The S&P 500 Index started off as a noble idea. It was supposed to be a way to track the change in value of the US stock market, as represented by its 500 largest companies (with a few caveats). It’s also gotten a little extra attention lately, since it recently surpassed 5,000 for the first […]
Read MoreIt’s that time of year when Wall Street strategists offer up forecasts for the year ahead. While I’m going to refrain from prognosticating a specific target for the S&P 500 index, I would like to share some thoughts on what I think makes this moment in time potentially very different from others we have experienced […]
Read More“The Federal Reserve will not monetize the debt.” Ben Bernanke, June 3, 2009, then Chairman of the Federal Reserve, in response to a direct question on the subject during a congressional hearing Maybe he really believed that at the time. There were plenty of skeptics out there on this point. Many of us worried that […]
Read MoreFor those of us who were hoping that Jerome Powell would represent a new type of Fed Chair, or might be able to at least begin the process of weaning us and the rest of the world off the dependency of easy credit and ultra-low interest rates, the recent words and actions of Mr. Powell […]
Read MoreAfter years of artificially low interest rates, the world is finally waking up to the very real possibility that interest rates are beginning to return to their natural levels (higher). It is difficult to overstate the significance of this in terms of its investment implications and potential effects on the global economy. In the wake […]
Read MoreIn individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. – Friedrich Nietzsche In my last blog post I laid out a fairly simple system we use to evaluate opportunity in the market and help guide our investment process for our clients. If you did not see it, I […]
Read MoreOver time, investors have developed hundreds if not thousands of systems to use as guides in trying to answer the two most basic questions of portfolio construction – what to own, and when to own it. Some of these are rather complex or downright arcane, while others are so simple they can almost seem silly. […]
Read MoreDefend yourself with simple, everyday practices that can help protect your identity, your accounts and your devices. October 3, 2017 Americans lose tens of billions of dollars each year to financial fraud. In the digital frontier, many crimes – including identity theft, tax fraud and elder abuse – are committed by online outlaws, making cybersecurity […]
Read MoreThe S&P 500 Index started off as a noble idea. It was supposed to be a way to track the change in value of the US stock market, as represented by its 500 largest companies (with a few caveats). It’s also gotten a little extra attention lately, since it recently surpassed 5,000 for the first […]
Read MoreIt’s that time of year when Wall Street strategists offer up forecasts for the year ahead. While I’m going to refrain from prognosticating a specific target for the S&P 500 index, I would like to share some thoughts on what I think makes this moment in time potentially very different from others we have experienced […]
Read More“The Federal Reserve will not monetize the debt.” Ben Bernanke, June 3, 2009, then Chairman of the Federal Reserve, in response to a direct question on the subject during a congressional hearing Maybe he really believed that at the time. There were plenty of skeptics out there on this point. Many of us worried that […]
Read MoreFor those of us who were hoping that Jerome Powell would represent a new type of Fed Chair, or might be able to at least begin the process of weaning us and the rest of the world off the dependency of easy credit and ultra-low interest rates, the recent words and actions of Mr. Powell […]
Read MoreAfter years of artificially low interest rates, the world is finally waking up to the very real possibility that interest rates are beginning to return to their natural levels (higher). It is difficult to overstate the significance of this in terms of its investment implications and potential effects on the global economy. In the wake […]
Read MoreIn individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. – Friedrich Nietzsche In my last blog post I laid out a fairly simple system we use to evaluate opportunity in the market and help guide our investment process for our clients. If you did not see it, I […]
Read MoreOver time, investors have developed hundreds if not thousands of systems to use as guides in trying to answer the two most basic questions of portfolio construction – what to own, and when to own it. Some of these are rather complex or downright arcane, while others are so simple they can almost seem silly. […]
Read MoreDefend yourself with simple, everyday practices that can help protect your identity, your accounts and your devices. October 3, 2017 Americans lose tens of billions of dollars each year to financial fraud. In the digital frontier, many crimes – including identity theft, tax fraud and elder abuse – are committed by online outlaws, making cybersecurity […]
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