In October it was Jim Bullard’s “QE4” hint that sent the stock market on an all-time record-breaking run of gains, which no lesser institution than the central banker’s central bank – The BIS – lamented “the markets’ buoyancy hinges on central banks’ every word and deed.” And then just two days ago, the Fed did it again….
Falling oil prices have been making all the news, but what are the positives for American consumers? Although oil prices began to decline in early August, the drop became more significant after September 30th. The Thanksgiving Day decision by OPEC oil ministers to leave the organization’s oil production quota unchanged at 30 million barrels per…
Some investors are suffering from fear of heights at these levels. In itself it is not so surprising, because share prices have been on a tear since March 2009. That does not necessarily mean that there is no more money to be made on the stock market, however. Central banks across the world…
At a recent annual business update meeting, Coca-Cola Enterprises Inc. (CCE –Analyst Report) maintained its previously issued 2014 guidance. Moreover, the western European bottler of The Coca-Cola Company (KO – Analyst Report) warned that currency headwinds will hurt its profits in the New Year. 2015 Outlook In 2015, constant currency adjusted earnings per share are expected to increase in the…
Deals and Financings Neusoft (SHA: 600718), a China software, medical device and internet healthcare company, raised $610 million from investors, which it will spend to increase its healthcare offerings (see story). Of the total, $440 million will be put into Neusoft Medical, a company that makes imaging equipment such as CT, MRI, X-Ray, ultrasound and PET…
According to the wikiality of the Interweb (in other words, according to hundreds of sources reposting the same message, but without actual verification), a hacker group known as “The Guardians of Peace” has communicated the following: Warning We will clearly show it to you at the very time and places “The Interview” be shown, including…
When I say the word “momentum,” what’s the first sector that comes to mind? I’m guessing it wasn’t Healthcare. Looking at today’s market, though, there is no question about it – healthcare has become a momentum sector. We can see this clearly in looking at the largest momentum ETF from ishares (MTUM), which now has…
Back in May 2013, when we wrote “How “Modern Money” Really Works” and noted that in the current environment, as a result of prudential regulation, derivative clearing requirements, bilateral margin requirements and general economic uncertainty including deflationary scares and other flights to quality/safety, there could be a gargantuan shortage of “high-quality collateral” amounting to as…
A central tenet of my view of the markets is that there’s just one worldwide pool of liquidity, and it is ruled by the same Killer Whales operating out of a few world financial capitals. We call those whales (or sharks if you prefer) Primary Dealers. They feed in the ocean of cash pumped in by the world’s major…
Investors managing their money through retirement often have different needs than during their growth and accumulation years. Oftentimes they are more focused on income and capital preservation rather than taking the risk of seeing their hard earned capital evaporate. With that goal in mind, building out a diversified portfolio using both core and strategic positions…
