“Gold may have found its bottom,” we noted in October 2018. “After plunging for the last six months, this is the longest streak of losses in about 30 years. And while there are those that would tell you, there’s more pain ahead for the commodity, we’re not so sure. In fact, the situation became so…
DetailsThere are signs that U.S. economic growth may be cooling off. For one, retail sales fell 1.2% in December 2018. That’s the biggest drop since 2009, when we were recovering from the 2008 pullback. However, as we noted in a recent article, “This is against the backdrop of the only data we had, which was…
DetailsIf you’re looking for why markets have rallied the past six weeks, here’s what you need to know. The U.S.-China tariff talks are making progress, and it looks like further tariff hikes will be postponed. On Wednesday, Trump told reporters discussions were “going along very well.” A Bloomberg report, which cited unnamed people familiar with…
DetailsOver the last four months, oil prices plunged by almost 50%, thanks to oversupply, trade war fears, and a stronger dollar. They have since recovered slightly, and according to Goldman Sachs, an OPEC “shock and awe” campaign could force prices higher, near-term. “Core-OPEC producers are adopting a shock and awe strategy, and exceeding their cut…
DetailsSince October 2018, doom and gloom have soaked energy headlines. Oil prices sank from a high of $77.50 to $42.50 on oversupply, a stronger U.S. dollar, and trade war fears that had the most seasoned energy investors banging their heads against the wall. However, it appears we may finally get a break from downside. For…
DetailsAs part of The Cheap Investor we like to ensure you are getting additional view points, over and above those of Bill Mathews. We think this article is interesting and could potentially add to your investment strategy. Please take a few minutes to read this piece we are sharing with you from Ian Cooper …
DetailsIn early November 2018, all was well, and investors were chasing markets higher. The NASDAQ was atop 7,572. The S&P 500 had exploded to 2,815. The Russell 2000 was up to 1,582. On November 7, the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) hit a high of 26,200. Then, it fell apart. The Dow Jones would lose…
DetailsPresident Trump’s State of the Union was one for the ages. In it, he touted the “unprecedented economic boom” he helped usher in, including: 5.3 million new jobs 600,000 new manufacturing jobs Wages rising at their fastest pace in decades Unemployment reaching the lowest rate in nearly 50 years More than 157 Americans are now…
DetailsRecession? What recession? While many economists were predicting one just a few weeks ago, they may want to rethink that idea, especially with the jobs reports for December 2018 and January 2019. In December, the U.S. economy added another 312,000 jobs. That brought the total employment gains in 2018 to a three-year high of 2.64…
DetailsEugene Fama’s Efficient Market Theory argues that when news is released, it’s immediately reflected in the price of a stock. “The accepted view was that when information arises, the news spreads very quickly and is incorporated into the prices of securities without delay,” as reported by a Princeton University paper, The Efficient Market Hypothesis and…
DetailsThe electric vehicle (EV) boom is just getting underway. For 2018, 361,307 EVs were sold out of a total of 17.5 million new cars in the U.S, EV sales were up 81% year over year. But that’s just the start of bigger things. Total SA’s chief energy economist believes electric cars could make up 15%…
DetailsFrom the Great Depression to the subprime loan disaster, the U.S. has seen its fair share of economic crises. And while markets have been quite resilient with each crisis, we could get walloped again with a $1.5 trillion student loan debt bubble. Granted, we have heard about the student loan crisis before – without a…
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