MARKETS,Anybody even yet?

[dinghy]

Nobody watched the doom video?

As for politics and Trump, I view him as just another swamp creature. His friends are the slimiest Republicans (Mike Johnson and Lindsey Graham). His enemy is good guy Thomas Massie.

I think DOGE is irrelevant because anything that gets cut will be spent on something else. Any war that's dialed down will be supplemented by a different one. How does the Yemen bombing benefit Americans? It only helps our Greatest Ally.

Given your political views, how are you allocating your money? My stock picks are mostly international with a natural resource emphasis. US stocks enjoy nearly 2/3rds of worldwide market capitalization, which looks toppy to me. In the US, I'm more receptive to Treasuries than stocks.

[olds442jetaway]

Only one growth stock purchase for now. Very rare for me to buy a Chinese Company. XPENG Inc. If I can pick up 10-20 percent, I’m out. No business in the States. I like the styles of their cars. Already had a run, so I took a late gamble on a small position. Rest of my stuff is income oriented interest and dividends. Downside is they are taxable when earned. At the moment XPENG is falling on the coat tails of the businesses selling in the States. If I goofed, it will just be used as a tax sale writeoff in 2025 or 2026. They are also expanding into Humanoid Robotics and Flying cars along with branded charging stations. Granted, it’s a crapshoot. Kind of a wait and see for now. They are already in 60 markets, but no plans for the US as of now.

[dinghy]

Very rare for me to buy a Chinese Company.

I'm still held back by my fear of confiscation in a war scenario. But fwiw, I own almost all the neighboring countries.

[dinghy]

I own almost all the neighboring countries.

Fact check false. I forgot about the USSR breakup.

[phnxnmartini]

How about those markets after Trump's "Liberation!"

[dinghy]

One hour before the US opening bell. Stocks are red premarket, but not uniformly.

USA (VTI) is -3%, while Europe (VGK) is unch.

I just added some Vietnam (VNM), -9%.

Gold is twisting the knife, now -1%. Last night it ran up to $3170 while I watched helplessly without any access to take profits. Now it's under $3100. I'm adding silver (PSLV), -5%.

[dinghy]

Difficult analysis, but this looks like insane neocon behavior from Trump -- stirring up conflicts that can't be resolved. He's attacking countries for the existence of trade deficits, while painting his actions as reciprocal tariffs. A country can't simply "remove" a trade deficit, nor should it.

Not sure I'll be buying aggressively here, as this could legitimately trigger a worldwide depression. But I think emerging markets will be the ultimate winners here, or they'll lose the least.

Having trimmed my gold miners into the rally, I'm bulking up again this morning. I don't see the logic of gold miners selling off more than the broad market. GDX is -4% as I write.

[dinghy]

GDX is -4% as I write.

Gold miners reversed violently into the green, while oil companies are being spalattered. I'm buying XES Oil Services ETF at -11% for the session!

[dinghy]

Session results:

US stocks (VTI) -5%
internationals (VXUS) -2%

best US sector: consumer staples +1%
worst US sector: energy -8%

I added bigly to my energy and base metals. Markets are envisioning a deflationary depression, whereas I'm thinking stagflation.

It was a good day to own Brazil, where I had three stocks exceeding +6%: ASPS, PAGS and STNE.

[olds442jetaway]

I bought just a few shares of BRK-B today. I won’t nibble any more for now till some dust settles. XPENG is holding its own. Minimal damage on my dividend Mortgage stocks for now. I could weather 3 more sessions like today and still be even for 2025. Hope I don’t have to, but who knows.