Marius Grobler

Infinity Lounge

Category: Uncategorized

Update: Lumber Prices Up 17% YoY

This is something to watch again. Here is another monthly update on lumber prices.SPECIAL NOTE: The CME group discontinued the Random Length Lumber Futures contract on May 16, 2023.  I switched to a physically-delivered Lumber Futures contract that was started in August 2022.  Unfortunately, this impacts long term price comparisons since the new contract was priced about 24% higher than the old random length contract for the period when both contracts were available. This graph shows CME random length framing futures through August 2022 (blue), and the new physically-delivered Lumber Futures (LBR) contract starting in August 2022 (Red).On May 30, 2025, LBR was at $593.00 per 1,000 board feet, up 17% from a year ago. Click on graph for larger image. There is somewhat of a seasonal demand for lumber, and lumber prices frequently peak in the first half of the year.Last year, prices bottomed in July at $449.00 per 1,000 board feet.Note that the pickup in early 2018 was due to the Trump lumber tariffs in 2017.  There were huge increases during the pandemic due to a combination of supply constraints and a pickup in housing starts.The recent year-over-year increase might be due to the tariffs.  http://www.calculatedriskblog.com/2025/06/update-lumber-prices-up-17-yoy.html

Billionaire David Tepper Bought More Shares of This Artificial Intelligence (AI) Stock That Could Join Apple, Microsoft, and Nvidia in the $3 Trillion Club by 2030

The artificial intelligence (AI) market continues to grow rapidly. With many companies competing for supremacy in the field, investors have numerous options to choose from today. It’s not a bad idea to look to famous names on Wall Street for investing inspiration, either. Consider David Tepper, the billionaire founder of Appaloosa Management, a hedge fund.During the first quarter, Tepper and his team decreased the fund’s stake in several high-profile AI players, including Amazon, Microsoft, and Nvidia. Meanwhile, positions in Facebook’s parent company, Meta Platforms (NASDAQ: META), increased during the period. Here’s why investors looking to cash in on AI should follow Tepper’s lead and purchase shares of Meta Platforms.Image source: Getty Images.Continue readinghttps://www.fool.com/investing/2025/06/01/david-tepper-bought-more-shares-of-this-ai-stock/

Terrible News for Pfizer Stock Investors

The past three years have been challenging for Pfizer (NYSE: PFE). Revenue and earnings have moved in the wrong direction, as has the company’s share price. The stock is down by 56% since 2022. Although Pfizer has made some efforts to turn things around, they have been insufficient. And recent regulatory developments in the U.S. somewhat complicate things for the drugmaker.Here’s what investors need to know.Pfizer’s poor performance since 2022 is largely due to its coronavirus portfolio. After producing record revenue thanks to its work in this area, once the pandemic started receding, sales from Comirnaty, its COVID-19 vaccine, and Paxlovid, its therapy for the disease, started dropping off a cliff. However, Pfizer’s coronavirus franchise has remained critical to its overall financial results. In 2024, the company’s combined revenue from Paxlovid and Comirnaty was $11.1 billion.Continue readinghttps://www.fool.com/investing/2025/06/01/terrible-news-for-pfizer-stock-investors/