Here's a statement of the obvious: The opinions expressed here are those of the participants, not those of the Mutual Fund Observer. We cannot vouch for the accuracy or appropriateness of any of it, though we do encourage civility and good humor.
From Heather Cox Richardson on March 10, 2026.
"Today, administration officials gave a classified briefing to the Senate Armed Services Committee about the war in Iran. Democrats who spoke to the press afterward appeared to be furious."
"Senator …
Brian Kilmeade should jump a plane to the gulf and set an example of how to be a real man,
by boarding the ships passing through the straits.
I bet he owns a pair of "deck shoes", even.
It would be very noble for Mr. Kilmeade to emulate the change …
Warren Zevon was a frequent guest on the Late Show with David Letterman.
David Letterman was a big fan of Warren Zevon.
As you probably know, Letterman inducted Zevon into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame last year.
Great job. One graph said it all!
He is gonna ask his daddy Putin for Russian oil.
How pathetic!
"The Kremlin said Trump had called Putin and, in their first telephone call this year,
they discussed Russian ideas for a speedy end to the conflic…
From Markets A.M. newsletter by Spencer Jakab.
On this day in 1999, Nasdaq introduced its Nasdaq-100 ETF.
The ETF closed its first trading day at $51.06.
A year later, the ETF fetched $114.50.
But a year after that, all its gains had evaporated an…
Major disruptions to oil supply can turn a geopolitical event into a significant economic event.
How long will it take for oil shipments to resume via the Strait of Hormuz?
"Question: If Iran hasn't stopped the flow of oil through the Strait of Hormuz, then who has?"
Insurance prices for shipping oil via the Strait of Hormuz have risen sharply.
Shippers have decided the risks outweigh the potential rewards.
From Heather Cox Richardson from March 9, 2026.
"Trump has become so desperate to force Republicans in Congress to limit voting before the 2026 midterms
that yesterday morning he took to social media to threaten them. He said that unless the Senate…
From Heather Cox Richardson on March 9, 2026.
"This evening, Trump’s account posted: 'If Iran does anything that stops the flow of Oil
within the
Strait of Hormuz, they will be hit by the United States of America TWENTY TIMES HARDER than they
have …
From Heather Cox Richardson on March 9, 2026.
"This afternoon, Weijia Jiang of CBS reported: “NEW—In a phone interview, President Trump
told me the war could be over soon: ‘I think the war is very complete, pretty much.
They have no navy, no commun…
The Week in Charts (03/06/26)
The most important charts and themes in markets and investing...
00:00 Intro
01:10 Iran: What Happens Next?
12:45 Why Have Stocks Been So Resilient?
28:28 Is the Consumer in Trouble?
34:23 Forget About Rate Cuts
40:50 …
I converted my IRA to a Roth IRA in 1998 or 1999.
If I remember correctly, taxes due could be paid off over four years at the time.
IRA contribution limits were only $2000 for those under 50.
From Markets A.M. newsletter by Spencer Jakab.
On this day in 2020, with the Covid-19 pandemic unfolding, U.S. stock trading was briefly halted
for the first time since 1997 after a tumultuous selloff triggered an automatic curb.
The S&P 500 en…
Iran's Assembly of Experts named Mojtaba Khamenei to succeed his father Ali Khamenei as supreme leader.
The son is supposedly more of a hardliner than the father was.
Donald J. Trump will surely not be happy with this decision.
"If he doesn't get ap…
"Fareed Zakaria says that the US approach to the US-Israeli war with Iran is 'scattered, shifting and uncertain,'
contrasting it with Israel's clearer objectives."
"Fareed is joined by Biden White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan to di…
I just read an AP article which describes how Russia may gain from the Iran war.
https://apnews.com/article/russia-iran-war-putin-ukraine-oil-8a6af4989692d66a1e5bed1bc1922efa
From Heather Cox Richardson on March 7, 2026.
Bolded text added by me.
"On Thursday, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) called attention to another factor in play. In a speech to the Senate, Whitehouse noted that throughout his second term, Trump ha…
There is plenty of confusion about President Trump's peace-keeping bombing campaign in the Middle East.
Sometimes you have to start a war to prevent a war that was already a war that's technically not even a war!
Desi Lydac explains the situation de…
PBS News recently launched a new, weekly program called Compass Points.
How long the U.S. can sustain the Iran war and Trump's potential endgame (among other themes)
are brought up in a discussion moderated by host Nick Schifrin.
Also from this week's Barron's cover story regarding the Iran war.
"Wall Street has been busy parsing what war in Iran might mean for U.S. stock market leadership.
Morgan Stanley has studied stock factors, or characteristics, and found that in the …
From this week's Barron's cover story regarding the Iran war.
"Byron Callan, a defense analyst at Washington, D.C.–based Capital Alpha Partners, which advises investors
on government policy matters, has handicapped five possible outcomes in Iran. T…
The cost of the war in Iran is estimated at $1 billion per day.
This war of choice will likely increase our already large fiscal deficit.
https://x.com/nancyayoussef/status/2029260834564604070
Typical Lib hypocrisy.
The war in Ukraine is already…
From this week's Barron's cover story regarding the Iran war.
Will the last fiscally-conservative person who abandons their principles turn off the lights?
"But everyone should pay attention to the cost. U.S. debt this year will hit $33 trillion, o…
"Meanwhile, in Congress, Republicans opposed legislation that would have asserted their constitutional right
to have a voice in the decision to go to war with Iran. It did not seem to matter that a strong majority of voters
disapprove of Trump’s Mid…
On a somewhat related note...
"Navigating drug coverage demands brain power in our DIY retirement system,
and it isn’t getting any easier. For retirees, the stakes are high for one’s health
and financial well-being. Seniors can expect to spend abou…
It would be equitable for customers who paid IEEPA tariffs to receive refunds.
The likelihood of this happening, unfortunately, is infinitesimally minute.
The Supreme Court ruled the IEEPA tariffs were illegal.
Shouldn't U.S. businesses that paid IEEPA tariffs be entitled to full refunds by default?
If not, what is the legal rationale?
Hooo-boy, I don't like this at all ... they're really milking the Capital Opportunity brand for all
they can, aren't they? This looks like a late-to-the-game me-too covered-call ETF, of which
there are already a bunch available.
Makes me even more …
