Category Archive: Finance
Texas Pension Giant Which Needed 35 Yrs Of 8% CAGR To Be 100% Funded, Slashes Expected Returns
As Harvey hits Texas hard in terms of lives and finances, more bad news (not to compare the scale of the two) came from the state from the giant known as Employees retirement system of Texas. As markets gradually transition from the tranquil landscape painted by central bank quantitative easing and some of the lowest volatility in market […]
Employers Can’t Find Qualified Workers?
The chart below is blurry, but it still gets the job done in terms of showing you the most important trend in the labor market. The chart shows the spread between those finding jobs ‘plentiful’ vs ‘hard to get’ according to FactSet. As you can see, the ratio is above the level prior to the […]
WTI/RBOB Tumble As Valero Says Refinery Startup Underway
WTI is suddenly back to a $45 handle and RBOB is tumbling near $1.60 handle after headlines reported Valero saying that startup is underway at its Three Rivers refinery and its Corpus Christi refinery, both in Texas, according to a statement from co. spokeswoman Lillian Riojas. Blomberg reports that the company is working to ensure availability of critical […]
Hot Options Alert: Midday – Wednesday, August 30
The most active equity options and strikes for midday: FRAN, AMD, AAPL, BAC, CTL, GE.
Amazon Kills The Fed’s Inflation Target
Amazon’s (AMZN) purchase of high-end grocery retailer Whole Foods (WFM) was approved last week. That the federal government had any role at all in the combination of two private companies is on its own an offense to common sense. Government barriers erected to mergers trample on property rights, restrain economic progress for crucial information about […]
It’s A Great Time To Buy Into Europe’s Banking Rebound
My, how things change… Little more than a year ago, German banks were starting to rebel against their central bank’s policy of pegging interest rates at less than zero. The German economy is better now. No one talks about negative rates anymore. I’ve been bullish on European banks for a while. (One of the recommendations in the Total […]
2nd Quarter GDP Revised Up To 3.0%, Annualized Inflation 1.0%
In its second of three estimates, the BEA revised second-quarter GDP up to 3.0% from 1.2%. The consensus was 2.8%. The BEA’s measure of inflation was 1.0%. Lower inflation numbers raise real GDP. Real gross domestic product (GDP) increased at an annual rate of 3.0 percent in the second quarter of 2017, according to the “second” estimate released […]
Using Amazon As A Barometer For US Markets
Andrew Agemy, Founder and President of Agemy Financial Strategies shares his thoughts on Amazon and the health of the US equity markets. Amazon is a great gauge of market health and he has some concerns. Audio Length: 00:12:05
The Two Parts Of Bubbles
What makes a stock bubble is really two parts. Most people might think those two parts are money and mania, but actually money supply plays no direct role. Perceptions about money do, even if mistaken as to what really takes place monetarily from time to time. In fact, for a bubble that would make sense; people […]
Stocks Can’t Be Stopped By Natural Disaster Or Nuclear War Threats
Stocks Rally Despite Headline Risk The stock market has been amazingly resilient in the past few days as the S&P 500 is only down about 1.2% from the all-time high despite the increased threat of nuclear war with North Korea and the devastating storm in Texas which brought catastrophic flooding. It’s possible 500,000 homes were […]
