FFIN

Federal Reserve Chairman Powell is a Dangerous man

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I wrote to clients in the February update that  Federal Reserve Chairman Powell is a dangerous fellow.  Last week he proved that causing a run on the banking system.  Ironically if the creation of a new Bank Term Funding Program (BTFP)had been in place the week before, Silicon Valley Bank might have avoided failure and bankruptcy. Powell’s rapid hike in interest rates as a cure for the supply-side inflation shock is likely to be as successful as the ancient but now discredited medical practice of bleeding the patient. If Powell was the CEO of a public company, activist shareholders would … Read more

Insider Buying Week 3-11-22

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Curious how well insiders are doing with their buys?  Scroll the significant buys of the last year. And what to do about the Russian Ukraine war. It will get worse and it will drag China into an ever-deepening conflict with the West and Democratic regimes. The declaration of mutual support that Russia and China published in a 5000-word memorandum entitled Joint Statement of the Russian Federation and the People’s Republic of China on the International Relations Entering a New Era and the Global Sustainable Development was reminiscent of the Axis power alignment with Germany and Japan at the onset of WWII. If we’re headed to WWW3 is that a reason … Read more

Insider Buying Picks Up- Week Ending 5-15-20

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Insider buying picked up this week across several depressed sectors like insurance,  small regional banks,  gaming, furniture, REITS, building products, restaurants and retailers, automotive and motorcycle and utility stocks. The buy of the week is property and casualty California auto insurer, Mercury General MCY.  Chairman of the Board George Joseph continued accumulating stock with $15 million of stock purchases at an average price of $35.95. MCY is down from it’s high this year of $52.  MCY yields 6.65%. People are driving less and insurance claim losses are down  as a result of that. Offsetting this, reinvestment rates on bond portfolios … Read more

Warning Insider Earnings Plays Can Be Hazardous to your Health Week 10-18-19

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WARNING- BUYING STOCKS BEFORE EARNINGS ANNOUNCEMENTS CAN BE ESPECIALLY RISKY. Stocks have outsized moves on earnings. We analyze these companies carefully where large insider buys might provide some insight. Insiders sell stock for many reasons, but they generally buy for just one – to make money. THE INSIDERS FUND invests in companies at or near prices that management has been willing to invest significant amounts of their own money in.  After all, who knows a business better than the people running it?  You’ve always heard the best information is inside information.  This is as close to “insider information” that an … Read more