Category Archive: Finance, No picture
The Big Four Economic Indicators: September Real Retail Sales – Monday, Oct. 15
Note: With the release of September Retail Sales and the Consumer Price Index, we’ve updated this commentary to include the latest Real Retail Sales. Official recession calls are the responsibility of the NBER Business Cycle Dating Committee, which is understandably vague about the specific indicators on which they base their decisions. This committee statement is about as close […]
EC The Neglected Tool
Whether or not any central banker chooses to appreciate the fact, money is an important economic tool. Before it ever gets to be a store of value, there has to be some correct supply so as to become a medium of exchange (and almost by virtue a unit of account). The problem throughout history has […]
Asset Allocation For Cautious Investors
In today’s world, where politics take up the majority of news cycles and there is an ongoing war of words between the two major political parties, I decided for this letter to replace our often used phrase “conservative investor” with “cautious investor.” I believe this is a good description for the majority of affluent investors, […]
End Of The Day Financial Markets Report Monday, Oct.15
Video length: 00:12:21 Ira Epstein’s end of day financial markets video, covering the events related to the death of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi; the inflated Italian budget; Brexit, soybeans, gold, crude oil and more.
American Icon Sears Run Into Ground
Sears Holdings Corporation (SHLD), the parent of Kmart and Sears, Roebuck and Co., used to be the leading home appliance retailer in North America and a retail sales leader in tools, lawn and garden, home electronics, and automotive repair and maintenance. It’s been a long-time coming, but what so many predicted has finally come to […]
The Winners And Losers Of Q3
The third quarter of the year is in the books. The S&P 500 returned 7.7% for the quarter, its best quarterly performance in nearly five years. The rally was broad-based, according to the Select Sector SPDR exchange-traded funds (ETFs) that divide the S&P 500 into sector index funds. However, performance within the energy sector was mixed. […]
The Truth About The Trump Economy
I keep hearing that although Trump is a scoundrel or worse, at least he’s presiding over a great economy. As White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow recently put it, “The single biggest story this year is an economic boom that is durable and lasting”. Really? Look closely at the living standards of most Americans, and […]
T-Bill/10yr Spread Is A Lesson In Behavioral Finance
“Davidson” submits: I consider the T-Bill/10yr Treas to be a proxy for market psychology. You could call it ‘Behavioral Finance’. There is a lot of talk of ‘market tops’ and pending ‘collapses’. This talk has been with us since this investment cycle began in Spring 2009. It is market psychology based on recent market prices. […]
September Retail Sales Fizzle: 0.1% Gain Vs. 0.6% Expected
Economists missed the mark badly on retail sales. And August retail sales were revised from 0.1% to flat. The Census Bureau’s Advance Retail Sales Report for September shows unexpected weakness. Advance estimates of U.S. retail and food services sales for September 2018, adjusted for seasonal variation and holiday and trading-day differences, but not for price changes, were […]
