the Java Exchange

Netflix, the ultimate disruptor, could be headed to extinction. The company started the streaming service model and created a business unlike any other. The streaming idea is so good the competition is using Netflix as a guide to create their own streaming service, in turn disrupting the disruptor.

In the latest blow to Netflix Inc., AMC Theatres, the biggest cinema chain in the world, said Tuesday it is launching a streaming service that will allow members of its loyalty program to rent or buy films and watch them at home, the first such offering from a cinema operator. The 20 million-plus U.S. households that have signed up to the company’s AMC Stubs program will be able to access about 2,000 films from every major studio, starting Tuesday. Later in the year the service is slated to be expanded to include films from AMC Networks’ (AMCX)IFC Films and RLJE Films.

https://finance.yahoo.com/m/ab630de0-465a-3f46-87d6-682afa17f9ac/amc-theatres-launches.html

I don’t quite understand the financial world, however I believe the Michigan Pension Board made the correct decision here. The article speaks volumes. The industry needs to change.

The state of Michigan has pulled $600 million of its pension fund from wealth management company Fisher Investments after the company’s founder and CEO Ken Fisher made sexist comments at a summit in San Francisco this week.

The average price of a new car in the US is north of $36,000. Can the average blue-collar American afford to buy a new car? While talking to a friend I learned the true nature of the automobile industry. The loan term for a new car can reach beyond 85 months. The economic community is concerned about student debt, and rightfully so, another issue is the possibility of a car loan bubble. If the economy slows down, as all markets eventually do, what will happen to the automobile market? If the Big 3 are depending on 60 to 85 month loans for business the auto business model is built on sand not steel.

Walk into an auto dealership these days and you might walk out with a seven-year car loan.

That means monthly payments that last well past when the brake pads give out and potentially beyond when the car gets traded in for a new one. About a third of auto loans for new vehicles taken in the first half of 2019 had terms of longer than six years, according to credit-reporting firm Experian PLC. A decade ago, that number was less than 10%.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-seven-year-auto-loan-americas-middle-class-cant-afford-their-cars-11569941215?mod=hp_lead_pos8

Many people are shy about social media, viewing the use of the tool as a sin or evil. Not all media tools are created equal. The busy business professional can use the electronic badlands to an advantage, if you understand it.

If you want to have a successful career, maintaining an online presence on LinkedIn is crucial.

Not only is it an effective way to network with other professionals in your field, but it can get you noticed by others and potentially land you several job opportunities.

https://www.cnbc.com/2019/09/25/example-template-of-perfect-linkedin-profile-according-to-harvard-career-experts.html

President Trump suggested the Federal Reserve drop the Fed rate to zero. While this sounds like a good idea if you plan to bring money, if you plan to leave money at a bank would you like to get a zero or negative interest on your money. Remember, bank offer interest on the money you deposit, would you leave your money in a bank with a negative rate? This would mean you would owe the bank to hold your money. Does this idea appeal to you?

President Trump’s latest attack on the Federal Reserve has him calling central bank officials “boneheads” for not cutting interest rates to zero or lower to boost the slowing economy.

Wells Fargo Securities’ senior economist Sarah House calls the president’s tweet “irresponsible.”

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/trump-latest-fed-tweet-is-irresponsible-economist-172835874.html

Trade disputes never end will. This could break the long market rally by Christmas. Only time will tell if the tariffs are a boom for the economy or a mill stone.

To the Man & Women in the Military (California I understand is following the Exchange) thank you. How much stock should the country place in Financial Education?

Financial literacy is an important and necessary life skill. While we don’t widely see it on the classroom agenda, many are surprised to learn that it has been a formal part of the American education system for more than a century.

https://www.cnbc.com/2019/08/28/politics-is-hindering-the-effectiveness-of-financial-education.html

Often written about on the news is the trade deficit with China. However, the US does TRADE with China. This means the US also sells goods and services to China as well as buys goods and services. Rarely do both sides gain from a trade dispute between large economic entities.

The White House recently announced that it would be providing an additional $16 billion in aid to American farmers affected by the trade war between the U.S. and China.

But the problem for American farmers has becomes bigger than something a bailout can fix.

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/trade-war-farmers-trump-markets-154935903.html