Slope of Hope Blog Posts

Slope initially began as a blog, so this is where most of the website’s content resides. Here we have tens of thousands of posts dating back over a decade. These are listed in reverse chronological order. Click on any category icon below to see posts tagged with that particular subject, or click on a word in the category cloud on the right side of the screen for more specific choices.

Tech Dividends?

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About Time Tech Stocks Begin To Reward Investor’s Patience

Third quarter earnings season is heating up Wall Street. Investors and analysts are keeping a close eye on the upcoming earnings sessions of some of the biggest mega-cap technology companies, hoping that they will deliver better-than-expected returns against the backdrop of sticky market conditions. 

Most investors are holding their breath, as the Magnificent Seven – Alphabet (NASDAQ: GOOGL); Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN); Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL); Meta Platforms (NASDAQ: META); Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT); Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA); and Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) – are set to release their quarterly earnings in the coming weeks. These seven household names have added almost $4 trillion in market capitalization this year. 

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Which Utilities Companies Hold Major Upside?

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Both oil and natural gas prices have been off the charts in recent weeks, following the announcement of major exporting countries – Saudi Arabia and Russia – further extending their cuts in oil supplies until the close of the year. 

The announcement made earlier in September was a shock to the system for some analysts, and left many to reflect on the greater determination of both exporters to continue their slower output, which would further reflect in rising oil prices. 

On average, Saudi Arabia will cut around one million barrels a day, while Russia is estimated to decrease its output by roughly 300,000. 

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Fed Hikes Are A Godsend For These Companies

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The Federal Reserve continues to hold an aggressive position on sticky inflation. The central bank recently approved a much-anticipated interest rate hike of 25 basis points, pushing their benchmark borrowing cost to the highest level in more than 22 years. 

During its most recent meeting in July, Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) Chair Jerome Powell announced that the Federal Reserve will continue its monetary tightening, raising the rate to a target range of 5.25% – 5.5%. 

The last time rates were this high was when George Bush was still president. 

However, the central is not yet finished with its aggressive monetary policy, and there is currently a 20% to 30% chance of yet another 25 basis point rate hike in its upcoming meeting in September according to a federal watchdog, CME Group. 

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What Novice Investors Can Learn From The SVB Fiasco

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There are a lot of complex questions relating to the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) that will go unanswered for years. Following the banks’ fall from grace, and causing perhaps one of the most frantic banking crises since 2008, investors and depositors, and even government committees remain puzzled over the legitimacy of America’s banking system and the future risks that could be bubbling underneath the surface. 

Considering how these events unfolded over several months, which was a culmination of poor risk management, inadequate regulation, bulging interest rates over the last two years, and liquidity issues; novice investors could learn from these failures alongside their more seasoned peers. 

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Will ESG Stocks Continue To Perform?

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Investment vehicles with Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) goals have taken a new spotlight in recent months following ongoing volatile market conditions and widespread macroeconomic turmoil driven largely by the pandemic and political instability. 

Until more recently, investors and fund managers showed little interest in variables relating to companies’ environmental impact and carbon footprint, human rights violations, top-level management performance, or consumer data and information privacy. 

Shifting market trends, coupled with the rising demand for more progressive climate policies and transparency, have led an increasing number of retail and institutional investors to throw their weight behind ESG-focused investment opportunities. 

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