Investing in stock assets when the S&P 500 is hitting fresh highs can be as dangerous as driving on a yet-to-be-plowed stretch of highway. You may get to your destination without a hitch. Then again, you might spin out of control and crash. At present, both the Eurozone’s ongoing recession and “Snowmageddon” on the East Coast [...] Continue Reading...
Las Vegas odds-makers believe that the San Francisco 49ers will beat the Baltimore Ravens to win Superbowl XLVII this Sunday, February 3. That’s what is implied by a 4-point spread. In contrast, if the professionals did not feel that the 49ers had a definitive edge, there would neither be a spread nor a so-called “favorite.” And [...] Continue Reading...
If you look hard enough, you can find a whole lot of things that are wrong with the “B” in BRIC. The country’s GDP growth is virtually non-existent. Government regulatory intervention in both the energy sector as well as the financials segment has been increasing. And Brazil’s currency lost approximately 7% against the dollar on [...] Continue Reading...
Lately, I’ve been fielding a great many questions related to automobile companies. Had I seen the 5-year highs on car purchases? Am I aware that autos were the strongest segment in 2012 retail? And what’s the best ETF for capturing the inevitable growth? In truth, I’m not necessarily convinced that the U.S. auto sector will continue [...] Continue Reading...
Jack Hough recently wrote an “Ahead of the Crowd” article for Barron’s on finding value in the stock market. The author cited a Merrill Lynch study that looked at core fundamental data dating back 25 years — data like book value, cash flow and earnings — to determine overpriced and under-priced sectors. My first reaction to [...] Continue Reading...
There’s a tendency in the financial media to wrap-up calendar years with a focus on the “winners” and “losers.” Inevitably, a large number of unsophisticated investors will allocate money to the so-called best performers, while avoiding any commitment to the underachievers. Herein lies one of the biggest mistakes that ETF enthusiasts make. Specifically, they view success [...] Continue Reading...
The fiscal cliff steals the financial headlines on a daily basis. Yet, in spite of increasing volatility and year-end uncertainty, the hot topic hasn’t moved the broader market’s needle. Since the 11/6 election more than 6 weeks ago, the S&P 500 SPDR Trust (SPY) has effectively ended in the same place it began. Bears believe this [...] Continue Reading...
Since the summertime lows, a number of themes have gained enormous traction. U.S. real estate is benefiting from ultra-low mortgage rates, limited supply and remarkable demand from overseas buyers. Chinese leadership continues to provide just enough government support to maintain economic targets. And the European Central Bank (ECB) is having success at containing its sovereign [...] Continue Reading...
Why are investors still buying treasuries and short-term investment grade bonds? Many have grown accustomed to the exceptional total returns. As I look out across the 2013 landscape, however, I see less opportunity for investors to score big with a capital appreciation component on taxable U.S. debt or quality (e.g., AAA, AA, etc.) corporate debt. Depending on [...] Continue Reading...
Back on September 14, the Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke shocked and “awe-struck” the investing world. The U.S. Fed did not merely embark on another bond-buying binge like they had in previous versions of quantitative easing (i.e., QE1, QE2). Whereas the earlier iterations had specific dates, “QE3″ is open-ended. Bernanke has made it clear that the [...] Continue Reading...
