March 9th marked the five year anniversary of the current bull market. Memory of the previous bear market is a distant recollection to some. 2013 saw the S&P 500 jump 32 percent and the Nasdaq jump 40 percent while corporate earnings barely increased. U.S. equity indices recently hit record highs. This week we examine reasons
During the streak of bad weather this winter some concern was expressed that the economy would lose steam. Despite the bad weather, the economy managed to produce a decent number of jobs in February. We address Friday’s jobs report and what it means. We’ve had a number of questions posed recently about the size of
My Dad passed away last week from complications of Alzheimer’s disease. I first wrote of our family’s journey with Alzheimer’s in the August 14 blog [click here] and then again last week [click here]. In this final chapter, I share a few more lessons we have learned in our journey that can be applied universally.
My Dad—a retired pastor—has Alzheimer’s disease. I first wrote about our family’s journey with Alzheimer’s disease in the August 14 blog [click here]. Now, further along the road less traveled, a few lessons have been learned that are worth sharing. 1. Believing the disease is easily managed is wishful thinking. “Beyond natural reactions to the
One of the recurring themes at conferences in the last year has been the shale gas revolution, and in particular, its larger global impact. The revolution in oil and gas –known as “fracking”—has led the International Energy Agency to estimate the U.S. will surpass Russia and Saudi Arabia as the world’s top oil producer by
Just as one cold wave follows another this winter, waves of market volatility have become the norm in 2014. Do the waves of volatility forecast a change in the investment climate, or is it just a naturally recurring market rhythm? Based on our readings, seasonal volatility does not appear to be a precursor of a
Markets have been choppy since the page turned to another year. Uncertainty about the withdrawal of economic stimulus by the Federal Reserve, the pace of economic growth, and the potential for contagion spreading from emerging markets have been leading causes. This week we examine these issues as they relate to one another. We believe reasons
Janet Yellen takes the helm of the Federal Reserve February 1. She will be the first female head of the Central Bank. Just what kind of leader will she be? That’s the question we ask this week. She is a first rate academic uniquely qualified to address the current labor market malaise. She cares more
This week we continue the theme begun last week—examining the economy and the stock market as we turn the page on a New Year. This week we present three articles that in varying degrees, address the economy and markets from different angles. The first article compares present conditions to those that existed prior to the
Mixed signals—that’s the only term to describe it. As the calendar turned into a New Year, signs looked promising that the economy was beginning to gain strength—to finally reach the point it does not require monetary stimulus. Then, the Friday jobs report, which Mohammed El-Erian of Pimco called ‘strange and puzzling’, created doubt about the