The 32% gain for the S&P last year was a blessing and a curse for investors. A blessing because it padded all of our portfolios. A curse because the gains came far too easily, making 2014 a brutal environment by comparison. Yes, the S&P is up on the year, but still many small caps and…
We are sure it’s nothing – since stock markets in China and The US are soaring – but deep, deep down in the heart of the real economies, there is a problem. The Baltic Dry Index has fallen for 21 straight days, tumbling around 40% since Thanksgiving Day. This is the biggest…
A post by the Pew Research Center based on the Federal Reserve’s Survey of Consumer Finances stated that minorities were falling further behind whites in net worth: “the median net worth of white households in 2013 was $141,900, about 13 times that of black households at $11,000“; “the median net worth of white households [in 2007] was $192,500, or 10 times…
Scarce freshwater is a growing problem. The source of life may cover 70% of our planet, but freshwater only accounts for 3% – and two-thirds of that is locked up in glaciers. Severe water stress affects approximately three billion people worldwide, two-thirds of whom happen to reside in Brazil, Russia, India, and China (BRIC) –…
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The social media fund, symbol SOCL, has an interesting relationship with its Fibonacci retracement levels. Its current position suggests weakness ahead next week for this sector.
Creator of Stammered Works Becomes EU’s Red Tape Whacker The European Commission seems to be serious about wanting to cut some of the mountain of red tape it has imposed over the years. Only a truly giant weed-whacker can be expected to do the job. In our paperless age, it would probably be best if…
“[Shale Oil] Producers are inherently bullish,” warns one energy-hedging firm, and that truth belies the weakness in the apparent hedging programs many over-optimistic energy firms are facing now. We hear day after day that, in the short-term, low prices can be handled “because they’re hedged,” but producers were so exuberant about the direction of oil…
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Monday, Dec. 15: Taxi app pricing: Charge extra in a crisis Really price gouging. Related link: What Uber’s Sydney Surge Pricing Debacle Says About Its Public Image Tuesday, Dec. 16: Ruble trading halt Await capital controls; Bearish on Moscow. (Proxies for potentially affected investments discussed by Reuters include RSX, NORW) Wednesday, Dec. 17: Trading floor…
