Articles for author: Ron Finklestien

January 8, 2024

Ron Finklestien

Monday Stock Focus: Commercial Metals, Boot Barn, and More Monday Stock Focus: Commercial Metals, Boot Barn, and More

With U.S. stock futures trading lower this morning on Monday, some of the stocks that may grab investor focus today are as follows: Key Players Reporting Earnings Wall Street anticipates that Commercial Metals Company (NYSE: CMC) will report quarterly earnings at $1.45 per share on revenue of $1.89 billion before the opening bell. Notably, Commercial Metals’ shares gained 1.2% to $48.82 in after-hours trading; this company remains stalwart, mirroring their historical resilience. Boot Barn Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: BOOT) has issued preliminary results for the third quarter, forecasting net sales of $520.4 million. Furthermore, the company expects EPS at or above

January 8, 2024

Ron Finklestien

Oil prices falter as Saudi Arabia cuts crude prices Oil prices falter as Saudi Arabia cuts crude prices

William_Potter Crude oil prices took a tumble of approximately 1% on Monday, following Saudi Arabia’s decision to slash the February selling price of its key Arab Light crude to Asian customers. The move comes amidst a backdrop of burgeoning supply, intensifying competition, and qualms over demand. Saudi Arabia recalibrates pricing strategy Front-month Nymex crude (CL1:COM) for February delivery experienced a 1% dip to reach $73.11/bbl, while front-month March Brent crude (CO1:COM) slid by 0.9% to hit $78.04/bbl. Saudi Aramco (ARMCO) chose to reduce the official selling price by $2/bbl from January levels to a mere $1.50/bbl over Oman/Dubai quotes –

January 7, 2024

Ron Finklestien

Insight into JPM Healthcare Conference Medtech Updates Anticipating Medtech Updates at JPM Healthcare Conference

As the huge annual JP Morgan Healthcare Conference kicks off in San Francisco, several medtech companies are gearing up to release pivotal financial updates and corporate news. Analysts at Canaccord Genuity and Needham have identified a bevy of firms set to make presentations or preliminary earnings announcements, shaping the financial forecast for the diagnostics and tools space. Canaccord Genuity’s Expectations Canaccord Genuity anticipates presentations from 10x Genomics (TXG), Exact Sciences (NASDAQ:EXAS), Guardant Health (NASDAQ:GH), Illumina (NASDAQ:ILMN), Natera (NTRA), Pacific Biosciences (NASDAQ:PACB), NanoString Technologies (NASDAQ:NSTG), Akoya Biosciences (NASDAQ:AKYA), and Quanterix (NASDAQ:QTRX). The firm also identifies front runners for preannouncing preliminary Q4

January 7, 2024

Ron Finklestien

Recession-Resilient Investment Picks in Your Retirement Portfolio Investing in Recession-Resilient Income Picks

Co-authored by Treading Softly. Understanding the intricacies of commodity investment can be akin to interpreting the clucks of chickens or the scent of gasoline. As the economy dances to its own rhythm, separating the influence of interest rates can be as puzzling as unscrambling an egg. However, the astute investor knows that commodities are driven primarily by demand and inflationary impacts, offering a unique investment opportunity that dances to its own beat. Amid the inflationary landscape triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic, commodities have surged to new heights, defying historical norms and presenting a potential for lucrative income generation, even in

January 7, 2024

Ron Finklestien

Celebrating My Top 10 Closed-End Fund Holdings: December 2023 Unveiling My Latest Closed-End Fund Holdings

We routinely turn our lenses to examine the top ten holdings of closed-end funds and exchange-traded funds, as these typically represent the largest positions in the fund – providing valuable insights into the fund’s predominant investment portfolio. With the closing of 2023 on the horizon and the dawn of a new year, the timing feels just right for an update, especially considering the significant period that has elapsed since the last revelation of my top closed-end fund positions. The Whittling Down to Top 10 My entire closed-end fund portfolio encompasses 41 positions, reflecting a strategic selection of funds considered to

January 7, 2024

Ron Finklestien

Optimal Stock Picks for 2024 Optimal Stock Selections for 2024

The reckoning of the technology sector (XLK) has arrived at the outset of 2024’s initial trading week. The nearly impeccable market performance in December 2023 led to a rude awakening for latecomers. The retail FOMO frenzy reached its pinnacle in late December as investors who missed out during Wall Street’s highly pessimistic phase, found themselves compelled to join in. The end of December saw a notably high level of optimism among “small speculators,” non-reportable traders across the market. A sentiment-driven chart reflecting the net position of these small speculators—adjusted for position size and index value, shown in billions of dollars—indicated

January 7, 2024

Ron Finklestien

Ibogaine Therapy and Other Psychedelic Updates Ibogaine Therapy and Other Psychedelic Updates

Ibogaine Therapy Shows Promising Outcomes For Veterans With Trauma Brain Injury The results of a groundbreaking clinical trial on ibogaine-magnesium therapy for Special Operations Veterans (SOV) with repeated blast exposure have recently been published in the esteemed journal, Nature. This momentous study has been hotly anticipated due to the evidence it presents of ibogaine’s remarkable neuro-restorative effects. Conducted under the leadership of Dr. Nolan Williams, the director of Stanford University’s Brain Stimulation Lab, this study sets a new standard in the realm of ibogaine research. Its prospective clinician-rated approach, as compared to prior published studies on ibogaine, provides a fresh

January 7, 2024

Ron Finklestien

Will The Market Outperform Expectations? Will The Market Outperform Expectations?

Listen above or on the go via Apple Podcasts and Spotify Cestrian Capital Research’s Alex King is concerned about not being bullish enough. Markets from a technical analysis perspective, using Elliott Wave and Fibonacci (2:25). Taking advantage of AI, tech sector (6:00). This is an abridged conversation from a recent Investing Experts podcast. The Future: Potential and Uncertainty Alex King: My instinct is we’re going to see a continued run up in markets through 2024, certainly up until the presidential election. And we’ll see what happens after that. And if that happens, then there is a possibility that actually the

January 7, 2024

Ron Finklestien

mining

Brazil Enhances Security in Gold Mining Areas Brazilian government, miners join forces to improve security in gold mining areas

Setting the stage for a progressive partnership, the Brazilian government has inked an agreement with mining companies to enhance security in gold and precious metals mining regions. The collaboration aims to conduct thorough studies and analyses that will inform the development of robust strategies to counter organized crime activities affecting these areas. Leading the charge is the National Secretariat of Public Safety (SENASP), which will work alongside local communities and authorities to cultivate a comprehensive approach. The ultimate goal is to fortify defense mechanisms against criminal activities and foster seamless information exchange between mining firms and municipal, state, and federal

January 7, 2024

Ron Finklestien

The Exciting Convergence of Innovation: A Preview of the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference

Lina Moiseienko/iStock Editorial via Getty Images As the biotech M&A activity continues to surge, the weight-loss drug market keeps expanding, and artificial intelligence garners widespread attention, the upcoming J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference holds even more significance. Scheduled to commence on Monday in San Francisco, CA, this four-day event is set to draw over 80,000 attendees, including representatives from leading drugmakers, emerging companies, and large financial firms. “Things are looking up for the first time in a long time,” remarked healthcare investor and CEO of Loncar Investments, Brad Loncar, to Bloomberg. Pharma and biotech deal-making witnessed a 38% and 45% rise