In spite of concerns about mortgage demand shrinking in 2019, we will probably see a rise in the 30-year fixed mortgage rate this year, even though it will be fairly modest. There is a lot of talk these days about stagnant bond yields casting a net of uncertainty over the mortgage and housing market in […]
Shares of semiconductor companies have been struggling lately amidst concerns of declining demand. Three of them reported positive quarterly results today though. Three major chip manufacturers released their quarterly earnings Wednesday, with all providing encouraging results. Texas Instruments, Lam Research, and Xilinx saw their earnings announcements beat expectations, and with a sector that is seen […]
While IBM reported a second consecutive quarter with drops in revenue, it’s really all about beating expectations, and IBM clearly did that, pushing its stock further up. IBM released its 2018 Q4 numbers after the market closed on Tuesday, and while revenue decreased by 3.5% during the quarter, the overall message was a better one […]
One of the things that the current government shutdown has done is make even clearer just how unprepared many people are for any sort of economic difficulties. Although the U.S. government shutdown is now the longest in history, this has only gone on for a little over a month now, and we’re already seeing some […]
While many now fear that a major economic slowdown or even a recession may be on the horizon, the way to decide this is to actually look at the key economic data. Whenever we see a move in the markets like we did in the final quarter of 2018, many people sense that real trouble […]
When people think of legends in the investment world, Jack Bogle’s name doesn’t come up much, but it should. Bogle single-handedly changed the investing landscape forever. Jack Bogle came from a family with a real heritage for looking out for the common people, and in particular, designing lower cost financial services that passed on these […]
Apple’s stock has taken quite a beating lately, still down 30% from where it was in October. Revenues may be a concern, but not so much in-app revenue. Apple is both one of the world’s largest companies and a real market darling historically, and many investors have profited greatly over the years from holding it. […]
In the backdrop of China’s slowing economy and concerns about trade with the U.S., there is a bigger problem out there, which is China’s mounting debt crisis. Managing debt is not a problem that is particular to the Chinese, as all governments struggle with this as they balance the needs of stimulating their economies with […]
Big U.S. banks used to hold the lion’s share of mortgages, but competition from online lenders such as Quicken have narrowed profit margins and changed the landscape. It’s now been over a decade since the housing bubble burst in 2007, causing a big spike in delinquency rates and forcing a lot of people to lose […]
The crux of the trade war between China and the United States has been the massive trade deficit between the two countries. China has now offered to fix this problem. The most contentious issue with trade relations between the United States and China is the trade deficit between the two countries. In 2017, the U.S. […]