Bob's Journal
Found 587 Articles.
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Bob’s Journal for 7/25
Expectations that the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates next week pushed major stock indexes to record highs. However, the fact that the rest of the stock market isn’t doing as well is a caution sign. The major indexes capture most of the headlines and are doing well as these indexes are driven by the […]
Bob’s Journal for 7/17/19
The S&P 500 has been setting records, but they’re not as impressive as they seem at first. The stock index hasn’t entered the second half of July with a year-to-date percentage gain this large since 1998. There have been only eight years since 1928 (the first year of the S&P 500) that the gain at […]
Bob’s Journal for 07/11
The technology sector is changing in ways that investors need to know. Technology has been the leading sector in the economy for some time. The growth and innovation in the sector has been a significant contributor to overall economic growth. Developments in tech have benefited most sectors of the economy. Companies have become more competitive […]
Bob’s Journal for 7/3/19
Several interesting and important data points caught my attention this week and merit your attention. You might have seen reports noting that this month, the U.S. economy set a new record. The 121-month recovery since June 2009 is the longest period the economy has gone without a recession. The previous record was set from March […]
Bob’s Journal for 6/27
It is a good idea for investors to keep an eye on the market performance of semiconductor companies. I don’t recommend using only one indicator to assess where the market is likely to head, but the semiconductors have a good history of tipping us off to market and economic downturns. This makes a lot of […]
Bob’s Journal for 6/20/19
Central banks might have to be very creative to maintain economic growth in the next few years. Global markets jumped Tuesday after European Central Bank (ECB) President Mario Draghi indicated more monetary stimulus was likely on the way. Only a few months ago, the ECB president was talking about ending the bank’s asset purchase program […]
Bob’s Journal for 6/13/2019
In order to learn what’s been happening in the economy and what investors expect to happen in the future, conduct a survey of recent returns for different investments. Let’s start with bonds, which do well when inflation is either low or falling and when economic growth is declining. Long-term treasury bonds rose 12.42% in the […]
Bob’s Journal for 6/6/2019
Federal Reserve officials must be dizzy from the numerous policy changes that they’ve made the last few years. Investors and markets are being taken along on the ride. Only last September, Fed officials were making it clear that they wanted to raise interest rates to near historic averages within the next few years. They believed […]
