How small towns are responding to the global pandemic

By Mable K. Sexton 5 days ago

Kaskade Gets Nostalgic for Om Records Golden Days on ‘When I’m With You’ With Colette

By Mable K. Sexton 1 week ago

TikTok-gate is a bad sign for Trump

By Mable K. Sexton 2 weeks ago

10 social distancing date ideas for couples to try this summer

By Mable K. Sexton 2 weeks ago

That Time Lin-Manuel Miranda Played a MAGA Supporter

By Mable K. Sexton 2 weeks ago

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How small towns are responding to the global pandemic

By Mable K. Sexton 5 days ago

Kaskade Gets Nostalgic for Om Records Golden Days on ‘When I’m With You’ With Colette

By Mable K. Sexton 1 week ago

TikTok-gate is a bad sign for Trump

By Mable K. Sexton 2 weeks ago

10 social distancing date ideas for couples to try this summer

By Mable K. Sexton 2 weeks ago

Is This a Value Stock?

By Mable K. Sexton 4 weeks ago

When the Covid-19 and economic crises hit, it was like the proverbial load of bricks landing on the travel industry. The share price of Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG), a broker of hotel, flight and other travel services, dropped dramatically; the pessimism of shareholders was confirmed when its first-quarter 2020 financial results were released:

  • The value of first-quarter gross travel bookings fell 51% from a year earlier.
  • A net loss of $699 million as compared with net income of $765 million the year before.
  • On an earnings per share basis (diluted), it was minus $17.01 per share, compared to positive $16.85 per share in the same quarter of 2019.

Despite all that bad news, there is reason for optimism in the longer term.

About Booking

The company uses these words to describe itself: “We connect consumers wishing to make travel reservations with providers of travel services around the world through our

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WRAPUP 8-Stocks buoyant, dollar slips as economies start to unlock

By Mable K. Sexton 4 weeks ago

* European stocks kick off June with strong gains

* USD hits 11-week low against major currencies

* U.S. stock futures under pressure, down 0.2%

* Graphic: World FX rates in 2020 http://tmsnrt.rs/2egbfVh

* China surveys show growth at home, subdued exports

By Thyagaraju Adinarayan

LONDON, June 1 (Reuters) – World stocks hovered near three-month highs and the dollar was flat on Monday as optimism over economies opening up again boosted risk appetite, despite worries over mass protests in the United States and unease over Washington’s standoff with Beijing.

Having risen a whopping 35% from a late March trough, stocks looked set to kick off June with more gains. The MSCI world stocks index has recovered two-thirds of the losses it incurred in the aftermath of the coronavirus outbreak.

Investors were also relieved that President Donald Trump left a trade deal with China intact despite moving to end Washington’s special

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European shares rally on improving data, insurers jump

By Mable K. Sexton 4 weeks ago

By Sruthi Shankar

(Reuters) – European shares rallied on Wednesday, with insurers jumping after France’s AXA said it would pay a dividend, while improving global data spurred bets of faster economic recovery from the coronavirus crisis.

The pan-European STOXX 600 <.STOXX> rose 2.5% to close at its highest since March 6, with Germany’s DAX <.GDAXI> outpacing the rest of Europe with a 3.9% gain.

The German index recorded its strongest close since Feb 27, and is just 9.5% below its all-time high.

European markets have performed strongly so far this week as several countries eased strict lockdown measures, while hopes of more stimulus and encouraging developments on a potential COVID-19 treatment have helped the STOXX 6000 recover more than 37% from March lows.

“When (the slump) happened, there was not a fundamental issue in the economy. It was all down to a single event and there’s no reason why we

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Pockets of Opportunity Still Lurk in Bonds

By Mable K. Sexton 4 weeks ago

Bonds survived a brutal financial upheaval, reinforcing my confidence that positive returns will extend through the remainder of this strange year, albeit with massive help from the Federal Reserve. There will be more bad days and shrill headlines, and you can expect a bulge in corporate debt downgrades to junk status in the most-depressed industries and localities. But actual defaults will remain low. And there will be no magical economic boom to send interest rates flying and slash bond returns.

See Also: The Fed Is Buying ETFs. Now What?

Consequently, your principal will be okay and income reliable. This is in sharp contrast to that hour-by-hour maelstrom of emotion called the stock market. With few exceptions, corporations, states, municipalities and public-service authorities have the cash flow and reserves to meet their interest obligations. The Fed is buying big-city bonds. The U.S. government pays Treasury debt and backstops gazillions of mortgages.

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