Are markets too exuberant?
Equity markets hit new highs during the Thanksgiving shortened week. Markets often move in anticipation of changes in policy. This post election market, however, appears to have instantaneously adjusted to what it perceives will be policy outcomes. Such outcomes, however, are by no means guaranteed; some outcomes may take several quarters, others years, if at all. […]
OPEC’s lunacy behind market’s volatility
Market volatility was present throughout January with no calming so far in February. We saw a 565-point intraday slide on the Dow on Jan. 20; then a few days later, the market closed up nearly 400 points! As February began, the Dow gave back most of that 400-point gain only to regain nearly half of […]
Reconciling Contradictory Data
Originally published in RGJ’s Business Section, Sunday, 4/5/15 The markets are still concerned about a weakening U.S. economy, as data from the industrial portion of the economy continues to show weakness, even in March. The ISM Manufacturing Index fell to 51.5 in March, its lowest level in more than 2 years; ADP indicated that private sector […]
How the economy really works
The latest economic controversy is something called corporate “inversions.” They occur when a U.S. domiciled corporation buys or merges with a foreign entity and moves their official headquarters out of the U.S. The media has painted this as almost criminal and the Obama Administration as “unpatriotic.” Most who get their news from sound bites believe […]
If You Build It, They Won’t Come: Opinion
It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.– Charles Darwin I am often asked: “When do you think the economy will return to normal?” My response: If by “normal” you mean what we had from the 1980s to 2008 — the “if […]
Existing Public Policy Fosters a Growing Income Gap
There is no doubt that the gap between the rich and the middle class and poor has widened in recent years. And the most recent studies confirm a continuation of that trend with capital gains playing a major role. What is ironic is that public policies — some long practiced, some new, — contribute significantly […]