The Stock Market is a Horse Race!
The recent Kentucky Derby was won by a horse named Golden Tempo (GT). One of the big headlines was that GT was trained by a lady, the first female trainer to ever win the Derby. But consider a few other…
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Category Columns
Drilling Down on Oil
You may be one of those Americans who has quit watching the news. But even if you don’t watch or read any news, you still know something’s going on. You’re reminded each time you gas up. Oil prices in early…
Emerging Markets Emerge (again)!
For starters, let’s define what we mean by “emerging markets”. Emerging markets are developing economies (e.g., China, India, Brazil) as opposed to developed economies (e.g., Canada, Japan, the UK). Emerging markets are known for having cheap labor and producing products…
Here We Go Again?
As I logged onto my computer the first workday of the new year, I immediately saw the following headline: Every Wall Street Analyst Now Predicts a Wall Street Rally in 2026. The last time I recall such a consensus was…
‘Tis the Season to Be Folly!
It’s that time of the year again when the economists and other financial professionals offer their forecasts for the coming year. The forecasts range from the direction of interest rates to how fast (or slow) the economy will grow to…
When Bad News is Good News!
On September 24, we finally got a long-awaited rate cut of 25 basis points (one fourth of one percent). That was good news for investors and businesses. The idea is that the rate cut will filter through to lower interest…
Just the Facts Please!
Feeling confused about tariffs? Are they good or bad for America? Depending on your news source, you probably either love ‘em or hate ‘em. President Trump sees tariffs as a source of revenue as well as a job-creating mechanism for…
Stay in Your Seat!
You’ve heard some rumblings that we’re in danger of falling into a recession. Comments on this issue are coming from legitimate financial professionals. These comments stem for the most part due to the current trade war the U.S. initiated against…
Tariff Turmoil
Look around your home and you’ll likely find products that were made in at least a dozen different countries. Some items you purchase on a regular basis, such as food. Some are a one-time purchase like furniture. You buy these…
Picking Winners and Losers
The year 2024 was a good year for stock markets, especially for the U.S market. The three major indicators for the U.S. market (Dow, S&P 500, and NASDAQ) all registered healthy returns. You might think it was virtually impossible to…
Tennis and the Stock Market
Even if you’re not an avid tennis fan, you probably recognize the name Roger Federer. His tennis career spanned 25 years. During that time, he won 103 singles titles, and the Association of Tennis Professionals ranked him the number one…
If Only You Had a Crystal Ball
You might have had this thought before. If I could see into the future, I would really make money in the stock market. Like shooting fish in a barrel, as the saying goes. If only I knew who was going…
Taxation 101: Don’t Tax Me!
“Don’t tax you, don’t tax me, tax that fellow behind the tree!” This short verse is thought to be attributed to the late Louisiana Senator Russell Long. We recognize that “taxes are what we pay for a civilized society.” At…
Are Americans Saving Any Money?
We’ve all heard the complaints about the cost of living in the U.S. Grocery prices, for example, are up a punishing 25 percent from just a few years ago. Not to mention energy prices, housing, and so on. Consumer credit…
A Tale of Two Economies
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…”. You might recognize that as the opening line in Charles Dicken’s classic A Tale of Two Cities. That phrase might well apply to the U.S. economy. Despite relatively…