Back before Thanksgiving, we examined a couple of ways to trade the flattening Treasury yield curve. We were, in retrospect, a trade short. Let’s back up a bit. The yield curve, a pictorial representation of the interest rates paid by Treasury securities of differing maturities, has been tamped down this year. Take the spread between the…
EUR/USD extends the advance from earlier this week, with the pair at risk of exhibiting a more bullish behavior in 2018 as European Central Bank (ECB) officials show a greater willingness to move away from the easing-cycle. Recent remarks from ECB officials suggest the central bank will continue to change its tune over the coming…
We’ve updated this series to include last week’s release of the Consumer Price Index as the deflator and the November monthly employment update. The latest hypothetical real (inflation-adjusted) annual earnings are at $37,474, down 13.0% from 44 years ago. The Bureau of Labor Statistics has been collecting data on this workforce cohort since 1964. The…
The US Dollar came under pressure against the Euro on Tuesday as FX traders show their wariness over the passage of the US tax reform bill. Analysts have expressed grave doubts as to the extent that the bill’s passage would actually provide stable and enduring economic growth for the United States. Also, ahead of the…
Housing starts and permits were overall positive, but negative revisions make the increases less than meets the eye. The Census Bureau’s monthly New Residential Construction Report shows a second strong month for housing. Housing Starts Privately-owned housing starts in November were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,297,000. This is 3.3% above the revised October estimate…
On Friday December 8, 2017, the price of bitcoin closed at $15,206– an increase of 28.3% from November. The yearly growth rate stood at 1,474%. Many economists and financial commentators hold that in the unregulated market of the internet economy, bitcoin is likely to emerge as a new form of money that is going to…
Darden Restaurants, Inc. (DRI – Free Report) reported better-than-expected results in second-quarter fiscal 2018 results. Adjusted earnings of 73 cents per share beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 70 cents by 4.3%. Earnings increased 14.1% year over year on the back of higher revenues. Notably, the quarter marked the 13th consecutive earnings beat for the company. Darden’s impressive…
Higher hopes of the tax reform of being passed have acted as the latest catalyst in driving the Wall Street to new highs. In particular, the Nasdaq Composite Index gained 0.8% on the day, outperforming the other two benchmarks, the S&P 500 and Dow Jones, and hit the major milestone of 7,000 for the first…
My Swing Trading Approach My portfolio is strong right now, and looking to manage profits and current positions. I am not looking to add more long exposure here. Indicators VIX – VIX rose by only 1.2% yesterday – a small amount, and nothing eye opening. T2108 (% of stocks trading below their 40-day moving average): Another big…
Hot off the press from the good folks at Kitco……..if you want the advice of an expert: Of course, this probably means the bears are screwed for another year. Although just this morning, he reverses himself (which isn’t surprising, since the above is a couple of days old):
