Main Street Boom Frightens Wall Street
On Friday, November 2nd, the Dow Jones Industrials ended down 110 points in a wild day in which the index swung over 500 points from its intraday high to its intraday low. This occurred despite one of the most stellar employment reports in recent memory, a report that raised hopes that the economy would continue […]
The Fed’s new bubble – Part 2
In part I of this two part series, I discussed the possible rush for the exits and market volatility in what I saw as a long overdue correction. The violence of the correction and the extremes of volatility that I worried about have now actually appeared. As I rewrite the introduction of this part II, conventional […]
The Fed’s New Bubble
“Most valuation parameters are either the richest ever or among the highest in history. In the past, levels like these were followed by downturns. Thus, a decision to invest today has to rely on the belief that ‘it’s different this time.’ I’m convinced the easy money has been made.” (Howard marks, Oaktree Capital, WSJ, 1/29/18). […]
2018 Preview and Assessment
Market valuations are high. Current consumption is being financed by debt. The housing data is mildly positive, but has been impacted by “rebuild” issues in the wake of natural disasters. Corporate balance sheets are strong and laden with cash. The world’s major economies are doing well and central banks are beginning to tighten policy led […]
Why Helicopter Money and Unconventional Monetary Policies Won’t Help the Economy
The equity markets continue to flirt with record highs while the yields on fixed income instruments are at or near all-time historic lows. Generally, those two market movements are not compatible. Everyone feels a high level of anxiety about the economic future. Ben Bernanke visited the Bank of Japan in early July to help them […]
Awash in Liquidity, Part I: Why Interest Rates Are Falling
First published at Minyanville.com http://www.minyanville.com/business-news/the-economy/articles/Awash-in-Liquidity-Part-I-Why/5/27/2014/id/55107 And why, in the short-term, increased market volatility will result. Despite a generally stronger economic outlook for the US economy, interest rates in May moved significantly lower, as if expectations were for an oncoming recession. This has confounded many macroeconomists. In this first installment of a two-part series, I will […]