With the stock market bouncing off all-time highs again, I’ve seen a large number of market forecasters making predictions about the future path of the U.S. economy and financial markets. If you enjoy hearing the predictions of the financial media talking heads, I implore you to take a look at CXO Advisory Group’s “Guru Grades” … Continued
Recently, I had four client meetings on the same day. While four client meetings on the same day isn’t unusual, what was unusual was the main topic of all of the meetings. The first two clients were incredibly anxious about Joe Biden winning the Presidency and their stock portfolio crashing. The third and fourth meetings, … Continued
It hardly requires a stretch of the imagination to consider the possibility that the 2020 presidential election will be accompanied by a degree of confusion. We are already witnessing the difficulties in quickly determining results for recent primary elections. Problems include; safely conducting in-person voting, recruiting polling location staff, timely delivery of absentee ballots, agreement … Continued
Investment decisions are largely based on expectations. Estimating future value is very difficult and inherently uncertain, which no amount of education and experience can fully overcome. Future values are sometimes based on anticipated innovations, historical performance, broader industry trends and many other factors. Even with careful analysis, not all investment opportunities lend themselves to high … Continued
One of the components of the CARES Act is the Paycheck Protection Program. This program offers a loan to small businesses that are struggling to stay afloat. The goal is to keep employees on the payroll and provide assistance for other operating expenses such as rent, mortgage interest and utility payments. If a struggling business … Continued
According to Investopedia, a margin call arises when an investor borrows money from a broker to make investments. When an investor uses margin to buy or sell securities, he pays for them using a combination of his own funds and borrowed money from a broker. A margin call is triggered when the investor’s equity, as a … Continued
A short squeeze occurs when a rapid rise in the price of a stock, precipitated by a lack of supply and an excess of demand, pressures short sellers to cover their positions on a stock, resulting in buying volume that drives the stock price up, further pressuring the remaining shorts. Factors precipitating pressure on short … Continued
ESG stands for environmental, social, and governance, which are the three central factors in measuring sustainability and societal impact of an investment. The concept of socially responsible business behavior is not new; it is controversial and is difficult to measure. Investors should be aware of this issue and recognize that, to a considerable degree, acceptance … Continued
Wikipedia defines science as “a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe.” Wikipedia defines QED as “an initialism of the Latin phrase quod erat demonstrandum, literally meaning “what was to be shown”. Traditionally, the abbreviation is placed at the end of a mathematical proof or … Continued
With the world’s attention focused on Covid-19 and potential therapies and vaccines, it might be a good time to reflect on the quality of discourse relating to how the issues created by the pandemic might be resolved. It is difficult for investors, the media, and others to evaluate “scientific” commentary for accuracy in the absence … Continued
Wikipedia defines Federalism in the U.S. as “the constitutional division of power between the U.S. state governments and the federal government.” Federalism is complicated in practice and has been an area of contention since the beginnings of the U.S. Over time, power has shifted away from the states and toward the national government. While still … Continued
This is the title of a successful 1973 film starring Barbra Streisand and Robert Redford. The movie focused on how a mutual attraction in college changed during and after WW2, giving rise to the fundamental premise that the two were no longer the way they were. Today we are in the middle of a serious … Continued
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