What ails “King Dollar”
We live in a world where the US dollar dominates – meaning more trade and financial transactions use it and more are held by global central and commercial banks than any other currency. Simply put, the US dollar is the world’s reserve currency and our…
99 days until Election Day
In 99 days, Americans will choose the next President of the United States. Presidential elections are weighty affairs, heavy with history and allegory, and they serve as a mirror to America – where we think we are, where we think we should be headed, and…
The market’s wall of worry is daunting, but it’s got nothing on El Capitan
As we tried these past few months to put a very unusual – and very stressful – market and economic environment in perspective, we leaned on a few bits of timeless Wall Street wisdom, including “Don’t Fight The Fed” and “Don’t Try To Time The…
Dr. Copper’s Prognosis
When it comes to doctors, there are a lot. The list includes famous (real) ones like Jonas Salk, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Marie Curie; famous (fictional) ones like Dr. Evil, Meredith Grey, Marcus Welby; and famous doctors who really aren’t doctors but go by the title,…
Vlog: Quarter-end Q&A 2Q2020
Tim Holland, CFA, Global Investment Strategist, asks and answers three top-of-mind questions as investors receive their quarterly statements and reflect on the past quarter: Has a stock market bubble formed? What does the economic recovery look like? What are the near-term risks to the economy and…
With apologies to the Dave Brubeck Quartet, here’s our “Take Five”
Even casual fans of jazz – which we believe to be the great American art form – can easily recognize the opening cords to The Dave Brubeck Quartet’s classic, “Take Five.” Released in 1959 and penned by the quartet’s alto saxophonist Paul Desmond, “Take Five”…
Don’t fight the Fed. And, maybe the Federal Government too
Among the better-known Wall Street maxims is “Don’t fight the Fed,” which speaks to the idea that monetary policy and the trend in interest rates determines the direction of the stock market. Or, more specifically, when the Fed is lowering, or keeping interest rates low,…
Two bits of good news. And, what are two bits, anyway?
The economic headlines of late have been driven by – and understandably so – BIG pieces of news, both bad and good. There was Q1 GDP contracting by 5% and an April unemployment rate of 14.7%. Conversely, there was the unprecedented policy response to the…
What small caps might be telling us about the economy and the market
For a big country, we sure have an affinity for little things. Think TV shows: “Tiny House Nation”; sayings: “Big things come in small packages”; and children’s books: “The Little Engine That Could” as being among the more obvious examples of our love of things…
The market as a leading indicator…for the market
We frequently write about the stock market as a leading indicator of the real economy. The idea being the market will anticipate the economic environment to come, rallying in the face of awful economic news and selling off in the face of constructive economic news….