Is Amazon Going to Destroy Costco Next?

This is a curious announcement by Amazon — detailed plans to launch a dozen or so grocery store in a variety of cities — at a cheaper price point than WholeFoods.

Wait a second — they own WholeFoods. So what the fuck are they doing?

Here’s a better question.

Do you think Amazon will launch a chain of small stores, like Trader Joe’s or launch BIG ASS stores, like Costco? What do you think Amazon wants to do — go big or go small?

If they went big, those stores could also double serve as storage facilities for their other businesses. If they go small, it doesn’t even move the needle for them — very Un-Amazon like.

Shares of KR are down 3.2%, while COST is -1%, and WMT down less than 1%.

Clearly the groceryFAGS aren’t remotely concerned right now. We’ll see about that.

In spite of being cautious about the market here, my Quant portfolio is 100% long growth stocks for the month of March. This is the road I’ve chosen to travel with my longer term investments and I could not be happier.

During January, the Quant was all sourced from a value pool, returning just 6.6% for the month. In February, the portfolio was 50/50 sourced from value and growth. It ended up 7.2% for February. Now for March, the portfolio is 100% long growth — because the rules that I set forth demand the investments source from the best performing assets classes, in this case growth vs value.

All in all, gains edge towards +14% for the year and I have no complaints.

I have mechanized hedges in place that get triggered, should markets tumble — such as allocations into value, bonds, and gold. This fund does not short sell stocks — mainly because the re-assessment period is once per month.

The stated goal?

Created a mechanized approach to asset management that is repeatable, can be passed down to future generations, using AI and big ass data, for the expressed purpose of crushing the SPY — all from the comforts of my beach house.

I bought TZA at the open, probing here because $175 on the Qs is my target.

The Nasdaq was up a staggering 6% I February, logging yet another great month after a fantastic star to the year. It would be a mistake to believe we can enjoy these sort of gains into March.

I repeat: It would be a mistake to believe we can enjoy these sort of gains into March.

The Exodus Quant will probably end up being +8% for February, far outpacing the god damned Nasdaq and SPY. I will be reshuffling my portfolio today, reassessing based upon my quantitative rules, and then also make some adjustments to my trading account.

We have climbed the wall of worry very effectively — but now shit is about to get real — with Q2 guidance right around the bend.

Journalism 101, never place a headline on a story that changes by the second. My “NASDAQ FUTS +40″headline is another way of me saying “Fuck Yourself” and I don’t really care all that much about journalism. If I was trying, I’d write something like “Nasdaq futures soar on XXXXXX-XXX” or whatever the fuck is going on tonight.

But you’re not here for that — are you? You want the fast speeding punch to the face — broken nose, blood flowing like a river of faggots upon a cold winter’s porch. Whilst I readily admit to never having my nose broken, I have engaged in about a dozen or so fist fights in my youth — only losing 1 — which was an awful exchange between me and my best friend. I thought I could kick his ass and the next thing I knew — he was punching my face loose amidst the branches and the twigs, the dirt and the concrete.

I never knew fear until that day. During my childhood I went about bullying others with stiff fists to the fucking face — Michael Jackson styled moonwalks amidst the violence and the comical remedy of my dominance casting a red venom over whoever vexed me on a given day. After I got my ass kicked, however, I began to view the world differently and felt vulnerable to destruction. I became, in a sense, a gigantic pussy and definitely avoided conflict for a period of time, up until the time came again for me to bash someone in the face with a shovel.

The way that I’ve found life is to be a series of contests. Either you rise to the occasion or shrink. During numerous contests, I vividly recall cowering from making the hard choice — opting for status quo — because change is difficult and almost not worth my own happiness. Those decisions have almost always led to regret, failing to act during a time and place in the history of my small life that is, more or less, meaningless in the scales of time. I try to live a brave life, one that can be reflected upon proudly, every single day. A stark reminder of how I’m doing is almost always best communicated through the people close to me.

Whether or not those opinions are jaded and biased are not for me to judge. I can say, however, that I do try to live as selflessly as I can — which is awfully hard to do when trying to placate a sundry of people who are absorbed with themselves in real time, dialing away on their phones — drolling on into the ether.

By the way, Nasdaq futures are +40.

I don’t feel like trading today. I feel like I just ran 10 miles at full speed and now want to rest in order to re-charge. The macros look fine, on the surface, but then I start to read stuff like this and I stop.

Negativity is a very addictive mood, the lure of misery besetting others while escaping the scourge through our unique genius is hard coded in every human’s DNA. At times I find myself running so fast in the market, I become mechanized and prone to mistakes. I usually am able to see behind the veil best, become one with the market, when I spend time to think things through. That’s exactly what I intend to do now.

Look, if I wanted to make 15% on my money, I’d simply buy and hold a series of ETFs and play golf all day. But I don’t — because I want to make 115% and I want to do it in style, panache, and of course grace.

For the balance of the day, I’ll be joshing around in Exodus, in my automobile driving fast, preparing a healthy feat for tonight’s rituals.

I sold SAND, SBGL, HMY and SOLO — upping my cash position to 75%.

I don’t like the action in gold, especially right here at a level that can mark the beginning of a leg lower. I also don’t like stocks here, long or short. I’d much prefer to wait in the tall grass for a better entry point.

Sorry, but not every day is a day to crush markets. Sometimes doing less is more.

Futures are soft because markets are uncertain as we step into March. Momentum is slowing and price action is being directed into the smallest cap stocks — leaving the majority of investors in a hold pattern.

Meanwhile, Trump’s little meeting with N. Korea ended with Trump walking away, very friendly however, believe me.

“Basically, they wanted the sanctions lifted in their entirety and we couldn’t do that,” Trump said. “They were willing to denuke a large portion of the areas that we wanted, but we couldn’t give up all of the sanctions for that. So we continue to work and we’ll see, but we had to walk away from that particular suggestion. We had to walk away from that.”

“(Kim) wants to denuke, but he wants to just do areas that are less important than the areas that we want. We know the country very well, believe it or not, we know every inch of that country,” Trump said, adding that he thought the gap between the U.S. and North Korea would be bridged “with time.”

The president confirmed that all the current sanctions on Pyongyang will remain in place.

“You always have to be prepared to walk,” Trump said. “I could have 100 percent signed something today — we actually had papers ready to be signed — but it just wasn’t appropriate. I want to do it right: I’d much rather do it right than do it fast.”

Walking away

Reflecting on the moment the American delegation decided to walk away from the negotiating table, Trump claimed the environment was “very good, very friendly.”

“This wasn’t a walk away like you get up and walk out. No, this was very friendly — we shook hands,” he said. “When we walked away, it was a very friendly walk.”

In lighter news, Martha Stewart is getting into cannabis now — partnering with CGC — because pot is good and it cures EVERYTHING.

Lifestyle authority and television personality Martha Stewart has entered a business partnership with Canopy Growth, one of the globe’s largest marijuana and hemp producers, to develop hemp-derived CBD products.

Stewart will play an advisory role at Canopy and will first assist in developing a broad new line of animal health products, the company said Thursday. The partnership also includes Sequential Brands Group, a consumer brands company in the fashion, active and home categories that works with Stewart.

With several clinical trials underway, the company said it plans to leverage Stewart’s consumer experience while exploring the effects of CBD on both human and animal health.

“I am delighted to establish this partnership with Canopy Growth and share with them the knowledge I have gained after years of experience in the subject of living,” said Stewart. “I’m especially looking forward to our first collaboration together, which will offer sensible products for people’s beloved pets.”

Watch crude, HYG, SRLN, and crude stocks before adding exposure to equities for trades.

Longer term fags need to stop micro-managing their accounts and instead focus on adding to your accounts every month for cap growth over the next 25 years.

55% cash heading into the closing bell. Today’s action was rudderless, distracted by Trump’s attorney being questioned by Congress on live teevee. The spectacle of it all is almost too much to bear — but I witness it and take it all in and it conveys something that I already knew. We’re living through a transition period, Americans hating one another almost as much as Yankee fans hated the Mets circa 1980s. Now the Yankees just feel bad for the Mets, who’ve proven themselves to not be formidable.

When everything is reduced and the clowns stop juggling and the people stop masquerading, the imposing question is — ‘WHO LACKS SUBSTANCE and is formidable?’ — a force that can reckon him/herself upon the American people and win through policy change?

Everything else is theatre — bickering amongst children. ‘What can move stocks?’ is the question you should hone in on — save the rhetoric and the dissipation of dignity for others of a lesser cloth.

For the day, I sold GEVO at +15% from basis and bought CHK.

Into the twilight in America, Le Fly tips his hat and bids you farewell for the day — top picks being CHK, SOLO, and VIPS.

The recent action in gold suggests the trade is dead, for now. I sold out of NUGT yesterday — because it has been unresponsive and trending lower. Even though I like gold and am biased that miners are cheap, price is everything and right now prices want lower.

I’d look at 1,315 as an interesting level to climb back in.

Markets are fine, as long as crude is trending up. If WTI is up, oil stocks are up, and HYG is up — then you should not fear the market. Yes, we’ve run up plenty. But who’s to say we can’t V shape all the way up?

My bias is to be cautious. My actions suggest cowardice here, vis a vie my 55% cash position. My call of QQQ stalling at $175 came to fruition almost to the T. My recent trades have been as sublime as they’ve been improbable, leaving all of you silent FAGGOT gawking like slack jawed fools.

Presently, my top picks are VIPS, SOLO and CHK.