Don’t get down if the markets aren’t dancing in September
It’s been a positive – if somewhat bumpy – year for US equities, with the S&P 500 Index (S&P 500) up about 17% in 2019, despite pullbacks of about 7% in May and August. The robust performance of the US stock market isn’t surprising given…
The formula for happiness: Wanting what you have
a2 + b2 = c2 e = mc2 y = mx + b Odds are, your head is full of formulas of which you have only a vague recollection and no ongoing use. You needed these formulas for a season – most likely to pass…
One thing we are NOT worried about today
There are many issues that have investors concerned as we are set to say goodbye to summer, including a flat to partially inverted yield curve, deteriorating US/ China relations, and a slowdown in manufacturing activity in the US and around the world. As we previously…
It feels like Groundhog Day… Bill Murray, trade, tariffs, and the markets
In the film Groundhog Day, Bill Murray plays TV weatherman Phil Connors who, against his wishes, is sent to report on the annual Groundhog Day event in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania and, while there, relives Groundhog Day again, and again and again with an eye toward his…
Bizarro bonds – guaranteed to lose you money, and not just in a comic strip
Fans of Superman – or Seinfeld – may be familiar with Bizarro World, a cubed planet far out in space that is inhabited by imperfect duplicates of Superman, Lois Lane, and their friends. In a nutshell, on Bizarro – relative to earth – up is…
What did the Fed just do? Why? What comes next?
Last week, the Federal Open Market Committee, the monetary policymaking body of the US Federal Reserve (Fed), met and announced it was lowering the Federal Funds rate by 25 bps (the first interest rate cut in more than 10 years) to a range of 2.0%…
A tomorrow more certain than today?
Suppose I asked you what you would be doing in five minutes. Odds are, you would be able to answer that question with some high degree of certainty. After all, it will probably look a bit like what you are doing at the time you…
There is never a good time to invest
Consider something you’ve always wanted to do but you’ve put off doing because it scares you. In fact, just think of something you’d eventually like to do but haven’t yet, since you may not even be aware of all your reasons for not having embarked on…