Market Bytes

American Express just announced strong Q3 earnings and the stock dropped by over 5%, what is going on? In this episode we break down American Express’ performance, how it matches up against their 2023 forecast and talk about what might actually be holding the stock and other bank stocks back. 

00:00-American Express crushed Q3 earnings

07:07-Why most people misunderstand American Express’ business

11:17-So what is causing the downtrend for Amex?

14:01-What does this mean for Investors?

Vanguard’s VTI, VOO, and VGT are 3 of the most popular and talked about ETFs out there. But a lot of people are making a very basic and common mistake with them. In this episode we break down the problem and dive into all 3 ETFs so you know how to fix it. 

00:00-A common mistake people are making with these Vanguard funds

01:43-Understanding fund overlap

05:16-VTI or VOO, which one is best?

09:13-Understanding what VGT actually is

11:36-Why does any of this matter?

If you’re depending on the headlines to understand your stocks, you’re going to be disappointed. News articles aren’t providing the full picture and truth that we need to really know what’s going on with the companies we own. In this episode, we dive into a detailed example of Starbucks, to show how the news headlines you see are misleading, and what we can do instead to get a clear picture on how our stocks and their management teams are performing.

00:00-This is how stock headlines mislead you

03:29-What did Starbucks expect for 2023

05:00-Starbucks Q1 results

07:03-Starbucks Q2 results

08:32-Starbucks Q3 results

10:55-What does this tell us?

Popular food stocks are down big over the last month and according to the news it’s because of the rising popularity of Ozempic and other weight loss drugs. In this episode we talk about what they are and what impact they are having on the most recent market downturn.

00:00-What is Ozempic and how could it impact stocks?

02:36-Why is this a big story?

05:38-What’s really going on with stocks?

08:37-What should we be doing about it?

Paul Tudor Jones was on CNBC yesterday talking about his thoughts on the stock market and why he thinks it’s a challenging environment for equity investors right now. In this episode we break down his comments, what we should be thinking about as investors, and ultimately what we can do about any of it.

00:00-Paul Tudor Jones is not a fan of stocks right now

01:38-Stock headwind 1 - Global conflict

05:42-Stock headwind 2 - U.S. Fiscal Situation

08:31-The bond markets and possible recession

10:04-Paul Tudor Jones recap and thoughts

Hershey’s is one of the largest and most recognizable chocolate manufacturers in the world. Hershey’s stock has almost doubled the performance of the S&P 500 over the past 30 years, but is down 30% from its high in May 2023. In this episode we walk through Hershey’s business and do a stock analysis to see if HSY is worth buying.

00:00-Hershey’s - Decadent Dividend Growth

02:13-Who are they and what do they do?

05:58-What are some risks to their business?

09:49-Hershey’s vs Mr Beast

12:48-how are their operations?

15:02-HSY valuation

18:05-Overall thoughts 

In this episode we walk through my entire dividend growth portfolio to reveal how much dividend income I made over the last month, what my annual dividends are on a $222,000 account, what stocks I bought and sold, and the overall performance using Schwab portfolio tools.

00:00-Portfolio recap for September 2023

01:50-How Schwab calculates returns

03:55-Dividend income

06:09-Stocks I bought and sold this month

09:50-Best and worst performers

12:01-Overall thoughts on the previous month

All over the financial news and media we’re hearing about a potential recession. What it might mean for the economy, what it might mean for investors, but why are there so many different points of view on it? And what, if anything should we be doing about it? In this episode we break down what it means to be in a recession, what impact it has on stocks, and how we should approach it going forward.

00:00-Are you tired of hearing about recessions yet?

01:43-How is a recession determined?

05:20-Why do recessions matter?

05:53-How have stocks done in the last 3 recessions?

08:01-What should investors do about it?

If you buy dividend paying stocks, you have probably come across people on the internet who are quick to question your ability to do simple math. The question of dividend stocks vs growth stocks is one that people are really passionate about, but like most things the answer isn’t as easy as it seems. In this episode we break down the misconceptions about dividend stocks and how they compare to growth stocks.

00:00-Do Dividends come out of the stock price?

04:26-Dividend stocks have no good ideas for growth

06:37-You can just sell shares for income

08:04-Growth stocks will always outperform dividend stocks

10:10-Stock investing and emotions

Dollar General is the largest retailer in the U.S. by number of stores with over 19,000. It’s stock has also been an awesome growth story more than 3x the S&P 500 in Total Return by end of 2022. But in 2023 Dollar General has lost over 56% of it’s value.  In this episode we walk through Dollar General’s business and do a stock analysis to see if DG is a buy now.

00:00-Dollar General - Dividend Growth on Sale

02:18-What’s going on in their business?

11:10-What are some risks to their business?

15:57-DG valuation

21:06-Overall thoughts