Bob's Journal
Found 589 Articles.
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Bob’s Journal for 6/1/23
Mutual Funds Still Lead the Pack Exchange-traded funds have grown rapidly since their inception, and they generate a lot more headlines than traditional open-end mutual funds, but mutual funds still dominate the market. At the end of 2022, U.S.-based open-end mutual funds held $22.1 trillion dollars. Exchange-traded funds (ETFs) held $6.5 trillion, according to the […]
Bob’s Journal for 5/25/23
Bankruptcies Are Accumulating A few bankruptcies of big-name firms drew media attention in recent weeks. But the big names are only part of the growing number of bankruptcies. Indeed, bankruptcies were expected to increase after the Federal Reserve’s rapid tightening of the money supply began about a year ago. Once money becomes tight and interest […]
Bob’s Journal for 5/18/23
Investor Returns Depend on Stock Buybacks Corporations repurchasing their own stock are a major factor in the markets and have been an important component of investment returns the last few decades. Since 1997, buybacks have exceeded cash dividends. They’re the dominant way businesses pay profits to investors, according to a recent study from S&P Dow […]
Bob’s Journal for 5/11/23
Some Notable Events That Grabbed My Attention This Week The cost has dropped for one of the top long-term care (LTC) insurance policies, according to my favorite industry expert and friend, David T. Phillips. David’s favorite policy now provides 25% more benefits for your premium dollars than it did from June 2022 through March 2023. […]
Bob’s Journal for 5/4/23
Latest I-Bonds Still Are a Good Deal for Savers Yields are lower than their 2022 peak, but Inflation-Linked Series I U.S. Savings Bonds (I-Bonds) still are a good deal for savers. I-bonds pay two interest rates. One rate is fixed for the life of the bond. The other rate is adjusted every six months in […]
Bob’s Journal for 4/27/23
Banking Panic Causes Short-Term Rates to Plunge The runs on Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank had historic effects on short-term interest rates. Short-term interest rates rose steadily for almost a year after the Fed began its aggressive tightening in May 2022. The rise in short-term rates during 2022 was the fastest in at least […]
Bob’s Journal for 4/20/23
How to Predict the Consumer Price Index The 12-month change in the Consumer Price Index (CPI) is almost certain to be less than 4% in a few months. The issues are how close the CPI will get to the Fed’s target of 2% and how long it will stay there. Because the CPI’s 12-month rate […]
Big Stock Losses Don’t Always Mark a Good Time to Buy
Big Stock Losses Don’t Always Mark a Good Time to Buy Some bad stock advice that’s frequently repeated is to buy a stock because it’s down a lot from its peak. Something I’ve heard variations of many times is, “It’s down 70%. That makes it a good buy.” The data don’t support that argument. Stocks […]
