OT: Investing - Stocks/Mutual Funds/Bonds/Crypto

[HaroldinGMinor]

I can’t wrap my head around record employment, industry coming back to the US, etc and somehow we are set for recession according to some. I don’t know, I don’t get it. I know the company I work for that sells a lot to factories is booming and our outlook is very good for next year. Just having trouble making sense of it.

People are working but wages are stagnant and have been for quite some time (unless you are in the upper incomes). Is industry coming back to the US? I hear that it is but does the data correspond?

[MickeyDavis]

XRP sitting around $.35 Tempted to average down further but I think I have enough "fun money" in it.

[M-C-G]

I can’t wrap my head around record employment, industry coming back to the US, etc and somehow we are set for recession according to some. I don’t know, I don’t get it. I know the company I work for that sells a lot to factories is booming and our outlook is very good for next year. Just having trouble making sense of it.

People are working but wages are stagnant and have been for quite some time (unless you are in the upper incomes). Is industry coming back to the US? I hear that it is but does the data correspond?

I can only speak about the heavy industries that our company is involved in. Business is good, and we upped our earnings per share significantly, way outperformed where we were to be in the start of the year, and it sounds like 2019 is looking even better...I'm not saying I don't believe it could be coming, it is that I don't understand it.

[Iheartfootball]

Stagnant wages, tariffs (for now), increased interest rates (now stable) all contribute to lower expectations currently.

[BuckFan25226]

I can’t wrap my head around record employment, industry coming back to the US, etc and somehow we are set for recession according to some. I don’t know, I don’t get it. I know the company I work for that sells a lot to factories is booming and our outlook is very good for next year. Just having trouble making sense of it.

People are working but wages are stagnant and have been for quite some time (unless you are in the upper incomes). Is industry coming back to the US? I hear that it is but does the data correspond?

In what fields? I'm in the Mechanical contracting business(HVAC, Plumbing & Electrical, Remodeling etc.) and can assure you, we have been handing out raises like candy the past few years. In short, the work and money is there to absorb it. We have had record years the past 2 years.

For the first time in a really long time, our health insurance has gotten better and is finally costing us less, along with health incentives, which we pass back to employees. Also the tax break and our recent corporate structure changes due to the tax break have allowed us to not only grow, but increase profits and apply that towards higher wages for employees, which will be leading to higher year end bonuses once again this year. I don't just speak for myself, I speak for easily 20+ companies who are also in my field that I know and communicate with throughout the year and see at vendor/product conventions.

The downside to this is rapid growth. What is a well known issue in the trades is finding good skilled tradesmen. It's very hard to grow at a steady pace and acquire new business if there isn't the skilled tradesmen to do the work.

[Iheartfootball]

I can’t wrap my head around record employment, industry coming back to the US, etc and somehow we are set for recession according to some. I don’t know, I don’t get it. I know the company I work for that sells a lot to factories is booming and our outlook is very good for next year. Just having trouble making sense of it.

People are working but wages are stagnant and have been for quite some time (unless you are in the upper incomes). Is industry coming back to the US? I hear that it is but does the data correspond?

In what fields? I'm in the Mechanical contracting business(HVAC, Plumbing & Electrical, Remodeling etc.) and can assure you, we have been handing out raises like candy the past few years. In short, the work and money is there to absorb it. We have had record years the past 2 years.

For the first time in a really long time, our health insurance has gotten better and is finally costing us less, along with health incentives, which we pass back to employees. Also the tax break and our recent corporate structure changes due to the tax break have allowed us to not only grow, but increase profits and apply that towards higher wages for employees, which will be leading to higher year end bonuses once again this year. I don't just speak for myself, I speak for easily 20+ companies who are also in my field that I know and communicate with throughout the year and see at vendor/product conventions.

The downside to this is rapid growth. What is a well known issue in the trades is finding good skilled tradesmen. It's very hard to grow at a steady pace and acquire new business if there isn't the skilled tradesmen to do the work.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/22/upshot/mystery-slow-wage-growth-econony.html

https://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2018/11/26/business/26reuters-economy-wages-ilo.html

[HaroldinGMinor]

People are working but wages are stagnant and have been for quite some time (unless you are in the upper incomes). Is industry coming back to the US? I hear that it is but does the data correspond?

In what fields? I'm in the Mechanical contracting business(HVAC, Plumbing & Electrical, Remodeling etc.) and can assure you, we have been handing out raises like candy the past few years. In short, the work and money is there to absorb it. We have had record years the past 2 years.

For the first time in a really long time, our health insurance has gotten better and is finally costing us less, along with health incentives, which we pass back to employees. Also the tax break and our recent corporate structure changes due to the tax break have allowed us to not only grow, but increase profits and apply that towards higher wages for employees, which will be leading to higher year end bonuses once again this year. I don't just speak for myself, I speak for easily 20+ companies who are also in my field that I know and communicate with throughout the year and see at vendor/product conventions.

The downside to this is rapid growth. What is a well known issue in the trades is finding good skilled tradesmen. It's very hard to grow at a steady pace and acquire new business if there isn't the skilled tradesmen to do the work.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/22/upshot/mystery-slow-wage-growth-econony.html

https://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2018/11/26/business/26reuters-economy-wages-ilo.html

http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2018/08/07/for-most-us-workers-real-wages-have-barely-budged-for-decades/

https://www.forbes.com/sites/stevedenning/2018/07/26/how-to-fix-stagnant-wages-dump-the-worlds-dumbest-idea/#42e7e6f61abc

[BuckFan25226]

In what fields? I'm in the Mechanical contracting business(HVAC, Plumbing & Electrical, Remodeling etc.) and can assure you, we have been handing out raises like candy the past few years. In short, the work and money is there to absorb it. We have had record years the past 2 years.

For the first time in a really long time, our health insurance has gotten better and is finally costing us less, along with health incentives, which we pass back to employees. Also the tax break and our recent corporate structure changes due to the tax break have allowed us to not only grow, but increase profits and apply that towards higher wages for employees, which will be leading to higher year end bonuses once again this year. I don't just speak for myself, I speak for easily 20+ companies who are also in my field that I know and communicate with throughout the year and see at vendor/product conventions.

The downside to this is rapid growth. What is a well known issue in the trades is finding good skilled tradesmen. It's very hard to grow at a steady pace and acquire new business if there isn't the skilled tradesmen to do the work.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/22/upshot/mystery-slow-wage-growth-econony.html

https://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2018/11/26/business/26reuters-economy-wages-ilo.html

http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2018/08/07/for-most-us-workers-real-wages-have-barely-budged-for-decades/

https://www.forbes.com/sites/stevedenning/2018/07/26/how-to-fix-stagnant-wages-dump-the-worlds-dumbest-idea/#42e7e6f61abc

Well we must be in an odd bubble here in SE Wisconsin.

[MickeyDavis]

Robinhood getting into banking

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/12/13/robinhood-goes-after-banks-with-checking-and-savings-accounts.html

[BuckHole]

Robinhood getting into banking

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/12/13/robinhood-goes-after-banks-with-checking-and-savings-accounts.html

3% return. No physical locations. No fees. This might be revolutionary. What’s the risk? Federally Insured (SIPC insured up to $250,000)? Will they make loans? Interesting.

[HaroldinGMinor]

Robinhood getting into banking

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/12/13/robinhood-goes-after-banks-with-checking-and-savings-accounts.html

3% return. No physical locations. No fees. This might be revolutionary. What’s the risk? Federally Insured (SIPC insured up to $250,000)? Will they make loans? Interesting.

Anything that makes the big banks poop themselves is fine by me.

[MickeyDavis]

Now the SPIC is saying they will not insure

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-12-14/sipc-says-it-has-serious-concerns-about-robinhood-s-new-product

[HaroldinGMinor]

Now the SPIC is saying they will not insure

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-12-14/sipc-says-it-has-serious-concerns-about-robinhood-s-new-product

Odd timing. You'd think this would have all been sorted out before the announcement. I bet Jamie Dimon got on the bat phone.

[MickeyDavis]

Yeah something fishy going on. There's no way Robinhood didn't get the thumbs up before launch.

[HaroldinGMinor]

Not a good look for Robinhood:
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/robinhood-backtracks-checking-savings-accounts-155930493.html

[SupremeHustle]

So I read the initial article, come back to give out appropriate AND 1's then BOOM. Crushed.

Ugghh. I guess the old saying is true. If it's too good to be true, then it's probably not true.

[ackypoo]

guess ill continue getting my 0.03% from my credit union.

[MickeyDavis]

So they admit they never contacted the SIPC before launch. Stupid.

[wapith]

guess ill continue getting my 0.03% from my credit union.

https://www.ally.com/

2% on savings. Been using it for years

[midranger]

It's been a year to the day since I started this thread. Unfortunately, it doesn't appear that there were too many winners this year, in large part because there weren't too many winning investments. I will lay claim to the single best piece of investment advice given in this thread even if modestly tongue in cheek, but overall it was a blood bath all around (which I guess was the whole point of starting this thread to begin with).

For mine, I did not sell anything. Kept thinking I'd do it at 26.5K on the Dow, but never did. Good news is I held primarily cash through the year and just did a bunch of needed home remodeling type stuff, which cost a ton (high labor cost) and growing with the tariffs (high material costs). I will have some excess to plunk down in the market if it continues to drop. I think my target would be 19k to buy in.That would represent like a 25-30% drop in the market which is probably what was needed. Oh well, onward and upward. If not 2019, then 2020.