E Making Sense Of The Commodities Rout
Making Sense: There is a rout going on in the commodities space. Some of this is based on fundamentals. Some of the rout is due to technical factors. Investors and advisors need to understand this before trying to become an asset class hero or consider stepping out. Asset Class Hero Commodity prices have been beaten […]
Factors In Long-Term Unemployment
The BLS reported on Friday that the U.S. unemployment rate was down to 5% in October and November, its lowest level since 2008. The dramatic surge in unemployment during the Great Recession and its stubborn persistence in coming back down were both dominated by a tremendous increase in the number of people who spent longer […]
When Shipping Overcapacity Meets Falling Demand
The following charts show what happens when an increasing number of ships meets falling demand. Harper Petersen Shipping Rates by Vessel Size – Ten Years image: http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NeQn5KKa5pw/VmdF03IIrFI/AAAAAAAAgfY/gdbzBSVawug/s400/Harper%2BPetersen%2B2015-12-08A.png Source: More charts below, but first let’s explain TEU. TEU stands for twenty-foot-equivalent unit. It’s an imprecise term because lengths have a 20-foot long (6.1 meters) standard but […]
Market Talk – December 8th, 2015
China’s Trade surplus did not live up to expectation and a result we saw weaker prices across all major Asian Indices. Shanghai and HSI were both down around 1.5% while the Nikkei lost only 1%. The Nikkei did attempt to lead the pack when Q3 GDP saw a small recovery but when the mood within […]
Finally Passing Gas: 10 Winners And Losers Of The Panama Canal Expansion
When the Panama Canal expansion is finally finished next year, the canal will have two new features: the ability to serve ships that can carry up to three times as many containers as it can currently handle, and the ability to serve liquified natural gas carriers, which it currently cannot handle at all. It is […]
How Much Longer Will Rising US Dollar Crush Commodities And Mining Equities?
In May of 2011 I sent out this chart and published an article entitled, “The Euro-Dollar Dance Doesn’t Fool Gold And Silver Bulls”. I predicted that the Euro (NYSEARCA:FXE) made a bearish technical reversal, while the US dollar (NYSEARCA:UUP) was oversold and could bounce higher to resistance. The chart clearly shows the historical inverse relationship […]
Will The E. Coli Outbreak Be The Downfall Of Costco’s Earnings Report?
Costco Wholesale Corporation (COST), the nation’s largest club warehouse retailer will be reporting 1Q2016 earnings this afternoon after the closing bell. The Washington state based company has beaten EPS expectations in 3 of the last 4 quarters, but missed on revenues in each of those. Analysts are expecting year over year increases in both EPS […]
Is The Time Ripe For 50% Currency Hedged ETFs?
The global currency world has been on a tumultuous ride on central banks’ comments. The basic perception has been that the currency-hedged developed market ETFs will be on a roller-coaster ride through the second half of 2015 and in 2016 on divergent economic policies between the U.S. and others. So far, the investing trend has […]
Stiglitz: TPP Is An Anti-Democratic Law For The Benefit Of Corporations, Not A Trade Agreement
When you have corporations having a very short-sighted view, paying their CEOs such outrageous monies with less money spent on investment, of course you’re not going to make long-term investments that are going to result in long-term economic growth. And at the same time, there’s going to be less money to pay for ordinary workers. […]
