US Economy: Misaligned Policies to Blame, Not Structural Flaws

My Comments: More than once a week, I have conversations with a client, or prospect or someone I run into, who are gloomy to the point of absurd. There is a pervasive expectation that life will be miserable going forward. I suppose it’s a natural phenomenon, but I don’t share it. That it will be …

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The Outlook for Yields

My Comments: Guggenheim Partners has recently been sending periodic macro insights about investments and opportunities for investors. Good stuff, so if investments interest you, I encourage you to grasp as much of it as you can. Global CIO Commentary by Scott Minerd of Guggenheim Partners - July 03, 2014 As U.S. economic growth gathers pace, …

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Short Selling Drops to Lowest Level Since Lehman

My Comments: Last Tuesday, I referenced an article with a compelling reason to think the current stock market move upward would soon go the other way. The author asserted the collapse was already under way. Here is an equally compelling article that suggests it’s not going to collapse, instead is going to continue going up.  …

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Powered by the U.S., Global Assets Forecast to Hit $100 Trillion

My Comments: So, just how much is $100 Trillion? Can you say "A lot!"?  What’s equally mind boggling to me is that in 1967 ( or maybe it was 1966?) I built a house for myself and my wife. In those days I acted as my own general contractor. Back then, I could also dig …

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US Cable Barons And Their Power Over Us

My Comments: Professionally, I live in the world of finance and investments. Regulation is pervasive, most likely increasing, since there is a pervasive threat of abuse by the big players. I think it would help all of us to have a level playing field, including individuals, corporate America, and society as a whole. I cannot …

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World Weather Gone Haywire: Effect On… and the Economy

My Comments: No, we are not doomed. But it’s worth paying attention to from time to time. If you are looking for solace, you won’t find it here. My cousin in England just wrote to tell me their weather is noxious and unpleasant. Have you thought about the price of vegetables and fruit in the …

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Some Hints About Inflation

My Comments: How many of you remember the inflation numbers from the late 70’s? 12% comes to mind. And was that ever exciting and frightening. Since then, the people who pull most of the strings have been sensitive to this and have taken steps to keep inlfation under control. The other extreme from high inflation …

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Ten Brands That Will Disappear in 2014

My Comments: From time to time we see predictions about all sorts of things. But as time passes, they fade into oblivion and rarely do we consider whether any of those predictions came to pass. We give great credence to those who make those predictions since they usually appear in print, or on television, and …

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Removing Saddam Hussein Did Not Cause This Crisis

My Comments: The price of oil is increasing. The news is full of both the World Cup and Iraq. How will any of this affect our investments? And, of course, as always, it depends. At first glance one might dismiss the author as expressing a self-serving platitude. On second glance, you remember he rose to …

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3 Retirement Planning Essentials to Understand

My Comments: I’ve now reduced retirement years to three types of years. They are “go-go”, “slow-go” and “no-go”. Planning for them before you reach retirement is a matter of attempting to get as many $ in the pot as possbile. After that, it’s a timing issue that is driven by health, the expected life style, …

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