Beware of becoming greedy – Part Deux

In an environment of record savings and uncertainty lingering around the delta variant, the desire for safe investments i.e. bonds, has been greater than ever. But, rising inflation has messed up that equation. With inflation running higher than 5%, bank interest...

Beware of becoming greedy

With the markets at all time highs, it is easy to dismiss 15-20% returns year to date from the indexes and look for even higher returns. After all, we are human. Nothing is enough. But the market has its seasonal swings and it is fully possible that come September,...

The Consumer is Back – Let the Spending Begin

U.S. consumer borrowing surged by $35.3 billion in May as Americans, bolstered by a reopening economy and rising job levels, went back to using credit in a big way. Borrowing on credit cards and for auto and student loans showed solid gains in May. It marked the...

Inflation fears strike the market again

Stocks fell every day this week from Tuesday through Friday and the S&P 500 finished its worst week since February, after St. Louis Federal Reserve President James Bullard said interest rates may need to rise next year to tamp down possible inflation. His comments...

It is now up to the consumer to spur the economy

Stocks finished a volatile week with a surge into the close Friday, helped by a boost from President Biden’s doubling of the U.S. vaccine rollout target and the Federal Reserve’s decision to free banks from restrictions on dividends and buybacks. Also, the final...

Preparing for a negative interest rate world

On June 10, 2020, the Federal Reserve maintained its target for the federal funds rate—the benchmark for most interest rates—to a range of 0% to 0.25%. The next Fed meeting is on July 28-29 and given the recent economic indicators and the rise in corona virus cases,...