A fair number of people are critical of the practice of companies buying back their stock, with some even suggesting that this practice be limited or banned. We need to understand this first. Public companies both issue stock and buy back stock, according to their needs and strategies. The practice of a company buying back […]
Donald Trump was already in a class by himself among U.S. Presidents in the category of being bombastic, but his now ordering U.S. companies to pull out of China sets a new standard. Friday was supposed to be all about hearing Fed Chairman Jerome Powell speak about the economy during the central bank’s annual retreat. […]
The lower bond yields of today have some investors and market observers nervous. It turns out that momentum investing works even better with small yield gaps and inversions. Among the people who invest in stocks, some just buy and don’t even pay attention to their positions or their outlook. Their stocks may be tanking, the […]
The Fed cutting the overnight by a quarter point does entice people to do more mortgage financing. This does stimulate the economy somewhat, but also stabilizes it. A lot of people have a mortgage but don’t really realize what shapes mortgage rates. This is good to know if you are wanting to buy or refinance […]
GE has taken quite a bit of heat for their alleged accounting irregularities surrounding their managed care insurance divisions. GE denies any wrongdoing, and Goldman Sachs agrees. General Electric, commonly known as GE, has a very storied history, beginning all the way back in 1892. Among their founders were Thomas Edison and J.P. Morgan. Edison […]
Bank stocks and utility stocks do have some things in common, such as high earnings and good dividends. The two are very distinct in some very important ways though. There are actually quite a few investors out there who call themselves conservative, and at least think that they are, who invest in bank stocks for […]
Good stock selection always involves seeking better than average opportunities. Oil stocks have been way below average for a long time, but is there a reason to be optimistic? It is no secret that the oil and gas sector has fallen out of favor, and it’s no surprise either considering how tied this sector is […]
Back in 2011, the price of gold peaked over $1900 an ounce, an all-time record. This was at the end of a big run up in gold prices. Is gold headed back to that area again? Gold has certainly been on a nice run. In less than 3 months, its price has risen from $1275 […]
The annual global central bank conference is scheduled for next week, and on Friday, Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell will provide an update on where the Fed is leaning. With the next Federal Reserve Open Market Committee meeting a month away, with the next announcement not scheduled until September 18, there will be plenty of […]
We might think that a bill looking to accomplish such things as improving the trade deficit would seem like a fine idea indeed. We need to look behind the rhetoric though. There are a lot of people that look at America’s massive trade deficit and see this as a harm or at least lost opportunity, […]