14 Oct 2011

Posted at 12:20h in Briefs about our Process, The Friday Brief by
Psychologists have uncovered a fascinating phenomenon about people at the racetrack. The moment after placing their bet on a horse they become much more confident of their horse’s chances of winning than they were immediately before placing their bet. Is it possible that the very same thing happens the moment we invest in a stock or a mutual fund? 

07 Oct 2011

Posted at 12:42h in The Friday Brief by
How many times and in how many situations lately have we heard the familiar refrain we’ve never seen anything like this? Whether the subject is politics, housing, jobs, stocks, sovereign debt, corporate ethics, or American wars, experts find themselves unable to find comparison or remedy. Having no historical frame of reference makes us anxious. We naturally prefer familiarity over the unfamiliarity. We like trends and historical context on which to base our projections. We do not like unproven ideas. 

30 Sep 2011

Posted at 12:44h in The Friday Brief by
There was scant positive news this week offering hope to those still optimistic the US and global economies can avoid a recession. The government’s third and final revision of economic growth (GDP) for the second quarter was revised up to 1.3% from 1%, however still quite anemic. German lawmakers quelled short-term fears by approving an expansion of the euro-area rescue fund which allows European policy makers to focus on next to blunt their debt crisis. They will likely leverage the fund as the US did in its own crisis in 2008. 

23 Sep 2011

Posted at 12:59h in The Friday Brief by
Where there was considerable unity among world leaders at the outset of the Great Recession, the latest economic retreat is preceded by worsening splits and schisms. The scant fiscal and monetary responses so far lack not only coordination, but real long-term effectiveness. At home, our government is divided into three incalcitrant ‘parties’ each defying leadership and each seemingly oblivious to the costs of delay. Across the pond the European Union teeters on the brink of not only recession, but potential disintegration.