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Listen to the latest episode of the Emerald Wit & Wisdom Podcast (06/12/24)
Good morning.

It is the last day of September … the month that typically shows the worst performance for stocks … and right now it appears investors that held tight during the month will be rewarded.  But there is still time left in today’s session … and Fed Chairman Powell is getting ready to speak … so it might be too early to blow up the party balloons.

Per the first story below, information on inflation reported late last week is resulting in CME Group’s Fed Watch sharing their view of around a 50% chance for another 50-bp (0.50%) rate cut in November, but we might be hit with a whammy (an economic term) if a dockworker’s strike goes into effect, putting strain on inventories (and driving up prices).

But what I was focused on this morning as I jumped through news stories were pictures of the devastation in certain areas of North Carolina.

It actually brought tears to my eyes as I spoke with a close friend who has a place in the area as he talked about business owners in his community who not only lost their homes … but whose businesses will be shut down for an extended period of time … and may possibly never reopen. Heck, my hometown on Long Island is still not completely recovered from “Hurricane Sandy” which took place 12 years ago … and this appears worse.

In my industry, we often speak about the importance of having things in order just in case there is an unexpected “life event” … be it an illness … or even … in this case … a surprise storm. If anything positive can come out of this at all, is that it might provide the realization to some that “it could happen to me” and help them to be better prepared.

That about wraps it up for today.

If you haven’t been to Philadelphia, it is a great place to visit (with all the restaurants and museums) and I was downtown for a short while yesterday with time to kill. So what did I do? I stopped in to the Art Museum as I do enjoy some of the paintings by the Old Masters.

But amid paintings by Rembrandt and Monet, the tour guide loudly gave her view that neither of these artists were as talented as Van Gogh.

… I couldn’t believe my ear

Have a great day,

Joseph G. Witthohn, CFA

Have any questions? Please contact info@teamemerald.com

A Look At The News | September 30, 2024
As of 10:49 AM today:
Is another rate cut in the cards? Going on the most recent inflation data, it certainly appears as if November might find the Fed deciding to remain accommodating (TheStreet)

https://www.thestreet.com/investing/stocks/pce-inflation-report-adds-to-case-for-another-big-fed-rate-cut-in-november

 

… but there is a fly in the ointment … as the saying goes … as a strike among port workers could hurt supply and drive prices up … resurrecting that dirty word: “inflation” (CNBC)

https://www.cnbc.com/2024/09/30/ports-strike-truckers-rails-billions-in-cargo-shutdown.html

 

Sure, we’ve all seen them … scam emails (which are becoming more convincing) … but most seem to have certain words in common. It might be wise to be aware (Entrepreneur)

https://www.entrepreneur.com/science-technology/common-words-in-email-scams-money-income-investment-more/480426

 

If thinking of buying an electric vehicle you should know it will take more than just writing a check and driving it off the lot. Careful planning and consideration should be done (NavyFederal)

https://www.navyfederal.org/makingcents/auto/buying-an-ev-what-to-know.html

 

I saw this at the Consumer Electronic Show last year and found it fantastic. Of course, I would like one … but … for personal use … it is probably not $29,000 fantastic (Entrepreneur)

https://www.entrepreneur.com/business-news/proto-hologram-boxes-project-3d-images-like-the-jetsons/480494

 

… but here is a product I do love. Imagine a paint whose color you want to change. Instead of painting over it … just peel it off the wall. I would buy this in a heartbeat (FastCompany)

https://www.fastcompany.com/91194858/unpaint-peel-off-paint-accidental-discovery

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The statements above are supplied for educational purposes only. The statements depict the viewpoints and opinion of the author and are not necessarily the views of Emerald Asset Management or its affiliates. The information described herein is taken from sources which are believed to be reliable, but the accuracy and completeness of such information is not guaranteed by us.