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Bob's Journal

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The Markets so Far in 2017

March 2, 2017

The first two months of 2017 are behind us. Let’s take a look at how the main asset classes began the year. It’s quite a contrast from 2016, when all assets except government bonds were in freefall. U.S. stocks took most of the headlines in the first two months of 2017. You’re probably aware of […]

Rising Investor Confidence

February 23, 2017

A little more than a year ago on February 9, 2016, the global economy and markets hit an important turning point. You might remember that in early 2016, global markets other than for government bonds were in steep decline. Investors were convinced that we were on the cusp of a deflationary decline. China had a […]

The Rise in Investor Confidence

February 16, 2017

Since the Nov. 8 election, a surge of optimism has been reported in many surveys. We’ve seen it in the household surveys as well as the small business and manufacturing business surveys. I experienced that surge of optimism firsthand at the MoneyShow Orlando last week. The crowd seemed larger than last year. (Show sponsors reported […]

Investing amid the Uncertainty in Washington

February 9, 2017

Perhaps the most asked question by investors these days is: How do I adjust my portfolio for the new administration in Washington? We’re in a period of what I think is unusual uncertainty in the markets. Before considering any potential change in policies, uncertainty already was very high. As you know, we’re still dealing with […]

Finding Interesting Opportunities outside the United States

February 2, 2017

While investors are focused primarily on the U.S. economy and markets, they’re missing some changes in Japan and Europe. Let’s start with Europe. Many analysts have been negative about Europe for a while, especially since the “Brexit” vote last June when U.K. citizens chose to leave the European Union. But Brexit is going to be […]

Stocks are Surging. What About the Economy?

January 26, 2017

The strongest responses to the election have been in U.S. stocks, the dollar and sentiment surveys. Each has had positive responses, with the consumer confidence and sentiment surveys soaring. The business sentiment surveys also have been strongly positive since the election. Historically, certain actions follow changes in sentiment. Rising retail sales follow surges in consumer […]

Seeing a Key Time for Balance

January 19, 2017

“Asymmetric” best describes our current economic and market environments. In the current economy, we have decent, sustainable economic growth and an incoming government that has plans to increase that growth. But we also continue to have the large debt overhang from the boom period. Plus, the incoming Donald Trump administration has some plans that are […]

The Post-Election Markets Change Course

January 12, 2017

The major market moves that occurred immediately after the election are either reversing or pausing. The moves right after the election looked a lot like panic buying and short-sale covering. Many investors were surprised by the election results, and unexpected news always accompanies these sharp changes in market trends. The moves also weren’t accompanied by […]

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