In retail sales, as defined by Wikipedia, first, customers are “baited” by merchants advertising products or services at a low price, but when customers visit the store, they discover that the advertised goods are either not available or are not as good as expected, or the customers are pressured by sales people to consider similar, … Continued
Recently reported employment data suggests that there are now as many unfilled job openings (6.55 million), as there are unemployed Americans (6.59 million). This is the narrowest gap, between available jobs and those seeking jobs, in nearly 20 years of record keeping. At the same time, workforce participation rates remain near record lows. This is … Continued
According to the results of a recent survey from the National Federation of Independent Businesses (NFIB), a lobbying organization that represents small business owners nationwide, small business earnings are at record levels and optimism is also at very high levels. NFIB’s chief economist attributes improving consumer spending, the new tax law and lower regulatory barriers … Continued
Corporate misfeasance is not a new problem. While there are exceptions, such as Enron, the perpetrators, including employees, supervisors, senior management and directors, face little or no serious punishment. On the other hand, shareholders nearly always take a hit. For example, Wells Fargo has engaged in a number of unacceptable practices and recently agreed to … Continued
Seattle is proposing to levy a tax on local employers that make $20 million or more in taxable gross receipts. Amazon has announced that it is pausing further construction planning of a building to be built in downtown Seattle and is reconsidering plans to occupy a building that is already built, potentially jeopardizing 7,000 new … Continued
We have previously commented on proposals by economists and political scientists that would substitute universal income polices as credible alternatives to existing social programs such as unemployment insurance. (see blogs dated 2015-12-17 and 2016-11-22) The idea is straight forward: Provide citizens with a minimum allowance, without means-testing, that would give everyone the wherewithal to live … Continued
Investors typically think of diversification in terms of fixed income versus equity and a suitable range of specific investments in each asset class. However, employees of companies with publicly traded shares and robust pension and retirement programs, may not be fully recognizing the additional risks involved. A recent article in The Wall Street Journal, discussing … Continued
Wikipedia defines death spiral financing as a process in which convertible financing used to fund primarily small cap companies can be used against it in the marketplace to cause the company’s stock to fall dramatically, which can lead to the company’s ultimate downfall. While generalization is fraught with risk, typically companies require multiple financings to … Continued
With the unemployment rate at approximately 4%, the lowest since 2000, economists have been surprised by the slow growth in paychecks. Historically, when that few people are unemployed, companies have had to pay up to attract workers. Clearly, anecdotal evidence and government reports suggest that the U.S. is in a tight job market, yet pay … Continued
Following a recent visit to India, I came away with several pertinent climate and energy observations. Traffic in major cities, such as Delhi and Mumbai, is very difficult. Air quality is bad. In the morning, visibility from my hotel room window was generally less than one mile. While some improvement developed during the day, the … Continued
During periods of above average market volatility, or sharp moves in either direction, investors and advisors are likely to wonder if some action might be appropriate or expected. This natural reaction may be exacerbated by an endless stream of punditry and suggested strategies from CNBC and other media outlets. In most cases, the most appropriate … Continued
According to Wikipedia, misdirection is a form of deception in which the attention of an audience is focused on one thing in order to distract its attention from another. While misdirection has generally been associated with magicians, CEOs have not been immune to the opportunity. Investors should be careful in reacting to corporate announcements that … Continued
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