Can The U.S. Achieve Energy Independence?
The International Energy Agency projects that the U.S. is set to become the world’s leading oil and natural gas production superpower. Is that realistic? Last week I had articles published in both Forbes and the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) addressing a recent report from the International Energy Agency (IEA). The IEA made headlines when it projected […]
German Politics: What’s Next?
Talks to forge a new coalition government in Germany passed the self-imposed deadline at the end last week, and the markets paid little attention. The euro finished last week a little below $1.18, up to a little over 1% on the week. Talks continued over the weekend and then, late yesterday, the pro-business Free Democrats, with […]
A SIMPLE Kind Of Plan
The SIMPLE Plan is a type of retirement account for small businesses that is simpler (ah hah!) to administer and more portable than the 401(k) plans that are more appropriate for larger businesses. SIMPLE is an acronym (probably a backronym, more likely) which stands for Savings Incentive Match PLan for Employees. Photo by Thomas Hill A […]
4 Strong Reasons To Buy Retail ETFs Ahead Of Black Friday
The holiday season is kicking off this week with Thanksgiving Day and Black Friday in the spotlight. And retailers have a tradition of tapping this fervor the most as about 25-40% of sales comes during the holiday season. In fact, retailers have been the clear outperformers in the stock market in the week leading to […]
As Bitcoin Tops $8,200, Only 39% Of Survey Respondents Say It’s A Bubble
Having first surged above $8000 overnight amid Zimbabwe’s chaos, it appears uncertainty in the core of Europe has driven further demand for cryptocurrency protection, sending Bitcoin to a new record high of $8247 – up 50% from the ‘Bitcoin Cash’ crash weekend lows. image courtesy of CoinTelegraph image courtesy of CoinTelegraph, the latest milestone for Bitcoin, which […]
Dividend Stocks Vs. Bonds: Comparing Risk-Adjusted Returns
One of the largest questions that faces investor is what asset classes to invest in. The two largest are stocks (equities) and bonds (fixed income). How can an investor know which asset class to invest in, or what proportions should be used in a mixed strategy? It all comes down to your fundamental investment goals. […]
Conference Board Leading Economic Index: Rebound In October
The latest Conference Board Leading Economic Index (LEI) for October increased to 130.4 from 128.9 in September. The Coincident Economic Index (CEI) came in at 116.2, up from the previous month. The Conference Board LEI for the U.S. increased sharply in October, driven by positive contributions from almost all its underlying components. In the six-month period ending […]
Transports- Diverging For 1-Year, Testing Important Support
1-year ago this month, the Transports/S&P 500 ratio peaked and has been heading lower, reflecting that Transports have been diverging against the broad market. Below looks at the performance of the S&P to Transportation ETF (IYT): The chart above highlights that IYT underperformed the S&P 500 by nearly 10% in the past 12-months, with a good […]
Upcoming US Senate Vote A Risk For The Dollar
In September, the US dollar rose sharply after inflation stopped decelerating and US politics started working in the currency’s favor. Looking at reliable front-runners of headline inflation, indicators such as 5y5y breakeven rates and commodity prices bottomed in June and began strengthening. The dollar’s move up in September thus makes sense given this context. Following the […]
Three Myths About Peer-To-Peer Loans
Written by the Cleveland Fed Peer-to-peer lending platforms, which provide a way for individuals who want to invest to lend to those who want to borrow, have experienced phenomenal growth in the past decade. Many praise the industry and maintain that P2P loans provide unique benefits to consumers. We examine a comprehensive set of credit […]
