Money Life With Chuck Jaffe Daily Podcast

In the face of coronavirus, the election cycle and other volatility-generating events, Tom Lydon of ETFtrends.com made a hedge-like defensive ‘anti-market’ fund his pick for ‘ETF of the Week.’  Also on the show, author Richard Davies discusses ‘Extreme Economies,’ John Boroff of Fidelity talks about retirement preparedness, and Scott Klimo of Saturna Capital covers stocks in the Market Call. 

Jimmy Hausberg, managing partner at The Hausberg Group in Beverly Hills, Calif., said during Collective Wisdom from HighTower Advisors that headlines like the coronavirus outbreak or even news of the presidential cycle shouldn't be ignored, but he noted that investors should use those events as a chance to review their portfolio rather than trying to capture short-term profits in ways that can derail long-term strategy. Also on the show, Carl Kaufman of the Osterweis Strategic Income Fund gives his outlook on global central banks and interest rates, Geoffrey Brown of the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors discusses the state of financial planning, and Mike Larson of Weiss Ratings discusses his 'safe money' approach to stocks in the Market Call. 

Technical analyst Michael Sincere explains that the coronavirus crisis may not be a market event, but it has unleashed danger signs and triggered a weakening of the stock market that could put an end to the long-running bull market. He was clear to avoid calling for a bear market, but he said he expects a significant increase in volatility and sideways market action which will make for a 'difficult market to navigate for most people.' Also on the show, Anastasia Nesvetailova, co-author of 'Sabotage: The Hidden Nature of Finance' talks about the underlying instability of global markets, Ted Rossman discusses the recent Bankrate.com study showing that many consumers aren't getting nearly as much cash back on cash-back cards as they could, and Janet Brown of No-Load FundX talks mutual funds in the Market Call. 

Veteran money manager Sam Stewart, partner at Seven Canyons Advisors, said that while the market is at record highs, valuations are bifurcated to where the popular names like the FANG stocks and many technology names are too expensive, but that other names have become attractive because they are growing at a time when the economy is slowing. Also on the show, John Kiernan of WalletHub.com talks about how many consumers fear maxing out credit cards, David Trainer of New Constructs pus another pre-IPO stock in the 'Danger Zone,' and Mike Bailey, director of research at FBB Capital Partners, does some pairs trading in the Market Call.

On a day with two Big Interview segments with top-flight market strategists, listeners may get a sense that the stock market has gotten ahead of itself with a strong January and that the rest of the year is likely to be more frustrating, volatile and sideways. But  Reed Murphy of Calamos Wealth Management suggests that investors who want to get more from the market will want to step up their international investments, while Jack Ablin of Cresset Capital Management is much less optimistic about the potential of foreign investments to deliver superior returns. Also on the show, Nicholas Shaxon discusses his book on how global finance is making us all poorer, and Christian Munafo of SP Investment Management discusses one of the market's most unusual and different closed-end funds.

Giorgio Caputo, senior portfolio manager at J.O. Hambro, coins the term 'Woo Flu Wobble' to discuss this week's heightened volatility spurred by news about coronavirus. He expects the news to pass without damaging market prospects, but he notes that markets will remain volatile through the end of the year and cautions that 'This isn't your grandparents' volatility.' Also on the show, Tom Lydon of ETFTrends.com makes a hot fund that is part technology, part-commodity his 'ETF of the Week,' Jeff Gurian of Gametime discusses the high, unyielding and slightly surprising trends in Super Bowl ticket prices, and C.T. Fitzpatrick of Vulcan Value Partners talks value investing in the Market Call.

Victoria Fernandez, chief market strategist at Crossmark Global Investments, says that investors were looking for reasons for the market to retreat, and found it this week in coronavirus, but could find it further in missed earnings or other headlines. Those perceived dangers may slow the market's uptrend, but they won't make market conditions move from benign to dangerous on the long term. Also on the show, Jake Falcon of HighTower Advisors warns of the dangers of being sucked into news-driven stocks, like those that could profit from coronavirus or fromrecent tensions in the Middle East, Matt Schulz of CompareCards.com talks about how many consumers ignored warnings and took out high-rate retail-store credit cards during the holiday season, and Ben Cook of Hennessy BP Energy and Hennessy BP Midstream talks energy stocks in the Market Call.

D.R. Barton Jr. of StraightUpProfits.com says that the market is likely to over-react this week to news about the corona virus and corporate earnings -- with nearly half of the Dow industrial stocks reporting earnings -- and he notes that the frothy should create a buying opportunity for investors, although they should be patient to let the downturn play out before buying in fully. That sentiment was seconded by J.J. Kinahan of T.D. Ameritrade, who notes in the Big Interview that most experts are expecting single-digit gains for the stock market in 2020, and that he mostly agrees with those expectations, except that the market's strong January means that the second half of the year is likely to be choppy, volatile and mostly sideways. Also on the show, Greg McBride of BankRate.com talks about Americans' emergency savings, and then Tom Plumb of the Plumb Funds covers growth stocks in the Market Call.

Kevin Mahn of Hennion and Walsh said everything is in place for the stock market to have a good year in 2020, but that what looks good will feel very different than the 30+ percent gain of a year ago. Mahn said he expects the market to gain roughly 9 percent ni the first half of the year, before flattening out and offering volatility with little direction through the election and into 2021. Also on the show, Leonard Wright discusses the AICPA Personal Financial Satisfaction Index and how much happier investors are now than they were a decade ago, Kyle Guske of New Constructs puts an overblown stock into the Danger Zone, and Matt King of King Wealth Advisors talks funds and ETFs in the Market Call.

Steve Rick, chief economist at CUNA Mutual Group and an economics professor at the University of Wisconsin, talks about the current economy in glowing terms and says he sees strength continuing without interruption or a recession for the foreseeable future, noting that even as economic growth slows, he can see a strong rebound on the horizon for 2023. Thus, while there are potential storm clouds, he doesn't see them lasting for long if they hit home at all. Also on the show, Mitch Reiner of Capital Investment Advisors talks about income investing in The NAVigator, Tom Lydon makes a brand new specialty fund his ETF of the Week, Mark Hamrick of Bankrate.com talks about who is affected by bank fees and how much they're paying, and  Zach Johnson of Stack Financial Management covers the market's technical outlook.

Marc Lichtenfeld, chief income strategist at The Oxford Club, says that investors searching for yield need to be careful about not chasing payouts into bad stocks and tough securities, and yet notes that tactical investors can find some values with reasonable payouts for the long term. Also on the show, Chuck answers an audience question about portfolio construction, Ted Rossman of CreditCards.com talks about what people are using their credit cards to buy, and Michael Ball of Weatherstone Capital Management talks tactical ETF investing in the Market Call.

Behavioral finance expert Meir Statman, a professor at Santa Clara University, said that investors have become smarter about investing -- and have settled for capturing market returns rather than trying to beat the market -- and that staying smart requires shrugging off whatever the market dishes up and letting 'doing nothing' be a solid strategy for not being poor and hopefully for reaching a goal of being rich. Also on the show, Morgen Henderson of Choice Mutual discusses how finances are affecting people's final-resting choices, we revisit a recent discussion about risk with Adam Thurgood of HighTower Advisors, and Yuri Lobynstev of Cindicator Capital talks stocks, earnings and trading in the Market Call.

John Thompson, chief investment officer at Vilas Capital Management, said in the Market Call that he is expecting a huge reversion to the mean coming for value stocks, which is a big change because value 'has lagged the market almost every year since 2005.' Thompson said investors who have been patient with value stocks as they have lagged are likely to get paid off for their patience in the year ahead. Also on the show, Joe Keefe, head of the Pax World Funds talks about social investing in current markets, David Trainer of New Constructs reviews his best 'Danger Zone' selections from 2019, and Amanda Dixon from BankRate.com discusses her site's latest survey. 

Long-time Wall Street observer Marc Chaikin of Chaikin Analytics says the stock market is entering what he calls 'blue-sky territory,' a point near the end of a bull market with no signs of recession on the horizon and no resistance to stop a run and make investors unhappy. While it won't last forever, Chaikin says investors can profit by shifting away from defensive stocks, noting that technology, health care and financials are the places to be this year. Also on the show, Jim Welsh of Smart Portfolios says the market's technicals mostly continue to support the ongoing uptrend, John Cole Scott of Closed-End Fund Advisors answers audience questions in The NAVigator, and Thomas Kirchner of the Camelot Event-Driven Fund talks about companies going through mergers in the Market Call. 

Abhay Deshpande, chief investment officer at Centerstone Investors, says that the market and economy are set up for Europe to provide better returns than America, but he notes that the conditions for a major decline in the U.S. don't exist. Moreover, economic advancements make it less likely that investors will see a shocking, massive downturn in the future. Also on the show, Tom Lydon of ETFTrends.com makes a unique energy fund his 'ETF of the Week,' Chris Gatz of CreditWise talks about the decade resolutions consumers made at the end of 2019, and Chuck discusses the resolution of his recent complaint with Firestone Auto Centers and its financing arm.

Scott Colyer of Advisors Asset Management says that he would continue to avoid fighting with the Fed -- and with foreign central bankers -- which means he believes there will be plenty of opportunities for staying invested and growing a portfolio in 2020, although investors will want to take advantages of sector rotation that will see improved returns from value stocks, a bounce-back among energy companies and a 'generational opportunity' in commodities. Also on the show, Cory Bittner from HighTower Advisors talks about forecasts and how they impact advisory relationships, Terry Jones discusses the latest Investor's Business Daily poll on investor confidence levels, and Jane Edmonson of EQM Indexes discusses brand-name investments in the Market Call.

The best-selling personal-finance author of all time, Robert Kiyosaki of 'Rich Dad, Poor Dad' fame, visits Money Life to discuss his new book out today, 'Who Stole My Pension.' Kiyosaki discusses why he wouldn't invest in stocks, mutual funds or ETFs right now, though he never discloses what he would buy other than 'private investments.' Also on the show, two chats about technical analysis, first with Avi Gilburt of Elliott Wave Trader, who notes that the market is getting into a 'topping region' where he expects a modest pullback. If the market can hold at support levels, he sees green lights for at least half a year, noting he'd be articularly bullish on small-cap stocks. Meanwhile, Dan Zanger of ChartPattern.com is also bullish and says he expects to ride the current trends for at least the first half of the new year. Finally, Ted Rossman of CreditCards,cmo discusses the results of his site's most recent consumer poll.

Barry Ritholtz, chairman of Ritholtz Wealth Management and author of The Big Picture blog makes his first visit to Money Life and talks about the things he likes and dislikes the most about personal finance and investing today, discusses the evolution of index funds and how that invites improper use of them, and his outlook on forecasting and which predictions are worth listening to. Also on the show, David Trainer of New Constructs revisits his Danger Zone picks frmo 2019 and talks about three that didn't work out so well, and Stephen McKee of the No-Load Mutual Fund Selections and Timing newsletter talks momentum-driven mutual fund investing in the Market Cal

It's a day of looking at expectations and then deconstructing them as Chuck chats with Deb Clarke, global head of investment research at Mercer, about the firm's 2020 outlook -- which includes slower growth globally, better opportunities worldwide than in America and more -- and discusses technical analysis with Martin Pring of Pring Research who sees signs suggesting that any troubles ahead in the near term will be buying and trading opportunities because real market troubles appear unlikely in the year ahead. Christian Pittard of Aberdeen Asset Management talks about changes in structure and more that are helping make the closed-end fund market more attractive, before Seth Masters -- best known for a correct market forecast he made with Bernstein Private Wealth Management in 2012 -- looks at the factors and thinking that renders most forecasts weak and meaningless.

Alan Levenson, chief U.S. economist at T. Rowe Price, says that headline events like the impeachment and the conflict in Iran are not going to have much economic impact, but he noted that slowing growth, tighter employment conditions and more will contribute to slower growth during the first half of the year and that they ultimately will lead to a shallow recession down the line, somewhere after 2020. Also on the show, Tom Lydon of ETFTrends.com discusses investing in China amid the current trade concerns, Jill Gonzalez of WalletHub talks about how many Americans overspent their budgets during the holiday season, and Chuck answers a question from an audience member.