December 9, 2024

 

(CHARGING CABLES MAY BECOME A THING OF THE PAST + THE RISE OF THE DISGRUNTLED CUSTOMER)

December 9, 2024

 

Hello everyone

WEEK AHEAD CALENDAR

MONDAY DEC. 9

10 a.m. Wholesale Inventories final (October)

10:30 p.m. Australia Rate Decision

Previous: 4.35%

Forecast: 4.35%

Earnings: Oracle

 

TUESDAY DEC. 10

8:30 a.m. Unit Labor Costs final (Q3)

8:30 a.m. Productivity final (Q3)

6:50 p.m. Japan PPI MoM

Previous: 0.2%

Forecast: 0.2%

Earnings: AutoZone

 

WEDNESDAY DEC 11

8:30 a.m. Consumer Price Index (November)

8:30 a.m. Hourly Earnings (November)

8:30 a.m. Average Workweek final (November)

9:45 a.m. Canada Rate Decision

Previous: 3.75%

Forecast: 3.25%

Earnings: Adobe

 

THURSDAY DEC 12

8:15 a.m. Euro Area Rate Decision

Previous: 3.25%

Forecast: 3.00%

8:30 a.m. Continuing Jobless Claims (11/30)

8:30 a.m. Initial Claims (12/07)

8:30 a.m. Producer Price Index (November)

Earnings:  Broadcom, Costco Wholesale

 

FRIDAY DEC 13

8:30 a.m. Export Price Index (November)

8:30 a.m. Import Price Index (November)

8:30 a.m. US Import Prices

Previous: 0.3%

Forecast: -0.3%

 

MARKET UPDATE

S&P500

Uptrend is intact, and the bias remains higher.  Just don’t expect a straight line up. 

Support: $6050, $6000, $5,800

Resistance:  $6,100, $6,130, $6,200

GOLD

After a huge uptrend from the October 2023 low of ~$1800, we will probably see some consolidation and/or wide-ranging movements in gold and the precious metals sector as a whole.  It will be no surprise to see gold consolidate for several months before any significant low is made.  We could see $2,400 or even $2,200 during this period. 

Resistance = ~$2,670, $2,730, $2,750

Support = ~$2,600, $2,550

BITCOIN

Bitcoin uptrend remains intact.  We have seen some churn around the $100k mark thus far, and this may continue for a time before we break out to the next resistance areas, which are about $105k and then $109K.  (If you own any MicroStrategy (MSTR), I recommend taking some profits – 25%-50% - and rolling that into Larry Fink’s iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT).  Diversification in every sector is key.  (IBIT) is a good vehicle to enter the crypto space if you don’t own any Bitcoin directly through a crypto exchange. (IBIT) launched in January this year.  It is secure, transparent, and has $50 billion in assets under management.

Support = ~$94,500, $91,800, $87,500

 

WHAT’S ON THE RADAR THIS WEEK

Last Friday in the U.S., we saw stronger-than-expected employment data.  This week, we will see three major rate decisions from the Euro Area, Canada, and Australia.  U.S. inflation statistics are expected on Wednesday morning.

 

HAVE YOU GOT A BOX FULL OF CHARGING CABLES? WE MAY NOT NEED THEM IN THE NOT-TOO-DISTANT FUTURE.

Thanks to British scientists, who have invented a diamond battery that never dies. The lab-grown diamonds encase a slice of the radioactive material carbon-14.

Carbon-14 is used by archaeologists to date fossils and loses just half of its radioactivity every 5,700 years.

Scientists argue that if a diamond battery had existed at the dawn of human civilization around 4,000BC, it would still have around half of its charge left.

What are the benefits of a diamond battery?

Safer, low emissions

Sustainable – no need to send to landfill.

Range of uses

Deep space missions, satellites, healthcare devices such as pacemakers, hearing aids, wrist watches, computer chips, etc.

The next few years will be about organizing production and enhancing power performance.

 

THE ACTIONS OF DISGRUNTLED CUSTOMERS ARE ESCALATING

We all know the CEO of United Healthcare, Brian Thompson, was recently shot as he walked along a footpath in New York.  The assailant has not yet been found.  But evidence of his reasons was found at the scene.  Delay, Deny, and Defend were words found on the shell casings at the scene.  Apparently, the culture of healthcare companies across the U.S. is to avoid paying claims in any way they can, and these three words echo the tactics that are commonly used.  There has been an outpouring of rage after this event, and media outlets have confirmed that thousands of Americans go bankrupt, lose their homes, of die every year due to medical insurer practices.  The United States has the world’s most expensive healthcare system of any country.  A medical consultation with the GP, on average, is about $190.   And, if you are unlucky to find yourself in hospital, the bills can amount to tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars.

In another example of a customer dissatisfied with the service he received, we find ourselves in Surfers Paradise in Australia.  One man, after leaving a massage parlour, returned in the early hours of the morning and firebombed the premises, burning it to the ground. 

We are constantly asked to write reviews every time we use a service, visit a hotel, use a hire car, eat at a restaurant, go through an airport, get our hair cut, and even visiting department stores.  But words don’t seem to be getting the message across much anymore. Messages can be deleted and ignored. And nobody is listening.  It seems if you don’t provide good customer service and the business does not do its job well, some customers will make sure they are heard and will deal with you bluntly. 

 

QI CORNER

 

 

SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT

 

 

 

 

A walk along one of Australia’s finest beaches at dusk.

And

A wallaby (joey in her pouch) in my front yard.

 

 

 

Cheers

Jacquie