Everybody Ready? Here We Go!

Posted on April 28, 2020April 28, 2020 by boom booms room staff

America, have you heard? We got a brand new dance and it’s called the herd(back in the day it was called the bird.)

The herd is a bit different. It’s easy to learn. It’s one step forward and two steps back. Then it’s two steps forward and one step back. And, it’s all done at a socially responsible six feet from your dance partner. You never heard of it? No one had until about March 1st. Then it became all of the (out) rage in our country.

Quickly it became such a hit to us that the DJ started spinning the vinyl daily at about 6 pm EST. That DJ is grandmaster Donald J. While America danced the mostly liberal media sat in press conference chairs, looking like wallflowers, and asked why we shut down travel to China. Xenophobes all. Then they asked why didn’t we shut down the country sooner. Then they asked where the ventilators were. How about masks for the party too? One forward, two back. That’s it.

And soon the music all but stopped. The herd was barely heard from. Shelter in place. We need to get to herd immunity or we’ll thin the herd more than we’d like. Back, back, back. That’s it.

A few weeks back America wanted to dance again. Trump said one forward too soon. Fauci said one back for now.

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer (D) took the party favors and hid them. She said no dancing at all till she says dancing at all. She may have two left feet.

Georgia Governor Brian Kemp(R) said let’s open. Trump said the first step should be slower.

Harris County Texas (read as Houston) Judge Lina Hidalgo(D) said masks for all starting this week or we’ll charge you a steep cover charge for no face cover. Texas Governor Greg Abbott(R) said feel free to show your face any time and any place. One forward and one back. That’s it.

The herd is rapidly developing its own mentality from coast to coast. We want to dance again and we want to do it now.

But we wonder. Is the herd getting replaced by a line dance forced on us by the “experts” in the government? You can almost hear “to the left, to the left, to the left” for part of the song, then “to the right, to the right, to the right” for another part.

Even DJ Trump wondered aloud yesterday if his headset, turntable, and vinyl are worth trudging out to the White House Lawn Party every day anymore.

The wallflower press is still there. They hate to dance. They want to report on all of the wrong turns and missteps made on this the largest stage of them all.

But, you may have heard of the “herd mentality.” It’s getting out of its chair and headed to the dance floor. Ain’t no stopping us now.

Come on Chuck, ask Nancy to dance.

Whawk! Hallelujah! Whoa.
Whawk! Hallelujah! Whoa.

Holy Ice Cream, Batman!

Posted on April 22, 2020April 22, 2020 by boom booms room staff

You remember that noted health nut Jerry Nadler, don’t you? On the national impeachment stage he played the role of Robin. He was quite the actor, though the green tights seemed a bit binding at times.

Adam Schiff reprised the role of Adam West and starred as Batman. Once Catwoman, aka Nancy Pelosi, shone the green light high into the DC night the caped crusader duo went about fighting all of the crimes that The Joker, well played by Donald Trump, committed.

The play played nonstop for what seemed like forever. As the trio carried the impeachment articles down the hall of Congress, another villain snuck onto the world stage. His name is COVID-19.

After the two impeachment votes failed in the Senate it seemed like ole Jerry went into the deep freeze like The Penguin, or even like Joe Biden. #WhereIsJoe and #WhereIsJerry? Well, this week Jerry surfaced. Rumors abound, that like a penguin, Jerry was enjoying the chill in Nancy Pelosi’s side by side twin Sub Zero freezers. There is so much ice cream to hide under it’s like heaven to Jerry. Is it a new character opportunity perhaps?

Nadler, now mostly thawed, tweeted yesterday. “We need to come together to beat this disease, not attack each other and divide the country. This is a disgrace.” Oh, the irony. It’s as thick as a tub of Ben and Jerry’s Fudge Brownie Chocolate.

Did Nadler’s actions around Impeachment help the country come together? And, eight weeks into the fight Jerry decides to weigh(careful now) in now? Did Nancy, with the old sweater tied just so around her shoulders, help too by showing off her stache of decadence? Three weeks ago, Adam Schiff floated the idea that his Intelligence Committee would begin looking into who knew what and when about this “disease” as Jerry calls it. That’s lending a helping hand right in the middle of it.

Fear not though, Nancy told the nation on Sunday that Congress would remain recessed until May 4th, unless there was a major crisis. Hello? Anyone home? Oops, sorry, apparently everyone is home.

“Come together.” It sounds so inclusive. It sure beats “Together Apart.”

Will Jerry have another part on a national stage soon? We can only hope that this crime-fighting team can “come together” one more time to provide us with the great entertainment we’ve come to expect.

After all, there is only so much Netflix left to watch, together of course.

On the Clock

Posted on April 21, 2020April 21, 2020 by boom booms room staff

The NFL Draft is tee minus 60 hours away and counting. Yesterday the league and its 32 teams conducted a mock draft trial run.

The Cincinnati Bengals were, of course, the first team on the clock. And, right away a glitch halted the process. Come Thursday if only Joe Burrow could be so lucky.

The contrast between the NFL takeover of Broadway in Nashville last year for its street party draft and this year’s virtual, shelter in place, remote draft is stark.

The Presidential Election is tee minus 6 months away and counting. Yesterday President Donald Trump held his daily news briefing.

The national media, of course, was on the clock. And, right away Trump did what Trump does. If only Joe Biden can continue to be so lucky.

The contrast between Trump and how he works the media and Biden, and how he doesn’t, is stark. Trump’s already been on Twitter this AM to berate the Morning Joe Show on MSNBC after tweeting about various topics well into the evening after his media briefing. He’ll be at it by 5 pm CST today again, holding court that is and berating the assembled again, that is.

Meanwhile, Joe Biden only appears on Twitter when someone grabs the video from his latest, infrequent tv interview or from his seldom in-home broadcast. The #WhereIsJoe is seen way more than Joe himself. His performances to date have more “gaffes” than memorable moments.

Biden has cover for now. He’s sheltering in place like all obedient senior citizens have been asked to do. But, it looks like a new day in the nation’s approach to the invisible enemy is dawning. Soon, “where is Joe?” will need to be “Joe has campaign speeches in Michigan and Indiana today.” Then his physical health and mental health will be challenged as often by Trump as he challenges the media he so likes to manipulate. He calls them “Fake News” in case you haven’t heard.

Conversely, can Joe keep the media at his side? Hunter is still a board member in China. Joe has a serious allegation of sexual misconduct. Joe has a habit of losing his place even with notes right in front of him. Saying less and appearing less will soon mean more than it does as our attention is elsewhere.

Soon Joe, like the Bengals, will be on the clock. He has a pick, too. It will be a VP running mate. It will mean more than it often does as well.

America is starved for normalcy. It will watch the draft in record numbers. It will watch Cincinnati’s Bengals. Will it watch the campaigns in record numbers too? If so, what will it think of Biden’s bungles?

Stocks Give Back Yesterday’s Gains

Posted on April 15, 2020 by Jim Carlton

Independent Investment Management designed to protect and grow your wealth.

Friends

You may have noticed over the past few weeks that we try to temper our enthusiasm on up days, and try not to get too disturbed by down days. The up days are great, and mostly they have been fueled by Fed liquidity, then down days happen and we focus back on how difficult this all is to predict and quantify. It’s a battle between the Fed’s liquidity and the reality that the economy is almost totally shut down at the moment. Today, worries about the economy had the upper hand.

For the day, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 445 points to close at 23,504. The S&P 500 was down 62 points to finish the day at 2,783. Gold was down $22 to trade at $1,746 per ounce, while oil was up $.33 to trade at $20.42 per barrel WTI.

We continue to get decent news on the flattening of the virus curve, but we are getting mixed signals about when we will be able to reopen the economy. Today it seemed like the angst over opening the economy too soon and perhaps seeing a resurgence of the virus overshadowed the benefits of getting the economy back open. This is going to be a rocky road ahead, and markets will likely see good days and bad, so we won’t get too encouraged or discouraged on a daily basis. Corporate earnings are rolling out now, and, not surprisingly, they are going to be a mess.

We sent out a video today. If you missed it, we linked it again below. We’re hoping these will be helpful.

Have a nice evening everyone.

Jim

10200 Grogan’s Mill Road, Suite 340
The Woodlands, TX 77380
(281) 298-2700 Phone
(877) 824-4299 Toll Free
(281) 298-2760 Fax

info@chjwealthmanagement.com www.chjwealthmanagement.com

Investment Advisory offered through Carlton, Hofferkamp & Jenks Wealth Management, LLC (“CHJ”).

*Numbers and figures sourced from the following: Bloomberg.com, CNBC.com and Finance.Yahoo.com.
The opinions voiced in this material are for general information only and are not intended to provide specific advice or recommendations for any individual. To determine which investment(s) may be appropriate for you, consult your financial advisor prior to investing. All performance referenced is historical and is no guarantee of future results. All indices are unmanaged and cannot be invested into directly.

CHJ Wealth Management,
10200 Grogan’s Mill Road,
Suite 340
The Woodlands, TX 77380

Way Back When

Posted on April 15, 2020April 15, 2020 by boom booms room staff

Way back when there were actually newspapers printed and delivered to your door yesterday’s presidential endorsement would have been front-page news. President 44 endorsed his former VP to become President 46 by beating sitting President 45. But 44,45, and 46 cannot find space “above the fold” when 19 is dominating the news.

COVID-19, Fauci, the WHO, and wet markets are getting cover to cover coverage. And, that makes sense.

Someone who doesn’t make much sense these days is getting plenty of cover from the enemy we cannot see. Because of it we can’t see that someone very often. Joe Biden is “hiden.” Actually most of us are.

We wonder. Why did Obama take so long to endorse old Joe? On one hand it likely makes a lot of sense to just let the process play out and endorse the last man or woman standing. Afterall all it’s not as much who, but it’s whoever faces Trump that needs the push.

But we wonder. A New York Times report reveals Obama’s decision may have been rooted in deep concerns about his former vice president’s chances of defeating President Donald Trump. “You don’t have to do this, Joe, you really don’t,” Obama told the 76-year-old before he jumped into the crowded Democrat primary field, reported the Times. The Times also revealed an anxious Obama huddled with Biden advisers last spring to ensure that the former vice president does not “embarrass himself” or “damage his legacy.” Donald Trump calls the NYT “failing” and “fake news” almost daily. Is the above fake news too? Or, does Barrack think Joe is failing?

Way back when (1992) a Biden staff member claims to have been sexually assaulted by Biden in the hallowed halls of Congress. She filed a report then she claims. That wouldn’t have been front-page news, shamefully, back then. But, if the hundreds of thousands of pages that detail Biden’s long, long government career are exposed, will Biden be as well? The day prior to his announcing that he was running for president he amended the University of Delaware agreement on these papers so that they would remain sealed until he finished “serving in the public arena.” Previously the agreement was that they were to be made public on 12/31/19. Hmm.

Eventually, man (and woman) will emerge from our caves when the all-clear signal is given. It’s like way back when a man had to wait for the dinosaurs to pass to safely hunt and gather. Joe remembers. He actually named a son Hunter. He’s been serving in the public arena that long. And, then the scrutiny will intensify. Joe tied to sexual misconduct allegations and Hunter tied to China (of all places) will entertain us for so many hours that we’ll forget that we watched Netflix for so many hours.

Meanwhile, we suspect that in Joe’s basement office there’s an old school wall calendar. Each morning one more “x” through one more square means one less day that the glare of the public light will shine on his candidacy.

And we suspect that is very good for Joe for now.

And we suspect that President 44 knows as much.

And we suspect that President 45 will be lurking just outside of the man cave.

The Fed Finds Another Kitchen Sink

Posted on April 9, 2020 by Jim Carlton

Independent Investment Management designed to protect and grow your wealth.

Friends

We got another horrific weekly jobless claims number, but that was certainly expected. What was not expected was that the Federal Reserve found another kitchen sink to throw at the situation. Previously, the Fed committed billions, if not trillions of dollars to support government bonds, mortgage bonds, investment grade corporate bonds and money market funds. Today, they stepped up by pledging another $2.3 Trillion dollars to support the junk bond market and the municipal bond market. Basically, the Fed has stepped in to support everything but the stock market, and I wouldn’t be surprised if we head back down to new lows at some point that they would step in to buy stocks. Simply put, the Fed is really ALL IN.

Since the weekly jobless claims number wasn’t a surprise, and the Fed action was, it was the bullishness of the Fed action that helped move stocks higher. By the close, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 285 points to finish the day at 23,719. The S&P 500 was up 39 points to close at 2,789. Gold was up $45 to trade at $1,730 per ounce, while oil was down $1.63 to trade at$23.46 per barrel WTI.

It was a very good week for stocks. We still remain cautious because there is still so much that is unknown, but the good news is that the forced selling that we saw in March is likely behind us, and the Fed is a force to be reckoned with. Stocks have been able to recover about half of the first quarter losses and that, at least, has calmed things for the moment. Remember, the markets are closed for Good Friday tomorrow, so we’ll be back at it on Monday.

Happy Passover and Happy Easter to everyone. Have a great weekend.

Jim

10200 Grogan’s Mill Road, Suite 340
The Woodlands, TX 77380
(281) 298-2700 Phone
(877) 824-4299 Toll Free
(281) 298-2760 Fax

info@chjwealthmanagement.com www.chjwealthmanagement.com

Investment Advisory offered through Carlton, Hofferkamp & Jenks Wealth Management, LLC (“CHJ”).

CHJ Wealth Management,
10200 Grogan’s Mill Road,
Suite 340
The Woodlands, TX 77380

It’s a Fine Line

Posted on April 6, 2020April 6, 2020 by boom booms room staff

There’s a fine line between civility and incivility in this U.S. of A. Have you ever been stuck on a crowded plane for an extended period of time? If so, you know.

And, the line seems to blur by the day these days. It was there in the White House Press Room for all to see again on Sunday.

Reporters at the briefing repeatedly asked President Donald Trump why he chose not to wear a medical mask after he and his task force recommended that America start doing so just last Friday. Nevermind that the reporter was not wearing a mask at the time he asked the question. At least they don’t mask their disdain of the president that ended daily press briefings well over a year ago.

Trump used the backdrop of the loud whirling blades of his Marine One helicopter to “control” these scribes, especially the ones who are “fake news.” But, the enemy that we cannot see forced Trump to confront the enemy that he can see all over again.

Another reporter, who also was not wearing a mask, noted that former Vice President Joe Biden said he would start wearing a mask outdoors. That’s going to be difficult for Biden though. The mask-wearing won’t be difficult, it’s the verification part. No one has seen Biden outdoors or indoors in quite some time. The #WhereIsJoe continues to trend on Twitter.

When we do see old school Joe indoors on his disastrous live feeds, he coughs straight into his hand old school style. By hiding is he attempting to mask his rapidly declining cognitive/communicative skills? Here is his latest. If you can decipher the message, please share it in the BBR comment section today.

Could a Cuomo write-in nomination happen? The NY mayor is getting plenty of airtime from the non-Fox channels. His leadership during this existential crisis (far greater than climate change right now) is lauded daily. He’s asked, begged, and demanded more masks, like the ones that no one in the briefing room wears, for New Yorkers. Ventilators are in short supply as well. New York didn’t put many of the above away for a rainy day.

Then he asked all hospitals in NY to share their equipment and supplies. In other words, late to the social distancing need, NY got federal help and now he wants upstate to bail out the boroughs as well. Have you ever been stuck on a crowded subway train for an extended period of time? Too many Yanks were until not too long ago.

CNN doesn’t mask its affection for Cuomo. They haven’t been this enamored with a possible candidate to take down Trump since Michael Avenatti appeared nearly nightly prior to his multiple run-ins with the law. We forget. Who (er, how many) exploited Stormy?

And then there’s a not-funny irony to all of this. In the City That Care Forgot, no one forgot to put on their masks for Mardi Gras. And the result of putting on a costume and a mask and partying in the streets in NOLA has been a disaster. Latoya Cantrell who has masqueraded as a mayor there for one year said that she received no federal warning not to “laissez less on temps roulet” (let the good times roll).

Do Cantrell and Cuomo play the federal help card, or bash the intervention of same for their political gain as necessary?

It’s the civil thing to do.

Another reporter asked Dr. Anthony Fauci why he was not wearing a mask. Trump grinned as Fauci responded that the main reason to wear a mask was to protect sick individuals from spreading the virus.

Nevermind that the CDC Saturday advised us all to wear masks. It’s the civil thing to do.

Heck, if President Trump was wearing one we would have been spared from seeing the grin.

It’s a fine line.

The Softest Mask You’ll Ever Own

Posted on March 31, 2020March 31, 2020 by boom booms room staff

Yesterday, right in the middle of the 5PM EST Coronavirus White House Briefing, CNN cut away. They decided that they weren’t going to give complementary advertising airtime to the airiest, make that “the softest pillow you’ll ever own.” You know the jingle, ‘for a great night’s sleep and a whole lot more, it’s MyPillow.com.”

Donald Trump introduced Mike Lindell, Founder of My Pillow, to the assembled and those watching worldwide. Trump was trumpeting another private enterprise that has redirected its production to help fight the enemy that we can’t see. Lindell’s company is in the sleep business, but by Friday expects to be producing 50k protective hospital masks a week.

And therein lies the divide. Make that, therein lies the canyon.

The Democratic Party wants the government to do more in this time of crisis. And, it should. And the Democrats want to point out all of the shortcomings of the Trump leadership during this terrible time. And, it is their right. The party also has willing media to carry their water. CNN, MSNBC, and others almost gleefully report the negative and spin it south 24/7.

It wasn’t too long ago that the Republican Party wanted the government to do more in a time of crisis as well. And, it should. The Republicans endlessly pointed to the Bengazi Embassy fiasco that resulted in four Americans’ deaths. And, it is their right. The party also has willing media to carry their water as well. FOX led the endless cry of the need to investigate Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s role in the disaster.

But to the right of Republicans, conservatives want the government to do even less. They believe in capitalism as religiously as a Mike Lindell ever-present cross hanging from his neck. And to the left of Democrats, socialists want the government to do it all. They believe in the redistribution of money as crazily as Bernie’s coiffed hair flails in the spring breeze.

So, CNN has staked out a position of left of center to appease its audience. It’s the Democratic base actually. Trump is bad. Private enterprise is bad. Mike Lindell is bad. Lindell advertises on Fox. Fox is competition. Cuomo ranting for more federal aid and ventilators is good.

And FOX has staked out a position of right of center to appease its audience. It’s the Republican base actually. Trump is good. Private enterprise is good. Mike Lindell is good. Lindell advertises a ton with us. CNN is competition. Trump ranting about bad media and fake news is good.

So, here comes the 2020 CARES Act. It’s $2.2 trillion. Republicans at the trough wanted more for business and less for individuals. Democrats wanted less for business and more for individuals. In the end, they both got what they wanted. They aren’t conservatives nor socialists. They’re just big spenders.

Oh, and they both approved the $25 million for the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. just like they both approved the Solyndra money. Three days before Obama departed he appointed Susan Rice and Valerie Jarrett to the Kennedy Center’s board of trustees.

Pigs get fat. Hogs get slaughtered.

And, CNN and FOX will be there to tell you all about it. And, it’s either news, or fake news, or fair and balanced, or not, depending on who you watch.

America should try a pillow from MyPillow.com right about now. We could all use a good night’s sleep.

Stocks Start Off The Week Higher

Posted on March 30, 2020 by Jim Carlton

Independent Investment Management designed to protect and grow your wealth.

Friends

Now that we all know that we’ll all be in our homes for a least another month, I guess we’re going to have to come up with new ways to entertain ourselves. I went out at lunchtime and started my car (hadn’t in 15 days). It still works. Let me know if you have any fun ideas.

As for the markets, the news that the doctors and scientists are dictating policy actually seemed to come as a bit of relief to investors. Also, we continue to get encouraging news about vaccines and therapeutics, and that is certainly a positive for the market psyche. But, the damage to the economy is still going to an unknown that investors are going to have to deal with as the weeks and months go by.

As for today, stocks spent the day in positive territory and volatility actually wasn’t that bad. By the close, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 690 points to finish the day at 22,327. The S&P 500 was up 85 points to close at 2,626. Gold was down $19 to trade at $1,635 per ounce, while oil was down $1.41 to trade at $20.10 per barrel WTI.

The quarter ends tomorrow, so there is hope that portfolio rebalancing might add a little more fuel to today’s rally. But, as we move into the second quarter, the unknowns greatly outweigh the knowns. We need to prepare ourselves for more volatility going forward, as headlines from day to day are sure to be challenging. First, let’s see how the quarter finishes out tomorrow.

Have a nice evening everyone.

Jim

10200 Grogan’s Mill Road, Suite 340
The Woodlands, TX 77380
(281) 298-2700 Phone
(877) 824-4299 Toll Free
(281) 298-2760 Fax

info@chjwealthmanagement.com www.chjwealthmanagement.com

Investment Advisory offered through Carlton, Hofferkamp & Jenks Wealth Management, LLC (“CHJ”).

CHJ Wealth Management,
10200 Grogan’s Mill Road,
Suite 340
The Woodlands, TX 77380

Pork. It’s Worth the Wait.

Posted on March 24, 2020March 24, 2020 by boom booms room staff

Isn’t the amount of negativity surrounding us today darn near overwhelming? You bet it is.

So, today BBR has chosen to stay positive. We see the glass of warm water that you should be drinking multiple times a day as half full. We’re positive that if you add a squeeze of lemon in it that you can 1) lose weight, and therefore, 2) preserve your dwindling food supplies.

Feeling better already? But wait! There’s more!

We’re positive that Madame Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi means well in this time of need. Nancy came to the rescue with a visionary bailout/entitlement government stimulus plan all of her own.

While crazy Bernie just wants “Medicare for All” paid for by the taxpayer, Pelosi offers way more in her economic stimulus bill. A six-pack sampling below unveils just a few of its probable positive effects.

a bailout of all USPS (that’s your post office) debt.
$35 million for the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
a regulation that greenhouse gas stats are provided going forward on all flights
$15 minimum wage at all companies receiving assistance
1/3 board members chosen by workers for assisted companies
required early voting and required same-day voter registration

One should never let a good pandemic crisis slip by without slipping in a truckload (or $#%@load if you prefer) of barrels of pork and regulation. Of course, a lot of our grocery stores could use a truckload of pork right about now. The meat is so juicy it’ll be worth the wait.

We do think that Trump’s decision to not shake her hand before the State of the Union address, as well as her hand recoil, turns out to be a positive as well. They were practicing social distancing before most of us had ever heard of “social distancing.” How woke of the two?

And, when the Madame Speaker tore up the printed address she was prescient as well. The virus tests positive (there’s that word again) on paper for a long while as you know.

Her examples of visionary leadership will have a positive effect on generations to come. Here is but one example. Senator Rand Paul was physically assaulted by his neighbor in 2017. Injuries were significant. And, four days ago Senator Paul tested positive for the Coronavirus. “Rand Paul’s neighbor was right,” Pelosi’s daughter Christine tweeted yesterday. That’s a multigenerational, passed on, bipartisan goodwill gesture if you’ve ever heard one.

Lastly, how about her warp speed ability to deliver the 1400 page proposal in such a short time? Did she have such a measure ready to take advantage of a desperate time just like this one in her top desk drawer? Like a lot of things these days, we’re positive about that as well.

The American economy is getting slaughtered by the day. The pigs are soon to follow.