Monthly Archives: November 2014

You may have read that the U.S. stock market was buoyed to new record highs by news that Japan was stimulating its economy. And you might have wondered about the connection. Over the last 25 years, the Japanese economy and … Continue reading →

The economic news that everybody is talking about lately is the sudden unexpected drop in oil prices. One type of oil, West Texas Intermediate crude, has fallen from over $140 a barrel in the Summer of 2008, and $115 a … Continue reading →

Whenever we fill up our cars with gas, we have a choice: we can buy “regular,” or we can pay extra (sometimes as much as 30 cents a gallon extra) for “premium” gasoline. Experts say that, for most cars, premium … Continue reading →

One leading candidate for the “most under-reported story” of 2014 is the remarkable drop in the U.S. government’s budget shortfall. The final numbers announced by the U.S. Treasury for fiscal 2014 (ending September 30) shows a $483 billion deficit. That’s … Continue reading →

Correlation coefficients are one of the most complicated areas of the asset management world, but the idea behind them is pretty simple–or, at least, most of us thought it was until the 2008-2009 meltdown. The basic idea is that you … Continue reading →

You might have read that the U.S. investment markets are jittery on the news that Japan has experienced two consecutive quarters of economic decline—the official definition of a recession. But if you turn the news around, it offers us a … Continue reading →

Everybody who told us that the steep market drops earlier this month wouldn’t last can rightly claim they’re right. When the S&P 500 was down 7.4% during a two-week selloff, there was no way to know whether we’d have to … Continue reading →

Now that the midterm elections are safely behind us, a lot of people are wondering how politics will impact their investment returns. The conventional wisdom is that divided government–where one party holds the White House while the other controls the … Continue reading →

Oh my gosh! There are cases of Ebola in the United States! Someone with Ebola has flown on a domestic airplane! Schools are closing in Texas! Let’s show photos of healthcare workers in Hazmat suits who look like they’re dressed … Continue reading →