DHUnplugged Podcast

China making moves. Elon gets his crown back and reversal of fortunes. March is just ahead - rates could spoil the party. Baby Bonds are back on the menu... PLUS we are now on Spotify and Amazon Music/Podcasts! Click HERE for Show Notes and Links DHUnplugged is now streaming live - with listener chat. Click on link on the right sidebar. Love the Show? Then how about a Donation? Follow John C. Dvorak on Twitter Follow Andrew Horowitz on Twitter Warm Up - Lots of News - same old... - China making moves - Elon gets the crown back - Jamie Dimon Speaks Up - Cool Update From Apple - And Baby Bonds .... Market Update - A down month - short and out - Large Cap Growth - Beating Large Cap Value this year (small caps tied) - S&P 500 up ~ 4% for 2023 NASDAQ 100 up 10%! - Bonds - taking back some of the last month gains - Gold, Silver walking back on higher USD - Switcheroo ***NO SHOW NEXT WEEK**** Inflation - Not Giving Up - - The U.S. Federal Reserve may hike interest rates to nearly 6%, BofA Global Research said, as strong U.S. consumer demand and a tight labor market would force the central bank to battle inflation for longer. - PPI, CPI and PCE come in hot... - Don't think this is all over, but clearly not moving as fast - looks like we will settle in this area for a while Vape Wars - Altria Group Inc. is in discussions to acquire vaping startup Njoy Holdings Inc. for at least $2.75 billion in cash, according to people with knowledge of the situation. - A deal could be announced as soon as this week, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the talks are private. There is also $500 million in follow-up payments if Njoy hits certain regulatory milestones, the people said. - Altria recently wrote down the value of its investment in Juul to $450 million. The decision to end the noncompete “maximizes our flexibility to compete in the e-vapor space while maintaining our economic interest in Juul,” Altria said in a statement. - BUT - original investment was $13 billion - GENIUS PLAN - kill the vaping industry so cigarettes are back in vogue China Area - Great slow play for markets... - Turn from ZERO-Covid to 100% - then keep rolling out more and more - Hong Kong will drop its COVID-19 mask mandate, chief executive John Lee said on Tuesday, in a move to lure back visitors and business and restore normal life more than three years after stringent rules were first imposed in the financial hub. (945 days) - ---- Egg Freezing - A member of China's top political advisory body said she would propose allowing unmarried women to access egg freezing as a measure to preserve their fertility after the country's population fell last year for the first time in six decades. ----------- Lu's recommendations come as authorities try to bolster a faltering birth rate with incentives including expanding maternity leave, financial and tax benefits for having children as well as housing subsidies. More China - China Renaissance Holdings said in an exchange filing on Sunday that its missing chairman and star dealmaker Bao Fan was currently cooperating with relevant Chinese authorities conducting an investigation. - Reuters previously reported, citing sources, that authorities took Bao away earlier this month to assist in an investigation into a former colleague, Cong Lin, the company's former president. Even More China - Chinese authorities have urged state-owned firms to phase out using the four biggest international accounting firms, signaling continued concerns about data security even after Beijing reached a landmark deal to allow US audit inspections on hundreds of Chinese firms listed in New York. Target Earnings - Target (TGT) reported a quarter similar to Walmart's (WMT) last week with a solid Q4 beat on the top and bottom line offset by weak guidance for Q1 and FY23. Q4 adj. EPS fell 41% from an impossible comp while comp sales grew 0.