This week’s economic headlines are a mix of “holy shit” and “you can’t make this up.”
The July jobs report? An absolute mess—and not just because the numbers were bad, but because the revisions make 2009 look calm. Tariffs? Cranked up like a bad sequel nobody asked for.
But it’s not all doom and gloom—this week’s ex-dividend list is stacked with high-yield plays, and we’ve been making some killer moves in the retirement portfolio. Let’s dig in.
Economic News
1️⃣ Jobs Report Dumpster Fire
July’s nonfarm payrolls came in at 73,000 jobs added and unemployment ticked up to 4.2%. Bad enough on the surface, but dig deeper and it’s worse.
May’s job gains were revised down from 144,000 to 19,000. June’s from 147,000 to 14,000. That’s not a revision—that’s a wipeout.
Why does this matter? The Overlord wants interest rates cut. One way to get there: make the labor market look like it’s in crisis. The last time we saw this steep a revision was March 2009.
Pair this report with the ADP private payrolls data, and we’re staring down a setup for a major market downturn.
2️⃣ Tariff Madness, Round Whatever We’re On
As of the July 31 deadline, tariffs are officially back in the headlines. Baseline: 15%, with certain countries (Brazil 50%, Canada 35%, Switzerland 39%) slapped harder.
Why? The Overlord is punishing any country with a trade deficit against the US—unless, of course, they’re on his “friends” list like Vietnam, Indonesia, and Germany.
Result? Inflation’s going up. We’ll feel the sting in a few months. It’s wild that one man’s economic ignorance can tank global markets this fast.
Top 10 IINvestments Going Ex-Dividend Next Week
This is another monster yield week—average 14.41%—and full of diversity:
- 3 BDCs: HTGC, SPMC, CSWC
- 2 Bond Funds: ECC, OXLC
- 1 Mortgage REIT: ABR
- 1 Fertilizer Play: UAN (variable div—this quarter is huge)
- 1 Nat Gas Play: LPG (9% “stealth” payer with regular specials)
- 1 Oil Play: SRV
- 1 Chemical Play: WLKP
We hold HTGC, SPMC, ABR, LPG, SRV, and UAN right now. HTGC and ABR are “starter portfolio” staples in my opinion—just keep an eye on ABR after their recent dividend trim.
Portfolio Updates
1️⃣ Dividend Strategy Shifts
- DRIP turned off for MSTY, WNTR, YBTC—Bitcoin’s volatility in August means we want the cash to recoup initial investment faster.
- DRIP turned back on for JEPQ.
2️⃣ Retirement Portfolio Wins
- Fully recouped initial investment in BTI and SBSW—58 BTI shares and 174 SBSW shares are now pure profit.
- Reinvested proceeds into UPS, BKH, SWKS, OZK—adding rock-solid companies with growth potential.
3️⃣ What’s Next
- We’ll clear the last $700 owed from MMM next month post-dividend.
- Retirement portfolio is now holding some of the best-positioned companies for long-term stability and growth.
And that’s a wrap.
Want Instant Notifications For These Investing IINsights?
We post these updates to several places where you can subscribe and get notified as soon as we post.
- Substack
- LinkedIn Newsletter
- Our email list (no spam, just 1 email a week). Sign up below.
