In this video, Tony shows how he starts his week with a clear technical and fundamental perspective of the stocks he’s likely going to enter, and of options positions throughout the week, and how you can apply that yourself. Tony shares bullish (NVDA, DIS, SHOP) and bearish (AAPL, CAT, ADI) options ideas.
This video premiered on December 2, 2024.
A court in Vietnam on Tuesday upheld a death sentence for real estate tycoon Truong My Lan after rejecting her appeal against a conviction for embezzlement and bribery in a high-profile $12 billion fraud case, state media reported.
Lan, the chairwoman of real estate developer Van Thinh Phat Holdings Group, was sentenced to death in April for her role in Vietnam’s biggest financial fraud case on record.
The High People’s Court in southern Ho Chi Minh City determined there was no basis to reduce Lan’s death sentence, reported online newspaper VnExpress.
If Lan is able to return three-quarters of the money embezzled while on death row, it is possible the sentence could be commuted to life imprisonment, the report said.
She is one of the most famous business executives and state officials jailed in the communist country’s lengthy anti-graft campaign known as “Blazing Furnace.”
“The consequences Lan caused are unprecedented in the history of litigation and the amount of money embezzled is unprecedentedly large and unrecoverable,” the prosecution was quoted as saying at the appeal hearing by state-run online newspaper VietnamNet.
“The defendant’s actions have affected many aspects of society, the financial market, the economy,” it said.
State media cited Lan’s lawyer as saying she had many mitigating circumstances, including “having admitted guilt, showing remorse and paying back part of the amount of money embezzled,” but prosecutors said that was insufficient.
Reuters could not immediately reach Lan’s lawyers for comment.
Lan still has the right to request a review under Vietnam’s cassation or retrial procedures.
Lan’s arrest in 2022 sparked a run on one of the country’s largest private banks by deposits, Saigon Joint Stock Commercial Bank (SCB), which was at the center of the fraud and largely owned by Lan through her proxies.
Documents reviewed by Reuters showed Vietnam’s central bank had as of April pumped $24 billion in “special loans” into SCB in an “unprecedented” rescue.
Apart from the death sentence, Lan was handed a life sentence at a separate trial in October after being found guilty of obtaining property by fraud, money laundering and illegal cross-border money transfers.
President-elect Donald Trump is wasting little time affirming that tariffs will be a Day One priority. With his inauguration less than two months away, small businesses are already making moves to avoid expected cost increases — or weighing whether to take a financial hit or pass it on to customers.
On Monday, Trump announced on Truth Social that he plans to implement 25% tariffs on all goods from Mexico and Canada, plus an additional 10% tariff on goods from China.
He didn’t reiterate his calls on the stump for blanket tariffs on imports from practically everywhere, and some experts predict his proposed trade barriers would face legal challenges. But despite the uncertainty, small businesses that had eyed the plans nervously during the campaign say the clock is ticking to insulate themselves as best they can.
There’s a sense of urgency, and I’m very nervous.
Beatrice Barba, owner of Tabor Place, san francisco bay area
Beatrice Barba runs Tabor Place, a San Francisco Bay Area maker of nontoxic cups and lunch boxes for children. She’d intended to spend 2025 innovating new styles of her signature sippy cups, but now she’s dropping those plans and stockpiling as much of her basic inventory as she can.
Her entire product line is made in China, because none of the 80 domestic manufacturers she contacted when she launched the business around six years ago could execute her borosilicate glass designs.
Barba was a little worried about Trump’s tariff proposals, but she didn’t expect him to win, and she doubted his commitment to imposing them if he did. Over the next couple of months, she’s hoping her Chinese suppliers can churn out a single $200,000 order for the whole year — and get it through U.S. ports — before Trump takes office.
“That at least buys me a little bit of time to weather the storm,” she said. “There’s a sense of urgency, and I’m very nervous.”
In this video from StockCharts TV, Julius takes a deep dive into US sector rotation, breaking it down into offensive, defensive and cyclical sectors. He first looks at the relative rotations that are shaping up inside the group, assessing each sector’s price chart in combination with the rotation on the Relative Rotation Graph to get a complete picture. This all culminates with the chart of SPY, which is showing a lot of strength recently. Going forward, the crucial question will be whether SPY can rally further without the participation of technology, the most important sector in the universe.
This video was originally published on November 27, 2024. Click anywhere on the icon above to view on our dedicated page for Julius.
Past videos from Julius can be found here.
#StayAlert, -Julius
Sectarian violence has killed at least 130 people and wounded 200 others in Pakistan’s northwest in the last 10 days, officials said Sunday.
Violence flared in Kurram district on November 21 when gunmen ambushed a vehicle convoy and killed 52 people, mostly Shiite Muslims. Nobody claimed responsibility for the assault, which triggered retaliatory firing and arson by rival groups in several areas.
Over the past 24 hours alone, 14 people have died and 27 have been injured in fighting. Government officials brokered a seven-day ceasefire on November 24 but it didn’t hold.
Shiite Muslims dominate parts of the district, although they are a minority in the rest of the country. They generally live peacefully alongside Sunni Muslims, who are the majority in Pakistan.
But dozens from both sides have been killed in Kurram since July, when a land dispute turned into general sectarian violence.
The deputy commissioner of Kurram, Javed Ullah Mehsud, said talks were underway with tribal elders to negotiate a ceasefire and that security personnel had been deployed to enforce the peace.
Mehsud also said that authorities have restored internet and mobile services in the area.
But the main highway linking the city of Parachinar with the provincial capital Peshawar remains closed to all traffic, leading to shortages of food, fuel and medicine. Trade and movement at the Kharlachi border with Afghanistan has stopped.
Kurram elder Mir Afzal Khan said the violence had affected all aspects of life. People were unable to travel and the scarcity of food and medicine was causing significant hardship, he added.
Kurram is in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, where armed groups like the Pakistani Taliban operate. The Pakistani army said Sunday that eight militants had died in separate operations in the province.
In this video from StockCharts TV, Julius takes a deep dive into US sector rotation, breaking it down into offensive, defensive and cyclical sectors. He first looks at the relative rotations that are shaping up inside the group, assessing each sector’s price chart in combination with the rotation on the Relative Rotation Graph to get a complete picture. This all culminates with the chart of SPY, which is showing a lot of strength recently. Going forward, the crucial question will be whether SPY can rally further without the participation of technology, the most important sector in the universe.
This video was originally published on November 27, 2024. Click anywhere on the icon above to view on our dedicated page for Julius.
Past videos from Julius can be found here.
#StayAlert, -Julius
Taiwan President Lai Ching-te’s brief stop in Hawaii may have appeared understated – no formal US reception, no grand speeches – but its implications extend far beyond floral wreaths and banquets.
On his way to the Marshall Islands, Tuvalu, and Palau – three of Taiwan’s remaining handful of diplomatic allies – Lai was using the visit to underscore Taiwan’s diplomatic resilience amid intensifying pressure from Beijing. It also comes as Taiwan contends with the upcoming leadership change inside the White House.
Though billed as an unofficial transit, the trip drew scrutiny, particularly from China, which condemned Lai’s visit and is expected to respond with military drills near Taiwan. This was more than a layover; it reaffirmed Taiwan’s partnerships with the US and other democracies – alliances Beijing is eager to undermine.
China’s reaction to Lai’s visit was predictably fierce. A spokesperson for China’s Taiwan Affairs Office called it “a provocative act” and insisted that efforts to seek Taiwan independence “are doomed to fail.”
On Sunday, Beijing’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it “firmly opposes any form of US connivance or support for ‘Taiwan independence’ separatists and their separatist activities.”
“China strongly condemns the US’s arranging for Lai Ching-te’s ‘stopover’ and has lodged serious protests with the US,” it said in a statement.
According to Kolas Yotaka, a former spokesperson for Lai and his predecessor, Tsai Ing-wen, such responses are routine.
Taiwanese security agencies anticipate that Beijing – which claims the self-governing island as its own territory – will use Lai’s trip as a pretext for military drills near Taiwan, potentially under the codename “Joint Sword-2024C.” Such exercises, often accompanied by propaganda campaigns, are a familiar tactic. Beijing has staged similar displays of force following high-profile interactions between Taiwan and the US, including former President Tsai Ing-wen’s visit to California last year.
“This kind of suppression will not stop,” Yotaka warned. “We have to assume the worst is yet to come.”
Lai’s Hawaii visit comes at a critical juncture in US-Taiwan relations. As the US transitions to a second Donald Trump administration, Taiwan’s leaders face significant uncertainties. While Trump’s first term saw increased arms sales to Taiwan, his recent comments suggesting Taiwan should “pay for its defense” hint at a more transactional approach.
Taiwan does largely pay for its defense, through billions of dollars spent on US-made weapons. And unlike Japan, South Korea and the Philippines, it is not shielded by a mutual defense treaty with the United States.
Before departing Taiwan, Lai emphasized shared democratic values in global partnerships. “I want to use the values of democracy, peace, and prosperity to expand our cooperation with allies and show the world that Taiwan is not just a model of democracy but a vital force for peace and stability,” he said.
Some critics question the value of Taiwan’s relationships with small Pacific nations, but Yotaka firmly disagrees. “If a country is dismissed as small and unimportant, then Taiwan could be similarly dismissed,” she said. “These relationships are not just symbolic – they are critical for Taiwan’s security.”
Alliances with nations such as the Marshall Islands and Palau may lack the weight of those with larger powers, but offer platforms for engagement and bolster Taiwan’s global presence.
Lai’s trip, including his quietly significant Hawaii stop, highlights Taiwan’s ongoing fight for recognition and sovereignty as a frontline democracy confronting authoritarian pressure.
“No single person can save Taiwan,” Yotaka said. “Only a strong alliance of democracies can make a difference.”
As Beijing ups the pressure and the global power balance shifts, Taiwan’s future depends on its ability to adapt, innovate, and rally allies. Lai’s journey across the Pacific is an attempt to do just that – a calculated move in a long, high-stakes geopolitical game.