The Future Still Belongs to the Emerging Markets

My Comments: As someone who has helped clients manage their money for almost four decades, I’m still often caught up in the "crisis de jour", what's happening TODAY, as opposed to stepping back and looking at things from further away. Our society has become obsessed with WHAT IS HAPPENING NOW, and often fails to put …

Continue reading The Future Still Belongs to the Emerging Markets

Is A Welcome Surprise Coming For Mortgage Rates?

My Comments: There are millions of us who worry almost every day about the state of our finances. And most of us have few clues how to react when we read or hear stuff that seems to be alarming. The default state for us, therefore, and especially with what happened in 2008-09 so close to …

Continue reading Is A Welcome Surprise Coming For Mortgage Rates?

Why IS The Fed Tapering?

My Comments: Tapering is the term used to describe efforts by the Federal Reserve to slow down the monthly purchase of bonds. They have made these purchases for many months to help prop up the economy and keep interest rates low. It’s an important question for you if you have money in the markets because …

Continue reading Why IS The Fed Tapering?

Why North American Oil Prices Are Set For A Big Drop

My Comments: The price of gasoline in this country has a huge influence on whether the economy grows or shrinks. (It is NEVER static.) We’ve all heard that with access to incredible reserves of natural gas, we as a nation are going to become a net exporter of fuel over the next decade or so. …

Continue reading Why North American Oil Prices Are Set For A Big Drop

5 Simple Reasons The U.S. Market Will Go Straight Up From Here

My Comments: Yesterday, my blog post gave you lots of reasons to believe the world was coming to an end., at least for a while. Did you read all of it? Today, you only have to look at the headline above to think I’m either a raving lunatic or as puzzled as you and the …

Continue reading 5 Simple Reasons The U.S. Market Will Go Straight Up From Here

Most Americans Favor Raising Minimum Wage

My Comments: By now you probably know there is a movement afoot to raise the minimum wage and that President Obama allowed as how he was going to include this idea for all contracts awarded by the Federal Government going forward. By now you also know that I’m no longer a young man, having read …

Continue reading Most Americans Favor Raising Minimum Wage

This Is Exactly How Fast the Windows Monopoly Is Being Destroyed

My Comments: At some point last year I ran across this and found it interesting. So I saved it for when I needed something to talk about. And today is one of those days! Dull, rainy and cold! It’s another example of what at one point appears to be something locked in stone but over …

Continue reading This Is Exactly How Fast the Windows Monopoly Is Being Destroyed

Correction Fears Are Overblown: Buy The Dip

My Comments: I am both blessed and cursed for almost always believing the glass is half full rather than half empty. Right now, my bias is to say that another correction like we had in 2008-09 is NOT going to happen again during my lifetime. But that’s not to say the business cycle of ups …

Continue reading Correction Fears Are Overblown: Buy The Dip

Washington Must Not Settle for Secular Stagnation

My Comments: Tonight there will be a State of the Union Address. I read that it will include references to income inequality. Many might argue why this is important. If the vast majority of us have only enough money to sustain ourselves, with our time and energy focused on simply staying alive, it leaves little …

Continue reading Washington Must Not Settle for Secular Stagnation

What Accounts For The Decrease In The Labor Force Participation Rate?

My Comments: I bet you are saying this is just another weird observation from Tony. And you may be right. But mindful that many of you, and many of me, are thinking of ways to predict what the markets will do this year. So... A reasonable predictor of future market movements which translates to whether …

Continue reading What Accounts For The Decrease In The Labor Force Participation Rate?