Blog

18 May 2007

Posted at 14:34h in The Friday Brief by
Despite another week of lackluster news from the economy, the S&P 500 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average are headed for their seventh straight week of gains. The Dow has declined only 5 days out of the last 30. Record takeovers so far this year are steadily driving stock prices higher. Today’s prices are up on two more takeovers and a surprise increase in consumer confidence. The Reuters/University ofMichigan's preliminary index of sentiment rose to 88.7% this month from 87.1% in April. It was the first increase in four months as strength in the labor and stock markets overcame record gasoline prices.

11 May 2007

Posted at 14:42h in The Friday Brief by
The bulls of the Dow Jones Industrial Index took a deep breath yesterday with a 147 point gasp. But it was a rare one. Over the last 28 trading days, including all of April and May so far, the index declined only four days. If today’s trend continues, the Dow will close up enough for a flat finish for the week saving the five-week streak. Mega corporate buyouts, potential for a Fed rate cut, reasonable stock valuations and old fashioned-momentum are propelling the averages.

04 May 2007

Posted at 14:44h in The Friday Brief by
One of the last holdouts in the slowing economy story – employment - has now fallen in line.USjobs grew at its slowest pace in more than two years last month, according to the government. And almost all of the gains came from health care and government while the job losses spread beyond homebuilders and manufacturers. Unemployment rose slightly as well from 4.4% to 4.5%. The good news is that inflation pressure from wages appears to be on the decline. Workers' average hourly earnings rose just 0.2% after a 0.3% increase in March. Earnings were up 3.7% from April of last year. Easing inflation will give the Fed more room to loosen the money supply if needed to boost economic growth.

27 Apr 2007

Posted at 14:51h in The Friday Brief by
The government reported today thatU.S.gross domestic product increased at a 1.3% annual rate in the first quarter, which is the weakest since the first quarter of 2003, following the recession of 2002. The report will be revised in each of the next two months, but it shows some worrisome trends. Home construction continued to decline and the trade deficit grew. Inflation gauges in the report surged to their highest since 1991.

20 Apr 2007

Posted at 14:53h in The Friday Brief by
Equal Parts Capital, Free Trade, Information, Oil, and a Dose of Cooperation to Hold It All Together What is the greatest threat to the world economy? Is it a slowing US economy, inflation, protectionism ,China’s explosive and unchecked growth, a financial or liquidity crisis, global warming, terrorism, or energy? While any one of these and certainly any combination could cripple the unprecedented economic advances we enjoy today, the great barometers, the stock and bond markets remain relatively unfazed. 

30 Mar 2007

Posted at 15:04h in The Friday Brief by
The mood on Wall Street has been anything but spring-like. For the week, the S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrials have dropped 1% and the Nasdaq Composite is down 1.3%. Today is the last trading day of the first quarter which will end relatively flat for the major indices. It was shaping up to be a pretty good one until investors got spooked The S&P 500 is up 0.3%, the Nasdaq is up 0.1%, while the Dow is down 0.9%. Thanks to diversification, our returns have fared better.

23 Mar 2007

Posted at 15:11h in The Friday Brief by
The big investment news this week is that the Federal Reserve may be transitioning toward lower rates. They dropped the terminology that “additional firming” may be necessary from their policy announcement on Wednesday. However, they maintained that inflation was still their top concern. It means that, in their view, the immediate threat of inflation is low enough that additional interest rate increases are not required. Further, the Philadelphia Fed's survey of professional forecasters found that the expected inflation rate for the coming decade has dropped to 2.35% today from 4% in 1991.

16 Mar 2007

Posted at 15:16h in The Friday Brief by
During the past couple of weeks, Mr. Greenspan and others have publicly weighed in with their own views on the economy and possible recession. While Greenspan says he puts the chances of recession at 1 in 3, most economists, including Fed Chair Ben Bernanke, think the economy is in pretty good shape. They think that the chances for recession are generally more remote. While they recognize that weaker mortgage borrowers could have a significant effect on lenders in those markets, most think that the problem will not drag the entire economy into recession.  

02 Mar 2007

Posted at 16:42h in The Friday Brief by
We start our day without even thinking about it. We take for granted that the floor will support us when we step out of bed, that clean water will pour on demand from the lavatory spout to brush our teeth, and that hot water for our shower is just moments away. Confidence is defined in numerous ways and indeed changes in the circumstances. Webster defines it as “the state or feeling of trust in or reliance upon another” (person or thing, we could add).

23 Feb 2007

Posted at 16:31h in The Friday Brief by
Just a couple of weeks ago it looked as if the economy was going to re-accelerate after only modestly slowing to a respectable 2.5% growth in the fourth quarter. But more economists are now reducing their estimates for growth and saying that fourth quarter GDP will likely be revised downward from 2.5% to 2.0%. In several speeches, Fed governors and district-bank presidents yesterday pared their estimate of economic growth for 2007 to 2.5% - 3%.