Stock Markets and the Economy
Found 234 Articles.
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The Year So Far
There are only a few trading days left in 2016, so it’s a good time to step back and look at the trends and returns for the year. Before we look at the numbers, consider the changes in fortune during the year. It started with a stock bear market and other problems in China. These […]
The Fed Finally Moves
The Fed finally pulled the trigger on another interest rate hike after a year of hand-wringing, fretting and promises. The Fed also promised three increases in 2017. Of course, a year ago, the Fed announced it expected to increase the interest rate another four times in 2016. The new policy and pronouncements are the result […]
Key Trends and Factors Entering 2017
As we head into the last few weeks of the year, here a few points to keep in mind about the economy and markets. Forecasts and predictions aren’t worth much. The Brexit vote, U.S. election, and Italian referendum were forecast to be major market-changers. The changes didn’t really happen, except in the U.S. the markets […]
Happy Thanksgiving
We celebrated Thanksgiving early this year because most of the family is going to be out of town visiting other relatives. The early celebration seemed to enable more of the reflection and spirit intended for the holiday. In recognition of Thanksgiving, I modified the format of this week’s message. We had a volatile, unpredictable 2016. […]
Handling the Post-Election Realignment
The last few weeks are evidence that market forecasters don’t know much. They said before the election that a Clinton victory would be good for stocks and a Trump victory would be bad for stocks. Some observers were forecasting sharp drops of 10% to 15% if Trump were to win. Traders initially followed this view. […]
The Election and Your Portfolio
The election everyone said they hated is behind us. Now we plan for the results. Post-election forecasts are as precarious as pre-election forecasts. I remember after Bill Clinton was elected in 1992, the consensus was that stocks of “green companies” would do well and defense stocks would do poorly. There even were newsletters and mutual […]
Navigating an Improbable Year and Preparing for More Surprises to Come
Don’t fall into the extrapolation trap that snares most investors. Too many investors extrapo- late the recent past into the indefinite future. They believe whatever has happened in the economy and markets recently will continue to happen. Behavioral finance economists and psychologists call this “recency” bias. (I know most dictionaries don’t accept “recency” as a […]
Investments Tumble in October
I don’t know if the presidential election is affecting the stock market, but some analysts believe that’s the case. They also believe the stock market anticipates the election results. Their conclusion is that when the stock market rallies into election day, the incumbent party will win the election. When the market declines leading up to […]
