Rampant inflation in India, as well as troublesome price increases in China, have caused respective monetary authorities to limit borrowing. Investors rarely celebrate higher interest rates or bank reserve restrictions.
Equally disturbing, ultra-slow growth in the developed world hinders emerging economy exporting. Moreover, the sovereign debt uncertainty in Europe, as well as in the United States, presents additional challenges for manufacturers across [...] [...more]
In August of 2009, I explained why iShares MSCI Malaysia (EWM) was a veritable bargain in the Emerging Market ETF arena. (Review ”A Different Slice of the EM Pie.”)
By November of 2009, EWM became one of my top client holdings. Moreover, during the summertime slump of 2010, I reaffirmed my commitment to buying more/maintaining exposure to this [...] [...more]
Many investors take their cue from the direction of the U.S. dollar. When the world’s reserve currency has gained in value, global stock assets have often dropped. When the greenback has lost value relative to a basket of world currencies, world equities have frequently soared.
For those that were raised on the notion that a strong currency [...] [...more]
U.S. stocks had a blockbuster month, as the S&P 500 garnered roughly 7.2%. However, the overwhelming majority of the benchmark’s gains came in the first 3 weeks; the index was effectively flat over the last trading week in July.
Fundamentally, a bullish perspective makes the most sense over the intermediate term. As many as 78% of S&P 500 corporations have exceded earnings [...] [...more]
Right now, it’s difficult for me to focus on anything other than the Lakers-Celtics Game 7 Finals match-up. Can KobeCo win back-to-back games as well as back-to-back titles? Or will the sheer grit of Boston’s Three Party (Rondo makes “Four”) overwhelm the favorites?
Yet I digress. Fortunately, I am quite capable of motivating myself to focus on [...] [...more]
Near the top of the current cyclical bull on 4/15/2010, at Dow 11,144, Jim Cramer predicted Dow 12000. He did it emphatically… as he is known for… and he did it without preconditions. Less than 8 weeks later, however, he floated a price target of Dow 8200.
Anyone who has watched Jim Cramer is already familiar with the “flip-floppiness.” There were [...] [...more]
It’s easy to think about South Korea. Warren Buffett essentially called Korea’s POSCO the best steelmaker in the world. What’s more, South Koreans have turned a corner on everything from electronics (Samsung) to phones (LG Group) to automobiles (Hyundai).
Few investors have failed to express interest in the “China miracle.” Not only is its economy growing at a [...] [...more]
