Here are my forecasts for upcoming economic data.         Forecast Prior Observation Consensus   Week of March 13         March 14         NFIB Small Business Optimism Index 105.0 105.9 105             Producer Price Index – February 0.1% 0.4 0.1   PPI […]

Century Communities (CCS) just made a new all-time high and yet it is still a cheap stock. CCS sits at a 0.5 price/sales ratio, 1.1 price/book ratio, 10.7 trailing P/E, and 7.6 forward P/E. Home builders typically hit 1.0 price/book ratios at the BOTTOM of a recessionary cycle. The response to CCS’s latest earnings report […]

Crude oil prices have broken to the downside over the past few days, finally reflecting the ongoing imbalance between plentiful supply and limited demand. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude dropped at one point to its lowest level since November 30, the day the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries cartel agreed to cut output for the first […]

Economic Reports Scorecard The Federal Reserve is widely expected to raise interest rates again at their meeting next week. They obviously view the recent cyclical upturn as being durable and the inflation data as pointing to the need for higher rates. Our market based indicators agree somewhat but nominal and real interest rates are still […]

Utilities are one of the cornerstones of high-yield portfolios and for good reason. Their generally stable and predictable cash flows, often protected by regulated prices, result in most utilities achieving high Dividend Safety Scores. Safe payouts can be a major asset for low risk investors – especially retirees who depend on dividends for funding their living expenses. […]