Good morning.

Pressed and stressed today, as I am in Las Vegas … and never do get used to the three-hour time difference. Going to bed after midnight here (those darned casinos) completely threw off my biological clock … and I know I will pay for it dearly when I get back to the comforts of home later in the week.

The big news coming out of CES was probably a new computer announced by the CEO of Nvidia … and one article below classifies it as being: “1,000 times more powerful than a laptop.”   On top of that, the size is that of a small book with a starting cost of around $3,000.  I really don’t know where to go with this as it will take a little time to absorb what it all means … and to what degree it will benefit you or me … or if it is needed at all.

What I found interesting was an initial write-up on the topic which talked about how the stock price would certainly continue its rise.  Well … funny things happen sometimes and following a decent rise at the open today, the stock quickly reversed course and now is facing a sharp decline.  I will never be able to figure this game out. I think I need a supercomputer. Thankfully, I now know where to get one.

Along with the decline of this tech leader, others seem to be following suit, driving the tech-heavy S&P into negative territory today. There are a lot of things going on right now … with the CES show this week … the Inauguration (and the drama that brings) in less than two weeks … and then the Fed.  At the very least, the rest of January promises to be exciting.

On a final note for today, the last story below is … well … troubling … as the FDA is requesting manufacturers limit the amount of lead in baby food.  No, I did not accidentally combine two stories here and am shocked to read it.  On top of that, bringing amounts down is voluntary … not mandatory. I would like to suggest that the label on the jar of baby food in the supermarket should be changed to read Chicken & Rice & Lead.

Maybe that will get the attention of parents.

I need to sign off, shower (too much information?) and get to this event that opens in about an hour.  And in the meantime, I keep getting worrisome texts from home.

It seems crime has picked up in my neighborhood as a nearby German Bakery was broken into last night.

Many of the cakes were stollen.

Have a great day,

Joseph G. Witthohn, CFA

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