After last week’s jerk higher (now revised even higher to 314k), this week saw a modest 17k drop to 297k (magically back below the 300k Maginot Line) but still missed expectations. Obviously, initial claims still linger near 14 year lows but the smoother 4 week average rose around 5k to 299k. Continuing claims rose 39k and…
Since 2010, the average return for our weekly best scoring small caps has outpaced the R2K by a median 759 bps over the following year. The best performers from one year ago are HA up 132%, CNC up 65%, UEIC up 63%, and ODFL up 58%. The best small cap sector is utilities. The top…
No matter how well you plan, unexpected surprises can derail your budget. While it’s a good idea to have an emergency fund, if you have one, how do you decide when to dip into the fund? Is replacing a broken microwave an emergency? There are a set amount of expenses that aren’t emergencies, but they…
The decline in oil prices—the US benchmark West Texas Intermediate as of Dec. 1 is down roughly 35% since the recent peak in June 2014 —has inspired bullish expectations for consumer spending and related investments. As the Washington Post noted earlier this week: “Tumbling oil prices are draining hundreds of billions of dollars from the coffers of oil-rich exporters…
The Kroger Company (KR – Analyst Report), one of the largest grocery retailers, recently posted third-quarter fiscal 2014 earnings of 69 cents a share that beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 61 cents, and surged 30.2% from 53 cents earned in the prior-year quarter aided by its Customer 1st strategy, increase in sales and strong…
OVERNIGHT MARKETS AND NEWS December E-mini S&Ps (ESZ14 +0.10%) this morning are up +0.06% and European stocks are up +0.44% at a 2-1/2 month high ahead of the conclusion of the ECB meeting and comments from ECB President Draghi that may shed clues on the possibility the ECB expands asset purchases to include government bonds….
Plenty of stuff has happened in recent months on the commodities market. The oil price went through a big down move and, as a consequence, many oil companies are under pressure. Precious metals were not exactly having a party either, however. A report from Credit Suisse that recently came out is very clear about the…
Facebook Inc.(NASDAQ:FB) has partnered with IT security firm Eset in a deal that will accord users with a free anti-malware software, which should help Facebook and its users find and detect potential malware running on user PCs. If a consumer accesses a Facebook service and the company detects some sort of suspicious behavior, the user will…
Europe’s economic crisis is slowly but steadily eroding the political systems of many countries on the Continent. New actors are emerging and threatening the supremacy of the traditional players. Alliances and events that seemed impossible only a few years ago are now being openly discussed across Europe. On Dec. 3, for example, Sweden announced it…
Dan here…Thomas Palley is Senior Economic Policy Advisor, AFL-CIO Washington DC. Here he addresses the issues of trade imbalances in a paper worth considering. by Thomas Palley Prior to the 2008 financial crisis there was much debate about global trade imbalances. Prima facie, the imbalances seem a significant problem. However, acknowledging that would question mainstream economics’ celebratory stance toward…
