Which Way Wednesday - 1,333 or Bust! [View article]
It's crazy. Look at a 5-yr chart of RUT or IWM. We're almost back to the 2007 highs! But how is today different than 3-4 years ago? It just doesn't seem possible to have the same valuations with so many more people unemployed, so much more debt, significantly lower housing values, etc. "Disconnect" doesn't even come close to describing it. Clearly, I don't understand the markets.
Atlanta Fed President Dennis Lockhart: Look beyond pricing of commodities, especially gasoline; inflation is "tame" and should rise slowly until 2% by 2013. About 25% of consumer's market basket showed declines in December. Fed and public aren't on "different planets"; policymakers need to stay focused on broad inflation and not on "individual movements" of bees in the pricing swarm. [View news story]
If you strip out fatalities due to firearms, knives and strangulation, the murder rate is actually not too bad....
January Existing Home Sales Outlook: Terrible, Based on December Pending Home Sales [View article]
Thx, Steve; great graph.
As an aside, if Larry Yun ever needs a new job, I'd like to offer him a job as my company's spokesman--his ability to put a positive spin on a lousy situation are admirable!
It's time for the SEC to weigh in on policies regarding CEO illnesses, Daniel Indiviglio argues, using the fictional example of "Stephanie Werks" at tech company "Pear." Apple (AAPL) is beginning to show how much a leader's health means to the market, but how to balance need-to-know with privacy? [View news story]
Thx, Mike. I, too, feel we're on the cusp of.... *something*... I just don't know what! So, I wait.
Fearing it's a big *something*, is making me anxious, however. And, as we all know, too much anxiety and worry disrupts one's, uh, 'regularity.' Yet...all I can do is wait (in some small discomfort, yes, but wait nonetheless).
Here's hoping for a 'big' day for both the markets and me.
GE's latest deal with China "sounds as if one of America's leading technology companies has decided to sell some of this country's crown jewels to ensure access to China's rigged market, potentially jeopardizing the competitive advantage enjoyed by this country's leading export industry [avionics]," Steven Pearlstein writes. "What's good for GE [is] certainly not good for America." [View news story]
"What's good for GE [is] certainly not good for America."
We crossed that threshold with corporate America a looong time ago, unfortunately. The challenge will be to get some (many?) of them to repatriate operations....
U.S.A. Not Exempt from Demographic Headwinds [View article]
No question, immigration can help keep the avg age lower. But, I suspect it won't be that simple. Consider the quantity/quality of the jobs available for immigrants (both legal and illegal, and US citizens) over the next 30 years. Also, consider a portion of recent immigrants' incomes will be sent home to families in their native countries.
Census Underestimates Record Retail Sales [View article]
Thanks, Steven. How would rising inflation influence the data? If the metric based on total dollar amount of goods sold, wouldn't creeping inflation account for some portion of the YoY increase?
Initial Jobless Claims Jump but Data Is Still Noisy [View article]
Thanks for the article. I admit I'm ignorant of unemployment, but can you comment on the three spikes seen in the data? There's a small spike and dip, followed by a much larger spike. What is causing that?
Which Way Wednesday - 1,333 or Bust! [View article]
Wonder how it will all end? Me, too.
Take it for what it's worth: China, one of the largest holders of Fannie and Freddie debt, says it's confident the U.S. government will stand behind the obligations of the two mortgage giants. (previously) [View news story]
Atlanta Fed President Dennis Lockhart: Look beyond pricing of commodities, especially gasoline; inflation is "tame" and should rise slowly until 2% by 2013. About 25% of consumer's market basket showed declines in December. Fed and public aren't on "different planets"; policymakers need to stay focused on broad inflation and not on "individual movements" of bees in the pricing swarm. [View news story]
Did Snow Freeze Job Growth Last Month? [View article]
(I agree with you by the way...)
January Existing Home Sales Outlook: Terrible, Based on December Pending Home Sales [View article]
As an aside, if Larry Yun ever needs a new job, I'd like to offer him a job as my company's spokesman--his ability to put a positive spin on a lousy situation are admirable!
Initial Jobless Claims: +51K to 454K vs. 405K consensus. Continuing claims +94K to 3,991,000. [View news story]
It's time for the SEC to weigh in on policies regarding CEO illnesses, Daniel Indiviglio argues, using the fictional example of "Stephanie Werks" at tech company "Pear." Apple (AAPL) is beginning to show how much a leader's health means to the market, but how to balance need-to-know with privacy? [View news story]
Just a Passing Market Storm? [View article]
The End of America? Not Quite [View article]
You've obviously never seen an episode of "The Jersey Shore...."
Retreat Unfolding? [View article]
Fearing it's a big *something*, is making me anxious, however. And, as we all know, too much anxiety and worry disrupts one's, uh, 'regularity.' Yet...all I can do is wait (in some small discomfort, yes, but wait nonetheless).
Here's hoping for a 'big' day for both the markets and me.
:-)
GE's latest deal with China "sounds as if one of America's leading technology companies has decided to sell some of this country's crown jewels to ensure access to China's rigged market, potentially jeopardizing the competitive advantage enjoyed by this country's leading export industry [avionics]," Steven Pearlstein writes. "What's good for GE [is] certainly not good for America." [View news story]
We crossed that threshold with corporate America a looong time ago, unfortunately. The challenge will be to get some (many?) of them to repatriate operations....
U.S.A. Not Exempt from Demographic Headwinds [View article]
Census Underestimates Record Retail Sales [View article]
Earnings Preview: JP Morgan [View article]
Initial Jobless Claims Jump but Data Is Still Noisy [View article]