To the editor:
As a shareholder of Walmart, I am very pleased with the increase in the stock price and the success of the company as a super omnichannel retailer (“Walmart Takes Flight” cover story, July 7). But as a shopper, I’ve been disappointed by the drastic price hikes in groceries over the last few years. Walmart’s drinking water went up from 88 cents to $1.16 a gallon before the pandemic, Walmart mustard went up from 99 cents to $1.50, and store-brand salad dressing went up from $1.25 to $1.95. These are big price hikes by the “value-based” retail giants that working families are feeling and definitely struggling with.
Dr. William A. Wolkstein
livingston, new jersey
To the editor:
Walmart needs to stay practical in order to strengthen its overall retail business. Walmart customers expect a few basic things: low prices, timely inventory, and a user-friendly in-store and online experience. If Walmart decides to move to the fringes of product and delivery system insanity and disrupt its customer base, it will have problems. You don’t have to do this. No one wants a pile of rotten bananas or a dented soup can that has been dropped on the balcony by a drone.
thomas smicklas
at Barrons.com
Strategies to keep you safe
To the editor:
Regarding the advice provided in the most recent Funds Quarter (“The S&P 500 is a Mega Cap Tech Fund. Where to Invest Instead,” July 7), I see dry powder (cash) as a better future entry. Save for points. September and October are usually volatile months for the market. Also, it would be great if I could earn 5% or more in my money market account as change. I’m retired, but I encourage my fellow retirees to stick with dividend stocks, especially stocks with dividends above his 6%.
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Mark Genurio
at Barrons.com
To the editor:
Do what Warren Buffett suggests. Stop trying to come up with the “next big idea” that will lead you to millions by buying into Vanguard All Market Indexed Mutual Funds. Average the lowest cost index fund you can find and stick with it. In time you will win.
Gary Frey
at Barrons.com
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bank rating
To the editor:
Thank you for your two recent articles on local banks. One of them illustrates the many challenges facing local banks (“Smaller Banks Only One Way Forward: Consolidation,” Other Voices, July 7) valuation loss, etc. Commercial real estate and US Treasury holdings, a tough lending environment, and a massive decline in low-interest deposits heading for the ocean of money market funds.
Meanwhile, Jacob Sonnenschein points to some undervalued and resilient stocks in the same sector (“Six small bank stocks make big gains,” July 6). As we all await guidance, this quarter earnings season for bank stocks will be a very well attended conference call. Certainly, integration is coming.
Jonathan Schwartz
new york new york
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drug price discrepancies
To the editor:
Barons He should be commended for publishing “Medicine for Itchy Dogs Costs $1,200”. Why is the human worth he worth $43,000?” (June 29). This highlights the underlying problem. In other words, middlemen in our healthcare ecosystem are not honest brokers. They answer shareholders and their returns are part of the total amount of money flowing through them. They are not encouraged, nor do they, to negotiate on behalf of the people they were born to serve.
For difficult problems, such as putting a penny’s worth on a human life, having non-profits in the path from seller to buyer is probably essential. Pushing a product as essential as health care into the free market will inevitably create an extreme imbalance in favor of the seller.
Unfortunately, the message of profit without morality comes from the upper echelons of healthcare companies.
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Platee Ashar
at Barrons.com
To the editor:
Yes, there are terrible examples. But there are also wonderful treatments that have been developed in the last 80 years. While this system is not perfect, it has greatly advanced our ability to treat and manage many ailments. We are about to make even more breakthroughs with artificial intelligence and mapping the human genome. Don’t kill the goose that lays the golden eggs.
Rob Webber
at Barrons.com
time the end
To the editor:
Regarding last week’s Strike Price column (“Get ready to profit in such a hot market”, 6th July), the AI craze may prove to be short-lived, but when combined with the end , it is possible. Like the dotcom bubble he will form a real parabolic bubble that can last for more than two years due to rising interest rates. In that case, you should set a profit level to sell and stick to it.
William Branch
at Barrons.com
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high flying travel
To the editor:
Stocks such as airlines and hotels are cyclical (“Americans Have the Travel Bug, and They’re Going Abroad. What Stocks to Play,” July 7). I like to buy cyclical stocks when the outlook is bleak and investors are pessimistic. Companies with enough patience and strong balance sheets generally deliver attractive returns over the long term. Today’s environment is the opposite. It’s like the game of musical chairs. You may play for a while, but don’t leave your bag with you when the music stops.
Richard Thaler
at Barrons.com
Email: editors@barrons.com
