NOW! As the song from “Annie” says, tomorrow is only a day away. In the invest world, tomorrow is always a day away. It is so tempting to wait for just one more data point or event. Should I wait until after the election, which is coming in just a few days? Then, should I … Continued
Hurricane Sandy is bringing all of New York and most of the East coast to a near standstill. The stock exchanges are closed today, and are likely to remain closed on Tuesday as well. Advance notice of the storm over the weekend appears to have mitigated the amount of market disruption the shutdown has caused … Continued
It is becoming increasingly clear that the US is becoming less dependent on foreign energy. On a 12-month rolling average, domestic output hit 6.1 million barrels a day in July, up roughly 19% in three years. In 2005, the US imported 60% of its oil. That’s now down to about 42%. Increases in domestic energy … Continued
With increasing frequency, investors are trying to handicap the upcoming Presidential Election. For example, many investors are in the camp that if Mitt Romney is elected, the market will react favorably. Alternatively, many fear that if President Obama is re-elected, the market may be negatively impacted. As I reflect on the upcoming election, I have … Continued
A client forwarded an article to me regarding the strong movement of the stock market and suggesting a sale of stocks. He wanted my input – My response, and the actual article, follows. Bob Bilkie, CFA ——————– Dear xxxx: Well, I don’t know. If you read the comments of the “expert” cited in the article, … Continued
Recently released data showing that the growth in China has slowed is raising concern for its once fast-growing economy. China has long relied on exportsto fuel their growth. Exports generated 31% of GDP in 2011, according to World Bank data, and support an estimated 200 million jobs – around a quarter of the country’s workforce. … Continued
The Wall Street Journal (WJS) recently published an article highlighting the fact that many bond fund managers have been beating their respective benchmarks in recent times. In fact, Morningstar has identified at least 187 bond funds that are posting positive relative performance. Included among this list are some of the largest bond fund managers in … Continued
If you work for Ford or GM and drive a Toyota, you are not supporting your employer. If you work for a municipality but live and shop in a different community, you are not supporting your employer. Fortunately, we live in a country with many freedoms. No one is going to force you to buy … Continued
The territorial disputes between China and Japan over a group of uninhabited islands in the East China Sea have sparked protests in China since last month. The intensity of the dispute increased last week after the Japanese government bought some of the islands from a private Japanese owner. On Sunday, the biggest anti-Japanese protests in … Continued
One of the research services that my colleagues and I subscribe to is called Mauldin Economics, authored by John Mauldin. This week Mauldin writes “As we saw last week, in research I cited from Europe, there is a correlation between government size and GDP growth. Which makes sense, in that jobs really come from the … Continued
Apparently the SEC is shifting to a “Let the Buyer Beware” approach to regulation. On August 29, the SEC proposed a rule permitting private issuers to promote offerings to the general investing public for the first time (thank you Dodd-Frank). While the new regulations may ease capital-raising for many legitimate companies, they could also subject … Continued
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