I assume that most of you have seen the terrible events occurring in Afghanistan. It is an example of gross mismanagement that one hopes will not recur. As for the effect on the business world – probably not that much. But I am concerned about the Chinese getting a further lock on “rare earths” needed for batteries and electronics. Let us hope that the US finds more sources.
Speaking of electronics, NVDA is performing very well lately, as I predicted. And so is NFLX and FTNT (which was my top pick). My new top pick (not in the fund) – is Lam Research (LRCX). The stock is up about 12 points today but I still think it is a good buy: its ROE is 69.8%, EPS growth is 38.8%, revenue growth rate is 20%, and estimated long-term growth is 15.7%. So I would advise purchasing a position if you have free cash.
As for the current positions of the Growth Fund, I would not advise adding to any positions but will still hold them. I am very concerned about BABA and VIPS, but as I mentioned, I think the PRC will eventually come to their senses.
As for the income fund, Pfizer (PFE) appears to be finally breaking out after years of underperformance. But I would not sell – just hold and collect dividends. As for Jefferies (the current top performer in the fund), as I mentioned, you may want to take some profits. On the other stocks in the fund, I am not concerned about any of them except perhaps for Western Union (WU). WU may be in trouble because of the switch to crypto currencies, so let’s put up the caution flag here. For the other under performer, Cardinal Health (CAH), I would not worry. Again, sit back and collect dividends. And I see CAH gaining share price, with a target price of about $62 by the end of next year.
So that is about all for now. Happy investing and stay well!