Motiva Announces US Group II Base Oil Posting Decrease
Motiva announced a $0.50 per US‑gallon reduction to its Group II, II+ and III base‑oil postings, effective 1 March. The cut could translate into contract price declines of 10‑15¢/USG for parties linked to Motiva’s postings or to basket indices, while blenders with independent contracts see no direct effect. Spot prices for Group II grades remain mixed—light‑viscosity grades are steady, whereas mid‑ and heavy‑viscosity grades face downward pressure. Similar mixed dynamics are observed in the Group III market.
Investing Strategies Aligned with the Big Cycle
Last week, I shared a chapter from my 2021 book Principles for Dealing with the Changing World Order that details the classic signs to watch for as the world geopolitical order breaks down in a classic progression of events that I call...
Build a Mini Hedge Fund Using Python Algorithms
How to create your own "mini" hedge fund with algorithmic trading and Python A thread 🧵
Strong Demand for GSE-Eligible Loans in Non-Agency MBS
Investors are showing strong appetite for GSE‑eligible loans embedded in non‑agency mortgage‑backed securities, tightening spreads and lifting prices across the segment. The surge reflects limited agency supply and the premium investors assign to loans that meet Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac eligibility...
Bond ETF Bulls on Parade
In January 2026, fixed‑income ETFs attracted $56 billion of net inflows, pushing total inflows to over $105 billion across ETFs and mutual funds. Nearly half of the bond‑ETF money went into actively managed funds such as PIMCO’s PYLD and iShares BINC, while...
Short Takes: Home Prices Tick Up / Chase Offering Rate Discount / Bed Bath & Beyond Getting Into Mortgages /...
Home prices edged higher in the latest quarter, while Chase announced a modest rate discount to spur loan demand. Retail giant Bed Bath & Beyond entered the mortgage origination space, signaling non‑traditional players’ interest in housing finance. Bayview Capital began stocking GSE‑eligible loans...
Copper’s New Fundamental: How Fear Is Shaping the Market
The Fast Forward podcast revealed that fear has become a standalone market fundamental for copper, outweighing traditional supply‑demand metrics. Deglobalization is prompting nations to build strategic stockpiles such as the U.S. Project Vault and forcing firms to adopt just‑in‑case inventory...
The European Central Bank’s Next President May Decide the Fate of the Digital Euro
European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde highlighted the digital euro as a core part of her legacy, noting its progress from research to a live policy effort. The project is now in a "preparation phase" with technical design and pilot...
Rakuten: Earn 10x on Various Travel Sites 2/24/26 only (IHG, Expedia, Sixt, Hertz, & More)
Rakuten is offering a one‑day promotion that grants up to 10× points—or a 10 % cash‑back—on bookings through major travel sites such as IHG, Expedia, Hotels.com, Sixt, and Hertz. The deal expires on February 24, 2026, and runs alongside TopCashback’s Travel Week Super...
Consistency Beats Volatility: Stick to Your Trading Plan
Stay consistent — because the market will test you every day. Sticking to your levels, your stops, and your process isn't just good practice on the easy days. It's what separates the traders who survive the volatile stretches from the...
UK to Remove Turkish HDG Quota Exemption
The UK Trade Remedies Authority (TRA) plans to strip Turkey of its developing‑economy exemption for hot‑dip galvanised (HDG) steel, moving Turkish shipments into the capped “other countries” quota. The move follows Tata Steel’s complaint that Turkish imports surged to 58,030 t...
Spring Accelerates Sales: Days on Market Drop
Seeing spring vibes in the stats as expected. It’s taking less time to sell. Here’s a preliminary look at days on market. The dotted line for March is based on pending contracts in February.
DRC Mineral Export Prices Decline, Tin Records Steepest Weekly Drop
The Democratic Republic of Congo’s mineral export prices are set to fall in the week of Feb 23‑28, 2026, with tin posting the steepest decline to $48,089 per ton, a $1,667 drop from the prior week. Copper, gold, and zinc also...
NVIDIA's Guidance Tomorrow Could Validate Six Months' Patience
🔴 NVIDIA EARNINGS EVE — Feb 24, 2026 $NVDA reports Q4 FY2026 tomorrow after close. The stock at ~$190 has been locked in a $170–$195 range for 6 months despite delivering record quarters every time. Tomorrow, one number changes everything —...
Industrial Sector Hits 30‑year Valuation Peak Amid Optimism
S&P 500 Industrials’ forward P/E, at 26.5X, matches sector P/E in 2021, when earnings were impaired by the pandemic, and at 1.24X the index, is higher than at any point in the last 30 years. EV/Forward EBITDA, Price-to-Sales and Price-to-Book...
Mexico’s Cartel Violence Could Hit Economy and Insurance Segment: AM Best
Cartel violence erupted in Mexico after the killing of leader Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, halting flights and disrupting tourism in Puerto Vallarta. Tourism, which contributes about 10% of Mexico’s GDP, faces short‑term setbacks and longer‑term perception risks. AM Best issued a negative...
Honesty Required: Share Full Numbers for Real Help
Some calls are tough. You can’t help someone if they’re not willing to be open and honest about the numbers and their situation. If you want real answers and real help, you’ve got to bring the whole story to the...
#58419
The Options Clearing Corporation (OCC) announced that options on securities with trading halts or unresolved corporate actions have been removed from automatic‑exercise processing. This removal applies to all expirations—including standard, weekly, daily FLEX, and quarterly—affecting the Central Puerto S.A. AD...
SmarTone Reports Profit Amid High-End Market Focus
SmarTone posted an 8.4% rise in first‑half profit, with revenue climbing 2% to HK$3.56 billion, propelled by its premium 5G positioning and higher‑value device sales. 5G ARPU was twice that of 4G, while home broadband profit surged 36% and roaming revenue...
IMF Expects Godongwana to Maintain Budget Surplus Target of 1.5% of GDP
The IMF’s South Africa mission chief expects Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana to keep the primary budget surplus at 1.5% of GDP and to embed the necessary fiscal reforms in the 2026 budget. The Fund highlighted controlling the public‑sector wage bill,...
Where Is Money Flowing Today?
Finviz’s latest treemap visualizes today’s capital flows across four major sectors. Technology stocks dominate the green area, registering the strongest percentage gains, while consumer‑cyclical firms display a mixed green‑red pattern. Healthcare appears largely stable, with modest green pockets, and financials...
Mortgage Rates Dip to Lowest Since August 2022
Actual LOCKED mortgage rates hit the lowest point since August 2022, per Optimal Blue real-time data. The 30-year fixed fell to 5.945% yesterday for a conforming loan backed by Fannie/Freddie. FHA was 5.859% and VA an even lower 5.608%. Decent.
Europe Must Block Chinese‑Made Cars From Flooding Market
Good points from Thorsten Brenner -- The "car bosses" are tempted to use their Chinese factories to supply the European market. Deindustrializing Europe isn't their concern. European policy makers need a policy framework that makes this impossible...
Philex 2025 Income Climbs to P929.69M on Record Metal Prices
Philex Mining Corp posted a net income of P929.69 million in 2025, a 14.7% rise year‑over‑year, driven by record‑high gold and copper prices and a favorable peso exchange rate. Revenues climbed 8.2% to P8.85 billion, while core net income surged 43.6% to...
Weekly Sector Ratio Grids Reveal Top GIC Performers
a weekly glance at my @Optuma sector ratio grids which compare the performance of each of the 11 GICs sectors against the others... #SectorWatch left: 3-month % change right: 1-month % change https://t.co/JSBqVZnPwL
Pullbacks Signal Buying Chance Before 5% S&P Drop
“Markets are at a tactical–fundamental crossroads. Historically these conflicting signals precede >5% S&P 500 drawdowns. Pullbacks are opportunities to add thematic exposure. A clearer equity “index” upturn should follow once policy catalysts materialise lower mortgage rates via falling UST yields,...
SEC Revises IPO Float Rules to Revive Listings
The Philippine Securities and Exchange Commission issued Memorandum Circular No. 11, Series of 2026, revising public‑ownership requirements for IPOs. The new tiered framework reduces the minimum float to 33 percent for firms under P500 million and as low as 15 percent for companies above P50 billion, with a...
Spotting the Three Hottest U.S. Sectors Now
every week, i have a bunch of different routine components to get to our "focus" sectors... here's an @Optuma U.S. sector bubble... #INsyncFocus guess which three they are? x-axis: 12-month % change y-axis: 3-month % change https://t.co/2cVEFnhGt8
Iran's Oil Loadings Hit 2018 Highs, Margins Thin
Iran is pumping and loading at near-2018 highs ahead of nuclear talks Loadings are surging, buyers are softer, and oil-on-water is piling up More leverage, more risk, thinner margins. https://t.co/AZPC1zaGls #Oil #Iran #Hormuz #Sanctions #Geopolitics #EnergyMarkets
Why Cost Alone No Longer Defines Chicken Value
Rising food‑away‑from‑home prices and growing protein demand are reshaping how full‑service restaurants evaluate chicken. While private‑label chicken still promises lower case costs, operators are encountering variability that hurts labor efficiency and menu flexibility. Brakebush Brothers positions itself as a consistent,...
Long‑horizon Investing Can Generate Its Own Alpha
For decades, long-term investing has been treated as a vague virtue rather than a distinct source of returns. Turns out long-horizon thinking may actually translate into its own source of alpha. by @ebasilico https://t.co/wIUJpxYujR https://t.co/d3aF2IAeAT
Spring Slashes Home Sale Times, Days on Market Drop
Seeing spring vibes in the stats as expected. It’s taking less time to sell. Here’s a preliminary look at days on market. The dotted line for March is based on pending contracts in February. https://t.co/Jqac1DVmAr
Boring Is Beautiful: Why Johnson & Johnson Is Beating the Tech Sector
Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) is outperforming the broader market, climbing roughly 14% in the last 30 days and trading near its all‑time high of $245. The health‑care giant boasts a 64‑year streak of dividend growth, a low beta of 0.35,...
Memory Chip Prices Surge 50% in Two Weeks
Wow, a respondent to the Dallas Fed's Service Sector report said that the prices they're paying for memory chips have jumped 50% in the last two weeks https://t.co/RdULT0epp4
Boomers Command 45% Spending, 74% Wealth—Shaping Markets
Americans 55 & older now control: 45% of consumer spending 74% of the wealth What does this mean for the next generation, the housing market or the stock market? Some thoughts: https://t.co/tnQSK0khDB https://t.co/7BBPkFGnml
Bain’s MacArthur: 401(k) Opportunity Is ‘Major Inflection Point’ for Alternatives
Chair of Bain’s global private equity practice, Hugh MacArthur, says the growing ability for 401(k) participants to invest in private equity marks a major inflection point for the alternatives industry. He argues that retail access will set a new performance...
Trading Demands Discipline: Our Proven Process
A long time coming, #trading isnt easy. But it requires a process and discipline. This is ours.
SPY Holds $
$spy morning glance as $680 range support helps again while we get a few RDR tactical buys in broken areas for cash flow https://t.co/avz7fuVMj0
Redirect Chinese Savings to Gold to Preserve USD Dominance
“The goal is to keep the USD as the world's transaction rail without agreeing to absorb unlimited foreign savings into USTs” Exactly. Separating from China & re-shoring requires redirecting Chinese surpluses into a neutral reserve asset (gold)…and that requires 5-figure...
SNDK Holds 10‑EMA, Pauses Amid Wild Estimates
$SNDK not doing anything wrong, pausing under the pivot holding the 10ema for now Those EPS & Rev estimates are crazy. Nice fund ownership trend https://t.co/Xo7NoLx7TN
Federal Deficit Swells to Historic 8% of GDP
US Federal Budget Deficit as a % of GDP... 1950s: -0.4% 1960s: -0.7% 1970s: -1.9% 1980s: -3.8% 1990s: -2.1% 2000s: -2.3% 2010s: -4.8% 2020s: -8.3% https://t.co/W7GwqCkcBx
Leverage Could Shift Infrastructure Leadership Amid Stable Rates
Infrastructure may be the most crowded “safe” trade in markets. Consensus says utilities lag in a growth cycle. Leverage flips that narrative. If rates stabilize, leadership may rotate where few are looking. Read: https://t.co/GYU4HseCXx
Rare 240‑Unit West Palm Beach Deal Under $300K/Unit
Offers Due March 4: Rare, (240-unit) Surface-Parked Multifamily Offering, 7min from Downtown West Palm Beach - Asking less than $300k/door (built in 2019) with a 3.91% Fixed Rate Assumable Loan
MSTR’s Upcoming SPX Addition Ignored by Pumpers
$MSTR the March SPX additions and subtractions are less than a month away and the announcement 10 or 17 days away. Why aren't any of the pumpers discussing the potential for addition? Have you given up?
Shorted XLF at VWAP, Missed Breakout Bias
Green or red, $XLF short played to vwap. have to give it more. Bias from last night was WANTING it to breakout. Not good enough https://t.co/H0Yj1St5cg
Unpredictable Trades, Not Routine Patterns, Drive Outperformance
“…its limits may be more revealing than its success. The trades the system failed to anticipate — roughly 29% — were, on average, more closely associated with outperformance. In other words, the activity that falls outside routine, detectable investment patterns...
Spot Uptrends and Downtrends to Grasp Market Context
learn to spot uptrends and learn to spot downtrends... whether you want to invest (or not) in them isn't even necessarily relevant, but context and #marketpulse matters to understand the market and staying #FinanciallyINsync https://t.co/fhnr7JcEKh
Mini Repair Sparks Three Consecutive Up Bars
Mini Repair. (Note, SPs had three consecutive bars UP in the first 30 minutes...) https://t.co/jQfzM4XChT
Home Depot Stuck in $350‑$400 Range Since 2021
$HD Quarterly. Home Depot up a bit after earnings. Long-term chart shows pressure building both ways, stuck in 50-point range, $350-$400. Overall sideways since 2021. https://t.co/6wVM43PMBr