No signal changes this week but quite a lot of “noise.” Russia’s invasion of Ukraine continues to dominate the headlines and it appears that NATO will be content to “bleed” Russia doing “whatever it takes” to keep Russia from prevailing. The New York Times recently released its first poll of the coming election season and … Continued
Investopedia defines accountability as the acceptance of responsibility for honest and ethical conduct towards others. In the corporate world, a company’s accountability extends to its shareholders, employees, and the wider community. The question for investors is, what can you do if a company does not meet your standards? In theory, shareholders, by voting proxies, should … Continued
No signal changes this week. However, the US economy will likely get a boost in the long term from the Supreme Court decision last week in its ruling on the Clean Air Act, which rested on the concept of the “major questions doctrine.” At its core, the Court turned the responsibility for regulation back to … Continued
These were the words spoken by JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon at a recent financial conference. Mr. Dimon warned of an economic “hurricane” on the horizon, largely due to the Federal Reserve (the “Fed”) shrinking its balance sheet in response to high inflation (i.e., “quantitative tightening”), and the impact of the Russia-Ukraine War on commodities, including … Continued
Equity prices staged a sharp recovery last week while the signals we monitor were largely unchanged. It is likely that the equity markets will continue to show outsized, trendless volatility. The mid‐term elections in November will increasingly absorb the attention of investors and the recent Supreme Court decision reversing Roe versus Wade may change the … Continued
Many of my clients along with all of my family, friends and co-workers know that I’m a self-admitted long-distance running enthusiast. As much as I try to limit droning on and on about distance running, it happens a lot. Running is one of my greatest passions. I started training for the marathon after college … Continued
With a likely profitability recession looming, the valuation on the S&P 500 is now less favorable (green to yellow). China and India are building new coal fired electric plants while Germany recently announced it is restarting its plants. This could influence energy policy in the US and the rest of the globe as energy security … Continued
This is the new buzzword for the business strategy of running supply chains only through countries that are close political partners. Businesses, mindful of the complications relating to the maintenance of supply chains in the face of unexpected challenges, such as Covid-19 and the war in Ukraine, are becoming increasingly cognizant of the increase in … Continued
No signal changes this week. Inflation and the Russian invasion of Ukraine continue to dominate the headlines. The US economy is strong (rest of world, less so) but rising interest will prove a drag. Unlike past periods of heady economic growth, at present there is no sign of excess inventory on durable goods (housing and … Continued
Let’s hope that the Fed’s efforts to moderate inflation turn out to have the same happy ending as Disney’s movie, “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids.” As we all know, the Fed is currently in the process of bringing its financial arsenal into play in an effort to lower inflation levels and move back toward historical … Continued
The Tariff Act of 1930, commonly known as Smoot-Hawley, was a law that implemented protectionist trade policies in the US. Protectionism is the economic policy of restricting imports from other countries. Proponents argued that protectionist policies would shield US producers, businesses and workers, while opponents believed that implementing protectionist policies would adversely affect consumers, and … Continued
Investors should routinely make sure they understand how the companies they are considering account for their inventories. Recent, politically driven allegations of oil industry profiteering, suggest that a better understanding of inventories, accounting and replacement costs, may be appropriate. Generally, most companies use either the Last-In, First-Out (LIFO) method or, First-In, First-Out (FIFO) method in … Continued
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