Kodak, that really old wonderful company founded in the late 1800’s that brought us Brownie cameras and Kodachrome film has had a rough time of it in this century. In 2012, for instance, the company filed for bankruptcy. Over the past 52-weeks, KODK has traded as low as $1.50 and then came yesterday, July 28, 2020, when what seemed like all of a sudden, the gods smiled down and the stock closed up 203%.
What happened?
Well, you can thank the mighty hand of the president and a loan from the U.S. government.
The deal went something like this: Kodak would be the recipient of a 765 million dollar loan that came about because of the Defense Production Act in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Defense and all made possible because of the signing of a Donald Trump executive order.
Ya gotta love Donald Trump and the lengths to which he’ll go to tell a story and open the possibilities to making a few quick million bucks along the way.
Obviously, based on the reaction of the stock price on Tuesday, this was one heck of a score for Kodak. Or should I say the new Kodak; Kodak Pharmaceuticals.
In addition to KODK’s stock price being resurrected from the dead by this news, this new arm of the company–Kodak Pharmaceuticals– is tasked with producing key pharm ingredients that will hopefully make a positive difference in finding a pill or vaccine to quell the spread of the COVID-19.
But here’s the kicker, reliable sources report that one of the pharma products Kodak Pharmaceuticals may manufacture is Trump’s favorite, hydroxychloroquine.
Oh my.
For those of us who wished there were privy to getting the scoops on this deal before the opening bell yesterday, because on Monday, July 27, 2022, KODK closed at $2.62 per share. Tuesday morning, July 28, 2020, it opened a $9.63.
Yes, the price jumped around throughout the day getting as high as $11.80, KODK closed yesterday at $7.94 a share on volume of 264.5 million. Not too shabby for a stock that was trading around a couple of bucks last week.
While nobody knows what today will bring for Kodak’s stock— early morning indications look like it will be up over 5 dollars a share. Or, what the future of this new Kodak will be. But something I’d like to know is how many folks had the scoops on this government/business transaction between the closing bell on Monday to the opening one Tuesday?
Perscription drugs play a big part in thel lives of many. But the costs of meds can be pricey. With any luck at all, their costs may be coming down, and who knows, your investments in them going up. Fingers crossed on both accounts.
More sage advice
Investors like advice about everything—including how to be successful. Whether they take that advice or not, nobody knows for sure, but that doesn’t stop the topic from being a hot and well-read one.
Last week this opening section focused on Warren Buffett’s investing words of wisdom—the simplest point he always makes is to be sure to invest in companies you know about.
This week, I’m passing on investment advice and moving into what it takes to be successful.
That said, below are tidbits from three people whose names we are all familiar with thanks to their media star power and the fact that they have made oodles of money and been hugely successful. Info is from a recent CNBC.com piece:
Barbara Corcoran, you know her from “Shark Tank”, as the go-to gal for looking good and first impressions. She’s a big believer in dressing for success. No plumber-butt pants for her or the men whose products she’s promoting.
From the CNBC.com story: “When the real estate queen rented her first apartment in 1973, she collected a $360 commission check, ran over to Bergdorf Goodman and “blew it on a new coat,” she says. “It was the smartest thing I could have done with the money because, in it, I felt powerful.”
Richard Branson, the guy who knows how to make the most of a Virgin, is big on relationships.
“The key to success in business is all about people, people, people,” the billionaire entrepreneur writes on his blog. “It should go without saying, if you look after your people, your customers and bottom line will be rewarded too.”
So how do you develop extraordinary people skills? Branson says to pay attention to what people say and to be a great listener.
Mark Cuban understands the value of having no debt.
From the piece: “The best investment anyone can make is “paying off your credit cards,” says the self-made billionaire. “Paying off whatever debt you have.”
Cuban said: “Whatever interest rate you have — it might be a student loan with a 7 percent interest rate — if you pay off that loan, you’re making 7 percent. That’s your immediate return, which is a lot safer than trying to pick a stock or trying to pick real estate, or whatever it may be.”
I’m hoping President Trump reads and heeds Cuban’s advice.
Market Quick Glance
If you had followed the old adage, “ Sell in May and go away” you would have short-changed yourself, based on last week’s index returns.
All four indices followed here made some nice jumps up in their year-to-date performances figures. The Russell 2000 and NASDAQ leaping the most.
Below are the weekly and 1-year index performance results for four major indices— including the dates each reached new highs—according to CNBC.com based on prices at the close of business on Friday, May 11, 2018.
–DJIA +0.45% YTD moved up from the previous week’s -1.85
•1rRtn 18.70% up a bunch from the previous week’s 15.80%
Most recent DJIA all-time high was reached on January 26, 2018 of 26,616.71. The previous high was reached January 18, 2018 was 26,153.42.
-S&P 500 +2.02% YTD up a heap from week’s -0.38%
1 yr Rtn 13.92% a jump up from last week’s 11.48%
The S&P 500 reached its most recent all-time high on January 26, 2018 of 2,872.87. The previous high was reached on January 19, 2018 of 2810.33.
-NASDAQ 7.24% YTD big jump up from last week’s 4.44%
1yr Rtn 21.04% up from last week’s 18.67%
Nasdaq reached a brand new all-time high on March 13, 2018 of 7,637.27. The previous high was reached on March 9, 2018 of 7,560.81.
-Russell 2000 4.64% YTD jumping up from last week’s 1.96%
1yr Rtn 15.58% up a lot from last week’s 12.73%
The Russell 2000 reached an all-time high on January 24, of 1,615.52. The previous high was reached on January 16, 2018 of 1,604.02.
-Mutual funds
Below is a repeat of last week’s report:
The average fund that falls under the broad U.S. Diversified Equity Funds heading had a year-to-date return of -0.53% at the close of business on Thursday, May 3, 2018, 0.65%, according to Lipper. That’s a fall from the previous week’s 0.65% average.
Small-Cap Growth funds ended the week with an average y-t-d return average of 4.10% —down from the previous week’s 6.27%
Then again Dedicated Short Bias Funds had improved and were down only -4.25% instead of -5.43% from the previous week.
Visit www.allaboutfunds.com for more information about how various equity and fixed-income funds have rewarded investors over the short-and long-term, based upon Lipper data. Short-term meaning weekly and monthly performance returns; longer-term includes quarterly, year-to-date, 1-yr, 2-yr, 3-yr and 5-yr returns.
Healthcare ETFs
Last week, President Trump declared war on big pharma. As anyone who depends on prescription medications know, the cost of our meds can be outrageous. Not always—Publix, for instance, provides a few drugs for free —but horror stories abound about how some prescription drugs cost pennies to make but big bucks to purchase are well documented. To fight the sometimes-crippling costs of staying alive via meds, plenty of folks have made it a practice to cross the borders into Mexico and/or Canada to save money on their must-have meds.
So Trump’s decision to face pharma is a welcomed one by many. How successful he will be at making a difference on that subject is, however, anybody’s guess. Big pharma has big bucks and even bigger lobbying power.
But the healthcare world has been a source of profits for many investors over the years, and today’s healthcare ETFs are one way to play that field.
If you’re looking for funds to research, ETFTrends.com addressed some of the exchange-traded-funds that focus on healthcare. Below are a few of them.
Health Care Select Sector SPDR (NYSEArca: XLV)— the largest healthcare exchange traded fund.
iShares Nasdaq Biotechnology ETF (NASDAQGM: IBB)— the largest biotech exchange traded fund by assets.
Clearly one of the most powerful photos taken of marchers in the March for Our Lives in Salem, Oregon. Photo by Molly J. Smith/Statesman Journal ia The USA Today Network.
President Trump’s motorcade chose another –and longer– route to take him from his WPB golf course and back to Mar-a-Lago on Saturday. That cowardly move prevented him from seeing first-hand a crowd of some 2000 individuals marching along Southern Blvd. to protest gun violence in the aptly named March for Our Lives.
Nonetheless, photos of the event –even those seen on FOX News—will forever bear witness to the fact that hundreds of thousands of individuals across America stepped out of their homes and into the streets to join in with other like-minds who don’t agree with our nation’s current and very permissive gun laws.
For those who oppose any changes in gun regulation, I have two questions: What are you so afraid of? And, what do you think/imagine would actually happen if guns were outlawed in America?
President Trump certainly does have a way with words spoken or tweeted. And Haitian painter , Watson Mere, a talent whose art speaks much louder than any words ever could.
My yesterday’s tweet: “If an ethics committee decides Senator Al Franken has to go because of his behavior before he was an elected US public servant, then President Trump is due the boot too.”
By now we have all seen the Al Franken boob-groping photo snapped in the early 2000s. Don’t know if more women, or photos, will surface. We shall see.
But, in case you have forgotten, prior to his being elected President of the United States, at least 15 women had accused Donald Trump of a number of sexually related no-no’s including, sexual assault, sexual harassment, non-consensual kissing or groping and oh-my even “violent assault” by his first wife Ivana. All of this according to one of President Trump’s favorite resources, Wikipedia.
Trump has claimed that the women who have made those claims were liars. Franken has apologized to the woman for his behavior.
It’s been nearly two months since the ad for various Mar-a-Lago workers first appeared in Jobs section of the The Palm Beach Post under the “ food services/hospitality” heading. That’s a long time for any ad to run.
What might be even longer is that the box showing the job opportunities at Mar-a-Lago has a typo in it that’s never been corrected.
I’ve heard that our president isn’t much of a reader but that’s no excuse for those who write the ads, or place them and didn’t see or correct the obvious error.
As you can see in the photo of the ad above the mistake has to do with the missing letter “i” in the word “qualifed”
Kind of a funny typo given the size of President Trump’s ego.
The private club will be opening soon and apparently is still seeking beach club servers, pastry cooks and valets. Hourly pay varies but is dollars better than Florida’s minimum wage of $8.10 an hour ( it’s going up to $8.25 in 2018). And, I’ve heard that tips for the valets can be quite generous. Even is they aren’t, it’s gotta be a trip to drive the club’s members’ cars.
That said, anyone who would like to work in the Winter White House can either pick up an application at the gate house of the club/estate, or send their resume to: HR@maralagoclub.com.
Earlier this week, just hearing the word “moron” made me laugh out loud. I haven’t heard that word in decades. Like many decades. It was one of those words you heard a lot back in the 1950s and ‘60s and– if I remember correctly— was used to describe some goofball. Of which there have always been a number of no matter what the year, decade or century.
Forgetting whom, if anybody, used that word to describe President Trump, one thing is certain: the meaning of the word and its synonyms do in fact fit some of our 45th President’s behavior.
Before defining the word, here’s a little bit of history: According the Wikipedia’s free encyclopedia, “Moron” was coined in 1910 by psychologist Henry H. Goddard from the Ancient Greek word moros, which meant “dull” and used to describe a person with a mental age in adulthood of between 8 and 12 ….”
Not so sure many would describe Trump as “dull” but know plenty of folks who would describe his behavior as childish and “with a mental age in adulthood of between 8 and 12.”
Now, its definition.
Merriam-Webster defines “moron” as “1: dated, now offensive: a person affected with mild mental retardation, and 2: a very stupid person.”
Synonyms include: fool, idiot, ass, blockhead, dunce, dolt, ignoramus, imbecile, cretin, dullard, simpleton, clod and more.
Oh, one more thing. Lest you think the word is/was just popular and used in America, you’d be mistaken.
My ace researcher, CB, found that all around the world languages in countries from Albania to Uzbek either use the word “moron” or have one that, in their native language, translates to the same meaning as ours.
Morons. Clearly they are everywhere. How sad for everyone. Especially when their role is that of the head of a nation. Or a company. Or a club. Or…..and the list goes on.
Let the world know how you feel in this Poverty Sucks pair of Stubbs & Wooton’s.
Or how about the Dollar Hunter.
Maybe the Market Blacks says it best for you.
Let the world know how you really feel about money by wearing a pair of Stubbs & Wootton’s. From left to right is a loafer named “Poverty Sucks”, followed by the “Dollar Hunter” and the “Market Black”. Check out the Stubbs & Wotton shop on Worth Avenue for details.
It’s all about money, you know. At least that’s pretty much how it is in Palm Beach where our new president seems to adore staying at his private club/residence home. And a town where even the basics can cost plenty of cha-chings.
Take ice cream, for instance. A small dulce de leche cone and a small cup of butter pecan ice cream at Sprinkles will run you about 13 bucks for the two. Move up to an absolutely fabulous 50-minute massage at The Spa at The Breakers and you’ll have to pony up nearly 250 smackeroos—205 is the cost of a basic 50-minute message for one person—that I will attest to is worth every penny. To that price a 20% is then added for the tip.
But ice cream and body rubs are only temporary delightful and seductive pleasures.
If you’d like something a little longer lasting, consider a pair of Stubbs & Wootton’s.
I mention them only because the company offers three different money-based designs on their velvet, made-especially-for-you loafers. Each foot- friendly message makes a fashion statement that only the monied –and wannabee richies—can truly appreciate.
Consider what your toot-toot-tootsies will solefully telegraph to the world when you set out in a provocatively named “Poverty Sucks” pair. Or walk the avenue in the “Dollar Hunter” sneaker. Or if you’ve made a bundle thanks to trading the greenback and the euro, how about the pair named “Market Black”?
I can’t think of any under $500 item that says more about money and Palm Beach than sporting a pair of Stubbs & Wootton’s. Can you?
For the record, the manager at their 340 Worth Avenue shop told me that to the best of his knowledge, President Trump does not own a pair. Nor do any of the ladies or other guys in his tribe. Yet.
But given that the shoes can only be purchased in PB or NYC, both places he calls home, (oh, and online), and with all the stories about his huge financial world-wide business successes, a pair of the green velvet Dollar Hunter loafers might be a perfect fit. Or maybe he’d prefer a pair of Poverty Sucks. Not that he would have any first-hand knowledge about that.
Kodak, that really old wonderful company founded in the late 1800’s that brought us Brownie cameras and Kodachrome film has had a rough time of it in this century. In 2012, for instance, the company filed for bankruptcy. Over the past 52-weeks, KODK has traded as low as $1.50 and then came yesterday, July 28, 2020, when what seemed like all of a sudden, the gods smiled down and the stock closed up 203%.
allaboutfundsdotcom 