Market Foolery

The market gets a boost from a Wall Street Journal report that China is working to increase access for overseas companies. Tencent Music rises in its Wall Street debut. And Dave & Buster’s declines on earnings. Analysts Andy Cross and Ron Gross discuss these stories and talk about Verizon’s broken Oath. Thanks to Slack for supporting The Motley Fool.  Slack: Where work happens. Go to Slack.com to learn more.

Stitch Fix falls 30% on weak 2nd-quarter guidance, while Ascena Retail Group pops 25% on better-than-expected comps. What in the world is going on???  Emily Flippen analyzes the apparel retail landscape and shares why she’s not treating Stitch Fix’s drop as a buying opportunity.  Plus, we dip into the Fool Mailbag to answer two important questions: What’s the rule-of-thumb when your stock gets bought out?  How come ducks don’t get frostbite?   Holiday Music: “Christmas Time Will Soon Be Over” by Jack White   Thanks Netsuite.  Get the FREE guide, “Crushing the Five Barriers to Growth”, at www.NetSuite.com/Fool.

Merger Monday! Tivity Health buys Nutrisystem in a deal that a lot of investors seem to hate. Taylor Muckerman analyzes the numbers and shares why he understands the skepticism. Uber and Lyft file to go public. Plus, Taylor shares some highlights from his recent meetings with executives from Venmo, WW, and 2U.   Holiday music: “8 Days (of Hanukkah)” by Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings   Thanks to Slack for supporting The Motley Fool.  Slack: Where work happens. Go to Slack.com to learn more.

The stock market continues its sell-off. Canada arrests Huawei’s CFO after a request from the U.S. And Netflix pays $100 million for another year of Friends. Motley Fool analysts Bill Mann and Jason Moser discuss those stories and dig into earnings from Kroger.

How dangerous are index funds becoming? How bad is Anheuser Busch Inbev’s dividend cut? Those are just two of the questions MFAM Funds’ Bill Barker analyzes as we dip into the Fool Mailbag. We also revisit our recent conversation about James Bond, and pay tribute to the late, great Ricky Jay.   Holiday music: “Hanukkah Waltz” by Bela Fleck and the Flecktones   Thanks to Grammarly for supporting The Motley Fool. For 20% off a Grammarly premium account, go to Grammarly.com/fool.

4th-quarter profits for Toll Brothers soars 62%, but the stock doesn’t respond. Meanwhile RH Holdings (aka, Restoration Hardware) pops on a strong 3rd-quarter report. Emily Flippen analyzes those two companies, and discusses the (potentially) increased likelihood of a recession after the appearance of the inverted yield curve.   Holiday music: “Hanukkah on Japonica” by Panorama Jazz Band   Thanks to Grammarly for supporting The Motley Fool. For 20% off a Grammarly premium account, go to Grammarly.com/fool.

A truce in the trade war with China sends stocks higher. Jason Moser analyzes the landscape for investors and discusses the ripple effects of Amazon’s new arrangement with Apple Music. Plus, we dip into the Fool Mailbag to answer the question, how much consideration should investors put into a CEO’s pay?

We’re back with another non-investing episode!  Strap in as MFAM Funds’ Bill Barker and Chris Hill are joined by longtime Fool (and good friend) Bill Mann to talk about James Bond’s early training and the smallest hill we’re willing to die on.  Plus, we also discuss Bill Mann’s comedy influences, Barker’s death threat, Hill’s origin story movie pitches, and who would win a fight between Han Solo and Indiana Jones.  Producer Dan Boyd weighs in on various topics and kicks off our 4th annual drive to share awesome holiday music with some help from Dropkick Murphys.

Abercrombie & Fitch soars while Express falls in the face of a tough holiday quarter. Emily Flippen analyzes the apparel retail industry and shares the secret to Abercrombie & Fitch’s latest success. Plus, we dip into the Fool Mailbag to discuss the unsexy-yet-profitable world of waste management stocks.   Thanks to Slack for supporting The Motley Fool.  Slack: Where work happens. Go to Slack.com to learn more.

Tiffany shares have their worst day in nearly 4 years. JM Smucker struggles on several fronts. And shares of Chico’s fall nearly 40%. MFAM Funds analyst Bill Barker discusses those stories and shares how Burlington Stores has found the golden equation for retailers. (Tangents include listeners in Sweden, open jobs at JM Smucker, our idea for a Yukon Cornelius origin story.)   Go to www.Harrys.com/Fool to redeem your offer and let them know we sent you to help support the show!