WEBVTT - Kass: algos exaggerating short-term market moves

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<v Speaker 1>This is Bloomberg surveillance. We don't feel that we're necessarily

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<v Speaker 1>on the cusp of a recession. Business is okay and

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<v Speaker 1>pretty good in some places. Because the FETs kept raped

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<v Speaker 1>down here at zero for so long, it's distorting how

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<v Speaker 1>people finance themselves. What happens in the market is it

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<v Speaker 1>only looks at the positives, and it interprets everything positively

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<v Speaker 1>as long as it can, and then it gives up

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<v Speaker 1>the ghost and it flips one eighty. Bloomberg Surveillance your

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<v Speaker 1>link to the world of economics, finance, and investment. On

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<v Speaker 1>Bloomberg Radio. Good Morning everyone, Michael McKee and Tom Keene

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<v Speaker 1>Bloomberg Surveillance worldwide, indeed nationwide on Bloomberg twelve, Boston, Bloomberg

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<v Speaker 1>eleven three oh New York, home of the New York Mets,

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<v Speaker 1>Bloomberg FM, Washington and Baltimore, Good Morning, Baltimore. Orioles ascended

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<v Speaker 1>that according to minty vesuji Ace Orioles viewpoint here at

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<v Speaker 1>Bloomberg and of course Bloomberg nine sixty the Bay Area

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<v Speaker 1>as well, San France, I had no what the giants

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<v Speaker 1>are doing. I've got to get giants have won the

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<v Speaker 1>World Series the last three even years. So there is

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<v Speaker 1>some thought that just that coincidence alone, aside from the

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<v Speaker 1>fact that they have players, might might push them forward.

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<v Speaker 1>We're gonna talk to the Clayton Kershaw of Equity Investments.

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<v Speaker 1>Douglas Cast to join us here momentarily. Bloomberg Surveillance. Much

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<v Speaker 1>of my con RESUDC accounting tax advisory. To minimize risk

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<v Speaker 1>residuc dot com O h n R E C N

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<v Speaker 1>I c K. It's gorgeous February morning. The sun is up,

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<v Speaker 1>it's staying up longer. It's a good time to speak

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<v Speaker 1>to Douglas Cast of Seebers. Doug, good morning, Pictures and

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<v Speaker 1>catches last week. I know it's like a good thing

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<v Speaker 1>in in America. UM let's frame Doug right now within

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<v Speaker 1>pictures and Catchers. Obviously l A is spending more money

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<v Speaker 1>than anyone. That's the one way that in baseball. Where's

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<v Speaker 1>the one way that you are a feared of right now?

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<v Speaker 1>In the equity markets, I would um, I think we're

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<v Speaker 1>in a in a in a very difficult and confusing period.

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<v Speaker 1>Um I mentioned to you in a memo to you

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<v Speaker 1>and Lee the producer, that UM, I was at a

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<v Speaker 1>James Tell a concert of all places at Donald Trump's

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<v Speaker 1>Morrow Largo House in Palm Beach on Saturday night, and

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<v Speaker 1>he was he was singing Fire and Rain and invoked

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<v Speaker 1>to me the obviously the Robert Frost poem Fire and Rain,

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<v Speaker 1>which discusses the familiar question about the fate of the

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<v Speaker 1>world whether it's more likely to be destroyed by fire ice.

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<v Speaker 1>But I got back to a famous memo that our

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<v Speaker 1>mutual friend Barton, the late Barton Biggs Road of Coal

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<v Speaker 1>fire in I think it's time to fear the ice. Well,

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<v Speaker 1>we are in a period of substandard economic and tempted

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<v Speaker 1>profit growth, and that's our destiny. Sum. We have am

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<v Speaker 1>and a broken market mechanism which is dominated by leverage

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<v Speaker 1>ets and by these machines and algos who are agnostic

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<v Speaker 1>to balance sheets, private market value and income statements. So

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<v Speaker 1>we get this market would note what I call no

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<v Speaker 1>memory from day to day. Um, These investment strategies of

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<v Speaker 1>mass destruction tend to exaggerate short term market moves like

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<v Speaker 1>we've experienced in January to the downside, upside and now

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<v Speaker 1>today to the upside. So I'm I'm basically fearful that

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<v Speaker 1>we're in um um. You know, we have this upward

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<v Speaker 1>reevaluation of multiples between O nine and to fifteen, and

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<v Speaker 1>I think that the recent rerating of stocks lower theems

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<v Speaker 1>to reflect the recognition that profits too, will be lower

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<v Speaker 1>for longer. The critics Doug will say, you go short,

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<v Speaker 1>you go along, you move in and out. Tell us

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<v Speaker 1>where you are right now and what it would suffice

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<v Speaker 1>the frank if that's the last line of the Robert

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<v Speaker 1>Frost poem, and what would suffice to bring you forward

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<v Speaker 1>to a new direction? Um. I would be more optimistic

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<v Speaker 1>if I had a sense that the secular deterioration and

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<v Speaker 1>growth prospects um um uh morphed into a more rapid

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<v Speaker 1>period of economic growth at our dependency upon monetary policy

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<v Speaker 1>makers are central bankers to stimulate self sustaining growth and

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<v Speaker 1>escape philosophy velocity UH were successful, and I just don't

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<v Speaker 1>see it. So I am modestly bullish near term, but

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<v Speaker 1>embarish into media term. I expect the SMP to decline

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<v Speaker 1>to a low double digit percentage this year. I'm currently

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<v Speaker 1>to answer your question positioned only slightly net short, preferring

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<v Speaker 1>to see a more rapid build up an optimistic investor

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<v Speaker 1>sentiment before expanding my short exposure. It's interesting to note

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<v Speaker 1>that a bunch of the investor surveys came out and

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<v Speaker 1>market bain bowls remain at very low levels. The consensus

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<v Speaker 1>and um of of bears actually rose last week, which

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<v Speaker 1>is bullish for the market. As a contrarian, would it

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<v Speaker 1>be I think everybody can agree we're not going to

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<v Speaker 1>see the fiscal policy action that the world is calling for.

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<v Speaker 1>So would it be better if central banks just sort

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<v Speaker 1>of shut up and got the heck out of the way,

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<v Speaker 1>Because yeah, I think, I think, Mike, it would have

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<v Speaker 1>been much better if we did this a year ago

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<v Speaker 1>at first of all, if they stopped easing a year

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<v Speaker 1>ago and um and basically let the let the market

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<v Speaker 1>have have natural price discovery as opposed to this artificiality

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<v Speaker 1>and you know machines that are um um um and

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<v Speaker 1>algorithms which are moved by the next announcement with regard

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<v Speaker 1>to drag or the intention to stay lower for longer.

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<v Speaker 1>It's just not a natural sequence of events. And I

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<v Speaker 1>think that this whole thing has led up that I

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<v Speaker 1>think the recent market weakness reflects the loss of confidence

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<v Speaker 1>in all central bankers and concerns that monetary policy in

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<v Speaker 1>the US has lost its effectiveness and or has pulled

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<v Speaker 1>forward corporate sales and profits of economic activity. I call

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<v Speaker 1>this the AHA moment. It's it's not a market friendly

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<v Speaker 1>moment for valuations. How do you filter out the noise? Then,

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<v Speaker 1>um As Richard Bernstein, you wrote a great book called

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<v Speaker 1>Navigating the Noise, which which I really recommend. It's tough.

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<v Speaker 1>I just think it's where it's really tough, Mike and Thomas.

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<v Speaker 1>For the buying whole crowd. It's easy for the traders

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<v Speaker 1>if you approach the market in a kind of emotional

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<v Speaker 1>list way, buying the stream dips, selling or shorting the

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<v Speaker 1>extreme bouts of your four and we've seen four or

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<v Speaker 1>five of those of consequence in the year. So I

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<v Speaker 1>think the odds of a recession on mounting. But I

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<v Speaker 1>want to add an important point I think that was

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<v Speaker 1>made on Bloomberg on Surveillance last week. It's important to

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<v Speaker 1>note that a precondition for a bear market is not

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<v Speaker 1>necessarily a recession. Bear markets can occur even if the

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<v Speaker 1>US fails to fall into recession. It happened in nineteen

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<v Speaker 1>sixty two, sixty six, and eighty seven and eight. I

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<v Speaker 1>used to work with a guy when I was at Putnam.

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<v Speaker 1>When I graduated Wharton called Wally Deemer, who was a fantastic,

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<v Speaker 1>a legendary technical analyst, and he once said, you don't

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<v Speaker 1>buy GDP futures, you buy SMP futures. Yeah. That's extremely well,

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<v Speaker 1>said Doug. I I saw the Martian Uh the other day.

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<v Speaker 1>It really, really really thought was an excellent effort. And

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<v Speaker 1>as Matt Damon says in the middle of the movie,

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<v Speaker 1>let's science this. You are known for being an adult

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<v Speaker 1>about sciencing your belief what's Doug casts science right now.

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<v Speaker 1>But my thocts is to be is to be UM basically,

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<v Speaker 1>to reduce gross exposure in an uncertain, volatile, and unpredictable period.

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<v Speaker 1>There are times to play and there's times, as Warren

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<v Speaker 1>Buffett says to you know, to have your hands on

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<v Speaker 1>you know, UM quietly. So hard hard. It's hard because

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<v Speaker 1>of the aforementioned discussion of these um um weapons of

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<v Speaker 1>financial market destruction, the leverage ETFs and UM, the quant strategies,

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<v Speaker 1>gamma hedging, risk parity trading, that that worship at the

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<v Speaker 1>altar of price momentum. They they sent they tend to

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<v Speaker 1>exaggerate your term market confused investors, They send false market messages,

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<v Speaker 1>and importantly, they blemished the value of stock charts and

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<v Speaker 1>technical analysis. Okay, I'll go with all that you now,

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<v Speaker 1>but what I want to know for traders, and this

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<v Speaker 1>is not what we do in surveillance a lot we

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<v Speaker 1>do more long term investment. But Mr Cass, what I

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<v Speaker 1>want to know is in the middle of reminiscence of

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<v Speaker 1>a stock operator, like you know, you're the only ones

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<v Speaker 1>still alive. It was there when the book is written.

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<v Speaker 1>But there's a point where the guy just says, I'm

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<v Speaker 1>going to Florida. Where I'm in Florida, I know, but

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<v Speaker 1>pulling pulling away from the market actively. Yeah, but there's

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<v Speaker 1>a point I'm trying to capture alpha by exploiting, as

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<v Speaker 1>they said, in an unemotional way, the gyrations of the market,

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<v Speaker 1>which are random and unpredictable. Are you clearly people aren't

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<v Speaker 1>fastible enough and they should just sit on their hands.

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<v Speaker 1>Are you at a point where it's so uncertain or

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<v Speaker 1>convoluted to the upsilon so high that you just say

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<v Speaker 1>I can't do this and you sit off to the

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<v Speaker 1>sidelines for a while. I think that's the best strategy

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<v Speaker 1>for the average investors. Boring, it's boring. You have a

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<v Speaker 1>lot of you'll have a lot of silence on market. No, No,

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<v Speaker 1>we don't want that. We don't want that, but I

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<v Speaker 1>think it's important advice. We're gonna come back with Doug

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<v Speaker 1>cass on all the rage right now, financial engineering, which

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<v Speaker 1>is out there, use of cash and you know, someone

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<v Speaker 1>what the actives are doing here recently. But I really

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<v Speaker 1>want to talk to him about financial engineering America Belli says,

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<v Speaker 1>give me back the money, thank you. A lot of

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<v Speaker 1>other people say there should be this moral high ground

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<v Speaker 1>of using it for other sources like investment, maybe actually

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<v Speaker 1>creates jobs as well. We'll return with Doug cass of

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<v Speaker 1>Sea Breeze investment, Futures up twenty two, jol futures up.

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<v Speaker 1>All right, let's check in with John Tucker and get

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<v Speaker 1>the latest world in national news. Well, Michael and Tom.

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<v Speaker 1>With Jeff Bush's departure from the presidential race, Saturday, fundraisers

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<v Speaker 1>are facing the question pick another side or retreat. Most

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<v Speaker 1>most loyalist content at Sunday said they were preparing to

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<v Speaker 1>support Marco Rubio or no one in particular. Apple CEO

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<v Speaker 1>Tim Cook has jumped back into the prey over FBI

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<v Speaker 1>demands at the company help hack a locked IPO used

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<v Speaker 1>by the shooter, you know, San Bernardino attack. In an

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<v Speaker 1>early morning email to employees, Cook says the government should

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<v Speaker 1>withdraw its demanded. The emerging legal fight is sparked a

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<v Speaker 1>debate on government power, privacy, digital rights, public safety and security.

0:11:32.920 --> 0:11:35.360
<v Speaker 1>An epic chair and draped in black, is greeting Supreme

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<v Speaker 1>Court justices meeting today for the first time since the

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<v Speaker 1>death of Justice and Sinan Scalia. The remaining a justice

0:11:41.160 --> 0:11:43.880
<v Speaker 1>is resumed work today. Scalia's chair will remain as a

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<v Speaker 1>tribute until next month. Global News twenty four hours a day,

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<v Speaker 1>powered by a twenty jouralists more than one fifty news

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<v Speaker 1>bureaus around the world. I'm John, Tucker, Michael and Tomas John.

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<v Speaker 1>Thanks so much coming up on use of cash, Doug

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<v Speaker 1>Cass really looking forward to that next Bloomberg's surveillance. Good morning.

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<v Speaker 1>The news update was brought to you by Fairla Dickson University.

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