Author Archive: Jeremy Parkinson
Stocks Are Flat As Earnings Season Begins
Stocks opened the week on a positive note but ended relatively flat as investors continue to digest a slew of earnings. So far, most of the companies that have reported earnings have beat on both the top and bottom line which is an encouraging sign. It is important to keep in mind that we are […]
Gold Touted As An Inflation Hedge Amid Growing Warnings
Gold prices dropped on Friday, marking yet another price reversal for the precious metal this year. Gold futures were on track for their first back-to-back loss in more than two weeks. Meanwhile, the U.S. dollar strengthened, and Treasury yields gained as economists discussed concerns about inflation. Expectations for inflation are now at their highest level in years, […]
Will Oil Prices Move Higher In 2018?
We previously reviewed the oil market in U.S. Shale vs. OPEC Oil Price War: Who Will Win?. American production of oil accelerated from 2012 to 2014 as non-conventional oil and gas drilling in shale led to a revolution in production known as fracking. The fracking revolution didn’t affect the marketplace until late 2014 when the price […]
What’s In Store For Japan ETFs
Japan’s inflation ticked down in March. Although economists say the slowdown does not indicate a reversal in trend, the reading is still far from the 2% target. The slowdown in March has introduced further uncertainty with regard to when the BOJ might achieve its target and clouded the central bank’s plans on exiting the easy […]
Sell The Rips—The Delusions Of MAGA, Part 3
In Part 2 we noted that the key main street economic metrics reflect no MAGA magic whatsoever. Since the election, inflation-adjusted paychecks have gone nowhere and almost anything else you can name—-business investment, real retail sales, productivity, employment and even real GDP—-continue to slog along in the tepid “recovery” channel that has prevailed since 2010. Notwithstanding […]
Natural Gas Finds A Way To End The Week Green
Though it certainly seemed unlikely yesterday, the May natural gas contract ended up logging a small gain on the week, rallying 3% today to recover all of its losses yesterday. The result was a very slight weekly increase at the front of the natural gas strip, with larger losses further along. The May/June K/M contract […]
Don’t Fear The Robo
Technology advances have infiltrated every corner of finance, including the world of wealth management. While few can argue with the positives of automated, algorithm-based portfolio management platforms, the advent of the cost-efficient, dispassionate robo-adviser has struck fear into the heart of many a financial adviser and fund manager, who see these technology options as a […]
Keeping An Eye On The Energy Market
Earnings season is in full swing, with numerous banks reporting a strong uptick in bottom-line growth, driven almost entirely by the new tax changes. Other results were mixed, with negative surprises from Proctor & Gamble and Philip Morris, and positive surprises from the likes of GE and Netflix. Overall stocks gave back most of their […]
Renewed ‘Reflation’ From A Short-term Dollar Perspective
It’s worth revisiting the topic of the “rising dollar.” What determines its exchange value in the first place? Orthodox convention associates the general direction up or down with interest rate differentials, the infamous global carry trade. Not just any interest rate comps, either, but those of short-term money markets. Thus, if the Federal Reserve is […]
