Displaying items by tag: covid

Thursday, 05 November 2020 10:34

The Housing Boom is Fading

(New York)

One of the most eye-opening aspects of the pandemic’s impact on the economy has been in housing. The housing market has been on fire since Spring, with a gigantic boom in suburban home sales. The big question is whether this is the start of a sustained trend or a more temporary one. Most analysts think it was just a short-term move. Overall mortgage applications have flattened in recent months at the same time as listings have been rising, showing that supply and demand are changing. Additionally, there is a divergence in the type of demand. Demand for high end homes is stronger, but for cheaper housing it is much weaker.


FINSUM: The pandemic has affected those at the lower end of the socio-economic latter more strongly than those at the top, and combined with how the virus itself has incented social isolation, it is no wonder suburban housing has boomed. That said, it seems temporary almost by definition.

Published in Eq: Real Estate
Tuesday, 03 November 2020 16:25

5 Stocks that Win in Any Election Outcome

(New York)

The election couldn’t really be more stressful. Investors are anxious not only on the investment front, but on the personal front as well. With that in mind, here are five stocks that should do well no matter who ends up in the White House: Abbott Laboratories (ABT), Newmont (NEM), SBA Communications (SBAC), Roper Technologies (ROP), and Carlisle (CSL). Two things that seem likely to do well no matter who wins the election are companies which provide COVID tests and gold. COVID testing is an obvious one—there needs to be more COVID tests available, and faster/better quality tests. Abbott Laboratories has a $5 test that gets results in 15 min and are connected to a mobile app. Gold seems equally likely to do well as inflation concerns are rising alongside the weakening Dollar, growing US debt issuance, and slumping oil prices.


FINSUM: We think ETFs covering large sections of companies who will be in COVID testing are a good buy. Gold seems like a smart bet too given the likely growing US debt and weaker Dollar.

Published in Eq: Large Cap
Thursday, 08 October 2020 15:55

How to Choose Dividend Stocks in the COVID Era

(New York)

Dividend stocks have gotten a whole lot harder to choose this year. It used to be that you could pick a wide selection of stable decent-yielding stocks and hold them for the long haul. However, COVID has disrupted that in many ways, as it has disproportionately weakened some sectors and disrupted many business models. With that in mind, here are three key lessons to remember when choosing dividend stocks in 2020: expect lower payouts, be wary of financing, don’t chase after yields. The first one is simple—many companies have had to cut dividends and many more will. The second is highly related to the first: be wary when companies have to use debt in order to maintain a dividend. In that sense, simply maintaining the dividend is not necessarily a sign of strength. Finally, and most interestingly, is the lesson about not chasing yields. Because yields are so low, dividend stocks are likely to see gains anyway, so it is more important to focus on the sustainability of dividends than chase yields that might collapse.


FINSUM: All of these lessons make a great deal of sense in the current environment. We particularly like the idea that stocks which don’t have the very highest dividends might actually produce the best combined returns.

Published in Eq: Dividends
Friday, 02 October 2020 13:33

A Bullish Sign for the Economy

(New York)

The market seems to be in a tussle with itself. On the one hand, some investors are feeling bullish on the economic outlook, while many others feel the recovery is losing momentum. The data isn’t helping because it seems to validate both sides. For instance, jobs recovery numbers have been strong (disappointing somewhat today though) and the overall dip in output is not as bad as many expected. Metals prices, like silver and copper, have been rising, a leading indicator of growing economic activity. However, consumers seem to be hurting with real income dropping tangibly because of the end of government stimulus checks.


FINSUM: It increasingly seems like a k-shaped recovery is taking hold on the sector level. Certain areas of business are doing very well, while others like airlines, retail and more are doing poorly. This appears to mirror what is happening in consumer spending, where the upper middle and wealthy are surviving fine, but the middle and lower classes are getting hurt badly.

Published in Eq: Total Market
Tuesday, 22 September 2020 16:28

Banks Might Prove a Good Buy

(New York)

The better the economy gets, the more banks seem like a good buy. Banks have been rather severely beaten up over the last several months, largely missing on the price recovery of so many other stocks. This is primarily because of two factors—ultra-low interest rates, and the potential for losses on their loan portfolios. However, it is increasingly appearing like loan losses may not be nearly so severe as forecast, and that billions of Dollars set aside to account for such losses may now be released onto earnings over the next couple of quarters.


FINSUM: Two considerations here. Firstly, the idea of loan losses flowing back to the bottom line and causing upside surprises at earnings time sounds great, especially within the longer-term perspective that banks are a good macro bet on the recovery. The downside risk here relates to an article yesterday in BuzzFeed that accused banks (using obtained data on potential fraudulent activity in client accounts) of not following regulations related to money laundering. That could obviously turn into a big mess, but as yet it is unclear if that is a material risk.

Published in Eq: Financials
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