February was a short and brutal month across the capital markets as the momentum trade into Big Tech and A.I. stocks reversed, leaving a pile-up of major losses across investors' favorite stocks. The White House dropped a new executive order to build a 'Strategic Crypto Reserve', breathing some bullishness back into the beleaguered crypto patch, and Wall Street has dusted off an old, but risky strategy called 'Portable Alpha', to find the next moonshot stocks.

LINKS FOR SHOW NOTES:

https://www.investopedia.com/what-to-expect-in-the-markets-this-week-11687706

https://www.investopedia.com/terms/p/portablealpha.asp

https://www.investopedia.com/trump-says-canada-mexico-tariffs-will-take-effect-next-week-china-rate-to-double-11687476

https://www.economy.com/economicview/analysis

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A swift drop in investor and consumer sentiment rattled the ‘Immaculate Rotation’ from growth to value stocks, sending the stock market off of record highs. But that hasn’t stopped retail traders from rushing back into the stock market at levels approaching 2021 highs in search of dips across mega cap tech, A.I. and consumer discretionary stocks. Is our timing as bad as it was during Roaring Kitty’s heydays? Plus, Warren Buffett’s annual shareholder letter dropped Saturday with its usual dose of wisdom and humility. But it’s hard to be humble when your holding companies generated $47 billion in operating profit last year, and you are sitting on $343 billion in cash.

https://www.investopedia.com/what-to-expect-in-the-markets-this-week-11683487

https://www.investopedia.com/berkshire-hathaway-earnings-q4-fy24-warren-buffett-11684624

https://www.investopedia.com/featured/original/investopedia-explains

https://www.bespokepremium.com/interactive/research/think-big-blog/

https://www.vandaresearch.com/news/

https://berkshirehathaway.com/2024ar/2024ar.pdf

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Stocks snapped a two-week, battling through tariff and inflation headlines, to come within a fraction of all-time highs. What's driving the market higher now, what's different about today's rally, and why are global stocks spiking in the age of American Exceptionalism? Plus, welcome to the age of Electricity as demand to power the data centers and robotics revolution is set to soar to new heights, bringing power stocks along with it. And, the most important words being spoken on earnings conference calls tell us a lot about the precarious mental state of corporate America. One of the most important is in Latin.

LINKS FOR SHOW NOTES

https://www.iea.org/news/growth-in-global-electricity-demand-is-set-to-accelerate-in-the-coming-years-as-power-hungry-sectors-expand

https://www.investopedia.com/terms/p/price-earningsratio.asp

https://www.investopedia.com/what-to-expect-in-the-markets-this-week-11679263

https://www.investopedia.com/terms/o/operatingearnings.asp

https://www.tker.co/

https://bilello.blog/

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Investors are bracing for more political chaos after last week's tariff wars which tripped up sentiment, sending the dollar higher and Gold to record levels. Why the strong dollar is pinching corporate profits inside the biggest companies in the world, and what they are saying about it. Plus. The President's holding company just announced the registration of new ETFs and SMAs that track his "America First" agenda. While conflicts of interest and the executive branch of government have always had a cosy relationship, we've never seen this kind of securitization of America's policies. And, new tax proposals are about to hit Congress where the real fight over America's fiscal future is about to get interesting, including the potential closure of the carried interest loophole.

LINKS FOR SHOW NOTES

https://russellinvestments.com/us/blog/us-tariffs-potential-implications

https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/WEO/Issues/2025/01/17/world-economic-outlook-update-january-2025

https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2025/02/06/3022027/0/en/Trump-Media-Registers-Trademarks-for-Truth-Fi-Investment-Vehicles.html

https://www.investopedia.com/terms/c/carriedinterest.asp

https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/senate-bill/2463/text

https://www.investopedia.com/these-two-assets-will-have-the-best-returns-under-trump-per-investopedia-s-readers-8787190

https://www.investopedia.com/what-to-expect-in-the-markets-this-week-8786864

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A jam-packed January full of news also brought DeepSeek into the future of A.I. conversation, deep-seating Nvidia as the world's most valuable company, and calling into question the hundreds of billions of dollars of spending by Big Tech on semiconductors to control the future. The Fed punted on interest rates, as expected, but now new tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China threaten to upend the effects of monetary policy and bring more inflation to our doorsteps. Plus, scholars take shots at the Efficient Market Hypothesis, and ask whether passive investing has actually made the stock market inefficient.

LINKS FOR SHOW NOTES

https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/02/imposing-duties-to-address-the-flow-of-illicit-drugs-across-our-national-border/

https://www.investopedia.com/trump-tariffs-enacted-saturday-what-you-need-to-know-8783771

https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3821263

https://www.investopedia.com/terms/e/efficientmarkethypothesis.asp

https://www.investopedia.com/what-to-expect-in-the-markets-this-week-8783286

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On The Express this week, we dissect the flurry of economic executive orders and announcements from the Trump administration and identify the new power brokers influencing markets and the future of A.I. The Federal Reserve will meet on interest rates for the first time this year and the first time under this administration, which has been demanding lower rates. Plus, DOGE, led by Elon Musk, says it's time to stop printing the Penny, but those cents come with billions of dollars worth of complications even though they cost more to produce than they are actually worth. And, stocks touched record highs again last week, and breadth inside the markets actually improved which could set the stage for the next leg of this bull market.

LINKS FOR SHOW NOTES

https://www.investopedia.com/what-to-expect-from-the-federal-reserve-s-interest-rate-decision-wednesday-8779447

https://www.investopedia.com/nuscale-oklo-and-other-nuclear-stocks-soar-on-anticipation-of-ai-growing-energy-needs-8779389

https://www.investopedia.com/terms/d/dark-pool.asp

https://www.cmegroup.com/markets/interest-rates/cme-fedwatch-tool.html

https://www.investopedia.com/what-to-expect-in-the-markets-this-week-fed-powell-interest-rates-inflation-apple-tesla-microsoft-earnings-8779620

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It's a newer, faster version of The Express, and we break down the path of economic policies promised by the incoming Trump administration, including what's likely to happen, and what might get challenged. Plus, the future of TikTok in the U.S. is changing by the minute, but recent developments and the seating arrangement at the inauguration tell us that the popular social video app isn't going anywhere. And, get used to hearing about the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act of 1930, and watch for new amendments to the 95-year old piece of legislation.

LINKS FOR SHOW NOTES

https://www.investopedia.com/terms/s/smoot-hawley-tariff-act.asp

https://www.investopedia.com/what-to-expect-in-the-markets-this-week-8776336

https://www.investopedia.com/trump-has-promised-these-major-economic-actions-on-day-one-8776775

https://www.bloomberg.com/features/2024-trump-day-one-agenda/

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Despite the recent and relentless rise in Treasury bond yields and a sell off in the stock market, Dr. Ed Yardeni, President of Yardeni Research, remains one of the most bullish strategists out there. Yardeni, who coined the term "Bond Vigilantes", outlines the risks, probabilities and opportunities facing investors today, and explains why he sees the S&P 500 topping 10,000 by the end of the decade. Plus, expensive stocks have pushed the equity risk premium to historical lows, but those hoping for it to rise better be careful what they wish for.

LINKS FOR SHOW NOTES

www.investopedia.com/what-to-expect-in-the-markets-this-week-877192

https://www.investopedia.com/hiring-surprisingly-surged-in-december-8772350

https://classic.foodandwine.com/

https://www.federalreserve.gov/monetarypolicy/files/FOMC20180926tealbooka20180914.pdf

https://yardeni.com/

https://yardeni.com/quicktakes/

https://www.investopedia.com/bond-vigilante-6386194

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Following back to back years of twenty-percent plus gains for the stock market, what should investors expect in 2025 as a new administration moves into Washington D.C., the U.S. economy continues to grow and consumers are feeling as confident as they have in years? Liz Young Thomas, SoFi's Head of Investment Strategy, rejoins The Express to share her outlook for 2025, including the biggest risks and opportunities on the horizon. Plus, 2024 was the second year in a row where retail investors beat the market. What would it take for a three-peat?

LINKS FOR SHOW NOTES

https://www.sofi.com/article/investment-strategy/liz-looks-at-the-2025-outlook/

https://www.investopedia.com/terms/j/januaryeffect.asp

https://www.investopedia.com/what-to-expect-in-the-markets-this-week-8768364

https://www.vandaresearch.com/news/

https://www.bespokepremium.com/interactive/research/think-big-blog/

https://www.instagram.com/lizthomasstrat/?hl=en

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After a blowout year for Bitcoin, the runway to higher highs could be clearing as a crypto-friendly Trump administration is set to take office, institutional ownership is just beginning, and the blockchain has been firmly established across industries. Ric Edelman, the legendary financial advisor, best-selling author, award-winning radio host and founder of DACFP, rejoins The Express to peer into the future for Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. Plus, stocks slammed into a wall of resistance following the Fed's latest interest rate cut and indications that it may not be in a rush to do it again. Will the dip-buyers come back to start the new year with Bullish intentions?

Links for show notes:

https://blog.google/technology/research/google-willow-quantum-chip/

https://dacfp.com/

https://www.instagram.com/ric_edelman/

https://www.amazon.com/stores/Ric-Edelman/author/B000APYJPM

https://www.investopedia.com/what-to-expect-in-the-markets-this-week-8764806

https://www.investopedia.com/federal-reserve-officials-optimistic-in-wake-of-december-meeting-8765054

https://www.investopedia.com/terms/s/satoshi-nakamoto.asp

https://www.investopedia.com/terms/p/proof-stake-pos.asp

https://www.investopedia.com/terms/s/santaclauseffect.asp

https://www.stocktradersalmanac.com/

https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/static.bitwiseinvestments.com/Research/Bitwise-The-Year-Ahead-10-Crypto-Predictions-for-2025.pdf

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