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  • CWS Market Review – June 16, 2026
    Posted by Eddy Elfenbein on June 16th, 2026 at 7:10 pm

    (This is the free version of CWS Market Review. If you like what you see, then please sign up for the premium newsletter for $20 per month or $200 for the whole year. If you sign up today, you can see our two reports, “Your Handy Guide to Stock Orders” and “How Not to Get Screwed on Your Mortgage.”)

    On Sunday evening, President Trump announced that Iran and the United States had reached a deal to end hostilities in the Middle East. I’m certainly no geopolitical expert so I won’t judge the deal. I am, however, a realist, and I understand there’s a long way between an announcement and real peace, especially in Middle East.

    At least for now, there’s no more fighting. On Monday, the stock market celebrated the news and stocks soared. The Dow closed at an all-time high of 51,671.03.

    The S&P 500 gained more than 1.6% and it’s not far from a new all-time high. The Nasdaq was up over 3% and semiconductor stocks were particularly strong. The SMH ETF was up 4.4%. At the other end, defense/aerospace and energy stocks lagged the most. Bitcoin rallied and, most importantly, oil prices dropped. The S&P 500 High Beta ETF was up more than 3.5% while the Low Vol ETF was down by 0.4%.

    The stock market was a lot calmer on Tuesday. Some of the big tech names pulled back some, but nothing too alarming (outside of semiconductors). After Monday’s rally, a little bit of profit-taking is to be expected. The Dow closed at another high on Tuesday. It performed more than 120 basis points better than the S&P 500.

    SpaceX (SPCX) had another good day on Tuesday. At one point, the shares broke above $225. That’s a 67% jump from last week’s IPO price of $135 per share. The valuation reached $2.85 trillion. That made it more valuable than Amazon and Microsoft.

    Here’s a thought exercise. Imagine a company that had sales last year of $50,000. The company posted an annual loss of $13,200. You’re looking to buy the company, so you ask the owner, how much? He tells you it’s all yours for just $7.5 million.

    You might think the owner had lost his marbles, but those numbers are pretty much in line with what SpaceX is really doing, just at a much lower scale.

    My little thought exercise is to show you how the market is looking at SpaceX. Using ROE or the P/E Ratio won’t help you much with SpaceX. With an unconventional company, you’ll need an unconventional analysis. Doubting Elon Musk has not been a terribly successful strategy.

    It is humbling to consider that if we harness just 1 millionth of the Sun’s power for AI, that will be much more than a million times the intelligence of all of humanity

    — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 16, 2026

    The retail sales report is out tomorrow. The report for May showed the eighth consecutive monthly increase in a row, but the big news tomorrow will be the Federal Reserve meeting.

    It’s highly doubtful that the Fed will make any changes to interest rates. However, what could be newsworthy would be any more dissenting votes at the FOMC. This will also be the Fed’s first meeting under the leadership of Kevin Warsh.

    At the Fed’s last meeting in April, there were four dissenting votes. That was the most in 34 years. One vote wanted to lower rates immediately while three other votes did “not support inclusion of an easing bias in the statement at this time.” I’ll be curious to see how Jerome Powell votes.

    What to Expect from the Q2 Earnings Season

    We’re less than a month away from the start of the second-quarter earnings season. Of course, we don’t have the numbers just yet, but it’s looking like it will be a very good season. Wall Street currently expects year over year earnings to hit 21.9%. If that’s correct, then it will mark the second quarter in a row in which earnings growth topped 20%.

    For Q2, the estimated (year-over-year) earnings growth rate for the S&P 500 is 21.9%. That’s a big revision. At the start of Q2, Wall Street had been expecting growth of 18.7%. If 21.9% is the actual growth rate for the quarter, it will mark the second-straight quarter of earnings growth above 20% for the index.

    For Q2, 47 S&P 500 companies have issued negative EPS guidance, and 62 S&P 500 companies have issued positive guidance. The forward P/E ratio for the S&P 500 currently is 20.1. This P/E ratio is above both the 5-year and 10-year averages.

    Since the start of Q2, analysts have increased their estimates for Q2 earnings from $78.85 to $81.01 per share. This is unusual. Typically, analysts pare back their estimates as earnings season gets close. It’s no secret that companies try to dampen expectations so that when earnings day finally comes, they can announce “better than expected” news. At bottom, Wall Street is a game of expecting expectations.

    Researchers at FactSet found that the term “inflation” was used on 220 earnings calls. That’s up 11% over Q4. Overall, the term “inflation” was cited on 220 earnings calls conducted by S&P 500 companies during this period. It’s also the third quarter in a row in which inflation mentions have increased.

    FactSet also noticed something interesting. On earnings calls, companies have been mentioning AI at the fastest pace ever. From March 15 through June 11, the term “AI” was cited on 337 earnings calls. That’s far above the five-year average of 164. The previous was 334, which occurred in Q4.

    Earlier today, we got the report on housing starts, and it was ugly. The report said that housing starts last month fell by 15.4% to an annualized rate of 1.18 million. That’s the lowest since April 2020. This means we’re back to Covid levels. The report said that single family homes fell by 1.9% and multifamily starts dropped by 40.2%.

    What appears to be happening is that homebuilders are trying to work off supply before they ramp up new production. A lot of young people have been priced out of the market, especially with higher interest rates. If potential buyers are waiting for mortgage rates to go lower, I don’t think they’re going to get it anytime soon.

    Last month, building permits dropped by 0.7% to an annualized rate of 1.41 million. Last year, President Trump criticized home builders for sitting on empty lots in an attempt to boost home prices.

    Stock Focus: Gorman-Rupp (GRC)

    Shares of Gorman Rupp (GRC) hit another new high today. The stock is another example of a little-known company that’s done very well over the years.

    First, though, what do they do? The company describes itself as “a leading designer, manufacturer and international marketer of pumps and pump systems for use in diverse water, wastewater, construction, dewatering, industrial, petroleum, original equipment, agriculture, fire suppression, heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC), military and other liquid-handling applications.”

    Since 1992, GRC is up over 4,000% including dividends. It’s nearly doubled over the last year. Despite this success, the stock is barely followed on Wall Street. GRC has a market value of more than $2.2 billion yet it’s only followed by three Wall Street analysts.

    In April, GRC reported Q1 earnings of 68 cents per share. That beat estimates (if you consider so few analysts to be a consensus) of 53 cents per share. Net sales rose by 7.7% to $176.6 million.

    Scott King, the president and CEO, noted that last quarter, GRC had strong operating cash flow and reduced its debt.

    Four years ago, GRC bought Fill-Rite from Tuthill Corporation for $525 million. I’m always a little skeptical of big acquisitions. For a company of GRC’s size, this was a very big deal. I’m pleased to see that it’s been well integrated well. Also, the financing debt has been paid down. Interest expense dropped substantially from 2024 to 2025.

    Wall Street expects GRC to earn $2.63 per share this year, and $2.99 per share in 2027. If that’s right, it would mean that GRC has tripled its earnings in five years.

    The company has increased its dividend for 53 years in a row. That’s one of the longest for any publicly traded company.

    If you’re looking for a conservative addition to your portfolio, Gorman-Rupp is a good choice. GRC isn’t a bargain, but it’s poised for long-term growth.

    That’s all for now. Remember that the stock market will be closed on Friday in honor of Juneteenth. I’ll have more for you in the next issue of CWS Market Review.

    – Eddy

  • Morning News: June 16, 2026
    Posted by Eddy Elfenbein on June 16th, 2026 at 7:10 am

    The Iran War Permanently Altered the Global Economy

    Iran War Has Irrevocably Changed the Middle Eastern Oil Trade

    The Hormuz Peace Dividend Goes to Stocks, Not Bonds

    Oil Prices Continue to Fall as Traders Assess U.S.-Iran Deal

    High Gas Costs May Linger After U.S.-Iran Deal

    Russia Ships Oil at Near-Record Pace as Kyiv Pummels Refineries

    China Has a Powerful New Oil Price Weapon

    China Steps Up Foreign Aid in Countries Hit by Trump Cuts

    China’s Spending Slowdown Deepens as Households Tighten Their Belts

    Japan Raises Rates to 31-Year High to Ward Off War Inflation

    Big Questions for Warsh as New Era for the Fed Begins

    Central Banks Are Rethinking Where They Store Their Gold

    EU Gives Final Approval to U.S. Trade Deal

    Europe Fights to Loosen America’s Grip on Payment Systems

    Bondholders Forced to Reckon With $4 Billion Tax Threat in Bitter Credit Feud

    No, We Have Soaring Debt Because Elon Musk Pays Too Much Tax

    The Fed Can Exit Housing, or Keep Mortgages Cheap. Not Both

    One City Might Have Just Cracked the Housing Crisis

    The Real Cowboys of Crypto: Wyoming Ropes a $1 Stablecoin

    KPMG Scandal Deepens Big Four Accounting Firms’ Woes in Australia

    The Proposed Rules for Kalshi and Polymarket Are Backward

    Robinhood Is Latest Fintech to Cut Jobs, Eliminating 300 Roles

    BlackRock Sheds Another 200 Jobs, Adopting Regular Cycle of Cuts

    SpaceX Cements $60 Billion Cursor Takeover Following IPO

    Lachlan Murdoch Has Unveiled a Shocking $22 Billion Plot Twist

    It’s Not Just Nvidia. The A.I. Boom Has Ignited Asia’s Chip Companies.

    Trump’s Anthropic Crackdown Sets Off AI Alarms for US Allies

    Congo’s Ebola Outbreak Is a Warning

    GM in Talks to Supply Weapons Parts to Lockheed Martin

    Rivian’s Make-or-Break SUV Is Here. Fans Are Already Balking at the Lease Price

    Olin, Huntsman to Combine in Stock Swap

    A 40-Year-Old Goalie’s Heroics vs. Spain Spoil a $1 Million Bet

    Why Oatly’s Marketing Went From Wordy Billboards to Beverage Events

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  • Morning News: June 15, 2026
    Posted by Eddy Elfenbein on June 15th, 2026 at 7:03 am

    Hormuz Reopening Would Offer Relief for Asia, but Economic Scars Will Remain

    How China Can Move the Price of Oil Even by Not Buying

    How the Pentagon Plans to Fix Its Pricey Missile Problem

    Oil Executives Are Sounding the Alarm Over Dwindling Stockpiles

    Shipping Firms, Awaiting Details, Are Cautious of U.S.-Iran Deal

    Insurers Endure Self-Harm to Side With Big Oil

    Trump’s Iran Truce Has the Hallmarks of Defeat

    It Was Meant to Unify. Now the G7 Is Dogged by Chaos and Divided by Trump

    German Bank Chief Warns Rising Extremism Threatens Investment

    Kevin Warsh Wants the Fed to Stop Explaining Everything

    The Supreme Court Handed Wall Street a Win With Bigger Stakes

    Jim Paulsen Says Wall Street Traders Miss Lingering Policy Risks

    Bitcoin Is Totally Useless As Money, Not Because It’s Declining

    Wages Are Falling. Wealth Is Surging. No Wonder Americans Are Unhappy.

    Work From Home Is Here to Stay—Even if Some CEOs Don’t Love It

    Raise Social Security Taxes — and Cut Benefits, Too

    Policymakers Need to Get Tax Treatment of Litigation Funding Right

    SpaceX and OpenAI Are Ending Wall Street’s Era of Stock Scarcity

    Emboldened by SpaceX, Investors Are Piling Into All Things Space

    We’re All on Starship Elon Now

    Trillionaires and Republics Will Be a Toxic Mix

    Anthropic Block Marks US Reversal, Warning to Silicon Valley

    The AI Jobs Crisis No One Is Talking About

    Goldman Brings Google to Prepaid Energy Market After Equity Deal

    Can Apple’s ‘Good Enough’ Siri Compete With ChatGPT?

    Fox to Buy Roku Streaming Service in $22 Billion Deal

    Starmer Announces Full Ban on Social Media for UK’s Under 16s

    What to Know About Planned Social Media Bans Around the World

    The Infuriating Rise of the $8 Ice Cream Cone

    New Fund Backed by LVMH and Top Pro Athletes Invests in Activewear Brand

    Is the Luxury Handbag’s Heyday Ending?

    How Sand Became Golf’s Most Valuable Amenity

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  • Morning News: June 12, 2026
    Posted by Eddy Elfenbein on June 12th, 2026 at 7:02 am

    The World Is Draining Oil Reserves, Raising Pressure for a Peace Deal

    Ships Stranded by War Face Costly Dilemma: Wait It Out or Risk Attack

    The Global Economy Is Threatened Again by Trade Imbalances

    Germany’s Bundesbank Cuts Growth Expectation, Raises Inflation Forecast as War Drags On

    ECB Stands Out With First G7 Rate Hike Since Start of Iran War

    Switzerland’s Radical Proposal on Immigration: Cap the Population

    How a Tiny British Island Fell Into an International Gambling Scandal

    The Market Is Giddy. Is Your Portfolio at Risk?

    Private Credit Dividends Look Less Secure as Cash Coverage Thins

    Vanguard Ends BlackRock’s 20-Year Run Atop US ETF Market

    A $600 Billion Experiment Kicks Off at the Biggest US Pension Fund

    PPI Confirms CPI: Energy Shock, Not a Trigger For a Rate Hike

    A Libertarian Case Against Former Rep. Thomas Massie

    Congress Shouldn’t Import Europe’s App Store Mistakes

    Latest AI Doomers Imagine How Europe ‘Slides Into Irrelevance’

    Carney’s Middle Powers Race to Thwart US-China Dominance of AI

    The Next US-China AI Battle Is Over Compute — and China Is Spending Big

    SpaceX Sets Milestone With World’s Largest I.P.O., Furthering Musk’s Power

    Hedge Funds Sold Broader Tech Ahead of SpaceX IPO, JPMorgan Data Shows

    SpaceX IPO Draws at Least $5 Billion Order From BlackRock

    How SpaceX Stacks Up to the World’s Largest I.P.O.s

    Jim Chanos Is Worth Hearing on SpaceX, Too

    SpaceX-Anthropic-OpenAI Is a Cocktail With a Hangover

    The Joy of Missing Out on SpaceX’s I.P.O.

    Everyone Loves Chinese Cars, Except the Chinese

    Trump’s War on Science Is Being Waged in the Fine Print

    Can Smartphones Help Explain the Drop in Birth Rates?

    How Texas Ranchers Are Fighting a Long-Eradicated Cattle Killer

    The Wearable Boom Is Real. The Investment Case Is Murkier.

    Gary Lineker Is Worried About the Trump World Cup

    Haiti’s Football Team Made the World Cup, But Its Fans Aren’t Welcome

    Bad Bunny’s Sold-Out Shows Illuminate Spain’s New Lifeline: Immigrants

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  • Morning News: June 11, 2026
    Posted by Eddy Elfenbein on June 11th, 2026 at 7:02 am

    The Iran War Is All About Psychology: Trump’s and Khamenei’s

    ECB Becomes First Major Central Bank to Raise Rates Since Inflation Resurgence

    Europe Raises Interest Rates as War Stokes Inflation

    Being on US Sanctions List Not Sufficient to Refuse EU Bank Account, Court Rules

    Developing World’s ‘Complex’ Debt Could Raise Costs, Stall Restructurings, Lazard Says

    Inflation Heated Up to 4.2% in May, as Energy Costs Continued to Bite

    Trump Says ‘I Love the Inflation’ As US Prices Rise At Fastest Rate In Three Years

    Trump Picks Capital One’s Brian Johnson to Head US Consumer Finance Watchdog

    Social Security Is a Political Concept. There’s No Looming “Insolvency”

    ‘We’re Traders, Not Nuns’: Embattled Brazil Hedge-Fund Plots Turnaround

    Drahi Is Squeezing His US Creditors Harder Than Ever

    Gen Z’s Latest Career Flex: A Boardroom Seat

    You Have No Idea What a Trillion Dollars Is—and We Have Proof

    Why It’s Nearly Impossible to Build a Robot Without China

    A Weird, New Rain Machine Takes Aim at Passing Clouds

    US Nuclear Power’s Technological ‘Rebirth’ Will Take Some Time

    How the Nordics Are Emerging As the World’s AI Infrastructure Superpower

    Retail Traders Dump Big Tech to Raise ‘Dry Powder’ to Buy SpaceX

    The S&P 500’s SpaceX Snub Is a Public Service

    How Tesla’s Stock Listing in 2010 Enabled SpaceX’s I.P.O.

    Can SpaceX Defy A.I. Gravity?

    Cathie Wood’s Latest Big Bet on Elon Musk Is About to Pay Off

    What the SpaceX IPO Means for This Texas Border Town

    A.I. Chatbot Helps a $100 Thrift Store Painting Sell for Over $250,000

    Oracle Shares Tumble Amid Pricey Data-Center Build-Out

    Dana to Combine With Eaton’s Mobility Business in $5.1 Billion Deal

    Nike’s Savior CEO Is Grappling With a 45% Stock Slump

    This Isn’t the Soccer America Imagined

    Why Doesn’t China Have a Lionel Messi?

    How Cracker Barrel’s CEO Saved Her Job by Abandoning Her Own Strategy

    In the Protein Era, Even He-Man Is Hawking Supplements

    Ben & Jerry’s Co-Founder Says Brand Being ‘Destroyed’ by Magnum

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  • Morning News: June 10, 2026
    Posted by Eddy Elfenbein on June 10th, 2026 at 7:09 am

    Iraq Boosts Oil Exports as More Tankers Transit Strait of Hormuz

    Stocks Sink and Oil Rises After Wave of Strikes Across Middle East

    El Niño Emerges in Pacific, Raising Heat and Crop Risks

    Why the World Is Bracing for a Rare ‘Super’ El Niño

    Governments Sell Bonds at Record Pace as Spending Soars

    Japanese Yen Falls After BOJ Gov. Ueda Hospitalized

    Europe Has Learned Silence Can Be Golden in Trump Trade Spats, Top EU Legislator Says

    Ending Immigration Isn’t the Answer for Switzerland — or the US

    Searching for America’s Missing Workers, Old and Young

    Social Security at Risk for Cuts by 2032, Unless Congress Acts

    Rich Americans Should Welcome Higher Capital-Gains Taxes

    Markets Brace for an Inflation Surprise

    US Inflation Matches Expectations While Core CPI Softens

    Our Stock Market Is Broken

    When a World Cup Team Loses, Its Country’s Stock Market Also Goes Down. Here’s The Weird Reason Why

    America at 250: The Greatest Compounding Machine In History

    It’s Time to End a Retirement Double Standard

    Apollo’s Kleinman Says Private Equity Lost Its Way on Deals

    Now Is a Good Time to Buy Into America’s Mega Utility Merger

    Billionaires’ Billions Are Increasing Faster Than Ever

    Billionaires Are Fighting Their Heirs for Control Beyond the Grave

    Musk Looks to an Army of Loyalists to Help Make Him a Trillionaire

    19 Things to Know About Gwynne Shotwell, SpaceX’s President

    SpaceX Owns a Real Business That Makes Big Money

    How Much Will SpaceX Actually Cost Your Index Fund?

    In A.I. Blunder, More Than 34,000 Instagram Accounts Were Attacked

    Cyera, a Cybersecurity Start-up for the A.I. Era, Raises $600 Million

    Forget Coders. The Real A.I. Threat Is in the Back Office.

    Credit Agricole CEO Says AI Anxiety Must Come to an End

    Being Honest About Low Inventory Can Pay Off for Online Retailers

    The Knicks’ Name Traces Back to a 200-Year-Old Publicity Stunt

    Wedding Inflation Has Desperate Brides Paying Witches for Perfect $100,000 Days

    The Latest Snack Innovations Are Basically Just Creamsicles and Chex Mix

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  • CWS Market Review – June 9, 2026
    Posted by Eddy Elfenbein on June 9th, 2026 at 7:28 pm

    (This is the free version of CWS Market Review. If you like what you see, then please sign up for the premium newsletter for $20 per month or $200 for the whole year. If you sign up today, you can see our two reports, “Your Handy Guide to Stock Orders” and “How Not to Get Screwed on Your Mortgage.”)

    Last Tuesday, the stock market closed at an all-time high. We’ve gotten used to new highs, but what changed was what came after that on Thursday and Friday. That’s when many large-cap tech stocks, semiconductors in particular, got hit very hard. Many semis fell more than 10% in one day.

    What caused the semi rout? As usual, it was a combination of factors. For one, valuations are quite high. Also, these stocks have been very popular so some pushback shouldn’t be surprising.

    The market was also spooked by Broadcom’s earnings. Actually, the earnings were quite good, but it was disappointing guidance that scared investors.

    Semiconductor Stocks Plunge

    It sounds almost comical, but the market was upset that Broadcom didn’t increase its revenue guidance for this year and next year. In other words, keeping the guidance the same is seen, in practical terms, as a downgrade. That should tell you something about the current mood on Wall Street.

    The stock market rebounded some on Monday but today was more of a raucous day. Stocks opened higher but fell as the morning went on. At one point, the S&P 500 was off by more than 2.2% and the Nasdaq was down much more than that. Later on, the bulls showed up to pare some of the losses. Still, you can see how easily stocks got pushed around. That’s very different from the market’s behavior earlier this spring.

    The broader market was briefly helped by optimistic news from the Middle East. The price of oil fell close to 4% after Energy Secretary Chris Wight said that ship traffic is increasing in the Strait of Hormuz. Gold fell more than $130 per ounce on Friday. President Trump said that a deal to open the strait is “two or three” days away. This is encouraging, but I’m a realist about such matters. I’ll believe it when I see it.

    On Tuesday, the Dow Jones Transports were up over 1.3% while the Dow Jones Industrials were little changed (+0.2%). These sector rotations are becoming more pronounced.

    Over the past week, High Beta stocks have fallen on hard times. By High Beta, I mean stocks that tend to fluctuate a lot. At the other end of the spectrum, low volatility stocks have been remarkably calm.

    Over the last five trading days, the S&P 500 High Beta ETF (SPHB) has fallen by 5.4% while the S&P 500 Low Vol ETF (SPLV) has gained 2.8%. That’s a very large spread, especially for such a short period of time. Of course, this is merely the opposite of what the market had been doing for several months.

    Here’s a chart of High Beta (red) versus Low Vol (blue):

    This week, Bank of America (BAC) warned investors that its stock market signals started flashing red. Charlie Bilello, one of my favorite stats guys, recently said that the yield on the S&P 500 has dropped below 1%, and it’s heading toward its all-time low of 0.94% from 2000.

    The Economy Created 172,000 New Jobs in May

    On Friday, the government released a surprisingly strong jobs report. The Bureau of Labor Statistics said that 172,000 net new jobs were created in May. That more than doubled expectations. The number for April was revised higher to 179,000.

    The unemployment rate held steady at 4.3%. The unemployment rate has been either 4.3% or 4.4% for each of the last six months.

    They key number that I’ve been looking for is average hourly earnings. More pay for workers means more business for companies. For May, average hourly earnings increased by 0.3% which matched expectations. That’s a good number but not a great one. Over the last year, average hourly earnings are up by 3.4%.

    Here are some details:

    Leisure and hospitality led all sectors with 70,000 jobs, well above the 14,000 per month average over the past year and a possible reaction to hiring needed for the World Cup.

    Local government added 55,000.

    Health care, which has been the leading sector, contributed 35,000 new hires, about in line with its average. Social assistance added 12,000.

    It’s frustrating to see job growth concentrated in a few sectors. In addition to the strong job numbers for May, revisions for prior months also presented an even better picture.

    The nonfarm payroll report for April was revised higher by 64,000. The number for March was raised to 214,000, which is a gain of 29,000. The labor force participation rate was stable at 61.8%. The broader U-6 unemployment rate dropped a little to 8.1%.

    The Federal Reserve meets again next week. Don’t expect any movement on interest rates, but the Fed’s outlook could be slowly changing. The yield on the two-year Treasury has climbed higher in recent weeks. The yield recently hit its highest point in over a year. The 10-year yield recently broke above 4.6%.

    Traders don’t see the Fed hiking rates next week, or at the meeting after that or the meeting after that. But in the one after that, in December, the market sees the Fed hiking interest rates by 0.2%. I’m skeptical of forecasts going out that far, but it does signal to investors that the market sees the Fed getting more aggressive sometime soon. Last week’s jobs report is more evidence.

    On Wednesday, we’re going to get the CPI report for May, and it could be an ugly one. FactSet said the median estimate is that inflation is running at 4.2%. The Atlanta Fed’s GDPNow model sees Q2 GDP growth running at 3.3%. We did get some negative news this morning. Small business optimism fell to its lowest level since October 2024.

    FICO Announces $2.0 Billion Share Buyback

    We had good news from one of our Buy List stocks. Yesterday, FICO’s (FICO) Board of Directors approved a stock repurchase program. Under the program, FICO will buy up to $2.0 billion of the company’s outstanding stock.

    The new program replaces what’s left in the previous $1.5 billion stock repurchase program. FICO also said it will borrow $1.5 billion to fund its accelerated share repurchase plan.

    Shares of FICO have done well in recent weeks, Since April 22, FICO is up 32.8% for us.

    The last earnings report was quite good. On April 28, FICO said its net income jumped 60% to $12.50 per share. Free-cash flow was $214.3 million, compared with $65.5 million last year. Quarterly revenue rose 30% to $691.7 million.

    FICO also raised its guidance. Before, FICO expected full-year revenues of $2.35 billion. Now it expects revenues of $2.45 billion. FICO raised its full-year earnings guidance from $38.17 to $40.45 per share. The next earnings report should be out sometime late next month.

    That’s all for now. I’ll have more for you in the next issue of CWS Market Review.

    – Eddy

  • Morning News: June 9, 2026
    Posted by Eddy Elfenbein on June 9th, 2026 at 7:07 am

    Oil Prices Ease as Iran and Israel Halt Strikes

    A Rush to Stockpile Oil Will Keep Prices Higher for Longer

    Welcome to the Era of Me-First Energy

    Why Does It Take Years to Get a Patriot Missile From Factory to Front Line?

    Dubai Reinvented Itself. Now a War Is Testing Its Endurance.

    China’s Strength in Semiconductors, Rare Earths Drives Export Surge

    The Fight to Break China’s Rare-Earth Dominance Moves to a New Front in Brazil

    Ten Years On, the UK Is Counting the Economic Cost

    National Security Is a Job for Professionals, Not Partisans

    Treasury Market Is Telling Kevin Warsh Rates Need to Be Higher

    Let’s Count the Ways Kevin Warsh Will Disappoint Trump

    Goldman, Barclays Traders Warn of Market Risks After Friday Rout

    Wall Street Races “Onchain,” and the Scramble To Build the Markets Begins

    Matthew Lynn Is Blissfully Innocent of “Coverage Ratios”

    In An Age of Uncertainty, Saving Is More Important Than Ever

    Klarna Launches US Savings Accounts to Attract Everyday Users

    Trump’s No Tax on Tips Gamble Risks Falling Short With Disgruntled Vegas Voters

    The Viral Lottery for $5 Million UK Homes Is Coming to the US

    SpaceX IPO Forces Investors to Bet on Musk’s Entangled AI Empire

    How Banks Are Using SpaceX to Woo the Superrich

    University Endowments Are About to Strike It Big on the SpaceX IPO

    Trump Eyes a Piece of A.I.

    AI Will Rip Off Consumers Unless They Fight Back

    Apple Downplays Concerns That Its Use of Google AI Models Will Undermine Privacy

    OpenAI Files for IPO

    Meta Launches ‘Workforce Academy’ to Train Workers to Build Data Centers

    As Screwworm Cases Mount, U.S. Officials Ramp Up Response

    GSK to Buy Nuvalent for $10.6 Billion in Oncology Push

    J.M. Smucker Expects Sales to Fall This Year

    Chinese Diners Will Wait Five Hours for This Conveyor-Belt Sushi

    Remembering the 1994 US World Cup, When Tickets Cost $25

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  • Morning News: June 8, 2026
    Posted by Eddy Elfenbein on June 8th, 2026 at 7:08 am

    Oil Surges After Hostilities Between Iran and Israel Escalate

    OPEC Plus to Boost Oil Production as Ceasefire in Iran Remains Elusive

    The Global Economic Toll of Oil Prices at $120 for an Entire Year

    As Oil Prices Spike, Talk of ‘Demand Destruction’ Sets In

    More Carriers Expected to Follow in Spirit’s Footsteps as Fuel Crisis Slashes Airline Profits in Half

    Trump’s Economy Polling Slides as Iran War Saps His Superpower

    Why Trump’s War Hasn’t Broken Iran’s Economy

    The War Powers Resolution Is Working — Even If It Fails

    IMF Chief Warns World Isn’t Ready for Shocks That Are Piling Up

    China Says ‘Illegal’ Outbound Investment Crackdown Won’t Lead to Forced Liquidation

    AI Trade Unwind Rocks Korean Traders Leveraged for One-Way Bet

    Europe Watches Its Economic Recovery Fade Into the Distance

    ECB Expected to Be First Among Peers to Raise Key Rate in Response to Conflict

    Intesa Bids $35 Billion for Monte dei Paschi

    When the Card Declined Abroad Is a Policy Failure

    Bulls Make Their Case as Stock Risks Pile Up

    Young People Like Stocks

    How the IRS’s Current Tax System Discourages Compliance

    The Top 1% Reap Most From Tax Loophole Costing $48 Billion

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    Antitrust Enforcers Overstate Market Power, Understate Market Value

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    Vimeo Parent Bending Spoons Files for US IPO Showing Sales Jump

    Not Her Mother’s Cookies: Daughter of Mrs. Fields Starts Healthy Brand

    In Mexico for the World Cup? Cartels Are the Least of Your Worries

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  • Morning News: June 5, 2026
    Posted by Eddy Elfenbein on June 5th, 2026 at 7:02 am

    China Builds an Economic Fortress as Global Tensions Rise

    Banks Curb China Trips, Delay Events After Cross-Border Scrutiny

    Russia’s Sanctioned Businessmen Accuse Authorities of Setting “Trap” for Economy

    Japan Spent Billions to Prop Up the Yen. Why Is It Still Weak?

    Where’s the Global Economic Meltdown?

    US Adds 172,000 Jobs, Far Exceeding Expectations

    Does President Trump Have Us Flying Too Close to the Sun?

    If Stablecoins Are the Future of Money, Watch Out

    Private Credit Funds Face Renewed Withdrawals in Second Quarter

    Point72 Weighs Paying Other Hedge Funds to See Their Trade Ideas

    Five Ideas for Reducing Income Inequality

    The Lasting Cost of Graduating Into a Tough Job Market

    How Funding Cuts Left the World Vulnerable to Ebola

    US Public Transit Bounces Back as War-Fueled Gas Prices Remain High

    Killing Lake Powell Won’t Save the Colorado River

    The Simplistic and Baseless War on Plastic Bags

    The Supreme Court Doesn’t Care About Voting Anymore

    San Francisco Is Making an AI-Powered Comeback

    AI Is Upending One of Finance’s Cushiest Jobs

    Trump Officials Worry US Loophole Let Chinese Firms Buy Nvidia Blackwell Chips

    Rob Arnott Sees Mega-Cap IPOs Weighing on Other Stocks for Years

    Morgan Stanley Sees SpaceX’s Revenue Reaching $3.4 Trillion in 2040

    China, HK Investors Banned From SpaceX IPO on Security Grounds

    SpaceX Denied Fast Index Entry by S&P 500

    Meet the SpaceX Employees Who Are About to Become Overnight Millionaires

    There’s More to Space Stocks Than SpaceX

    To Sell Trucks, Break Out the Cowboys and Wrap Them in Old Glory

    Americans on GLP-1s Are Overwhelming Retailers With Their Nonstop Returns

    New ‘60 Minutes’ Chief Promises Independence in Bid to Reassure Staff

    Netflix Is Done Coddling Hollywood

    Can Mattel Build an Empire on He-Man’s Shoulders?

    Handicapping Gold Versus Silver In the World Cup

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  • | Older Entries »
  • Eddy ElfenbeinEddy Elfenbein is a Washington, DC-based speaker, portfolio manager and editor of the blog Crossing Wall Street. His Buy List has beaten the S&P 500 over the last 20 years. (more)

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