Don't Rush to Buy These Boycotted Companies' Stock

Not so fast, folks. As I work my rounds around the Facebook and Twitter spheres about this controversy faced by several companies over backlash against Pride stuff—Anheuser-Busch, Kohl's, Target and others—it seems the naysayers and deniers of the effectiveness of the boycotts are quick to simply say, "Thanks for the opportunity to make a lot of money buying shares of stock of these beaten down companies."

Normally I would agree with them. And maybe ultimately, they are right. Eventually these companies will make a comeback and perhaps come back stronger. It is certainly not outside the realm of possibility, and things like this do eventually tend to pretty much go away once the heat dies down.

I will say that being an avid and long-time stock market guy, I will certainly be keeping my eyes on it. I don't want to miss any opportunities to make money either. But I think the time is not now. Not immediately. Because I also think this backlash has legs left yet.

It would be best to sit this one out and wait until the fire dies down, the smoke clears, and the ashes have all been cleaned up.

Because this is a different feeling backlash. It's still quite hot. And I don't think consumers are near done with it yet and may not be for some time. Especially when it comes to Anheuser-Busch. Even just the other day when I went to Casey's to pick up a craft beer to share with my brother-in-law, all of the AB InBev beers were untouched while competing brands like Coors Light and Miller Lite were almost completely gone.

Nobody is buying Budweiser, Busch, Busch Light, Bud Light or any other AB beer. And that's the same story at Walmart, Schnucks and everywhere else I have been.

It's different because the fact is that consumers are just very tired of the whole LGBTQ+ thing. As I have said many times on this blog, they've simply had enough of the forceful spoon-feeding of the rhetoric. Not only that, but there's another interesting element here that needs to be considered.

It's the left's reaction to it.

Suddenly the word snowflake is being hijacked and used to describe conservatives. Suddenly, after the left succeeded in kicking Aunt Jemimah pancake syrup off the shelves, destroying iconic logos like the Land 'o Lakes indian and seeing name changes from Uncle Ben's rice to simply Ben's Original, forcing the Washington Redskins to change their name to The Commanders, the left is signaling a "wah-wah-wah" stance against conservatives over beer, and over our stance against the Pride movement.

Apparently, unless you are on the left, you are not allowed to have a position, take a stand, voice an opinion, or otherwise be offended by anything.

The left also makes a mistake to assert that we, the ones opposed to cancel culture, are now engaging in cancel culture. I have pointed out in my arguments that what we are opposed to when it comes to the Pride movement is in fact, in direct opposition to cancel culture.

Because ultimately the LGBTQ+ thing is trying to cancel gender.

This movement on our side against Pride and the LGBTQ+ movement is something that runs quite a bit deeper than other positions in the past—from both sides, frankly. It is an assault on family values. It aims to clutter the minds of children and influence them to question their identity. It pits normal lines of thinking against a societal fringe. And it is attempting to create bigotry where none exists.

If you disagree, you simply hate. And no one likes to be called a hateful bigot when that's not the case at all.

I simply think that there was a final straw on this issue that broke the camel's back, and it is going to take a lot longer than usual to heal the wounds. And for that reason, I am not so sure those discounts offered today are really discounts at all. I don't think they will bear fruit. And even if they one day do, it's going to be a long time to wait for them.

If you are a lefty thinking a pot of gold has been left on your doorstep, you may want to take careful hold of your britches and wait this one out. Because I think not only have you lost the LGBTQ+ fight to attempt to change the status quo of common culture, the companies who have fallen in your court have also fallen out of favor, and there's no guarantee a comeback is coming.

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Chick-fil-A Next in the Crosshairs

Considering the recent debacle over a beer can depicting transgender social media influencer, Dylan Mulvaney, clearly a marketing campaign despite what Anheuser-Busch wants to say—you sent a can to an influencer with millions of followers and had to have known that influencer would post something about it—which lost AB InBev billions of dollars in beer sales, not just of Bud Light but across all brands, that they still have yet to recover from, and now with Target showing losses in a major consumer backlash over pride merchandise being marketed to kids which has plummeted the value of the company by $10 billion in 10 days...

What in the hell is a company, who was long the bastion of conservative consumer high fan-fare, like Chick-fil-A doing when it decides it wants to join in on the fun and make an effort to potentially destroy what they have worked so hard to build by introducing DDI into its work culture?

Because we are operating at a time when, and it is not just conservatives, people in general have simply had enough of woke and cancel culture and having pride and diversity and gay and transgender life rammed down our throats at every turn.

It is not a question of if there will be backlash. It's a question of when will it come?

Granted, the Chick-fil-A thing is slightly different and so maybe the company can slide quietly on this without a major impact. It's not a marketing campaign. But I think consumers see the writing on the wall. It's just one more company trying to push something, even if from a purely business perspective it makes no sense to do it.

You would think, especially from a company like Chick-fil-A, that they would have gotten a clear message from both the Bud Light and Target disasters—maybe we still want to do something but now may not be the right time to do it.

When it comes to business the thing that puzzles me the most is that the entire purpose for any business is to make a profit. That's really all there is to it. It's the only reason you exist as a business. To enjoy a profit and make money for everyone who works for the company or who owns it. 

There is no other purpose.

So, why would anyone knowingly and willingly put that potential profit in jeopardy? On purpose! Why would you do it?

I am hard pressed to figure out what the purpose actually is. Is it to strongly support woke and cancel culture and all this liberal ideology fueled garbage because you believe in it? Is it a political agenda on the part of management? Even if it is either or those things or something else, it goes completely against the purpose of being in business, which is why I am perplexed about any of it.

It also makes me wonder if shareholders may now have grounds to sue for lost value of their investments in a case like this where management has to be fully aware that engaging in any of this sort of thing is absolutely going to destroy value.

It's just not a question right now because we have the proof right in front of us and it is clear. In this environment, if a company decides to do something that will clearly drop their bottom lines, can investors say, "Hey, wait a minute. This is our company and we want you to focus on what makes us money. Nothing else matters."

None of this is to say that any group should not be acknowledged or left behind. But it is to say that we should also recognize what any group represents as the whole, and clearly the LGBTQ+ community is in the minority, and by leaps and bounds. It's a very tiny percentage of the population that is part of that community.

What's at issue here is that that small group wants the majority to conform or else. Something I have talked about extensively. No one in society should be forced to do anything. And beyond that, it's about the kids right? And I think that's really where all of this backlash is really coming from. It's the fuel for the fire, so to speak.

Had this thing not been pushed in SCHOOLS, for Heaven's sake, maybe no one would care if you had a beer can with a transgender face on it or a few tuck friendly swimsuits on the shelves at Target.

It is when it is not about inclusivity, but rather about indoctrination, not just of kids mind you, but society as a whole to simply accept their point of view or else is when the whole thing implodes on itself.

Because that's what they are doing. The LGBTQ+ community is not wanting inclusion at all. They are wanting to disrupt everyone else's lives in order to have their way. Shove it right down our throats, have pride flags flown everywhere, have children be taught about their way of life, have our television shows and TV commercials and billboards filled with Pride Awareness and Pride Agenda. 

The backlash against these companies, regardless of what their actual agenda is, is about all of that. And consumers are saying no. Enough. And it is almost as though the companies don't care if they go broke in the process. 

Perhaps there is another little hidden agenda in all of this. Destroying wealth and pushing the real hidden cause. Universal Basic Income and socialism at its core. Maybe that's what these companies are really up to? 

Who knows? All I can say is that Chick-fil-A certainly will fall into the crosshairs, and it may not bode well for the company. And once reputations are ruined, the reality is that it will be difficult to get it back. As I was always told, "It takes years to build a loyal customer and only seconds to lose one." 

I am almost of the opinion that these companies don't care. It's the only thing that makes sense to me.

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Lower Gas Prices Will Spike The Economy

When it comes to oil, as a general rule, there is one big factor that I consider. Oil is deeply embedded in the entire United States economy. For that reason, when oil prices, and especially prices at the pump, reach new low levels, I think the overall impact on the economy is potentially great.

This becomes more pronounced when we think about how much of a negative impact high gas prices have had on the average American family in the past five or so years. Pumping up to get to point B drains spendable cash from the pockets of consumers, and this has an effect on the entire economy. Especially where discretionary spending is concerned. But let's not forget that all of the products we buy must get to point B as well, and much of that transport of goods happens using gas.

It is uncertain how long gas prices, or the price of oil in general, will remain lower. But at least in the short term, the impact of low gas prices in the economy could help to lift up many companies that would be direct beneficiaries of the decline in oil prices.

Those would be the places where discretionary money would most likely be spent.

Companies to look at to invest in the decline in oil prices? Retail outlets, especially those that are a step above stores like Walmart, The Dollar Tree, Family Dollar, and Dollar General. Starbucks is definitely one place that could see more customers willing to spend some of their newfound extra cash on a cup of premium coffee. Restaurants and entertainment venues will fare well as well.

Of course, all of this fresh cash entering the overall economy will have another effect as well. That is, it will help to bolster demand, and that of course can lead to more jobs. Even if oil prices ramp up again, ideally more Americans will be back to work, and the economy will better be able to sustain itself going forward. This recent decline in oil prices, if you ask me, is at the right time, and just what the doctor ordered.

Cautious Optimism for the US Markets

Today wound up being another fairly good day in the markets, and certainly the markets have been enjoying some fairly nice runups of late. And while there are definitely positive signs that the economy may slowly be in the beginning stages of coming out of the doldrums, I am still fairly cautious about the moves I make in the markets, but also optimistic going forward that certain stocks will see some nice gains.

Part of the activity in the markets was due to the start of a two-day meeting by the Feds which, for all intents and purposes appears that they will not make any immediate changes, which is positive news overall. It willalso be interesting see what the Fed will have to say about some of the predictions they made in March when they last met in which they said they saw GDP growth around 2.6% through 2013, and a nearly 1 point increase in 2014 to 3.2%. In March the Fed also suggested that unemployment numbers would continue to improve, dropping to 7.4% by the end of 2013, and down to 6.9% by 2014. I think that if the Fed reaffirms these figures, or show better numbers for GDP growth projections and unemployment figures, obviously this will cause the markets to continue to rally. If the Fed adjust these numbers to the negative, it may throw a bit of uncertainty in the markets and cause stocks to go lower. My strong suspicion is that the Fed will not adjust their figures, but rather will state that they are on track to meet these projections they made back in March. That is still a positive, to my mind, and I think the markets will react positively to that news.

I also think that, for the time being, the Fed will maintain monthly purchases of $85 billion worth of bonds. They won't start scaling this back, I believe, until some of the projected figures begin to get closer to becoming fact. Bernanke, I think, tends to be a bit cautious about acting too soon. Although a scaling back of these bond purchases would certainly be a strong signal for the economy, and the markets could see gains as a result.

Stocks I like right now are Ford Motor Company (F), Dunkin Brands Group (DNKN), Target (TGT), and Masco Corp. (MAS).

I picked Ford due to what I perceive as better auto sales figures due to improving employment, an uptick in refinancing of mortgages which may open some money up to potential buyers, and aging fleets which will need to be replaced sometime in the near future which Ford could be a beneficiary of. Dunkin Brands Group was picked due to a good earnings cycle, and strong expansion of their business and upgrading of stores. Dunkin is making a strong push for market share, and I think they have a good chance of getting some of it. Target is my choice because consumer confidence is up slightly, and because I think Target is considered by many consumers as an upgrade to other discount players like Dollar Tree and Walmart. If economic conditions improve, and employment situations improve, consumers may well treat themselves to shopping up at Target over the other discounters. Plus, their stores look great. Masco Corp. is a play on the nearly 7% uptick in new housing starts recently reported, and improving home sales overall. When people buy new or existing homes, they tend to want to spruce things up a bit, and Masco Corp. is definitely a company who offers products new homeowners can turn to to help them to do this.

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