Category: Economy
114 posts categorized as "Economy"
Earnings Report on Bieber, Oprah, and CEOs
January 11, 2013
With the start of a new year, it’s no secret that many in the financial world are eagerly eyeing the first corporate earnings reports of 2013. So far, so good it would seem. Alcoa got things off to a good start on Tuesday, Jan. 8, when it revealed that it was able to meet the…
A Quick Look at Fixed Income
January 10, 2013
For approximately the past four years both stocks and bonds have had positive returns for investors. The Federal Reserve has been printing money at a record pace and it continues to do so. However, that gravy train may finally be coming to an end and some investors are starting to become concerned about what to…
Bank of America’s Billion Dollar Settlements
January 9, 2013
On Monday, Bank of America announced two large settlements with different parts of the federal government. Settling items for Bank of America is nothing new. Counting the twin settlements, Bank of America has reached fourteen settlements with various entities since 2010. Over that time, Bank of America has paid to settle charges for loaning to…
CLS Investment Themes For 2013
January 8, 2013
CLS has developed key investment themes for 2013, let’s identify them and take a look at some of the ways these can be implemented. Below I offer some ‘resolutions’ to get the ball rolling in the New Year. Theme: Creative Diversification Be More Active – One of the more popular trends in new ETF’s lately has…
Government: Do Your Job
December 31, 2012
“Indeed, a reality has become too obvious for the world’s dazed inhabitants not to notice: The greatest threat to the upward arc of human progress is the collapse of public policy making. That is the biggest cliff of all. Governments are giving government a bad name.” Daniel Henninger, Wall Street Journal, 12/26/2012 Bluff or cliff?…
Compared to Last Year…
December 28, 2012
I am often asked what we are doing to position our portfolios against the uncertainty in the market, as anxiety continues to run high among investors. One point I like to make in answering this question is that when we lay out the uncertainties we were dealing with in 2011, versus the uncertainties we are…
Bear Facts
December 27, 2012
Did you know that a Bear Market actually existed outside the minds of doom and gloom CNBC analysts? The history behind the stock market term Bear Market can be traced back to the underlying animal (not so for Bull Market). Back in the day, London “jobbers” used to trade bear skins. A “jobber” was the…
If U.S. Markets Are Struggling, I’ll Take More Of It
December 24, 2012
The other day I was listening to Bloomberg and I heard discussions about the struggles that the U.S. markets have experienced this year due to fiscal policy and the Eurozone mess, and how it should now be worried about geopolitical concerns. I’m curious just what they mean by “struggle.” In reality, the market is getting…
Volcanic Activity in the Fiscal System
December 20, 2012
A massive flow of funds from the Federal Reserve into the fiscal system has investors concerned about inflation. The more money there is in the system the more dollars there to spend, causing consumers to drive up prices in order to compete for goods. This build-up can be compared to the build-up of heat…
Thoughts on the “Fiscal Bluff”
December 14, 2012
Is the “Fiscal Bluff” the same as Y2K? In 1999, Y2K was a massive concern to investors, but turned out to be over-rated and the markets continued to move higher. The “Fiscal Bluff” could mean a worst-case scenario of $600B in lost spending, which some believe will crush the economy. Sort of like how…