(Bloomberg) — The firebreak between mounting economic threats and a continuation in the global recovery: an imposing concrete and glass structure in the heart of Beijing’s financial district, elephant statues guarding the door, the Chinese flag flying above. That’s the headquarters of the People’s Bank of China which, in contrast with the U.S. Federal Reserve, […]
Read MoreMarket volatility has picked up since the beginning of the year, with all three major indices now sitting at legitimate correction levels. The good news is that this week, all three indices look like they may have started to stabilize, finding support that could provide a new basis for another rally back in the direction […]
Read MoreOne of the things that market uncertainty does to a lot of investors is to make them more hesitant about taking on new positions. I think that’s a pretty natural reaction, especially when we see the market start to reverse existing trends. Since the beginning of the year, increasing bearish sentiment has finally pushed all […]
Read MoreUncertainty in the financial markets, and in the economy is usually considered a bad thing, because it makes things more difficult and stressful for everybody. Fear about inflation, the likelihood of rising interest rates, and the continued impact of a pandemic that is now extending into its third year has taken a toll on the […]
Read MoreThe Materials sector is one of the more interesting sectors of the market, because it encompasses a pretty wide range of business types. It’s also an industry that the average consumer probably doesn’t think much about, I think primarily because as consumers we tend to be aware of just the finished goods and products that […]
Read MoreIf you listen to a lot of “talking head” market analysts on TV, when a popular, well-known stock starts to drop in price, you’ll almost always start hearing about what a great deal the stock is at that price, and how you should “buy the dip” to take advantage of the next swing upward. For […]
Read MoreFederal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell at his confirmation hearing this week. Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Bloomberg Now, in the winter of our discontent, it shouldn’t be surprising that the Misery Index has made a comeback. Those of a certain age will recall it was a measure conceived in the 1960s by the economist Arthur Okun, then an adviser […]
Read MoreOne of the themes that has become more and more prevalent over the past year in the stock market is the pace of inflation. Inflation is one of those words that tends to stoke fear in the marketplace, because it is usually tied so closely with central bank monetary policy. it is also something that […]
Read MoreAs recently as last summer, a lot of signs about the global pandemic seemed to suggest that the worst of the worst was over, and we could all finally begin to put COVID-19 concerns and commentary in the rear view. As new, even more contagious variants of the virus have emerged, however, it has become […]
Read MoreThe advent of a new year brings with it the prospect of new challenges and new opportunities to embrace. Whether you are the type to set New Year’s resolutions or not, for most of us turning the calendar from one year to the next usually includes some thought about what’s happened and what’s coming up. […]
Read MoreOne of the things I like about value investing is that it complements a natural tendency I’ve had since childhood, which is go against the grain of what people say I should do or want me to do. Growing up, that attitude got me into a lot of trouble – but as an investor it […]
Read MoreWithin the scope of long-term investing, there are two primary methods most investors use: investing for growth, or looking for value. I write a lot in this space about value-oriented investing, because more than two decades of study and hard experience have taught me that it is the investing method that suits me best. It […]
Read MoreAs a conservative-minded, value and fundamental-driven investor, my natural tendency is to shy away from stocks that market experts and popular market media analysts tend to talk to the most about. That means that my investments rarely look very sexy – but I’m far more interested in being able to keep my money working for […]
Read MorePart of taking a smart, value-based approach to investing in the stock market involves keeping track of information on industry and economic trends that are likely to have broad residual impacts on market activity. One of the sectors that I think has a broad carryover effect on multiple other sectors in the economy is Energy, […]
Read MoreOne of the sources of a lot of conversation among talking heads and market analysts in general lies around the “reopening” concept. This theme has been pretty constant for most of the year, even as COVID variants – omicron is just the latest – have extended the health crisis well into 2022, with some experts […]
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