Bob's Journal
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How Markets Fared in the First Third of 2017
We put the first third of 2017 behind us at the end of April and we now should take a look at how the different markets fared that month and so far this year. The big story was the U.S. dollar. You might remember that after the election in 2016, the dollar rose sharply. Investors […]
Politics Whipsaws the Markets
Interesting changes continue to occur in the markets, and they show the importance of balanced portfolios. Remember, after the election, the dollar and U.S. stocks rose. The rise in U.S. stocks was focused primarily in smaller, domestic-oriented companies. The larger U.S. companies with multinational activities suffered, while stocks of companies outside the United States also […]
The Next Financial Danger Point?
Are subprime auto loans the next shoe to drop in the economy? Auto loans have been getting a lot of attention. In a recent issue of Barron’s, two unrelated articles discussed auto loans as a potential source of worry for the economy and regulators. Since the financial crisis, auto loans have been one of the […]
Planning for Tomorrow’s Problems
How should portfolios be positioned for the long-term risks and worries in the economy? That’s the key question facing many investors today, and how you answer it matters a lot to your long-term financial independence. I don’t have to give you details about the risks and problems in the global economy. There are plenty of […]
The First Quarter Wrap
The first quarter closed last Friday but the markets were very different in March than earlier in the year. The change altered the overall performance of different assets for the quarter, since U.S. stocks didn’t do much in March. They took a break from the strong rally they had in January and February. But overseas […]
On the Road to Brexit
We’re on the road to Brexit. The United Kingdom (U.K.) government notified the European Union (EU) in writing this week that the U.K. is ready to begin negotiating its exit from the EU. Most people don’t realize this, but the U.K. economy has been doing well since the Brexit vote to leave the European Union. […]
Wake Up Call or a Bump in the Road?
Since last November, many investors became comfortable with what has been called the Trump Trade. Now, they’re a little uneasy. The Trump Trade was to buy assets that seem likely to benefit from the proposed policies of the new Trump administration. The primary beneficiaries were U.S. stocks, especially stocks of companies with mostly domestic revenues. […]
Bulls and Bears Within the Broader Markets
Most investors and the media focus on the broad market indexes, but there are a lot of changes taking place in the stock markets that aren’t reflected in the major indexes. Let’s take a look at these changes, using the Dow Jones indexes. The Dow Jones Industrial Average is up 5.4% for 2017 and […]
