Week of October 28, 2024 After what seemed an indeterminate pause in the “what’s next in the Middle East”, Israel bombed selected military sites in Iran on October 26 as retaliation for similar strikes by Iran into Israel. The initial reports suggest this was a largely symbolic gesture. After what seemed an indeterminate continuation of meritless debate … Continued

Week of October 21, 2024 The US Department of Commerce will provide an estimate of Q3 2024 GDP growth on October 30. We expect a continuation of the low single digit growth numbers posted over the last four quarters. Inflation has also continued to moderate while the unemployment rate has held relatively steady. With no … Continued

At Sigma, we frequently share articles and white papers amongst the staff that we believe will enhance colleagues understanding of capital markets.  In that regard, the Wall Street Journal published an editorial on October 10, 2024 titled, “China Rides a ‘Stimulus’ Rollercoaster.”  Our esteemed colleague, Wenma Gorman CFA CFP® , wrote a powerful, cogent and … Continued

Week of October 14, 2024 Intelligence uncovered by the Israelis appears to provide credible evidence that activities by the terrorist groups Hamas and Hezbollah have been directed and funded out of Iran, something that has long been suspected, but lacked said evidence. Houthi rebels in Yemen have apparently similarly been funded by Iran. Changed leadership … Continued

When labor and management, from both the private and public sectors, meet to discuss contract terms, it’s just about them. The empty chair, symbolically, is where the customer/tax payer should be sitting, as that’s who is paying the bills.  Historically, labor and management have eventually come to terms, and, after all the wrangling is done, … Continued

Week of October 7, 2024 We are less than a month out from the US Presidential election on November 5th. Investors continue to parse through potential impacts of election outcomes as detailed policy proposals by each party become more clear. China’s broad policy reform aimed at stimulating economic conditions led to the Shanghai Composite Index … Continued

Wikipedia defines corporate responsibility as a term which has come to characterize a family of professional disciplines intended to help a corporation stay competitive by maintaining accountability to its four main stakeholder groups: customers, employees, shareholders, and communities. Others have also addressed this issue.  Samuel Gompers, a key figure in American labor history and the … Continued

Week of September 30, 2024 The local sports news has been overwhelmingly positive about the resurgent Detroit Lions and playoff-bound Detroit Tigers. However, when people think of Detroit, they often associate it with the “auto industry.” Most Sigma clients know that we’ve never purchased auto company shares directly in their portfolios. This is intentional and … Continued

There appears to be an increasing interest in Washington in finding new ways to tax the super wealthy (definitions vary).  Recent proposals seem to include an additional annual tax on large net worths and a tax on unrealized capital gains.  These proposals claim to be modest and directed at a very small percentage of the population. This … Continued

Week of September 23, 2024 Exploding Hezbollah terrorists pagers and walkie-talkie’s could be a “game-changer” in the cauldron that is the Middle East, one of our Signals. Arguably, the intelligence advantage apparently inuring to Israel – and promoting paranoia in Lebanon – might actually result in some type of angry truce. One cannot ignore that … Continued

Week of September 16, 2024 We have changed our Monetary Policy Signal to green.  With inflationary pressures appearing to have abated, the Fed is poised to begin lowering interest rates to aid the US economy.  All other Signals remain unchanged. Bob Bilkie, CFA

As of the second quarter of 2024, aggregate household debt approached $18 trillion, up from approximately $11.5 trillion, 10 years ago, and the Federal deficit topped $35 trillion, an increase of approximately $17 trillion, over the last ten years.  Obviously, the average US household is spending more than it earns and the Federal government is … Continued