Lincoln National Corporation (LNC)

In response to a number of subscriber emails, here is a partial list of my shorts: Alibaba, aka Ali Blah Blah (BABA), Apple (AAPL), MetLife (MET), Lincoln Financial (LNC), Comcast (CMCSA), Exxon Mobil (XOM), Schlumberger (SLB), United Parcel Service...

My thoughts on the day: Reasonably important win for the bears today. I started the day outlining the likelihood of a retracement on "good news."  Approaching some short-term critical support breaks -- to the downside. Mr. Market flatlined from noon...

I added to the following individual equity shorts today: Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.B) Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLP) Comcast (CMCSA) Exxon Mobil (XOM) Lincoln National Corp. (LNC) MetLife (MET) Schlumberger (SLB), which I'm moving on to...

My thoughts as the day wraps up: I give the win to the bears today (finally!), as Mr. Market (thus far) has made two failing attempts to rally. Bonds continued to drop in price and rise in yield. As I mentioned, in response to Kim G in the Comments ...

I was out yesterday and Bret Jensen was handling the Daily Diary for me, but I wrote several postings on Columnist Conversations noting that I was materially increasing my short exposure. To recap: I added to shorts in the SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY) at ...

I am re-shorting and adding back the life insurance stocks to my Best Ideas List (short) -- Lincoln National (LNC) at $52.90 and MetLife (MET) at $50.80. While the two-year U.S. note has spiked, there is little change in the 10-year and 30-year yiel...

My thoughts on the day to this point: A down day, thus far. S&P near the day's low. SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY) at $206, or about 30 cents above the day's low. Fairly bad breadth on the NYSE. Qs (Nasdaq) are creaming Ss (S&P) who are creaming Rs (Russell...

As I wrote yesterday, the big miss by Hartford Financial (HIG) underscores the reinvestment challenges facing the life- and casualty-insurance businesses. As noted yesterday, this also partly explains why I had Lincoln National (LNC) and MetLife (ME...

A quick read on Hartford Financial Services Group (HIG) is that the company had a disappointing 13-cent miss, but I'm still working on the report. More importantly, the report highlights the meager reinvestment opportunities (against a zero interest...

Back in mid-August I wrote about the "big short" being close at hand. Here, in its entirety, is that analysis. Please pay special attention to "numerous peaks I see" part: The Big Short May Be At Hand (Part Deux) I start each day with these three qu...

I am closely watching the "flight to safety" as measured by the strength of the fixed income market in the U.S. The specific proxy that I am watching intensely is the iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond (TLT), an exchange-traded fund of bonds with about ...

Housekeeping item: I've taken my shorts of life insurers Lincoln National (LNC) and MetLife (MET) off on weakness today and am removing the two names from my Best Ideas list. Both stocks have been on my Best Ideas list for almost six months now, and...

I am short Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.B), Lincoln National (LNC) and MetLife (MET) (the latter two are on my Best Ideas list as shorts). I am long Hartford Financial (HIG).

I start each day with these three questions: In a paperless and cloud(y) world, are investors and citizens alike as safe as the markets assume we are? In a flat, networked and interconnected world, is it even possible for the U.S. to be an "oasis of...

Given the bond market's recent strength and the yield curve's flattening, I continue to foresee profit-taking in regional and money-center banks and an outright decline in life-insurance stocks. (Short positions of Lincoln National (LNC) and MetLife...

Lincoln National (LNC), a short on the Best Ideas List, had a small miss in sales and a $0.07/share miss on earnings. The shares are down by 3%. Sticking with the short that I have been adding to. MetLife (MET) is also down on the news.

"In a paperless (and "cloudy") world, investors and citizens are not likely as safe as the markets assume."  -- Doug's Daily Diary, "Short in May and Go Away" (May 26) Today's takeaways and observations: I've repeatedly expressed concerns over the p...

A housekeeping item: I took a portion of my "short" Trade of the Week (short Lincoln National (LNC)) off just now at $57.15, but I'm sticking with my core short.

I doubled up on Direxion Daily S&P500 Bear 3X ETF (SPXS) at $18.50 and pressed my Lincoln National (LNC) short at $58.85.

I have added to the following shorts: SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY), PowerShares QQQ Trust (QQQ), Lincoln National (LNC), MetLife (MET), Apple (AAPL), and Comcast (CMCSA).

My short "Trade of the Week" is to short life insurer, Lincoln National (LNC). This is the second time LNC short has been the TOTW. I expect rates to trend lower over the short term. The 10-year U.S. note yields 2.31% this morning; I expect the 2.50...

I have added to the following shorts this morning: MetLife (MET), Lincoln National (LNC), Comcast (CMCSA) and Apple (AAPL).

Thus far I have added to the following shorts (all small transactions): SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY) at $211.15, PowerShares QQQ Trust (QQQ) at $110.58, MetLife (MET) at $57.43  and Lincoln National (LNC) at $60.84. I added to Twitter (TWTR) long at...

I have added to these shorts: Apple (AAPL), SPDR S&P 500 (SPY) and PowerShares QQQ (QQQ). I have increased these longs: GM (GM) and Ford (F). I have reduced my Oaktree (OAK) position. I have also added to these closed-end municipal bond funds: ETX, ...

Contrary to my expectations, life insurance companies'  shares remain strong. MetLife (MET) and Lincoln National (LNC) reside on my Best Ideas list (short!) under the umbrella of higher rates.  Since I expect the short-term direction of rates to mak...

My Trade of the Week is shorting PowerShares QQQ Trust (QQQ) at $109.60 (where I just added this morning). My rationale: An overbought Nasdaq An overvalued Nasdaq -- "old" tech (e.g., Microsoft (MSFT)) has rallied big and so has "new" tech (Pricelin...

I am pressing my life insurance shorts in Lincoln National (LNC) and MetLife (MET).