At Top Gun Options we always keep an eye on the DRINCs in order to anticipate events that will drive the economy and the markets. This acronym stands for Democrats, Russia, Iran, North Korea, and China. Among the various concerns from this bunch of troublemakers is that China will invade…

These are really weird times. A recession is waiting in the wings if it is not already here. But it is not the usual recession where nobody is spending and people are losing jobs. During this uncertain economic boom employment reports show that hiring continues and unemployment is at historic…

Big oil companies like Exxon have not been great investments in recent years as the world pivots to electric vehicles and increasingly tough environmental regulations. When oil prices peaked around 2014 Exxon Mobil sold for $102 a share and just before the Covid crash it had fallen to $69 a…

The progressive mixing of finances and politics has taken another step with the State of West Virginia banning several Wall Street Banks from doing business in the state. It turns out that Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan, BlackRock, Morgan Stanley and Wells Fargo have quit or cut back on their financing of…

Inflation as measured by the Consumer Price Index is at its highest in four decades. As a result the US Federal Reserve is belatedly raising interest rates. More often than not the Fed ends up causing unemployment and even an economic recession as it overshoots in its attempts to stem…

The market goes down, jumps back up a bit and continues on its downward path. Some analysts say there will be a recovery reasonably soon and others, like Top Gun Options, believe that there is more trouble ahead. So, can we see the end of the bear market yet or…

Wheat futures immediately fell on news that Russia and Ukraine had signed a deal in Istanbul allowing Ukraine to export the 20 million tons of grain currently stored at the Port of Odessa on the Black Sea. The deal also will also allow Russia to export fertilizers and grain and…

While the stock market’s eventual pricing is determined by fundamentals hour by hour, day to day, and week to week fluctuations are driven by market sentiment. The stock market always attempts to see the future. When the market as a whole thinks that stock prices are going up market sentiment…

The ability of the average family to purchase a home has gotten worse. In fact, the affordability of US housing is back to levels not seen since 2007 in the runup to the Financial Crisis. First time buyers will be looking at spending 28% of their income, on average, to…