3. Solar Stock Update…TAN Resumes Downard Trend
$40 print will be break to new lows.
4. Chinese Investors Pouring Money Out of Mainland
WSJDesperate Chinese Investors Are Pouring Into the U.S., Japan By Rebecca Feng
The frenzied buying of Japanese and U.S. ETFs is a sign of how tough it will be for Chinese authorities to lift investor sentiment. PHOTO: YING TANG/ZUMA PRESS
Chinese individual investors want to shift their money out of the country—and they are willing to pay a big premium to do so.
The best example of their desperation: Some this week have been buying funds that offer exposure to Japanese stocks at a 20% premium to what those stocks are worth.
An exchange-traded fund launched by China Asset Management Co. traded at a 14% to 20% premium to its indicative net asset value over the first three days of the week.
The ETF became so popular that China AMC halted its trading for an hour on Thursday, a move also taken by another firm. It warned investors about the big difference between the fund’s price and its net value and said investors could suffer heavy losses if they invest blindly. The premium came down to 5% on Thursday. https://www.wsj.com/finance/stocks/chinese-investors-are-pouring-into-the-u-s-japan-386be98e
Japan ETF vs. China ETF straight up in favor of Japan
5. Equal Weight Index Rolls Back Over vs. Cap Weight
Mega Cap Tech Rally sends equal weight back down.
6. History of Fed Lowering Rates at All-Time Highs?
7. Natural Gas is the Largest Source of American Electricity Generation
Barrons-For all of the momentum toward a greener energy system—U.S. electricity generation from solar and wind increased more than threefold from 2012 to 2022, according to the Energy Information Administration—natural-gas power has climbed 38%, to become the largest source of electricity generation in the U.S. Even in California, which has among the most aggressive decarbonization targets in the country, three natural-gas power plants that were originally slated to close in 2020 will instead operate until at least 2026, officials said last year. Others will remain in service even longer.
It’s not just a U.S. phenomenon. India’s government wants to nearly triple electricity production from natural gas by 2030. China, the world’s largest energy consumer, is increasing its use of natural gas as it shifts away from coal. Europe continues to rely on natural gas as it makes its green transition. Natural gas will remain essential, even as oil and coal fade away.
By Nicholas Jasinski https://www.barrons.com/articles/buy-chesapeake-stock-price-pick-576aa474?mod=past_editions
Natural Gas making a run at 2023 lows
8. It Takes on Average 8 Months from the Last Fed Hike to First Fed Cut
Torston Slok Apollo.
Fed Following Historical Pattern
9. U.S. Start-Up Nation Again
Hustle culture A swathe of fledgling entrepreneurs have taken the plunge and set up their own companies, with review site Yelp counting a record number of new business openings last year. All told, Yelp tallied a total of 762,200 new ventures in 2023, representing a 20% uptick on 2022. The data confirms a similar finding from analysis of governmental filings, which has revealed a pandemic-inspired “entrepreneurship boom“, as an increasing number of Americans take their economic fates into their own hands. Golden handcuffsThe Yelp report categorizes the new businesses by industry, finding a particular boom in the home services sector, with hundreds of new endeavors set up across carpentry (up 54%), masonry and concrete services (up 40%), and contractors (up 33%). Those new companies might be looking to capitalize on the “golden handcuff” phenomenon, as sky-high mortgage rates and property prices leave people investing in their current homes, rather than moving to new ones.Elsewhere, the leisure sector also saw a resurgence, with the number of new hotels and travel services up 28% on last year and restaurant openings up 10%, with major boosts for creperies and hot pot spots, which were up 63% and 53%, respectively.
Related reading: Yesterday‘s better-than-expected 3.3% US GDP growth and rising consumer sentiment suggests the US economy is holding up well.
10. Five Ways Mindfulness Rewires Your Brain
Psychology Today Evan Parks Psy.D. Here are five ways mindfulness helps rewire the brain, giving us better control over how we respond to stress, handle difficult emotions, manage pain, and adapt to change.
1. Mindfulness improves our brain chemistry.
Research suggests that regular mindfulness practices help the brain increase levels of GABA, which helps us stay calm; dopamine, the pleasure and reward neurotransmitter; and serotonin, which helps us experience positive emotions.
2. Mindfulness changes our fear and stress response.
When we take in sensory information about a possible threat, the amygdala is the first brain structure to process that information. The amygdala evaluates images and sounds; if it detects a threat, it passes on the information to the hippocampus, which activates the body to prepare for a threat. With regular mindfulness practice, the size of the amygdala shrinks. A smaller amygdala is correlated with a reduced fear response, increased calmness, better management of anxiety, and a feeling of well-being.
3. Mindfulness helps us stay connected to the present moment.
Falling and staying asleep is often a challenge when we experience stressful periods of life. Our mind races back and forth between our regrets about the past and worries about the future, keeping us awake. During the day, our busy minds distract us from being present with the people we love and the work we need to accomplish. Because of changes in the insula and cingulate cortex, mindfulness practices help harness our ability to shift and focus our attention on our bodily sensations and regulate the emotional responses associated with those physical sensations.
4. Mindfulness facilitates learning and memory.
The gray matter of the memory areas of the brain generally decreases with age, impacting memory processes, emotional regulation, and perspective-taking. As a result, our memory suffers as we get older, we become less flexible with change, and we find it difficult to appreciate the perspective of others. Mindfulness has been demonstrated to increase the size of the hippocampus, which leads to improved learning, memory, and stress management.
5. Mindfulness helps with brain healing and pain management.
Mindfulness practices greatly enhance neuroplasticity. Recovery from brain injury requires healing damaged areas of the brain and using other areas to recover lost functioning. Mindfulness can improve emotional regulation and mental fatigue and help regulate pain. (Click here to learn more about how mindfulness helps pain management.)
1. Election Year Average 7.2% Returns with Higher Volatility
Nasdaq Dorsey Wright https://www.nasdaq.com/solutions/nasdaq-dorsey-wright
2. Energy vs. QQQ Chart Closes Below 200-Week Moving Average
On a 2-year basis energy still beating tech….but chart breaking down. This chart compares energy etf XLE vs. tech etf QQQ
3. Solar Stock Update…TAN Resumes Downard Trend
$40 print will be break to new lows.
4. Chinese Investors Pouring Money Out of Mainland
WSJDesperate Chinese Investors Are Pouring Into the U.S., Japan By Rebecca Feng
The frenzied buying of Japanese and U.S. ETFs is a sign of how tough it will be for Chinese authorities to lift investor sentiment. PHOTO: YING TANG/ZUMA PRESS
Chinese individual investors want to shift their money out of the country—and they are willing to pay a big premium to do so.
The best example of their desperation: Some this week have been buying funds that offer exposure to Japanese stocks at a 20% premium to what those stocks are worth.
An exchange-traded fund launched by China Asset Management Co. traded at a 14% to 20% premium to its indicative net asset value over the first three days of the week.
The ETF became so popular that China AMC halted its trading for an hour on Thursday, a move also taken by another firm. It warned investors about the big difference between the fund’s price and its net value and said investors could suffer heavy losses if they invest blindly. The premium came down to 5% on Thursday. https://www.wsj.com/finance/stocks/chinese-investors-are-pouring-into-the-u-s-japan-386be98e
Japan ETF vs. China ETF straight up in favor of Japan
5. Equal Weight Index Rolls Back Over vs. Cap Weight
Mega Cap Tech Rally sends equal weight back down.
6. History of Fed Lowering Rates at All-Time Highs?
7. Natural Gas is the Largest Source of American Electricity Generation
Barrons-For all of the momentum toward a greener energy system—U.S. electricity generation from solar and wind increased more than threefold from 2012 to 2022, according to the Energy Information Administration—natural-gas power has climbed 38%, to become the largest source of electricity generation in the U.S. Even in California, which has among the most aggressive decarbonization targets in the country, three natural-gas power plants that were originally slated to close in 2020 will instead operate until at least 2026, officials said last year. Others will remain in service even longer.
It’s not just a U.S. phenomenon. India’s government wants to nearly triple electricity production from natural gas by 2030. China, the world’s largest energy consumer, is increasing its use of natural gas as it shifts away from coal. Europe continues to rely on natural gas as it makes its green transition. Natural gas will remain essential, even as oil and coal fade away.
By Nicholas Jasinski https://www.barrons.com/articles/buy-chesapeake-stock-price-pick-576aa474?mod=past_editions
Natural Gas making a run at 2023 lows
8. It Takes on Average 8 Months from the Last Fed Hike to First Fed Cut
Torston Slok Apollo.
Fed Following Historical Pattern
9. U.S. Start-Up Nation Again
Hustle culture A swathe of fledgling entrepreneurs have taken the plunge and set up their own companies, with review site Yelp counting a record number of new business openings last year. All told, Yelp tallied a total of 762,200 new ventures in 2023, representing a 20% uptick on 2022. The data confirms a similar finding from analysis of governmental filings, which has revealed a pandemic-inspired “entrepreneurship boom“, as an increasing number of Americans take their economic fates into their own hands. Golden handcuffsThe Yelp report categorizes the new businesses by industry, finding a particular boom in the home services sector, with hundreds of new endeavors set up across carpentry (up 54%), masonry and concrete services (up 40%), and contractors (up 33%). Those new companies might be looking to capitalize on the “golden handcuff” phenomenon, as sky-high mortgage rates and property prices leave people investing in their current homes, rather than moving to new ones.Elsewhere, the leisure sector also saw a resurgence, with the number of new hotels and travel services up 28% on last year and restaurant openings up 10%, with major boosts for creperies and hot pot spots, which were up 63% and 53%, respectively.
Related reading: Yesterday‘s better-than-expected 3.3% US GDP growth and rising consumer sentiment suggests the US economy is holding up well.
10. Five Ways Mindfulness Rewires Your Brain
Psychology Today Evan Parks Psy.D. Here are five ways mindfulness helps rewire the brain, giving us better control over how we respond to stress, handle difficult emotions, manage pain, and adapt to change.
1. Mindfulness improves our brain chemistry.
Research suggests that regular mindfulness practices help the brain increase levels of GABA, which helps us stay calm; dopamine, the pleasure and reward neurotransmitter; and serotonin, which helps us experience positive emotions.
2. Mindfulness changes our fear and stress response.
When we take in sensory information about a possible threat, the amygdala is the first brain structure to process that information. The amygdala evaluates images and sounds; if it detects a threat, it passes on the information to the hippocampus, which activates the body to prepare for a threat. With regular mindfulness practice, the size of the amygdala shrinks. A smaller amygdala is correlated with a reduced fear response, increased calmness, better management of anxiety, and a feeling of well-being.
3. Mindfulness helps us stay connected to the present moment.
Falling and staying asleep is often a challenge when we experience stressful periods of life. Our mind races back and forth between our regrets about the past and worries about the future, keeping us awake. During the day, our busy minds distract us from being present with the people we love and the work we need to accomplish. Because of changes in the insula and cingulate cortex, mindfulness practices help harness our ability to shift and focus our attention on our bodily sensations and regulate the emotional responses associated with those physical sensations.
4. Mindfulness facilitates learning and memory.
The gray matter of the memory areas of the brain generally decreases with age, impacting memory processes, emotional regulation, and perspective-taking. As a result, our memory suffers as we get older, we become less flexible with change, and we find it difficult to appreciate the perspective of others. Mindfulness has been demonstrated to increase the size of the hippocampus, which leads to improved learning, memory, and stress management.
5. Mindfulness helps with brain healing and pain management.
Mindfulness practices greatly enhance neuroplasticity. Recovery from brain injury requires healing damaged areas of the brain and using other areas to recover lost functioning. Mindfulness can improve emotional regulation and mental fatigue and help regulate pain. (Click here to learn more about how mindfulness helps pain management.)
