Ready, Set, Go -- And The Market Went -- Down -- May 23, 2019

Updates

May 29, 2019: Boeing faces difficult recovery from protracted 737 MAX grounding -- WSJ.

May 25, 2019: that didn't take long. Two days ago I suggested it was going to be a lot longer than Boeing suggested before the 737 Max 8 was back flying. Now this, from The Wall Street Journal, "MAX's return to flight delayed by FAA's re-evaluation of safety procedures for older 737 models. The agency is considering changes in how pilots are trained to respond when the flight-control computer or other systems erroneously pus the plane's nose down."

Disclaimer: this is not an investment site. Do not make an investment, financial, job, travel or relationship decision based on what you read here or think you may have read here.

Original Post

With the market plummeting today (after two weeks of really bearish days), the mainstream media will continue to blame the China issue (which they can blame on Trump issue, as if there's only one party involved here).

I don't buy it.

I don't buy the mainstream media suggesting this all about the China trade issue.

The China trade issue has been going on for weeks (months?).

Why did the market plummet today? Certainly not due to the China trade issue -- an issue with no news today.

What happened today that was news? Hold that thought; I'll come back to that.

What happened yesterday that was news? Hold that thought; I'll come back to that.

What happened two days ago that was news? Hold that thought: I'll come back to that.

Some data points:

• May: "Sell in May and go away."

• Ticker symbols:
• AAPL:  caught up in many, many issues; the China issue exacerbates all of Apple's issues.
• Boeing: unlikely to get the "737 MAX 8" in the air by the end of June; the original date suggested by Boeing. In fact the tea leaves suggest the MAX 8 won't be back in the air before the end of the year.
• QCOM: judge rules company guilty of monopolistic practices; stock plummets 12% on ruling;
• TSLA: implodes
• XLNX: says rollout of 5G to take much longer than expected; affects all telecom; most chips; much of the tech sector; in fact, 5G may be stalled / killed due to health concerns

• Oil: oil profits down this past quarter; the #1-traded commodity in the world, plummets today, unrelated to the stock market but affecting the market

• US farming: okay, -- I'll give the mainstream media that one -- the farmers are scared but it was not simply the China trade issue (but that was huge for farmers); but now the huge flooding in the midwest exacerbates the trade issue

So, now, the news that rocked the market:

• READY -- two days ago: the price of oil continued to drop; that tension in the Mideast was amounting to nothing; API reports huge crude oil inventory -- prepping the market for a drop;
• SET -- yesterday: EIA confirms API's data -- huge crude oil inventory (pulls oil sector down); Trump walks away from biggest infrastructure bill in history -- not going to happen this year;  rumor has it that the infrastructure bill at $2 trillion was twice what it would have been last year; market now ready to drop;
• GO -- today: the Fed minutes -- the Fed indicates they won't cut rates; the one last thing the market was "hoping" for; the market drops;

So, with all that, what's a NYC trader to do? "Sell in May and go away." Prepare for vacation; go on vacation. Come back in September.

Disclaimer: this is not an investment site. Do not make any investment, financial, job, travel, or relationship decisions based on what you read here or think you may have read here. 

Hoping this lasts for at least two more cycles. What a great buying opportunity. We don't get them often.

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Flash

It's hard to live without "flash."

When you upload/download "flash" you also get free of charge:

• Mac Pro Cleaner
• Booking.com
• NameSync

And they show up automatically in your "dock" which is most irritating.

Recommendation: remove them immediately.

Google this issue and you will find "everyone" has this problem. 

On Apple it's really, really easy to remove these three apps, although it took a few attempts to finally get rid of NameSync which apparently tracks all your passwords.

On Apple:

• go to Finder
• search for "applications"
• click on the "Applications" folder. You might have to find a second "Applications" folder but it's there.

Look for:

• MacProClearner (or whatever it's called; something like that)
• Booking.com
• NameSync

Drag the icons to the "Trash."

A dialogue box might pop up saying that the app can't be deleted because it's open.

• Click on the icon on the dock, and then when it shows up in the "toolbar," "CLOSE IT."
• Now it can be dragged to the "Trash."

For some reason, it took a couple of tries to get rid of NameSync and that's the one that's most concerning. The other two are just irritating.

Now you know why Steve Jobs wanted nothing to do with "flash" on his mobile devices.