 500 sectors finished in the green today. Financials have been on a roll lately amid rate cut hopes and continued their solid performance Tuesday, while energy did a 180 Tuesday as crude oil lost ground.
Treasury yields remained in their recent trading range, with the gap narrowing further between the 2-year and 10-year Treasury note yields to roughly seven basis points. The inversion, in which two-year yields hold a premium to 10-year yields, reached 100 basis points a year ago as the Fed rapidly raised rates. The 10-year yield got some traction today from a solid Consumer Confidence report.
Applehas announced “it’s glowtime” for a Sept. 9th event during which the company is expected to debut the iPhone 16.
And,Uberwas fined 290 million euros ($347 million) by Dutch regulators for transferring driver data from the EU to the US. It’s one of the biggest fines ever issued under the EU’s data privacy law.
Icahn Enterprises L.P.’s stock tumbled 11.5% Monday to close at a roughly 21-year low, after billionaire Carl Icahn’s publicly traded investing arm filed to sell up to $400 million of its depositary units in an “at-the-market offering.” The news comes after Icahn and his company agreed last week to pay $2 million in civil penalties for failing to make required disclosures relating to personal margin loans worth billions of dollars. The stock closed at $14.07, its lowest level since it closed at $14.04 on Nov. 25, 2003.
Papa John’s (NASDAQ:PZZA) rose 4% and then surged amid some takeover speculation concerning Restaurants Brands (QSR), the parent of Burger King and Tim Hortons.
Visualize: How private equity tangled banks in a web of debt, from the Financial Times.
Posted on August 27, 2024 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™
MEDICAL EXECUTIVE-POST–TODAY’SNEWSLETTERBRIEFING
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Essays, Opinions and Curated News in Health Economics, Investing, Business, Management and Financial Planning for Physician Entrepreneurs and their Savvy Advisors and Consultants
“Serving Almost One Million Doctors, Financial Advisors and Medical Management Consultants Daily“
A Partner of the Institute of Medical Business Advisors , Inc.
Nvidia will drop its Q2 numbers on Wednesday. Investors will also look for an update from CEO Jensen Huang about reported delays in production of the company’s highly anticipated new Blackwell chips.
Andersen, the US unit of Andersen Global, is considering an IPO in 2025, the Wall Street Journal reported. Andersen Global, an association of consulting firms, was formed in the wake of the 2002 collapse of Big Five accounting firm Arthur Andersen. The parent company has more than 17,000 employees worldwide and earned around $1.9 billion in revenue last year.
Kroger gained 1.6% as the antitrust trial began over its plan to merge with rival Albertsons in a $25 billion deal.
XPeng ADRs (American Depositary Receipts) spiked 7.90% on news that the Chinese EV maker’s CEO bought more than 2 million of the company’s shares. Those ADRs are still down nearly 50% this year. Here’s what an ADR is, by the way.
What’s down
Nvidia (-2.25%), Super Micro Computer (-8.27%), and Broadcom (-4.05%) stunk up the joint today. Investors are biting their nails ahead of Nvidia’s earnings report on Wednesday.
Uber dropped 2.30% on a day it was hit with a record $324 million fine by the Dutch data protection regulator for violating EU personal data rules.
Intel plopped 2% after CNBC reported on Friday that the chipmaker has hired advisors to help defend the castle against activist investors.
The SPX dropped 17.77 points (–0.32%) to 5,616.84; the Dow Jones Industrial Average® ($DJI) rose 65.44 points (0.16%) to 41,240.52; the NASDAQ Composite®($COMP) fell 152.02 points (–0.85%) to 17.725.77.
The 10-year Treasury note yield (TNX) inched up about one basis point to nearly 3.82%.
The CBOE Volatility Index® (VIX) edged up to 16.09 but remains below its historic average.
Americans can receive free Covid-19 tests through the mail beginning next month.
Leveraged ETFs have received tremendous media attention and are proving to be extremely popular with both individual and institutional investors. There are hundreds of leveraged ETFs, covering virtually every asset class and industry sector. The majority are double-leveraged, but there’s a sizeable group of triple-leveraged ETFs.
For professional investors, leveraged ETFs are useful in statistical arbitrage, short-term tactical strategies, and for use as short-term hedges without the need to roll futures. For individual investors, leveraged ETFs are alluring because of the potential for higher returns.
Now, some physicians and Uninformed investors might assume that the leverage returns are generated on a continuous basis, so that if an underlying index is up 5% for a month, the double-leveraged ETF will be up 10% for the same month; if the index is up 10% for 6 months, the ETF will be up 20%, and so forth. That is absolutely not the case. The leverage is determined on a daily basis and the returns for any other period usually will not be double or triple the underlying index.
In order for the leveraged funds to achieve appropriate levels of assets so they can provide their implied leverage, they have to rebalance daily. In the case of an ETF providing long 2-times leveraged exposure, they would typically attain exposure to a notional set of assets equal to 2 times their NAV.
Example: An example would be an ETF that takes in 100 units in assets that does a swap with a counterparty to provide exposure to 200 units in performing assets. The rebalancing activity of these funds will almost always be in the same direction as the market.
In essence, a leveraged ETF is essentially marked to market every night. It starts with a clean slate the next day, almost as if the previous day had not existed. This process produces daily leverage results. However, over time, the compounding of this reset can potentially vary the performance of the fund versus its underlying benchmark. This can result in either greater or lesser degrees of final leverage over individual holding periods.
Posted on August 26, 2024 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™
MEDICAL EXECUTIVE-POST–TODAY’SNEWSLETTERBRIEFING
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Essays, Opinions and Curated News in Health Economics, Investing, Business, Management and Financial Planning for Physician Entrepreneurs and their Savvy Advisors and Consultants
“Serving Almost One Million Doctors, Financial Advisors and Medical Management Consultants Daily“
A Partner of the Institute of Medical Business Advisors , Inc.
Every medical practice, clinic or healthcare business needs cost and financial organization. We provide it through our detailed annual reports. When starting out, the pre-construction phase of a medical practice is crucial, because it sets the course for a successful project. It includes business and financial assessments, in which we learn about your goals, vision, financial realities and current and future facility needs.
Employers are Bracing for Healthcare Costs to Spike in 2025. Employers are up against escalating healthcare costs driven by mounting prescription drug expenses, inflation, and worsening chronic conditions, a new survey shows. The Business Group on Health released its annual Employer Health Care Strategy Survey, which examines the trends that large employers are watching and their plans to address the healthcare challenges they may face. The survey projects that healthcare cost trends will jump to 8% in 2025, growing from 6% in 2022. Actual healthcare costs have increased by 50% since 2017, according to the report.
Markets: Jerome Powell spoke in Jackson Hole on Friday and finally confirmed that interest rate cuts are on the way. The news set stocks up for a big finish to the week.
Stock spotlight: Nvidia was among the stocks that jumped, and investors will be keeping an eye on it this week, when the AI chipmaker reports earnings.
Posted on August 25, 2024 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™
WHAT IS COMMON STOCK “PAR” VALUE?
DEFINITION:
For common stock, the value on the books of the corporation. It has little to do with market value or even the original price of shares at first issuance. The difference between par and the price at first issuance is carried on the books of a corporation as “paid-in capital” or “capital surplus.”
Par value for preferred stocks is also liquidating value and the value on which dividends (expressed as a percentage) are paid, generally $100 per share.
Posted on August 25, 2024 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™
MEDICAL EXECUTIVE-POST–TODAY’SNEWSLETTERBRIEFING
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Essays, Opinions and Curated News in Health Economics, Investing, Business, Management and Financial Planning for Physician Entrepreneurs and their Savvy Advisors and Consultants
“Serving Almost One Million Doctors, Financial Advisors and Medical Management Consultants Daily“
A Partner of the Institute of Medical Business Advisors , Inc.
Telehealth has taken more hits lately than a piñata at a birthday party. For example:
In April, UnitedHealth Group announced it was shutting down its Optum Virtual Care program. Days later, Walmart announced it would shutter both Walmart Health and Walmart Health Virtual Care.
And in July, Teladoc posted a net loss of $838 million in Q2. The drop was largely driven by an impairment charge of ~$800 million for BetterHelp, the virtual mental health platform it acquired in 2015, Fierce Healthcare reported. Executives attributed the decline to increased customer acquisition costs, among other factors.
The Justice Department and the attorneys general of eight states sued RealPage, an apartment-pricing tool widely used by corporate landlords, alleging that it lowers competition by allowing property owners to coordinate higher rents.
Posted on August 24, 2024 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™
MEDICAL EXECUTIVE-POST–TODAY’SNEWSLETTERBRIEFING
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Essays, Opinions and Curated News in Health Economics, Investing, Business, Management and Financial Planning for Physician Entrepreneurs and their Savvy Advisors and Consultants
“Serving Almost One Million Doctors, Financial Advisors and Medical Management Consultants Daily“
A Partner of the Institute of Medical Business Advisors , Inc.
The S&P 500® index (SPX) rose 63.97 points (1.15%) to 5,634.61, up 1.5% on the week; the Dow Jones Industrial Average® ($DJI) added 462.30 points (1.14%) to 41,175.08, up 1.3% for the week; the NASDAQ Composite®($COMP) advanced 258.43 points (1.47%) to 17,877.79, up 1.4% for the week.
The 10-year Treasury note yield (TNX) fell nearly six basis points to just under 3.81%.
The CBOE Volatility Index® (VIX) dropped sharply to 15.79, the lowest close since Monday.
As Medicare Advantage (MA) enrollment grows, hospitals are breaking up with MA [Part C] insurance plans. Becker’s Healthcare reported that, so far in 2024, at least 17 systems ended a contract with an MA insurer.
Posted on August 23, 2024 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™
Versus Technical Analysis
By Staff Reporters
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In traditional finance transaction data is guarded by exchanges, brokers, banks and regulators. It’s not accessible to everyone and big players pay a fortune for it.
But, in crypto, Transaction Data is public and on-chain – but it’s not usable by everyone. So, manually making sense of raw blockchain data is practically impossible. The data needs to be processed and analyzed to be made useful. That’s what sophisticated blockchain analytics tools are doing.
The combination of on-chain data and transaction analysis is something that hasn’t been before – in crypto or traditional finance. Getting access to transaction data and tools for searching and analyzing it will unlock a goldmine of potential insight.
People who have been on the inside of projects and see how the sausage is made know that the explanations for price movements are often simple and based on key players buying and selling. When the biggest holders are dumping the price is likely to go down. When a major new buyer takes a position prices are likely to go up.
That’s insight traditional Technical Analysis cannot provide, because it’s limited to looking at price movements. Transaction data, instead, is the underlying activity that generates prices in crypto.
Posted on August 23, 2024 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™
Is A Market Downside Ahead?
By Staff Reporters
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Charles Schwab: The stock is about to form a death cross pattern as the 200-day and 50-day moving averages are about to cross each other. If this pattern forms, there are signs that the stock will continue falling as sellers target the key support at $60.8, its lowest point this month. A break above that level will see it drop to the psychological support at $55.
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What Is a Death Cross?
The death cross is a technical chart pattern indicating the potential for a major sell-off. The death cross appears on a chart when a stock’s short-term moving average crosses below its long-term moving average. Typically, the most common moving averages used in this pattern are the 50-day and 200-day moving averages.
Posted on August 23, 2024 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™
MEDICAL EXECUTIVE-POST–TODAY’SNEWSLETTERBRIEFING
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Essays, Opinions and Curated News in Health Economics, Investing, Business, Management and Financial Planning for Physician Entrepreneurs and their Savvy Advisors and Consultants
“Serving Almost One Million Doctors, Financial Advisors and Medical Management Consultants Daily“
A Partner of the Institute of Medical Business Advisors , Inc.
Zoom Video Communications zoomed 12.97% higher after beating earnings estimates and raising its revenue forecast for the year.
Crocs gained 1.04% after Williams Trading upgraded the company from Hold to Buy and boosted its price target to $163 from $135.
Deutsche Bank climbed 3.38% thanks to an announcement that it has reached a settlement with the majority of plaintiffs in its long-running case regarding its Postbank acquisition a decade ago.
Paramount Global rose 0.81% after its special committee extended its “go shop” period ahead of its potential merger with Skydance.
What’s down
Advance Auto Parts plummeted 17.47% thanks to a massive earnings miss this quarter and management’s prediction that earnings will drop for the rest of the year.
Nvidia fell 3.70% after it came to light that investors and insiders like CEO Jensen Huang keep selling their shares of the company.
Charles Schwab dropped 0.46% after TD Bank announced it will sell part of its stake in the company to cover recent fines.
Williams-Sonoma sank 9.21% due to a poor earnings report as consumers slow their spending with the home goods retailer.
Wolfspeed declined 5.38% after the chipmaker revealed that slowing EV sales had hurt its bottom line and that it’s closing one of its manufacturing plants to cut costs.
The S&P 500 index (SPX) lost 50.21 points (–0.89%) to 5,570.64; the Dow Jones Industrial Average® ($DJI) fell 177.71 points (–0.43%) to 40,712.78; the NASDAQ Composite®($COMP) dropped 299.63 points (–1.67%) to 17,619.35.
The 10-year Treasury note yield rose about eight basis points to 3.86%, roughly the midpoint of its recent range.
The CBOE Volatility Index® (VIX) climbed moderately to 17.66, the highest close since August 13.
Posted on August 22, 2024 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™
MEDICAL EXECUTIVE-POST–TODAY’SNEWSLETTERBRIEFING
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Essays, Opinions and Curated News in Health Economics, Investing, Business, Management and Financial Planning for Physician Entrepreneurs and their Savvy Advisors and Consultants
“Serving Almost One Million Doctors, Financial Advisors and Medical Management Consultants Daily“
A Partner of the Institute of Medical Business Advisors , Inc.
Stat: 2.4%. That’s the percentage of US emergency department visits that involved patients positive with Covid during the week ending August 16th, down from the prior week (but still high). (Becker’s Clinical Leadership)
Quote: “The pandemic was destructive and concerning and clearly demonstrated that Medicaid is so crucially important for our national safety net.”—Jennifer Babcock, SVP for Medicaid policy at the Association for Community Affiliated Plans, on state efforts to expand Medicaid (KFF Health News)
Read: Here are the healthcare-related topics to keep tabs on during the Democratic National Convention. (Stat)
La-Z-Boy fell 3.51% after the company missed earnings expectations and warned that sales will continue to sag like the cushions on an old recliner this year.
The S&P 500® index (SPX) rose 23.73 points (0.42%) to 5,620.85; the Dow Jones Industrial Average® ($DJI) advanced 55.22 points (0.14%) to 40,890.49; the NASDAQ Composite®($COMP) added 102.04 points (0.57%) to 17,918.99.
The 10-year Treasury note yield (TNX) fell three basis points to just under 3.78%, near recent lows.
The CBOE Volatility Index® (VIX) increased to 16.27.
Tesla cars manufactured in China were slapped with a new tariff by the European Union as part of the group’s crackdown on Chinese green-energy exports.
And, The UAW threatened to strike against Stellantis for allegedly reneging on its promise to reopen an Illinois factory, which the carmaker denies.
Finally, Boeing was forced to pause progress on its oft-delayed 777X aircraft after discovering a structural problem during test flights.
Visualize: How private equity tangled banks in a web of debt, from the Financial Times.
Posted on August 21, 2024 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™
By Staff Reporters
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Eli Lilly said its weight loss drugs can prevent diabetes
Taking Zepbound or Mounjaro can cut the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes by 94% in overweight and pre-diabetic patients, according to a new study from the US drug maker.
The drugs, similar to Ozempic and Wegovy from rival company Novo Nordisk, cost more than $1,000 a month and have fueled Eli Lilly’s stock since hitting the market in recent years. The pharma giant sold ~$3.1 billion of Mounjaro last quarter, up from $980 million in the same period last year.
Posted on August 21, 2024 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™
MEDICAL EXECUTIVE-POST–TODAY’SNEWSLETTERBRIEFING
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Essays, Opinions and Curated News in Health Economics, Investing, Business, Management and Financial Planning for Physician Entrepreneurs and their Savvy Advisors and Consultants
“Serving Almost One Million Doctors, Financial Advisors and Medical Management Consultants Daily“
A Partner of the Institute of Medical Business Advisors , Inc.
Unlike previous election cycles, members of both political parties are skeptical of Medicare Advantage, prompting former HHS Secretary Alex Azar to say plans need to engage in “myth busting.”
Palo Alto Networks climbed 7.13% thanks to far stronger than expected earnings from the cybersecurity company and an upbeat forecast.
Eli Lilly gained 2.97% after the pharma giant announced that its weight-loss drug cuts the risk of Type 2 diabetes by 94% in obese or overweight adults.
The SPX fell 11.13 points (–0.20%) to 5,597.12; the Dow Jones Industrial Average® ($DJI) dropped 61.56 points (–0.15%) to 40,834.97; the NASDAQ Composite®($COMP) ended 59.83 points lower (–0.33%) to 17,816.94.
The 10-year Treasury note yield (TNX) fell five basis points to 3.82%.
The CBOE Volatility Index® (VIX) climbed 8% to 15.84
According to colleagues Jeffrey S. Coons PhD CFA, the Efficient Market Hypothesis (EMH) states that securities are fairly priced based on information about their underlying cash flows and that physician investors should not expect to consistently outperform the market over the long-term.
There are three distinct forms of EMH that vary by the type of information that is reflected in a security’s price:
Weak Form: This form holds that investors will not be able to use historical data to earn superior returns on a consistent basis. In other words, the financial markets price securities in a manner that fully reflects all information contained in past prices.
Semi-Strong Form: This form asserts that security prices fully reflect all publicly available information. Therefore, investors cannot consistently earn above normal returns based solely on publicly available information, such as earnings, dividend, and sales data.
Strong Form: This form states that the financial markets price securities such that, all information (public and non-public) is fully reflected in the securities price; investors should not expect to earn superior returns on a consistent basis, no matter what insight or research they may bring to the table.
While a rich literature has been established for doctors regarding to test whether EMH actually applies in any of its three forms in real world markets – probably the most difficult evidence to overcome for backers of EMH is the existence of a vibrant money management and mutual fund industry charging value-added fees for their services.
In fact, no less than Warren Buffett has suggested that the markets are decidedly not efficient.
A common stock is the least senior of securities issued by a company.
A preferred stock, in contrast, is slightly more senior to common stock, since dividends owed to the preferred stockholders should be paid before distributions are made to common stockholders.
However, distributions to preferred stockholders are limited to the level outlined in the preferred stock agreement (i.e., the stated dividend payments). Like a fixed income security, preferred stocks have a specific periodic payment that is either a fixed dollar amount or an amount adjusted based upon short-term market interest rates.
However, unlike fixed income securities, preferred stocks typically do not have a specific maturity date and preferred stock dividend payments are made from the corporation’s after tax income rather than its pre-tax income. Likewise, dividends paid to preferred stockholders are considered income distributions to the company’s equity owners rather than creditors, so the issuing corporation does not have the same requirement to make dividend distributions to preferred stockholders.
So, preferred stock is generally referred to as a “hybrid” security, since it has elements similar to both fixed income securities (i.e., a stated periodic payments) and equity securities (i.e., shareholders are considered owners of the issuing company rather than creditors).
Convertible preferred stocks (and convertible corporate bonds) are also considered hybrid securities since they have both equity and fixed income characteristics. A convertible security whether a preferred stock or a corporate bond, generally includes a provision that allow the security to be exchanged for a given number of common stock shares in the issuing corporation. The holder of a convertible security essentially owns both the preferred stock (or the corporate bond) and an option to exchange the preferred stock (or corporate bond) for shares of common stock in the company.
ASSESSMENT: Thus, at times the convertible security may behave more like the issuing company’s common stock than it does the issuing company’s preferred stock (or corporate bonds), depending upon how close the common stock’s market price is to the designated conversion price of the convertible security.
Posted on August 20, 2024 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™
MEDICAL EXECUTIVE-POST–TODAY’SNEWSLETTERBRIEFING
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Essays, Opinions and Curated News in Health Economics, Investing, Business, Management and Financial Planning for Physician Entrepreneurs and their Savvy Advisors and Consultants
“Serving Almost One Million Doctors, Financial Advisors and Medical Management Consultants Daily“
A Partner of the Institute of Medical Business Advisors , Inc.
On last Saturday, a class-action settlement with the National Association of Realtors (NAR) went into effect, ripping up the playbook on how real estate agents are compensated. The NAR was accused of artificially inflating commission rates, which have historically ranged from 5% to 6%, a higher fee than the rest of the world. Consumer advocates hope the new rules will lead to lower commissions, shift power away from agents, and add transparency into what’s been an opaque system.
AMD rose 4.52% on the news that it will acquire server manufacturer ZT Systems for $4.9 billion. While this escalates the AI arms race, competitor Nvidia rose 4.35% regardless.
FuboTV soared yet another 17.65% after a judge temporarily blocked the launch of a sports streaming service created by Disney, Warner Bros. Discovery, and Fox last week.
McDonald’s climbed 3.25% after Evercore ISI analysts raised their price target for the stock to $320 per share.
Zim Integrated Shipping Services rocketed 16.74% higher after the marine shipping company posted impressive earnings and raised its full-year guidance.
What’s down
Trump Media & Technology Group fell 3.56% as the Democratic National Convention kicks off in Chicago today, with investors fretful that the stock could be more volatile than usual during the event.
HP sank 3.65% after Morgan Stanley analysts downgraded the stock from Equal Weight to Overweight, though they kept their price target the same.
Sweetgreen dropped 6.82% thanks to Piper Sandler analysts downgrading the stock from Overweight to Neutral after the company’s big pop last week made shares too pricey.
The S&P 500 index rose 54.00 points (0.97%) to 5,608.25; the Dow Jones Industrial Average® ($DJI) added 236.77 points (0.58%) to 40,896.53; the NASDAQ Composite®($COMP) points increased 245.05 (1.39%) to 17, 876.77.
The 10-year Treasury note yield (TNX) fell about two basis points to just under 3.87%.
The CBOE Volatility Index® (VIX) fell to 14.61, near one-month lows.
Posted on August 19, 2024 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™
By Staff Reporters
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What are inverse ETFs?
An inverse ETF, often known as a bear or short ETF, is an exchange-traded fund designed to profit from a market decline. These short-term, publicly traded investments are utilized by investors who believe that a particular market or individual security will lose value in the near future. They may use inverse ETFs as a way of hedging losses during a downturn.
“Inverse ETFs are a tool to hedge a stock portfolio,” according to John DeYonker. “If the S&P 500 is your benchmark, and it goes up 1%, then your hedge will go down 1% and vice versa. Hedging with inverse ETFs can reduce volatility for investors—it’s like insurance.”
Investors may also use inverse ETFs as a way to take advantage of a predicted decline. In this way, they may be used as an alternative to short selling. For example, if an investor believes that the oil industry will have a setback in the immediate future, they may choose to purchase an inverse ETF of securities tied to energy producers. If correct in their prediction, the investor’s inverse ETF may recognize a profit. If the investor is incorrect, and the market or individual security increases in price, they may see a loss.
An investor who believes that the S&P 500 will decline, for example, may choose to purchase shares of the ProShares Short S&P 500. This inverse ETF’s value is inversely proportional to the overall S&P 500 index.
Inverse ETFs are generally considered to be highly volatile investments, as their losses typically compound daily. This makes inverse ETFs more risky than the index to which they are tied.
Posted on August 19, 2024 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™
By Staff Reporters
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Later this week, central bankers will meet in the shadow of the Tetons for the Jackson Hole Symposium, an annual retreat for global economic officials to talk monetary policy.
The main event: Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell’s keynote speech on Friday, which investors hope will clarify the timing and pace of interest rate cuts.
According to Rick Kahler MS CFP® ChFC CCIM [www.KahlerFinancial.com] real estate is one of the largest asset classes in the world. The family home is the largest asset many middle-class Americans own. And, real estate makes up a significant portion of the net worth of many wealth accumulators. Directly owning real estate is not an investment for the faint of heart, the armchair investor, or the uneducated. Most wealth accumulators would do well to leave direct ownership of real estate to the pros and invest in real estate investment trusts (REITs) instead [personal communication].
Still, as we have seen, the lure of investing in a tangible asset like real estate is enticing for high risk tolerant physician-investors who need a sense of control and interaction with their investments. If you are among them, here are a few guidelines that may keep you on a profitable path.
1. Don’t attempt to purchase investment real estate without the help of a commercial real estate specialist who is a fiduciary bound to look out for your best interest. Engage a Certified Commercial Investment Member (CCIM) with years of training and experience in analyzing and acquiring investment real estate. To find a CCIM near you, go to http://www.ccim.com.
2. You will sign a disclosure agreement that will tell you who the Realtor represents. Be sure the Realtor you engage represents you and not the seller, both parties, or neither party.
3. Never trust the income and expense data provided by the seller’s Realtor. While a seller represented by a CCIM will have a greater chance of supplying you with accurate data, most will significantly understate expenses and overstate the capitalization rate. Selling Realtors often understate the average annual cost of repairs and maintenance. I estimate this annual expense at 10%.
4. Another often understated expense is management. Many owners manage their own properties, so the selling broker doesn’t include an estimate for management expenses. They should. Real estate doesn’t manage itself, ever. You will either need to hire professional management or do your own management (always a scary proposition). Even if you do it yourself, you have an opportunity cost of your time, so you must include a management fee in the expenses. Most small residential apartments and single-family homes will pay 10% of their rents to a manager.
5. You must verify all the costs presented to you by the seller’s Realtor. Demand copies of at least the last three and preferably five years of tax returns. Research items like utility bills, property taxes, legal fees, insurance costs and repairs, maintenance costs, replacement reserves, tax preparation and all management fees. As a rule of thumb, expenses will average 40% of rental income on average-aged properties where the tenants pay all utilities except water. Newer properties may have expenses as low as 35%, while older properties can be as high as 50%.
6. By subtracting the vacancy rate and stabilized expenses from the rent, you will find the net operating income. This is the income you will put in your pocket—assuming the property is paid for. By dividing the net operating income by the purchase price, you will find the return you will receive on your investment, called the capitalization or “cap” rate. In Rapid City SD, for example, the cap rate tends to be 4% for single-family homes, 5% to 8% for duplexes to eight-plexes, and 8% to 12% for larger residential and commercial properties.
ASSESSMENT: Yes, physician-investors and all of us can build wealth with real estate. You just need to educate yourself, work hard, start conservatively, think long-term, and be prepared for lean years. This is not a quick or easy path to riches. Your comments are appreciated. Thank You.
As a physician executive or investor, if you don’t ordinarily deal in options or other financial derivatives, you may need to brush up on puts and calls, straddles, strangles (or combinations), forwards, futures, swaps, spreads, and non-equity options such as stock index options. Options and other financial derivatives can be used by astute physicians, financial advisors and investment managers not only as a tool to better manage the investment risks potentially affecting portfolio returns, but to craft truly value-added investment strategies customized to meet investors’ needs. The three main types of risk of equity securities (individual company, industry, and market) can be mitigated with options.
Individual Company Risk
Individual company risk can be addressed with equity options in that company’s stock. Industry risk can be reduced through the use of narrow-based index options, while market risk can be mitigated with broad-based index options. Sophisticated hedging and risk management strategies can be designed using both equity and stock index options.
Exotic Stock Options?
Some doctors feel that options have been generally thought of as too risky or exotic or requiring too much capital, resulting in a general lack of comfort. A decade ago, these opinions have no doubt been shaped by the collapse of Bearings and the resulting bitter litigation by Proctor & Gamble and Gibson Greetings against Bankers Trust. Last decade, it was Enron, Tyco, WorldCom, Lehman Brothers, AIG, BA, Fannie, Freddie and all those involved in the “flash-crash” of 2008-09; etc.
Assessment
Generally, premiums paid in buying puts or calls are nondeductible capital expenditures and may produce a capital gain or loss depending upon whether the option is sold prior to exercise, the call expires unexercised, or, if the option is exercised, it is added to the basis of the stock (call) or deducted from it (put). Premiums received for writing puts or calls are not included in income upon receipt but are deferred until the option expires, is exercised, or a closing transaction is entered into. Non-equity options (index options) are marked to market at year end (same as for futures) with 60% considered long-term capital gain and 40% considered short-term.
Note: “An Introduction to Options and Other Financial Derivative Strategies,” by Thomas J. Boczar, Trust & Estates, February 1997, pp. 43–68, INTERTEC/K-III Publishing.
The primary objectives in using derivatives are:
1. Risk management and hedging (reducing or eliminating downside risk, monetizing a position, deferring and possibly avoiding capital gains taxes)
2. Leveraging investment capital
3. Enhancing after-tax returns
4. Creating customized risk/return profiles
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Posted on August 19, 2024 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™
MEDICAL EXECUTIVE-POST–TODAY’SNEWSLETTERBRIEFING
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Essays, Opinions and Curated News in Health Economics, Investing, Business, Management and Financial Planning for Physician Entrepreneurs and their Savvy Advisors and Consultants
“Serving Almost One Million Doctors, Financial Advisors and Medical Management Consultants Daily“
A Partner of the Institute of Medical Business Advisors , Inc.
The World Health Organization declared monkey-pox a global health emergency last Wednesday, about two years after pulling the same alarm on a different variant that infected almost 100,000 people worldwide and 32,000+ in the US, according to the New York Times.
The number of people in the US without health insurancehas been steadily rising since the official end of the Covid-19 public health emergency was declared in May 2023. The uninsured rate rose to 8.2% (or roughly 27 million people) in Q1 2024 after falling to a record low of 7.2% in Q2 2023, CDC data shows. That low was largely thanks to the Medicaid continuous enrollment policy that allowed all beneficiaries to keep their coverage until May 2023, according to Daniel Polsky, a health economist and professor at Johns Hopkins Carey Business School.
Posted on August 18, 2024 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™
By Staff Reporters
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Options are contracts that give investors the right to buy or sell stocks, indexes or other financial securities at an agreed upon price and date. Puts are the option to sell while calls are the option to buy.
Specifically – A Call Option gives the buyer the right, but not the obligation to buy the underlying security at the exercise price, at or within a specified time. A Put Option gives the buyer the right, but not the obligation to sell the underlying security at the exercise price, at or within a specified time.
Ratio – When the ratio of puts to calls is rising, it is usually a sign investors are growing more nervous. A ratio above 1 is considered bearish. The Fear & Greed Index uses a bearish options ratio as a signal for Fear.
Posted on August 18, 2024 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™
MEDICAL EXECUTIVE-POST–TODAY’SNEWSLETTERBRIEFING
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Essays, Opinions and Curated News in Health Economics, Investing, Business, Management and Financial Planning for Physician Entrepreneurs and their Savvy Advisors and Consultants
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A Partner of the Institute of Medical Business Advisors , Inc.
In April, UnitedHealth Group announced it was shutting down its Optum Virtual Care program. Days later, Walmart announced it would shutter both Walmart Health and Walmart Health Virtual Care.
And in July, Teladoc posted a net loss of $838 million in Q2. The drop was largely driven by an impairment charge of ~$800 million for BetterHelp, the virtual mental health platform it acquired in 2015, Fierce Healthcare reported. Executives attributed the decline to increased customer acquisition costs, among other factors.
Finally, Stocks are way out of whack with reality, the WSJ argues. Nevertheless, a slew of encouraging economic data helped propel the S&P 500 to its best week of the year—a welcome change from the whiplash volatility of the week before. Bayer jumped after scoring an appeals court victory in a case over claims its Roundup weed killer causes cancer.
Visualize: How private equity tangled banks in a web of debt, from the Financial Times.
Posted on August 17, 2024 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™
What is is – How it works
By Staff Reporters
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A virtual credit card is a randomly generated 16-digit number associated with your actual credit card account. Your credit card provider may offer this service as a way to protect against fraud whenever you shop without presenting your physical credit card.
Posted on August 17, 2024 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™
By Staff Reporters
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When you plastic, use a credit card instead of a debit card whenever possible.
Credit cards are protected under The Fair Credit Billing Act (FCBA), while debit cards are protected by the Electronic Fund Transfer Act (EFTA). As the Federal Trade Commission explains, the FCBA limits your potential liability to $50, while the EFTA can leave you responsible for up to $500 of fraudulent charges (and occasionally more) in certain situations.
Posted on August 17, 2024 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™
MEDICAL EXECUTIVE-POST–TODAY’SNEWSLETTERBRIEFING
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Essays, Opinions and Curated News in Health Economics, Investing, Business, Management and Financial Planning for Physician Entrepreneurs and their Savvy Advisors and Consultants
“Serving Almost One Million Doctors, Financial Advisors and Medical Management Consultants Daily“
A Partner of the Institute of Medical Business Advisors , Inc.
Here’s where the major stock market benchmarks ended:
The S&P 500® index (SPX) rose slightly, up 11 points (0.2%) to end the day at 5,554.25, finishing up 3.9% for the week; the Dow Jones Industrial Average® ($DJI) jumped 96.7 points (0.24%) to close the week at 40,659.76, up 2.9% from last Friday; the NASDAQ Composite®($COMP) gained 37.2 points (0.21%) to 17,631.72, up 5.3% for the week.
The 10-year Treasury note yield (TNX) fell three basis points to just above 3.89%.
Bavarian Nordic, which makes an m-pox vaccine, jumped 15.64%, continuing its surge after the World Health Organization on Wednesday declared a public emergency over the disease’s spread in Africa.
Bayer popped 8.36% after the firm won a legal dispute against claims that its weedkiller Roundup causes cancer.
Rocket Lab rose 12.52% after the aerospace company announced it shipped two spacecraft to Cape Carnival in preparation for a launch to Mars.
H&R Block had its best day since 2022 (up 12.24%) after raising its dividend by 17% and announcing a $1.5 billion share buyback.
Maravai LifeSciences leaped 21.46% on reports that the drugmaker received a takeover offer from Repligen Corp.
What’s down
On the flip side of that last gainer, Repligen Corp. plummeted 9.26% on the takeover news.
Astera Labs dropped 5.52% after several investment firms, including Evercore and JPMorgan, lowered their price target for the chipmaker.
ReNew Energy Global dropped 5.91% after the company reported it missed earnings and revenue expectations yesterday.
The Biden administration announced yesterday that Medicare used its newfound power to negotiate with drug makers to win landmark discounts for 10 widely prescribed drugs to treat ailments like heart disease, cancer, and diabetes. The Inflation Reduction Act, signed into law two years ago, allows the federal health insurance program to directly bargain with pharma companies for the first time.
Visualize: How private equity tangled banks in a web of debt, from the Financial Times.
Posted on August 16, 2024 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™
PHYSICIAN RETIREMENT PLANNING
By Staff Reporters
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The rule of 25 is just a different way to look at another popular retirement rule, the 4% rule. It flips the equation (100/4% = 25) to emphasize a different part of the retirement planning process — withdrawing vs. saving.
The 4% rule outlines a safe rate to withdraw funds for 30 years without running out of money. On the other hand, the rule of 25 is a savings-focused approach, providing a quick estimate of how much you need to accumulate before exiting the workforce.
Let’s consider a scenario to highlight the difference:
Rule of 25: After accounting for her Social Security and other sources of retirement income, Dr. Matie PhD plans to spend $40,000 a year in retirement. 40,000 x 25 = $1 million, so Matie would need $1 million invested to cover annual expenses of $40,000.
The 4% rule: Dr. Matie, now a retiree, has $1 million in retirement savings and follows the 4% rule. She can safely withdraw $40,000 annually (4% of $1 million).
Posted on August 16, 2024 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™
MEDICAL EXECUTIVE-POST–TODAY’SNEWSLETTERBRIEFING
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Essays, Opinions and Curated News in Health Economics, Investing, Business, Management and Financial Planning for Physician Entrepreneurs and their Savvy Advisors and Consultants
“Serving Almost One Million Doctors, Financial Advisors and Medical Management Consultants Daily“
A Partner of the Institute of Medical Business Advisors , Inc.
The S&P 500 index rose 88.02 points (1.61%) to 5,543.23; the Dow Jones Industrial Average® ($DJI) added 554.67 points (1.39%) to 40,563.06; the NASDAQ Composite advanced 401.89 points (2.34%) to 17,594.50.
The 10-year Treasury note yield (TNX) rebounded about 10 basis points to nearly 3.93%, lifted by strong U.S. data.
The CBOE Volatility Index® (VIX) finished at 15.45, the lowest since July 23 and back under the historic average near 19.
There are many benefits that come with the ownership of stock. They range from prestige to the opportunity to be invested and, through dividends and other corporate actions, share in the prosperity of the company in question. At times we are even awarded shares of stock from companies we are affiliated. The overall goal should always be wealth accumulation. After all, why stay invested in or even work for a company that you truly do not believe in?
The benefits, as stated, all afford the chance at wealth accumulation. Once we start to look at that rate we can even better understand the fact that stocks are truly an investment vehicle similar to bonds, real estate, commodities, etc.
What is a Call Option?
In its simplest definition, a call option is a contract that specifies that: 1) for a specified price; 2) for a specified amount in time; 3) for a specified price; 4) on a specifically identified or predetermined underlying, in this case, an exchange listed company stock. The contract gives the owner the right to take delivery of shares at the strike price.
In early February, if a physician or other investor wanted to take a position in shares of Pfizer (NYSE: PFE) which are say trading around $31.00. He would be invest $3,100.00 for every 100 shares. Buying a calls on the $32.00 strike at say .68 and with an expiration date of April 2015 affords the investor the chance at appreciation on 100 shares out to the 3rd week in April after the strike price (32.00) + the price of the option (.68) (in this case 32.68) is surpassed. That’s less than a penny a day to have the chance at participating in an up move, while being afforded that chance at a greatly reduced risk. So the trade of is foregoing a 5.41% appreciation for a 97.81% reduction in risk. The owner of the option can only lose the price they pay for the contract where as the owner of shares stands to risk any and all of the share value in question.
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We can now see certain benefits that favor owning calls in lieu of owning shares of stock. But why write calls. First understand that, when you enter into a short call position, the seller is guaranteeing that, at any point during the life of the contract the buyer can exercise his right to take possession of those shares and the seller must deliver the shares upon assignment of the short contract.
The benefit of writing a call is that it enhances the rate of return. Normally; but not always, stocks move up or down in reaction to earnings calls or specific event news possibly even industry related. That said once investors react and stocks stabilize, call premiums tend to settle down. This presents the opportunity to enhance the rate of return on shares owned.
Example:
A physician corporate executive owns 1,000 shares of xyz stock and is restricted from selling those shares. Same as renting a condominium that we own for investing, selling options on a monthly basis provides a similar income stream that the rent from the condominium provides.
The executive, physician or investor owns the shares which using the above example of PFE trading at $31.00 is a cash value equivalent $31,000.00. Selling the February 32.5 call on the 1st trading day of the month for say .10 affords the owner of the shares a chance to gain a .03% rate of return in around 21 days’ time, while being afforded the luxury of the stock being able to appreciate to $32.60 which is the predetermined sale price via the sale of the call. If the owner of the shares does this each month they can gain another 3.87% return which, in addition offers a little downside protection should shares fall under pressure for whatever reason.
Professional Management?
Professional management allows for strategic points when stocks react to news or simple market weighting. “The determination to exercise or not must be weighed with all the benefits and costs taken into account; this will require additional homework by the investor” (Grigoletto, 2008). The most important aspect of call writing is active management. The reality is that only approximately 17% of options get exercised. Many expire worthless, some are traded out of before expiration, and some, such as the ones that end up in the money, just slightly above the strike do not warrant being exercised. With the returns investors face today, every possible avenue must be, at the very least, addressed and understood so they can make careful choices based on educated decisions. Considering a separately managed account by industry professionals may be an excellent alternative for many.
As always in selling options, just as in any type of investment, careful analysis of the underlying investment vehicle in question is key. Additionally, in selling monthly options, the risk of assignment is greatly reduces and the seller can essentially determine how close to the price the owner wants to overlay. Fundamental analysis can help to reduce the chance at assignment. Before seeking advice, the best thing to do is contact an accountant, as well as using due diligence in researching which Registered Investment Advisor [RIA] may best suits your needs.
Assessment
But that said, always remember; the overall goal should is wealth accumulation, capital appreciation and overall enhancement of return on capital. As for the reason to own stocks, again after all, why stay invested in or even work for a company that you truly do not believe in?
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About the Author
Present: Capital Wealth Planning, LLC
Illinois Indiana Regional Business Development Officer
Previous: Think Or Swim, LLC
Registered Securities Representative
Market Maker Chicago Board of Options Exchange (CBOE) 1985 – 2004
Reference
Grigoletto, A. (Fall – 2008).Why Options Go Un-Exercised. Options Industry Council. Retrieved from http://www.optionseducation.org
Conclusion
Your thoughts and comments on this ME-P are appreciated. Feel free to review our top-left column, and top-right sidebar materials, links, URLs and related websites, too. Then, subscribe to the ME-P. It is fast, free and secure.
Speaker: If you need a moderator or speaker for an upcoming event, Dr. David E. Marcinko; MBA – Publisher-in-Chief of the Medical Executive-Post – is available for seminar or speaking engagements. Contact: MarcinkoAdvisors@msn.com
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Posted on August 15, 2024 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™
MEDICAL EXECUTIVE-POST–TODAY’SNEWSLETTERBRIEFING
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Essays, Opinions and Curated News in Health Economics, Investing, Business, Management and Financial Planning for Physician Entrepreneurs and their Savvy Advisors and Consultants
“Serving Almost One Million Doctors, Financial Advisors and Medical Management Consultants Daily“
A Partner of the Institute of Medical Business Advisors , Inc.
Private equity (PE) firms might make it rain cash for investors, but hospitals under their ownership are facing an asset drought, according to a research letter published in JAMA on July 30th. While fans of PE argue it can bring much-needed financial resources to struggling hospitals, the data disagrees. “Private equity acquisitions appear to have depleted, rather than augmented, hospital assets,” the authors, a group of physicians from medical institutions across the US, wrote.
The S&P 500 rose 20.78 points (0.38%) to 5,455.21; the Dow Jones Industrial Average® ($DJI) added 242.75 points (0.61%) to 40,008.39; the NASDAQ Composite®($COMP) squeaked out a slight gain of 4.99points (0.03%) to 17,192.60.
The 10-year Treasury note yield (TNX) dropped three basis points to 3.82%, the lowest close in more than a week.
The Cboe Volatility Index® (VIX) fell to 16.22, the lowest since July 23.
Stat: 21%. That’s the percentage of US physicians who are still paying off student loan debt. (Becker’s Hospital Review)
Quote: “The federal government is particularly ineffective and slow these days.”—Rep. Brianna Titone, a Colorado Democrat, on why states need to “step up” and make their own laws regulating the use of artificial intelligence in healthcare (Axios)
Read: A US Olympic athlete is taking advantage of free healthcare to catch up on preventive care while in Paris. (the Washington Post)
Visualize: How private equity tangled banks in a web of debt, from the Financial Times.
Long-Short is an active portfolio construction discipline that balances long positions in high expected return securities and short positions in low expected return securities of approximately equal value and market sensitivity. This type of portfolio is “neutralized” or immunized against changes in value of the underlying market and, therefore, has zero systematic (beta) risk. If the selected securities perform as expected, the long-short positions will provide a positive return, whether the market rises or falls.
Misconceptions
While long-short portfolios are often perceived and portrayed as much costlier and much riskier than long-only, it is inherently neither. Much of the incremental cost and risk is either largely dependent on the amount of leverage employed or controllable via optimization. Those costs and risks that are not controllable—financial intermediation costs of borrowing shares to short, the trading costs incurred to meet long-short balancing, margin requirements, uptick rules, and the risks of unlimited losses on short positions—do not invalidate the viability of long-short strategies.
Long-Short Advantages
Compared with long-only portfolios, long-short portfolios offer enhanced flexibility not only in the control of risk and pursuit of return, but also in asset allocation. Basic market-neutral portfolios achieve a return consisting of three components: (1) interest on funds held as a liquidity buffer, (2) interest on the short sale proceeds maintained with the broker, and (3) the return spread between the aggregate long and aggregate short positions in the portfolios.
Disadvantages
Share borrow-ability and uptick rules make short-selling more difficult and costly than going long. Also, it may be legally or contractually restricted for some investors, such as mutual funds. Inefficiencies may be concentrated in overpriced stocks and, accordingly, short sales of the most overpriced stocks may offer higher positive returns than long purchases of underpriced stocks.
Assessment
Long-only portfolios are confined to altering the weighting of securities within an index in order to realize an excess return. Long-short portfolios are not constrained by index weights and, because they can short securities, they can “underweight” a security by as much as investment insights and risk considerations dictate. Long-short portfolios can be enhanced by “equitizing” them using stock index futures.
Note: “The Long and Short on Long-Short” by Bruce I. Jacobs and Kenneth N. Levy, The Journal of Investing, Spring 1997, pp. 73–86, Institutional Investor, Inc.
Conclusion
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