4-12-24 How to Deal with Financial Stress
2024-04-12
CFP testing results & commentary on professional credentialing; the importance of the Health/Wealth connection; the importance of continuing education (CE); a brief history of JP Morgan and "too big to fail." Inflation is permatory, not transitory. Profit margins are not great because costs are up. Jerome Powell is trying to put out a fire with a water pistol; how many ate cuts now? There is still too much money in the system to really tame inflation. Real Wages have peaked: Is this Jerome Powell’s "Volker Moment?" What clients "think" about portfolios is the toughest thing for advisors to manage. If Trump is elected, he will have to deal with the next recession. April is stress-awareness month; why we don’t sleep. Rosso’s Brooklyn paper route, Candid Coffee preview, & dealing with
Do Technical Measures and Valuations Really Matter?
2024-03-26
Baltimore Harbor is closed following the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, hit by an out of control freighter. Weaker Regional Economic Surveys are in contrast to economists ratcheting-up growth expectations: No one is expecting a recession. Liquidity continues to boost bullish mood on Wall Street. The market has steadily climbed for past 5-months, creating record deviations; for now, no fear. Valuations are a measure of market psychology: "If everybody has bought, who is left to buy?" – Sam Stovall. When Technicals & Fundamentals align (the problem for most investors is that they’re too slow). All elements are now present for a reversion to the mean; just need a catalyst. What will turn buyers into sellers? The impact of more, earlier retirees on actuarial tables and Larry
How the Fed Broke Doves’ Hearts
2024-02-01
(2/1/24) Amelia Earhart was lost 83-years ago, and her missing plane may have been located in the Pacific Ocean, solving the mystery of her disappearance. The mystery of how the Fed operates, however, remains an enigma. And in 2024, there political implications the Fed must also consider (could Kennedy "Perot" the election?) Markets sold off after Jerome Powell promised no rate cuts anytime soon, but bonds had a good day as Treasury shifted stance in favor of longer-termed bonds. Elon Musk could move to Texas from Delaware just in time for Texas to secede. The markets’ response to Jerome Powell’s promise of no rate relief anytime soon; could Apple, Amazon, & Meta reports and subsequent performance could alter the dynamics of the Magnificent-7 to the Super-6 or Fab-5? What about the other
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