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Stock Markets and the Economy

Found 260 Articles.
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Finding Good News in Slow Growth

September 1, 2017

Many analysts are misreading the economy because they assume the future will be just like the past. Many analysts say it’s time for a downturn because we’ve had a very long expansion and bull market and the Fed is tightening the money supply. The combination usually leads to a recession and a bear market. Yet, many […]

Tips to Help with Commodities, Gold and Taxes

September 1, 2017

There are many different vehicles through which to own commodities, including gold, and there are different tax rules for them. Be sure you know the tax consequences of a commodity invest- ment before adding it to your portfolio. There are two basic ways to invest in commodities. (Options contracts are a third potential way, but they are […]

Hurricane Harvey and the Economy

August 31, 2017

First, I’d like you to know there’s a little time left to make my book an award winner. The revised edition of “The New Rules of Retirement” is nominated for Best Retirement Book by Senior Homes. The highest online vote-getter will be the winner, and right now I’m in third place and need additional votes. […]

Talking About Market Bubbles

August 10, 2017

When will this market bubble finally burst? The question is asked a lot lately. Market indexes set a lot of records during the last couple of years, with the latest being the Dow Jones Industrial Average closing above 22,000. Some analysts believe the entire market is in a bubble, while others say that only stocks, […]

Second-Half of 2017 Starts with a Rally

August 3, 2017

Monday’s market close marked the end of the first seven months of the year, and it’s interesting to compare the results so far with what people expected at the start of the year. At the start of the year, many investors and analysts were sold on the notion of the so-called “Trump Trade.” Deregulation and […]

It Is All about the Earnings

July 27, 2017

Rising earnings are boosting stock prices. Until recently, central banks (especially the Federal Reserve) were prime movers of the markets. Quantitative easing was designed largely to increase stock prices by pushing money into the markets, and it largely had that effect. But the Fed has been reducing its role since 2014. That pushes earnings and […]

The Fed’s Balancing Act, the Markets and Your Portfolio

July 27, 2017

Central bankers are dancing on a tightrope as they try to steer us toward higher interest rates and less monetary stimulus without triggering a downturn. Beginning in 2009, central banks made the markets safe for risk-takers by flooding the globe with money. The results were a very long period of modest economic growth and one of […]

The Second Quarter and First Half in Perspective

July 6, 2017

Most investors and media focus on U.S. stocks but that is not where the important action has been this year. We wrapped up the second quarter of the year on June 30 and stocks did well across the board for the month, the second quarter and the first half of 2017. As seems to have […]

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