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Macy's Inc

Trading Strategies

Buy This, Not That: The Real Story on Retail Profits

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I just published a must-see video where I run down 50 stocks – what you should buy, what to sell, and, the best part, exactly how to do it with less than 500 bucks.

You can check that out here, but the retail story is so big, and so many financial media outlets have it so wrong, that I wanted to put these picks front and center today.

We're in the third quarter of 2020, and we've already seen 43 bankruptcy filings – just five fewer than in 2010, which was the Great Recession's worst year for retailers.

So, with four months left in the year, we're well on pace to see records broken. It's not unrealistic to talk about bankruptcies hitting the hundreds.

Now, turn on your television, and you'll hear all about how it's the U.S. consumer driving this – and that's not necessarily wrong, but what few realize is the problem goes deeper than that.

There's a problem with the way retail "works" right now that could blindside a lot of folks. So I want to tell you what's really going on and where I think the best bets are… Full Story

Dow Jones

Dow Jones Now Could Hit a Slump on Rising Coronavirus Cases

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The Dow Jones now could slip today as the U.S. hit 2.63 million coronavirus cases.

Wall Street had its best quarter in decades after a sharp rebound from the COVID-19 market crash in March.

Investors must now face a slate of potential threats in a resurgence of coronavirus cases, ongoing geopolitical worries out of China, and the upcoming election.

More on these developments below...

dow jones

Dow Jones Industrial Average Jumps as Airline Stocks Take Off Again

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The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped this morning after the National Bureau of Economic Research's Monday announcement: the U.S. is officially in recession due to COVID-19.

There has also been a dip in corporate earnings. Airline stocks took the hardest hit.

More on these developments here.

This is everything moving the Dow today.

Read more...

dow jones

Dow Jones Now Flat on Latest Unemployment Numbers

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The Dow Jones is now flat after the U.S. Labor Department announced 2.4 million new unemployment claims.

We're also covering the latest minutes from the Federal Reserve.

What's the plan for interest rates? Read on to find out.

Read more...

Dow Jones

Dow Jones Ticks Higher Despite Growing Unemployment Numbers

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The Dow Jones added 300 points out the gate this morning as governors draw closer to carrying out plans to reopening their economies.

The uptick comes despite growing unemployment numbers, which we cover below.

Plus: the latest coronavirus numbers and a surge in stationary bike sales moving the Dow today.

Read on for details.

Read more...

stocks

Markets Live Recap: Bank Earnings, New York Manufacturing, Safety Stocks, and Gold

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Huge declines in year-over-year bank earnings were in focus on Wall Street this morning as some of the heavyweights reported before the opening bell.

The market opened down about 2% and closed near the same levels.

But that certainly isn't the only news you should be taking into account today…

You see, bank earnings have "knock-on effects" that can ripple throughout the economy in a variety of ways.

Here's what our experts – Chris Johnson, Tom Gentile, D.R. Barton, Jr., and Shah Gilani – saw in real time today, April 15

Read more...

Options

The Best Options Trade on Robinhood This Week

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Retail sales just had their biggest monthly decline ever in March, but some retail stocks have soared despite store closures, plummeting sales, and little consumer confidence.

One of those thing has to give, and we don't see sales surging anytime soon.

We're going to capture that downside with an options trade. It's not as simple as a put option either; it's a trade that will maximize your upside while limiting your cost.

And it's an options trade you can easily execute on Robinhood...

The Fed

The Fed's Latest Surprise Gives You a Big Profit Opportunity This Week

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Traders woke up Thursday morning thinking 8:30 a.m. was going to set the mood for the day. That's when the Department of Labor was scheduled to release its weekly number of new unemployment claims made the previous week.

As it happens, the numbers were awful, at 6.6 million new applicants. That's in addition to the 6.9 million the week before, and 3.3 million two weeks prior.

In other words, an astonishing 16.8 million Americans have lost their jobs in just three weeks. That beats the records set during the Great Depression by several times over (of course, the U.S. has a much larger population now – but still…)

This weekly number was also way worse than expected, with analysts estimating something between 3 million and 5 million new claims.

But instead of dropping, markets opened up more than 1.5%. It's as if 6.6 million people losing their jobs in a single week won't affect companies negatively.

Well, in the short term, that may be the case. Because at almost the same time that the Department of Labor released its data, U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell went on air.

What he announced sent pre-market trading skywards. It was yet another stimulus plan, for another $2.3 trillion.

This time, the Fed will be guaranteeing loans made to states and municipalities, and also to households.

But the most important piece of the announcement has the Fed doing something it has never done before…

And it sent one part of the market up three times more than the Dow.

Should you jump on the bandwagon? Here's what I think… Full Story

Should you jump on the bandwagon? Here's what I think...

Stocks

5 Stocks to Avoid During the Coronavirus Recession

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It's clear the economic impact of the coronavirus crisis is creating challenges for most companies.

But for those companies that were struggling before the virus struck, life will be exponentially more difficult.

In particular, companies that were carrying a lot of debt and that were under scrutiny from the credit rating agencies will face a tougher road back to "normal" – if they can even get there.

Stay away from these five stocks right now...

Trading Strategies

What You Didn't Hear About Black Friday Could Cost You Big Profits

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Thanksgiving in the Barton house is all about gratitude. We're thankful for such a wide range of blessings – time with family and friends, delicious food, and yes, even a little football.

But once Thanksgiving is over, aside from a glance or two at a smartphone or laptop, no one even considers venturing out into Black Friday.

As one of only two states east of the Mississippi that doesn't have sales tax (New Hampshire is the other), Delaware malls and stores in general get overrun on big shopping days. The Bartons avoid that fray – but thousands of others jump right in…

As do millions more all around the country.

Americans spent $4.2 billion at online sales alone on Thanksgiving Day, and another $7.4 billion on Black Friday.

That second number alone is up 19.6% from last year's Black Friday.

I certainly can't fault the retailers for putting on those sales.

For them, Thanksgiving, Black Friday, and the weekend after can make or break their whole year.

The five days from Thanksgiving Day through Cyber Monday are the highpoint of the holiday shopping months of November and December.

And just those two months make up between 20% and 30% of annual sales for American retailers.

So with Cyber Monday now behind us, you'd think the news would tell you which retailers did well, which didn't, and most importantly, what you should do about it.

Read more...