Raising or Lowering Fees..what is it?
Earlier this week, Fidelity Investments announced that it is overhauling what it charges affluent clients for financial advice. Some new customers will pay less than they would today and some will pay more, according to regulatory filings. Current Fidelity customers...
Ready to buy a car from a vending machine?
Here is a novel idea - Buy a new car without ever speaking with salesperson or visiting a dealership. You can even test drive the car for three days. All this from a vending machine. It is true. Alibaba (BABA) opened the first of several such vending machines across...
Q1 S&P return was dismal, but on to more serious problems
As Wall Street comes to grips with the first quarterly loss for the S&P 500 since Q3 2015, we turn our attention to more serious problems in two countries that are destroying people’s day to day lives. In Venezuela, quadruple-digit inflation and shortages of food...
Its a “Moment of Truth” in Financial Markets
For the second time this month, U.S. equities sold off as the Trump administration announced sweeping tariffs that threaten global trade. Despite solid economic fundamentals, selling in certain sectors was widespread on the threat of a simmering trade war. Financials,...
Here we go again!
A decade ago this week, Bear Stearns got sold for $2 per share to JP Morgan Chase and six months later Lehman Brothers folded and went out of business. Regulators promised to prevent a repeat and began a process of instituting controls - more reserves, restrictions on...
Protectionism – Hallmark of The New World Order
China’s decision last week to repeal presidential term limits and allow Xi Jinping to extend his tenure for his lifetime follows Vladimir Putin’s successful sidestepping of term limits in Russia earlier this decade. These two countries have clearly stamped their...
Going Electric? Anyone?
By all accounts, electric cars are by far the most revolutionary innovation to have swept the automotive industry in the past century. While some may argue there have been lots of innovations - four wheel drive, seat belts, disc brakes etc., the fact remains that, in...
And Now – A Few Words from the Sage
Every February, the most anticipated event, outside of the Superbowl, is the publication of Warren Buffett's annual letter to Berkshire Hathaway’s (BRK.A and BRK.B) shareholders. For the past four decades, these letters have become gospel for investors as well as...
Fainting Goat Syndrome
After tumbling earlier this month, shares of manufacturers to banks to energy companies are rebounding together, a sign that could lead to more turbulence ahead. The 11 S&P sectors rarely move in tandem but recently, the three month rolling correlation between...