GME; Gamestop has been the talk of the town since January 25 2020.  There has been a frenzy of activities around the stock. 

The stock was trading at $20.20 on April 1 2020. On January 14 2021 it took a different turn with an uptick in price. It became cynical on Jan 27 with nearly 400% price appreciation. 

The news in Jan 2021 has it all written on the wall. Institutional investors believed Gamestop as a Corporation may be doomed. Motivated by taking profits, these investors shorted OR borrowed and sold Gamestop shares in the open markets. However, not everyone in financial markets was aligned with this idea. This started a buying ritual that snowballed into Gamestop stock and skyrockted it many hundred times over!

Penning this article today, Feb 1st 2021, the madness around this stock is still not over. Where is it headed? The most rational explanation can be found in the term Short Interest Ratio.  Short Interest Ratio is the number of Company's Shares that have been sold short divided by average daily volume of shares traded. Anyone institution or investor, who bet against Gamestop and borrowed to sell shares in open market a.k.a. short selling, would be required to cover his position prior to the next settlement. With the price of Gamestop skyrocketing, these naysayers were forced to buy shares at sky-high prices to pay for the loan and take steep losses. 

The gravity of the situation takes a turn to the worse when one realizes that the number of shares of Gamestop that were short soled is more than the total number of Gamestop shares that exist in the market. Whoaaa!!

It will be tough for pandits and SEC to not classify this as manipulation; but that will have to be seen.

The next question arises is, Who are the naysayers or short sellers? The most prominent name that has been coming up is that of  'Melvin Capital'. Melvin capital started the year with $12.5 Billion, ending the month with about $8 Billion after accounting for the losses. 

Other Institutional investors involved in the frenzy included 'D1 Capital Partners', 'Maplelane Capital', 'Candlestick Capital Management' and 'Citron Capital'.  

Information about 'Short Interest Ratios', outlining short positions in stocks is published by the stock exchange in which the company is listed. For Gamestop, the latest short interest positions can be purchased from NYSE at NYSE Short Interest Positions.

The not so current information for Gamestop' Short Interest Ratio  is also available at MarketWatch.

Politics and Finance

"Put the politicians on minimum wage and watch how fast things change." - Anonymous

Talking about impact of politics on Financial markets, presidential executive orders in the US Economy probably makes it to the top of the list of influential factors. 

Federal Register maintains a running list of presidential orders over time and is accessible for public consumption at Federal Register.

Co-relating the political agenda to financial markets is an important toolkit for savvy investors! 

Chasing the Highest Yield CD

 

For all the Fixed Income Patrons, as me, we find safe Havens in our favorite Instrument - The Certificate of Deposit of famously CD.

Texas Credit Unions seem to be pioneering the CD rates across all CU's in the country at this time of Super Low Interest Environment. Nothing Fancy, as the highest rate stand at a meagre 2.10% at  Complex Federal Credit Union. Membership is restricted, like in any other CU. 

Researching Finance

  Researching Finance

“Rule No. 1 : Never lose money. Rule No. 2 : Never forget Rule No. 1.”
― Warren Buffett

Sometimes it's intriguing that you have to hunt for investment advise.  With so much talk about finance, and so much sensitivity around it, should it not be germane to have good investment opportunities on fingertips for those who can invest. 

Amen! It actually is. Lets go onto see how...

If you are one of those investors who likes to stay ahead of the curve, read on. A good investment idea, once morphed into success, often makes it to a listing in one of the Trading exchanges, under the close watch of Securities and Exchange Commission or what we know as The SEC.  A savvy investor would like to know about it at the stroke of first ray of dawn, right when the first tinkerbell rings and the very first form to register the company is received by the commission. 

This post outlines how to research the latest and the greatest securities that apply to register with the SEC, right at the moment of their first interaction.

Staring out, SEC provides a very friendly tool, EDGAR, to search for the various forms that have been submitted by corporations. The tool is available for access at EDGAR. 

Towards the bottom of the search tool is the gem of all gems; the section 'Search For'.  Look for 'Daily Filings by Type' [Direct link : Daily Filings By Type].  Scroll to the bottom of the this page to locate a search box for entering the 'Form Id'. The two interesting forms to keep in mind are 'S-1' and 'N-1A'.

Form S-1 is an SEC registration required for U.S. companies that want to be listed on a national exchange. It is a registration statement for a company that is usually filed in connection with an IPO (initial public offering).

SEC Form N-1A is a regulatory document required to form an open-ended fund, like an Exchange Traded Fund or a Mutual Fund. In the U.S. Funds may only offer shares to the public once approval has been received.

Look for more posts in coming days, weeks and months on Search capabilities of EDGAR along with analysis and recommendations on upcoming IPO's and ETF's. 

"Consider Stock Slices like rows of car in a CarMax. When the gas prices go up, the hybrids keep making (saving) you money; when they go down, the guzzlers have their turn" - Anonymous.

Today's blog post talks about a combination of ETF's with high yield securities and bonds. There are two recommended ETF's that form the slice for today's recommendation; 'Fidelity High Yield Dividend ETF (FDVV)' & 'iShares iBoxx High Yield Corporate Bond ETF (HYG)'. 

FDVV is an ETF comprising of 107 Equities, with 'APPL', 'MSFT' and 'PG' being the top 3 holdings. The ETF yields a 3.10% at today's closing price of $33.08. Being an equity ETF, it certainly has room to grow. Dividend paid quarterly. 

Rating : Hold

HYG is an ETF comprising of '1226' bond securities with 'BlackRock Cash Funds Treasury SL Agency', 'ALTICE FRANCE', 'T-Mobile US, Inc.' being the top 3 holdings. The ETF yields a whopping 4.88% as of today's closing price of $87.36.  Dividend paid Monthly. 

Rating : Hold

Great for retirees or those looking for a monthly income stream to retire early!!

 Global X Education ETF (EDUT)

An Investment in Knowledge pays the best interest. 

Today's ETF is about Education. The ETF debuted on July 1st  2020 on the heals of surge in online Education.  With Schools no where near close to opening full time in near future, this play to bring in good appreciation. 

For those inquisitive about the underlying holdings, the link below has the details. 

Underlying Holdings for EDUT

VictoryShares Protect America ETF (SHLD)

 

Today's Pick VictoryShares Protect America ETF (SHLD)

The index identifies the top 50 eligible companies ranked by total outstanding contracts relating to the protection of U.S. national security interests, and projected revenue amounts.

The Department of Defense Budget for 2020 stands at 721.5 Billion. Defense being a substantial portion of US GDP, it's tough to go wrong with Victory Shares today. 

Add your thoughts and numbers to the discussion and let others chime in.