Money Life with Chuck Jaffe

Karl Mills, president of Jurika, Mills and Kiefer, says that while there is more good news than bad right now for the market, investors should be more defensive in their thinking right now. Mills isn't expecting a big downturn -- he's anticipating a 10 to 15 percent pullback, but says that it's hard to see much potential for the market to move significantly higher, so until there is some sort of sell-off and the market repositions to make buying more attractive, he's remaining cautious and careful. Also on the show, Ted Rossman of CreditCards.com discusses the current shortage of coins and how Covid-19 is permanently changing the way consumers pay for things, David Trainer of New Constructs talks about an attractive manufacturing stock to consider now, and Harris Trifon of Western Asset Management discusses how the work-from-home trend is likely to impact real estate markets once the coronavirus pandemic has ended.

Noting that 'Hope is not an investment strategy,' Peter Chiappinelli, portfolio strategist at GMO, says that his firm de-risked its holdings in May, moving from a buy-hold tack into the market's recovery to more of a long-short strategy that should make money no matter which way the wind blows next. He says that the market is pricing in an all-is-well optimistic recovery, but that savvy investors should prepare for something worse to help get them through uncertain times, and he noted that value should outperform core equity in time, particularly with international stocks, which 'are trading at a discount we have never seen before in the history of our database.' Also on the show, author Steven Bavaria talks about how closed-end funds can be an 'income factory' driving returns, Matt Harris of HighTower Advisors talks technicals and describes why a weak dollar is making gold, miners and emerging markets look good, and David Marcus of Evermore Global Value Fund says in the Market Call that there is a current intersection between the growth and value styles that's unlike anything he has seen in his decades as a fund manager.

Joe Kalish, chief global macro strategist at Ned Davis Research, says that while many people currently believe the stock market and economy are disconnected -- with the market thriving while the economy is hurting -- the patterns for the market and the economy are tightly linked and likely to stay that way for the foreseeable future, with the economy's path dictating what the market does next. Thus, if the economy takes a V-shaped recovery pattern, the market will continue going up, but if the recovery flattens, falters or rolls over, the market is likely to follow suit in lock-step fashion. Also on the show, Tom Lydon of ETFTrends.com talks about China with his ETF of the Week, and Bernie Horn of the Polaris Global Value Fund talks about why he has broadened out his portfolio and how the inability to be a globetrotter has affected his buys and sells amid the pandemic.

Larry Cordisco, portfolio manager at Osterweis Capital Management, says that investors should look for industry leaders that are depressed by the current economy, because they're in a strong position to weather the market and economic storm created by the coronavirus pandemic.When the current economy weakens -- which Cordisco expects, despite his long-term view that recovery is coming -- the strong players will come out in a few years much better positioned as leaders in their fields. Also on the show, Howard Dvorkin of Debt.com talks about how individuals and families struggling to make ends meet during the pandemic should approach their problems to minimize potential trouble, and author Olivier Sibony discusses his new book on the mistakes people make by letting personal biases skew their decisions.

Brian Barish, president and chief investment officer at Cambiar Investors, says that the Federal Reserve's actions to keep money flowing have allowed the stock market to rebound and rise despite the obvious economic issues that might otherwise punish stocks. He suggests not fighting the Fed while looking for opportunities now, but warns that in 2021 or '22, 'the Fed will stop doing these things, and that will be your Uh-oh moment in the stock market.' Starting the show, Jeff Bishop, editor at Total Alpha Trading, says that 'This is not a time to be a fundamental investor,' but that makes it a great time to be a short-term technical trader, using the force of price moves -- rather than standing in the way of them expecting a downturn -- to ride the trends to higher prices. Also on the show, Leisa Peterson discusses her new book, 'The Mindful Millionaire,' and Chuck answers a question about dealing with a tough situation that could lead an audience member to declare bankruptcy in the future.

Melanie Lieberman, senior travel editor at ThePointsGuy.com, discusses the unique challenges people are facing now as they try to plan summer vacations and family trips at a time when traveling presents a very real health risk. Also on the show, Jeff Kolitch, manager of the Baron Real Estate Fund, joins Chuck to chat about how investors benefit when they look past REITs and go for service-companies and home builders in the real estate space -- though he also likes real estate investment trusts despite their recent struggles -- while David Trainer of New Constructs says a particularly 'nutty' stock is actually much less dangerous than the market seems to believe right now, and Andrey Kutusov of the Seven Canyons World Innovators Fund talks global stock investing in the Market Call.

Jack Janasiewicz, portfolio strategist at Natixis Investment Managers, says that while thw worst of the stock market's troubles should be behind us, there is a long way to go before he can say things are good. Right now, he says, it's more of a 'less bad' environment, with the market grinding higher and climbing the proverbial wall of worry. He suggests strong positions in domestic equities, most notably in technology and other buoyant sectors while riding through volatility. Also on the show, John Cole Scott of Closed-End Fund Advisors and the Active Investment Company Alliance looks at how closed-end funds rebounded in the second quarter, posting strong results despite huge dividend cuts; while closed-end issues remain down on average for the year, he notes that wider discounts make them particularly attractive at this point, especially for income-oriented investors. Jared Kizer of Buckingham Strategic Partners discusses how he advises clients who are getting nervous to 'do something' at a time when the best advice remains 'stay the course,' and Jill Gonzalez of WalletHub covers a survey of Americans who mostly believe that Covid-19 has changed the way we work for the better.

Michael Kagan, portfolio manager for ClearBridge Investments, says in the Market Call that investors are looking at a 'very concentrated market,' noting that a huge percentage of the market's recent gains have been driven by just 10 stocks and pointing out that the last time the market was this concentrated was during the first quarter of 2000, just before the Internet bubble burst. While he's not expecting any similar dire outcomes, Kagan notes that investors are scared and betting on the names that are producing results now, but that the popular stocks will suffer when investors feel safe to once again venture further from their comfort levels. Also on the show, Tom Lydon of ETFTrends.com makes a new issue that covers a hot-topic niche his ETF of the Week, Neesha Hathi of Charles Schwab talks 'stock slices,' which let investors buy fractional shares of stock commission-free for a few bucks at a time, and Andrew Beer of the iM DBi Hedge Strategy ETF talks about how the market and hedge funds have reacted to the many shocks created by the global pandemic.

Rob Sharps, head of investments at T. Rowe Price, says investors need to focus on balance sheets, fundamentals and 'the ability of businesses to make it to the other side [of the pandemic] with their businesses intact,' and warns that we're well past the point where investors can buy stocks broadly and expect to benefit from a recovery. 'Aggregate market valuations,' he says, 'have never been more meaningless,' making the case for tactical decision-making and solid stock-picking. Earlier on the show, Fritz Folts, chief investment strategist at 3EDGE Asset Management, said that the US market is significantly overvalued, which has him looking at global assets -- especially in emerging markets -- and trimming his domestic holdings sharply. Rounding out the discussions -- and bringing additional focus to valuations -- Tim Koller, co-author of 'Valuation,' a business standard now out in its seventh edition, talks about how the pandemic has impacted the valuation of public and private companies.

Kristina Hooper, global macro strategist at Invesco, says we are seeing a global economic ping-pong game, where the information we are getting about coronavirus, health policies, economic news, monetary policy and more are bouncing around to create an outlook that is changing on an almost-daily basis. Still, she said that creates opportunities for investors who are patient and tactical through a slow, uneven recovery that won't be so much a v-shaped rebound but a 'Nike swoosh' shaped upturn. Also on the show, Ted Rossman discusses a Bankrate.com survey about whether investors and consumers are losing sleep to financial concerns during the coronavirus pandemic, Russel Kinnel, director of manager research at Morningstar talks mutual funds in the Market Call, and Chuck talks weird financial news, including the fines levied against an Austrian man charged with excessive, aggressive flatulence.