Are Bonds A Good Investment For You?
Bonds are a very popular investment, but before you buy any, let me tell you what I share with my clients about them. Think of a bond as a loan between you and a company or government. Assuming all goes normally, here’s how it looks: 1. You lend them a sum of money 2. They […]
More Signs Of Slower U.S. Growth In Today’s Economic Updates
Today’s updates on sentiment in the US services sector and the Federal Reserve’s Labor Market Conditions Index (LMCI) offer more evidence for arguing that economic growth is slowing in the third quarter. There’s still a solid pace of output in services, but LMCI confirms the weakening trend that’s conspicuous in Friday’s disappointing release on payrolls for September. […]
Thoughts From The Frontline: Recession Watch
“Growth is never by mere chance; it is the result of forces working together.” – J.C. Penney “Strength and growth come only through continuous effort and struggle.” – Napoleon Hill “We’re lost, but we’re making good time.” – Yogi Berra, 1925-2015, RIP (For a most moving and memory-laden tribute to Yogi, see The Lefsetz Letter.) The Yogi Berra […]
Thoughts On Nuclear Energy
I have a long technical article that I plan to study and improve when I am invited to visit the Stockholm School of Economics for the purpose of giving the kind of brilliant lecture on nuclear energy and nuclear economics that they both need and deserve. Whether the algebra involved is digested by my audience […]
5 Stocks To Watch This Week – October 5, 2015
(Photo Credit: Nicole Yeary) This week marks the beginning of the third quarter earnings season and expectations leave much to be desired. According to Estimize data, the S&P 500 is anticipated to post negative YoY EPS growth of 2.2%, with revenues pegged to come in at -1.7%. As always, it is still early, and estimates will […]
IBM Announces Carbon Nanotube Research Breakthrough: Why It’s A Big Deal
IBM announced a research breakthrough in carbon nanotube electronics for post-silicon electronics. Carbon nanotubes are one of the most promising replacements for silicon and could keep electronics and computing on Moore’s Law. IBM needs new computer systems that stay on Moore’s Law of exponentially increasing performance to support its push to next-generation applications. The research […]
US Session Bullet Report – USD Mixed But Gold Remains Strong
US Session Bullet Report The EUR did not manage to advance further despite early indications that USD was under pressure. The pair was sold off at 1.1280 area and is trading just shy of 1.12 now. On the contrary GBPUSD is trading at session lows (1.5160) following disappointing PMI numbers. The BoE meets on Thursday […]
Aclaris Could Be A Sleeper
At first Aclaris [Nasdaq: ACRS] didn’t catch my eye. The phrase “concentrated hydrogen peroxide” sounded too simple to offer any sustainable competitive advantage. However a favorable mention from the famous “Dr. KSS” who knows his biotechnology made me take a closer look. What I see is a fairly low-risk to treat a very common skin condition (Seborrheic […]
Why Are Mules Stubborn? Why Can’t Blind Jackasses See?
Here’s my theoretical question for the day: Why are mules stubborn, and why can’t blind jackasses see? I ask that question in regards to a few recent news articles. One is on Japan, one the US, and one on emerging markets with various overlaps in between. Let’s start with Japan. Brink of “Technical” Recession The […]
Chinese Gold Holdings Up Again; Other Countries Also Hoarding The Metal
China continues to increase its central bank gold holdings, and other countries are following suit. The world’s largest bullion consumer upped its stash of the precious metal another 1% in August. Bloomberg reports the hoard rose to 54.45 million troy ounces in August from 53.93 million ounces a month earlier, according to data released by the People’s Bank […]
