Factset reported S&P 500 companies are “highly uncertain” for the balance of this year. This is well above the 10-year average of 179; and more than double the previous quarter. And it makes sense… it’s impossible to know what impact tariffs could have over the coming two to three quarters (or more). But what’s almost certain – any impact won’t be positive. We can say with certainty that tariffs (even if only 10%) are an economic burden – where I estimate the cost to both companies and consumers to be more than $300B. So who will pick up the tab?
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Why Buffett’s Mentor Would Reduce Risk
I’ve been re-reading “The Intelligent Investor” by Benjamin Graham. Warren Buffett called it “by far the best book on investing ever written” – crediting Graham with laying the foundation for his entire investment philosophy. The book taught me three powerful lessons: (1) above all else, investing is about protecting your capital; (2) investors should strive to pursue adequate and sustainable gains; and (3) it requires overcoming self-defeating behaviors (e.g., fear, greed and bias). The lessons could not be more timely given today’s excessive valuations.
‘AI’ Trumps the Fed, Inflation and the Economy
The Artificial Intelligence (AI) narrative continues to dominate sentiment. Whether it was Google, Meta or Microsoft… the (AI) earnings script was similar. Mega-cap tech companies so far have reported impressive earnings and revenue growth with respect to their AI strategies (across online ads, cloud and search). It was music to investor’s ears. However, strength in tech earnings isn’t necessary conflating to strength elsewhere. To that end, there is a strong bifurcation with earnings… and that raises some questions.