Ben Bernanke, Chairman of the Federal Reserve (Fed), gave a speech on Monday that sent the equity markets skyward. He announced to the world that he is going to keep the peddle down and the presses rolling: loose monetary policy is here to stay. The markets applauded, but should they? There is another way to…
Durable goods orders fell the most in three years and your house is still losing value, but don’t worry because consumers seem happy about the whole situation. These were the Strange Bedfellows that greeted us this morning with the release of durable goods orders, the Case-Shiller Home Price index and the consumer confidence index. The…
Do you ever wonder why some stories get a lot of press and others, which seem more important, do not? I read The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times and The Washington Post daily, and I get constant news updates on economic issues, specifically on all of our holdings. Over the last few years…
Lots of people struggle with math. I am married to such a person, which helps me understand. To risk stating the obvious, I am not one of those people. Math always came easily to me, as it does for most people who grow up to be analysts and portfolio managers. Sometimes I need to be…
2012 has gotten off to an interesting start. Over the last three weeks Greek bondholders have stood up and told the world that they are not going to roll over and green light just any EuroZone plan to avoid total collapse. France has been downgraded, as has the European rescue fund itself. Flagship firm Goldman…
