First Hour -- April 18, 2024

Locator: 47033B.

These are simply notes taken on the fly while watching the first hour of "Squawk on the Street." Some notes have nothing to do with "Squawk on the Street" or investing. 

First hour is generally superb with Jim Cramer. Again, if one sees it as idle chatter. Don't take that out of context. Second hour is better with Sara Eisen. 

All of this is a mix of factoids, facts, opinion, rambling, and all of it hard to tell one data point from another with regard to veracity / accuracy / relevancy. This is nothing more than idle chatter at Starbucks.

Don't quote me on any of this. Read at your own risk. If it's important to you go the source. Start with the hyperlinks. 

CSX CEO: that Baltimore bridge incident -- almost no impact on "anything" (including vehicles) except coal. 

• export coal: biggest port: Baltimore. 
• second and third export ports: Newport News and Mobile, AL. Newport News is pretty much maxed out; some additional capacity at Mobile. 
• Ukraine war has resulted in huge coal resurgence.

WTI: $83.01.  

US economy? Take a look at D. R. Horton today. Not for investing but to get a snapshot of what the housing market looks like in the US in the short term.

Opening story: EVs. A debacle. Maybe EVs are the future, but not in my investing lifetime.

• robotaxis: will have a niche but that's all
• biggest niche: Mr Magoo -- elderly, wealthy, retiree (link here)
• business niche: Uber, Lyft, Dash -- food delivery
  
• the big story: EVs plunging in Europe. If EVs lose the European market -- it's all over -- at least for the western world. Link here.
• there's some suggestion that EV sales in Norway are falling
• biggest selling point: 25% state tax (VAT) waived for first Norway Kroner 500,000 (USD$43,000).
• if you haven't lived in Europe for five years, you have no idea how much VAT costs consumers
• Norway has highest cost of living among "western" nations; some exceptions, of course, but generally accurate
• link to oilprice story here.
  

The bleeding might not be over:

• "sell in May, go away."

Chips: a serious correction. Look at AMD and SNOW.  Talking heads confusing listeners with "investing" vs "trading."

Fashion: watching old movies -- most interesting thing I noticed last night -- noting the wardrobe credits and then looking at the dresses worn by Audrey Hepburn, et al. Explains a lot. Product placement. Sort of like seeing Apple computers on desks in the movies today.

Streaming: 

Reminder: I am inappropriately exuberant about the US economy and the US market, I am also inappropriately exuberant about all things Apple.

See disclaimer. This is not an investment site.

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

All my posts are done quickly: there will be content and typographical errors. If anything on any of my posts is important to you, go to the source. If/when I find typographical / content errors, I will correct them. 

Again, all my posts are done quickly. There will be typographical and content errors in all my posts. If any of my posts are important to you, go to the source.

Reminder: I am inappropriately exuberant about the US economy and the US market, I am also inappropriately exuberant about all things Apple.