It is understandable why everyone is right now fixated on Washington. The repeal, or not, of Obamacare is, to paraphrase former Vice President Biden, a big deal. In terms of market expectations, it is difficult to discern by how much. That was to be, after all, but one step of several reductions to the administrative burden on the economy. Maybe [...]
Top News Headlines Paris terrorists dispatched; hostage crisis in Mali ends with 27 dead. Stocks have a big week, up over 3%. Fed minutes are dovishly hawk-like. United Health says losing millions on Obamacare, may pull out of exchanges next year. Israeli spy Jonathan Pollard released from US prison. Square prices IPO at half off last private funding round giving [...]
I hate to do it, but I'm going to have to write about politics this week. Believe me, it isn't something I relish, but in light of the recent election, it would be dereliction of duty to ignore the elephant and donkey in the room. Let's get this out of the way right up front; Obama got shellacked last Tuesday. [...]
So be careful what you wish for 'Cause you just might get it And if you get it then you just might not know What to do wit' it, 'cause it might just Come back on you ten-fold Eminem, Careful What You Wish For There was a collective gasp on Wall Street last week as the 3rd revision of 1st [...]
After the Great Crisis and Recession of 2008 there were a lot of economic and market commentators arguing that the US was headed in the direction of Japan. Japan's economy, stock and real estate markets peaked in the late 80s and they've been trying to find the formula for sustainable growth ever since. Since the US had suffered a real [...]
I've been laid up the last week after a minor surgical procedure and while I haven't been that productive at getting any actual work done, it has given me a lot of time to watch CNBC and Bloomberg. The portfolio managers, strategists and assorted market soothsayers stream across my screen, talking about markets the way they always have, as if [...]
This will be shorter than usual, something I'm sure pleases more than a few of you. I'm traveling this week, in Asheville, NC Monday and Tuesday meeting with some clients and future clients and taking a much needed break in Hilton Head the rest of the week. I'm playing Harbour Town next Sunday so the odds of getting anything from [...]
We have been pointing out for over a year now that the trend in the economic data has been negative and we've taken some grief for that as the stock market has marched higher. Jeff Snider, in particular, has been raked over the coals by some commenters (public and private) for his reporting on the negative trends as if he [...]
Late Friday the Treasury Department released its semi-annual report on global exchange rates or as I like to call it, the semi-annual report on why all other countries on planet earth should let their currencies rise against the UD Dollar. Or maybe the semi-annual report on how easy monetary policy by other countries' central banks is bad but it isn't [...]
The employment report last week showed that the US economy added a mere 80,000 jobs in June with the unemployment rate stuck at 8.2%. Other economic reports last week showed similar trends toward unchanged and if you look back over the entire time since the end of the crisis portion of this great recession, the striking thing is how little [...]
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