German Chancellor Angela Merkel recently said that subsidies designed to help Germans buy electric vehicles cannot go on forever. California will hold hearings on offering a $4,500 subsidy for each electric vehicle sold in the state, up from the current $2,500, even as customers from Tesla and GM face losing the loss of bigger federal … Continued
The short answer is: it depends on where you live. According to a recently updated income calculator, developed by the Pew Research Center, a nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about issues, attitudes, and trends shaping the world, a before-tax salary of $37,106 for a three-person household is considered middle class in Jackson, Tennessee, … Continued
Cost-plus pricing is a pricing strategy in which the selling price is determined by adding a specific dollar amount or percentage to a producer’s relevant costs. This pricing protocol is typically used where the provider is a regulated monopoly, such as a public utility, or there is essentially a single-buyer, such as the defense department. … Continued
In order to address a housing affordability issue, in one of the world’s hottest housing markets, New Zealand is restricting non-citizens from buying existing homes. Trade Minister David Parker said, “this government believes that New Zealanders should not be outbid by wealthier foreign buyers.” Sounds like great news for New Zealanders looking to buy a … Continued
The stock market has been doing well, unemployment is at historic lows, inflation is relatively modest and a strong economy augers well for corporate earnings during the balance of this year, and perhaps for 2019. In the midst of all of this good news, wage gains seem to be lagging. Recently published employment data suggests … Continued
Widely reported efforts of the current administration to roll back some of the regulatory activity of the previous administration have given rise to the question; are regulations good, bad or appropriate under certain circumstances? Investors should carefully consider this issue on a case-by-case basis. While overregulation can be stifling, some regulation is often essential. Consider … Continued
Tappable equity is the amount of equity available to homeowners with mortgages that could be accessed through a home equity loan. According to Black Knight’s “Mortgage Monitor” (Black Knight is a leading provider of data across the homeownership life cycle), the March 31, 2018 total tappable equity available to U.S. homeowners increased by $380 billion, … Continued
A recently published report by AlixPartners, a well-recognized financial consulting firm, suggested that auto industry and technological players looking to get into transportation, are spending $255 billion on 200-plus electric models and $61 billion toward autonomous vehicles. While this appears to be a lot of money, the worldwide vehicle industry is so large that $300 … Continued
While generally associated with carpentry, the underlying concept is one of double-checking for accuracy, before taking definitive action. In today’s world, an appropriate modification might be, think twice, tweet once, or not. Without naming names, the list would be too long, irresponsible tweeting is reaching epidemic levels. Investors should be cautious in attempting to react … Continued
Fair market value is generally described as the price that a knowledgeable, willing and unpressured buyer would pay to a knowledgeable, willing and unpressured seller. Investors may soon have an opportunity to observe the impact on price when the seller faces legislated pressure. California and nine other states have inaugurated a Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) … Continued
These words were the first line in the first of a series of pamphlets written by Thomas Payne, during the American Revolution, titled “The American Crisis”. Perhaps a small modification to, “these are the times that try investor’s souls,” might be timely. Investors, and everyone else, is being pummeled by a barrage of, seemingly never-ending, … Continued
The issue of affordable housing has long been a material factor in political and investment decisions. During the first quarter of 2018, affordability, as measured by the average share of income needed to buy a median-priced house was at its worst since the third quarter of 2008, according to “Attom Data Solutions”. Attom is a … Continued
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