Ever-Flowing Streams
Markets started the session wobbling between positive and negative; waiting for word on tax legislation. Then a political bombshell dropped. The major averages hit their session lows on the report, with the Dow Jones industrial average briefly dropping 350 points. Mike Flynn, former National Security Adviser, pleaded guilty to one count of lying to the FBI about […]
Real Disposable Income Per Capita Gains In October
With the release of yesterday’s report on October Personal Incomes and Outlays, we can now take a closer look at “Real” Disposable Personal Income Per Capita. At two decimal places, the nominal 0.39% month-over-month change in disposable income was trimmed to 0.25% when we adjust for inflation. The year-over-year metrics are 2.52% nominal and 0.92% real. […]
If Tax Bill Fails, How Far Over Our Skis Are We?
If the GOP tax bill fails, how far over its skis is the current stock market? CNBC’s Jim Cramer says 500 points will come off the Dow instantly. Others more or less concur. Even Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin warned that if a tax bill is not passed, market participants can expect a major pullback in […]
Fertilizer Industry Gaining Stability: 3 Stocks To Buy Now
The fertilizer industry is showing signs of stability of late, taking succor from improved pricing and demand dynamics for certain major crop nutrients and a firming farm economy. While still-weak agricultural commodity prices remain a roadblock, strong usage in major consumer markets is driving demand for primary crop nutrients. Needless to say, the ever-growing world […]
Economic Data Continues To Point To An Economy That Is Good, Not Great
Domestic and geopolitical politics are seriously heating up; we’ve seen phenomenal bitcoin volatility all while the equity markets continue to grind higher and higher even after the quick pullback in trading today. That slippage reflects not only the delay in the Senate tax reform vote, but also the revelation that former Trump national security adviser […]
Mid-December Cold Supports Natural Gas Prices
Natural gas prices settled up modestly on the day, but seemed to sputter into the weekend as most gains came overnight with prices gradually declining through the day today. Prices seemed to bounce right off the $3.12 resistance level, unable to find much of a sustained footing after 8 AM Eastern. Part of the reason was that […]
Gold Price Outlook Hinges On Senate Tax Plan Vote
Talking Points: Gold price outlook hinges on Senate tax cut vote result Crude oil prices struggle despite output cuts extension Gold prices declined as a swell in risk appetite pushed Treasury bonds lower and sent yields higher alongside share prices. Not surprisingly, that undermined the appeal of non-interest-bearing assets epitomized by the yellow metal. From here, all eyes are […]
The Latte Index: Using The Impartial Bean To Value Currencies
Like any other market, there are many opinions on what a currency ought to be worth relative to others. With certain currencies, that spectrum of opinions is fairly narrow. As an example, for the world’s most traded currency – the U.S. dollar – the majority of opinions currently fall in a range from the dollar […]
