Earlier this morning, the Dow looked to gain 85 points at the open.  Now, it looks to gain 285 points.  It has been getting better all morning.  In addition to the ten-day deadline on resolving the European crisis, the primary central banks of the world just announced a huge new liquidity measure.  This should reduce the … Continue reading Enjoy the Euphoria

At 5AM, the futures market indicated the Dow would lose about 25 points.  By 6:30AM, it looks like it will gain 85 points at the open.  Why was there a turnaround of 110 points?  Some of the talking heads out of Europe said the crisis would be resolved, one way or the other, within the … Continue reading A Change of Pace . . . or a Change?

Because I see the world thru the prism of economics, it is helpful for me to be around investment advisors who see the world thru the prism of financial planning.  Every month or two, a group of 8-10 of us do just that, which we did this morning. Given the world investment markets, there was an … Continue reading Apologize to your kids?

Everybody has seen a football movie where the young player keeps begging to “send me in, coach!”  That is how I see the U.S. stock market.  It wants to reflect the underlying U.S. economy but is over-shadowed by European headlines. Yesterday, the rumors out of Europe suggested an alternative universe of European nations could save the … Continue reading The Deaf Coach

After the worst Thanksgiving week since 1932, the futures market indicates the Dow will gain about 230 points at the open.  This impressive turnaround is due to several things.  First, holiday sales in the U.S. appear to be remarkably strong.  Second, Sarkozy and Merkel are talking about a “second European Union” that can coordinate fiscal … Continue reading What a Difference a Weekend Makes

The Motley Fool column in today’s newspaper deserves emphasis as we sweat out the financial crisis in Europe.  It asks the question “What should I do if the stock market crashes?” It answers with “Above all, don’t panic.  Remember that the market always goes up and down, and sometimes it moves sharply . . . … Continue reading Good Foolish Advice

Although I have been a member of the National Association of Business Economics (NABE) for many years, I usually pay little attention to their economic forecasts, which invariably tend to see the future as a mere continuation of the past.  Most economists just extrapolate the present into the future . . . it is always … Continue reading Time to be right?

Today will be boring . . . be thankful! Trading volumes have been low all month and minuscule this week.  Both Asian and Europe were down somewhat overnight.  The news out of Europe is disappointment that the meeting between Sarkozy and Merkel produced nothing, except an agreement not to disagree in public.  Ominously, interest rates … Continue reading Black Friday

Yes, I am thankful today . . . thankful for my good health and good fortune.  I’m very thankful for both my blood-related and business-related families.  They show me the reason for my work everyday!  I’m also thankful to live in such a great country, where freedom of religion is guaranteed. (I am especially thankful … Continue reading A Day of Thanksgiving

I hate to be a scrooge as the holidays begin, but I do wish we could postpone Thanksgiving tomorrow. The European financial crisis smouldered in Iceland and Ireland before igniting in Greece.  Then, the first “too big to save” country (Italy) came under attack from the bond vigilantes.  Last week, Spainish interest rates rose dangerously, and … Continue reading Free Floating Anxiety . . . or Thankfulness

In this column and many others, there has been much gnashing of teeth over the break-up of the Euro.  Yesterday, a friend and client sent me an interesting blog by Charles Hugh Smith, which makes the important point that a nation’s currency is an important throttle on that nation.  Without that throttle, the nation will easily get … Continue reading Does the Euro Matter?

Investors have been steadily moving assets from stockbrokers to Registered Investment Advisors (RIAs) over the last six years.  This is despite the fact that most of those people cannot repeat the advantages of dealing with an RIA instead of a stockbroker.  Here is a handy little video from YouTube that helps . . . enjoy! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yz7NEVtJaUY