Maybe we should be used to high unemployment … but now the bad news on jobs is coupled with queasiness about corporate earnings. The latest earnings season began with the…
Finally – U.S. Drags Down European Market … Japan Falls, Too
We’ve been writing about Europe dragging down the U.S. stock market for more than a year now. We, of course, take no satisfaction in it, but it’s kind of a…
I Think I Can’t. I Think I Can’t.
The U.S. economy is becoming the little engine that couldn’t. You, of course, remember the children’s story in which self-confidence and determination pull the little engine up and over a…
Healthcare For All – Like it Or Not
The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to uphold the Constitutionality of Obamacare by a 5-4 vote will mean different things to different people. Even its impact on healthcare companies will vary. …
The S&P 500 Comes Up Short
The S&P 500 fell more than 2% yesterday, recording its worst one-day drop since December. Was it disappointment with The Fed? A sudden realization that the market shouldn’t rise when…
Pretzel Logic
When Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke said recently that he did not expect The Fed to initiate any additional monetary stimulus, apparently stock traders weren’t listening. The recent run-up in stock…
Bad News Boosts the Market
In the strange world of investment management, bad news is often good news. That was the case last week, as the S&P 500 gained a hefty 3.7%, more than reversing…
Compared To What?
The U.S. dollar is the strongest it’s been in a year-and-a-half. Is this renewed strength a sign of American economic strength? In a way – but it’s all relative. The…
Is America Going Greek?
The federal deficit of $1.327 trillion for 2012 marks the fourth straight year in which the deficit has exceeded $1.29 trillion. The U.S. Debt Clock is now above $15.3 trillion,…