Last week the Federal Reserve announced it would begin tapering (cutting back on) bond purchases this month. It looks like the start of the tightening cycle has arrived. What Does Tighter Monetary Policy Mean For Stocks? In our October Market Update, we look at how stocks performed during the last Fed tightening cycle. It turns …
This week we’re sharing a graphic about Earth Overshoot Day. Have you heard about it? Like Earth Day, it’s a day to raise awareness about protecting the environment. Unlike Earth Day, which falls on April 22nd each year, Earth Overshoot Day falls on a different day each year. That’s because it marks the day each …
Should you own international stocks? Serious investors will always have an allocation to stocks of companies outside of the U.S. After all, the U.S. represents less than 25% of total world GDP. And nearly 80% of the publicly traded companies in the world are foreign companies. Even accounting for size, U.S. companies make up just …
Today’s housing market is absolutely a “seller’s market”. Demand is strong. Supply is weak. So the seller has all of the leverage. Our chart of the month shows a completely different supply and demand story in the job market. Supply is abundant The April Job Opening and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) released in June came …
The daily price movement of Bitcoin is now quoted almost as widely as the Dow, S&P, and the NASDAQ. While there are more than 1,000 cryptocurrencies available, Bitcoin is the best known. In many ways, Bitcoin is to cryptocurrency what Kleenex is to facial tissues. Everyone is talking about Bitcoin. But here are three things …
Each month, Purdue University conducts a phone survey of 400 U.S. agricultural producers about the expected future value of farmland. They use this data to compile and monitor the Long-Term Farmland Value Expectations Index (chart below). In March, this index rose back to its highest level on record, indicating a positive long-term outlook for the …
Just over a year after the global economy closed for business, countries are in various stages of reopening. News headlines cite more openings than closings. More and more people are getting vaccinated and feeling comfortable being out and about. Cushman and Wakefield, a commercial real estate company, has an interesting interactive global map that measures …
The January 2021 reading of the Producer Price Index (PPI) saw its largest monthly increase since early 2009. Producer prices represent the cost of goods or services that will ultimately be bought by consumers. So, it makes sense that we will be feeling those higher costs soon. Most experts expect inflation to make a comeback …
On 11/9 the first significant news about a soon-available coronavirus vaccine hit the headlines. Since that time, we’ve seen stellar performance from equity markets, but a dramatic shift in the driver of stock market returns. No longer is Big Tech the only winner. (In the above chart, Top 5 S&P 500 includes Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, …
Nearly 200 years ago, the U.S. was debt-free. Our then-President, who thought buying something on credit was like “black magic”, decided to pay off the national debt. And he did it. In today’s world, most of us couldn’t imagine ourselves or our country being debt-free. Andrew Jackson is a testament to the power of making …
