Stock markets have become increasingly bearish since the election. With the fiscal cliff approaching, and little confidence that Democrats and Republicans will agree on a solution to avoid it, the…
WOW! Manufacturing Index Up 0.2%!
“Been down so long, it looks like up to me.” Furry Lewis This is what passes as positive economic news these days: The Institute for Supply Management’s (ISM) reported Thursday…
News You May Have Missed
With the election season in full swing, dominating the airwaves, Internet and print media, you may have missed some of the other news from the past week. Here are a…
The End of the Road
The problem with kicking the can down the road is that sooner or later, the road ends. Evidence of this can be found in recent stock market performance. Quantitative easing…
Set Our Markets Free!
In the not-too-distant past, the stock market rewarded entrepreneurs who worked hard and had innovative ideas. Today, the market is driven primarily by two things: Monetary policy. The Federal Reserve…
The Truth about High-Frequency Trading
We’ve been critical before about high-frequency trading. While regulation sometimes makes matters worse, it’s encouraging that he U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs held a hearing this…
The Fed and Facebook
On the surface, The Federal Reserve Board and Facebook have nothing in common. But media speculation about Fed action is very similar to the speculation that preceded Facebook’s IPO. For…
Stock Rally Built On Wishful Thinking
“This is the most disrespected rally I’ve ever seen.” John Buckingham, Al Frank Asset Management Stock prices have rallied and are closing in on their highest level in five years. …
What Recovery?
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…