In its weekly release, Houston-based oilfield services company Baker Hughes Inc. (BHI – Analyst Report) reported a fall in the U.S. rig count (number of rigs searching for oil and gas in the country) from the previous week. The decline stemmed from a lower number of oil and gas-directed rigs. The West Texas Intermediate (WTI) oil futures…
Malaysia is becoming the poster-child for the crisis in emerging markets. The rising tensions between the people and government are clearly demonstrated by this story developing within the emerging markets. In Malaysia, we hear the central bank is recommending criminal prosecution in connection with the controversial investment fund 1MDB, the BBC reported. 1MDB was a sovereign wealth fund that was set up…
The Fed’s liabilities fluctuated wildly last week while total assets were little changed. The wild changes in liabilities were a direct result of the Fed actually supporting, promoting and encouraging banks to dress up their quarter end balance sheets. What a sordid spectacle. It confused many observers into thinking that something drastic was going on…
Today was Columbus Day in the US and Thanksgiving Day in Canada. Plus the weather in the northeastern US was absolutely gorgeous, typical of early Autumn. So needless to say the adults were occupied with other things than equities, the bond markets being closed and the banks taking a day off. Gold rallied up and then…
Last week, the S&P 500 put up its best week of the year, closing above key psychological levels and breaking through bearish technical resistance, with bulls largely inspired by the dovish FOMC meeting minutes. But this year’s market has been news-driven and quite difficult for traders to read. Even our fundamentals-based and quality-oriented quant models…
This is the wrong question. It’s upside down. This is a tacky question. This is sort of a rude question. But this was a question on Quora. Actually, the question was a bit worse. It was “I’m in my 20s – can someone in their 40s tell me what I need to do to become…
As hacks or data breaches seem to occur almost daily, the cyber security sector is receiving significant attention across the globe. We are seeing investors pile into this “sector theme” which has led many cyber security stocks to soar despite the fact they do not have a solid business. When we focus on fundamentals…
V.F. Corporation (VFC) is one of the largest publicly traded apparel corporations in the world. The company was founded in 1899 and now as a market cap of $30 billion. The company has a long history of success… And of rewarding shareholders with rising dividends. V.F. Corporation has paid increasing dividends for 42 consecutive years….
If you receive an inheritance, make sure that you only receive financial assets. Before you inherit someone else’s financial adviser, consider the following points: Put everything under one umbrella Consolidating your assets, including the inheritance, together in one brokerage account simplifies financial maintenance. Seeing how all of your assets interrelate gives you the bigger picture,…
The timing of the first U.S. interest rates hike in almost a decade has been unsettling the financial world for long. In all FOMC meetings so far this year, the Fed has kept its rates unchanged and hinted toward a slower rate hike path when it is warranted. The September Fed meeting was also no…
