U.S. equities continue to trade like a risk-free money market. Over the past seven months, the range (from high to low) in the Dow Jones Industrial Average has been among the smallest in history. This behavior has been comforting to most investors as they tend to equate low volatility with low risk. Additionally, every time there…
Tens of thousands of investors read my commentary at popular financial portals. Some have been reading my articles for more than a decade. Others might have clicked on a social media “follow” link in the last month or the last last year. Ironically, few realize that I originally developed a front-n-center persona on national talk…
It’s that time of year again – a time for trying and reviewing, for testing and reporting, the best start-ups I’ve personally used in the past quarter. For my part, I’m trying at least one new platform, app, or SaaS application each week. I find most new technologies to be not only wildly unfaithful to…
Strength Of Steel Yesterday, I discussed the issues surrounding the Fed’s ongoing determination to hike interest rates despite evidence of a weakening economic environment. To wit: “The Federal Reserve raises interest rates to slow economic growth to keep an economy from overheating which would potentially lead to a sharp rise in inflationary pressures. Since commodities are…
Initial claims for unemployment compensation extended the string of record lows into its 22nd month this week. The mainstream media is reporting this as if the record low is something new. That’s because they look at the seasonally adjusted (SA) fictitious data only. The actual, not seasonally finagled number has been at a record low relative…
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Photo Credit: Thomas Hawk (Flickr) Question: Why are there so many mutual funds? Answer: mutual fund providers tend to make lots of money on each fund so they create more products to sell. The large number of mutual funds has little to do with serving your best interests. Below are three red flags you can…
The Kansas City Fed Manufacturing Survey business conditions indicator measures activity in the following states: Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Wyoming, western Missouri, and northern New Mexico Quarterly data for this indicator dates back to 1995, but monthly data is only available from 2001. Here is an excerpt from the latest report: KANSAS CITY, Mo. The…
In case you thought you were smart enough to know why the Fed wants to do what it supposedly wants to do [1] MarketWatch sets you straight with the real scoop. We’ll use this as a talking point and see what comes of it… Here’s the real reason the Fed wants to raise rates Policy…
The Conference Board Leading Economic Index (LEI) for the U.S. increased again this month – but the authors believe the outlook is for “continued strength in the economic outlook for the remainder of the year.” This index is designed to forecast the economy six months in advance. The market expected this index’s month-over-month change…
