China’s Rising Pool of College Grads – and Expectations

My Thoughts on This: From time to time, I find nothing I want to share with readers of this blog. Some of what I run across is so technical that I suspect most of you would simply read three lines and say to hell with it. Can’t blame you much. One topic that keeps coming …

Continue reading China’s Rising Pool of College Grads – and Expectations

The Smartest Kid In Summer School

My Thoughts on This: Many of us in the investment world are wondering, as we always do at the beginning of every year, how this new one is going to unfold. After all, we get paid to help our client’s accounts grow, not shrink. So we read the tea leaves like everyone else and come …

Continue reading The Smartest Kid In Summer School

What’s Going To Matter In 2013

My Comments: We are already well into January and those resolutions we talked about are starting to fade into the background. The reality is that there are forces out there over which we have no control, but if we can somehow anticipate what they are likely to be, we can position ourselves so as to …

Continue reading What’s Going To Matter In 2013

Tax Increases, Spending Cuts Earn Public Support

My Thoughts on This: The media would have you believe that the “fiscal cliff” is the most closely watched and critical issue on the planet. How else can they promote listeners and eyeballs that result in advertising revenue? For me, it’s interesting but not critical. I think there is likely to be a slowdown in …

Continue reading Tax Increases, Spending Cuts Earn Public Support

Big GM Investment in China

My Comments: Not talked about much during the recent election campaign but in the back of my mind as I pondered the merits of the GOP vs Dems. The neo-con crowd who were backing Romney were the same people who pushed as hard as anyone to get us into Iraq in 2002-03 and have been …

Continue reading Big GM Investment in China

Rights and Wrongs of the US Fiscal Cliff

My Thoughts on This: I'm not sure there is a Right and Wrong on this issue. And I'm unsure how it will effect the economy until we're well into 2013. What I am sure about is that it was Congress and not the White House that came up with the idea and in my opinion, …

Continue reading Rights and Wrongs of the US Fiscal Cliff

Chuck Schwab: We’ll Go Over Cliff, but Let’s Move On

At Schwab Impact, Chuck Schwab talks alternative investments, one benefit of Dodd-Frank and why he’s willing to write a bigger tax check. My Comments: Most of you know that I'm a center left Democrat. I also pretend to be an economist with a reasonable understanding of economics, finance, and how the world of money works. …

Continue reading Chuck Schwab: We’ll Go Over Cliff, but Let’s Move On

Stock and Bond Funds Appreciate by $1 Trillion in 2012

My Comments: All this in spite of the fact we are in the middle of a secular bear market. One which is likely to take at least three more years and two large sell-offs before we can declare we are now at the start of a secular bull market. The last secular bull market ran …

Continue reading Stock and Bond Funds Appreciate by $1 Trillion in 2012

The Deficit Is Already Shrinking At Its Fastest Pace Since World War II Demobilization

My Comments: OK, so it’s still Thanksgiving! Tell that to the folks running to the mall to participate in Black Friday. For me, that’s an economic phenomenon that helps justify my blog post today. After all, this is GOOD NEWS, news that we can be THANKFUL for, even if it is about economics, that nasty …

Continue reading The Deficit Is Already Shrinking At Its Fastest Pace Since World War II Demobilization

55 Billion Reasons for Consumer-Driven Care

My Comments: While the election is over, and ObamaCare will not be repealed, there is still massive confusion and misunderstanding by all parties about what it all means for you and me as consumers of health care, and the doctors who look after us. Surveys suggest that doctors are very fearful that what had been …

Continue reading 55 Billion Reasons for Consumer-Driven Care