MarketChess

27Jun3:18 pmEST

Afternoon Update 06/27/25 {Video}

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26Jun2:47 pmEST

T.I.A. for Your P.G.M.'s

Platinum group metals (PGMs) refer to a group of six chemically similar, precious metallic elements: platinum, palladium, rhodium, ruthenium, osmium, and iridium. The PGMs encompass the "other" precious metals, frequently overlooked beyond gold and silver. Thus, a firm like Johannesburg, South Africa-based Sibanye-Stillwater (SBSW, below on the...

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25Jun3:21 pmEST

What You Got Ain't Nothin' New

"What you got ain't nothin' new. This country's hard on people. You can't stop what's coming. It ain't all waiting on you. That's vanity." - No Country for Old Men (2007) The sheer size of the current quarterly candlestick on many major indices and tech/growth charts is truly something to behold, as illustrated on the current SOX...

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24Jun2:44 pmEST

Come and Get Me, Copper

It seems difficult to look through the Iran/Israel ceasefire jubilation in markets this week, with equities squeezing higher while oil gets slammed lower. However, it is worth noting that Fed Chair Powell maintained a (relatively, for him) hawkish stance during the first day of his two-day testimony before the House Committee today. In other...

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23Jun3:03 pmEST

Operation Midday Hammer

On the news that Iran's retaliation today against a U.S. air base in Qatar appeared to be nothing more than face-saving theater, equities reversed back up sharply from red while crude oil plunged, with the USO ETF down by more than 7% as I write this.  I do not doubt the assertion that tensions with Iran may begin to subside if these...

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20Jun2:57 pmEST

Afternoon Update 06/20/25 {Video}

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18Jun3:32 pmEST

Is This Powell's Waterloo?

"Waterloo" commonly refers to a decisive or crushing defeat. This meaning originates from the Battle of Waterloo, fought in 1815 near Waterloo, Belgium, where Napoleon Bonaparte suffered a final, devastating loss. The term is often used in the idiom "meet one's Waterloo," meaning to face a final, insurmountable obstacle or defeat. In his...

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17Jun3:10 pmEST

It's Taking its Ayatollah on Me

I must admit that the swirling headlines about trade deals and now the potential for American to officially enter into World War III has become more tedious than usual regarding the knee-jerk reactions by the markets (and general indecision). All of this seems to have drowned out tomorrow's FOMC. However, it is a mistake to overlook The Fed...

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16Jun3:00 pmEST

Dazed and Confused Stocks

Even with escalations over the weekend between Iran and Israel the "nothing ever happens" mantra/meme on Wall Street seems more relevant than ever with equities rallying today after last Friday's initial selloff. Semiconductors and the Nasdaq, overall, are leading the move, while various rate-sensitive sectors like REITs (IYR), housing, and...

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13Jun3:08 pmEST

Afternoon Update 06/13/25 {Video}

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