<Click on chart for larger image> The Wall Street Journal – After a Tough 2016, the Hedge-Fund Managers to Watch Next Year For many hedge-fund managers, 2016 was a year to forget; here are some that are worth keeping an eye on in 2017 For many hedge-fund managers, 2016 was a year to forget. Tens of billions of… Continue reading Another Forgettable Year For Hedge Funds
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<Click on graphic for larger image> Bloomberg.com – Ripening Sentiment Toward U.S. Stocks Fails to Ring Sell Alarms One measure of U.S. equity sentiment just had its biggest jump since 2009. Does that imply a euphoric moment that puts the bull market on death watch? History suggests not. A Conference Board index tracking Americans who… Continue reading Checking In On Stock Sentiment
<Click on graphic for larger image> Bloomberg.com – China Fault Lines: Where Economic Turbulence Could Erupt in 2017 China’s balancing act isn’t getting any easier. Policy makers are grappling with how to attack excessive borrowing and rein in soaring property prices while maintaining rapid growth. They’re also battling yuan depreciation and capital outflow pressures as U.S.… Continue reading China’s Yuan Problem
<Click on chart for larger image> Bloomberg.com – No Expiration Date on S&P 500 Bull Run Hurtling Into Ninth Year Valuation, history shows, is an awful tool for market timing. Equity cycles persist, and selling just because price-earnings ratios are high has repeatedly proven a mistake. But what if the persistence starts pushing up against… Continue reading A Historical Look At P/E Ratios
The Wall Street Journal – New Fed Voters Bring Wide Range of Experience to Rate-Setting Panel Three of the four officials who gain votes next year on the Federal Reserve’s rate-setting committee are from a minority group in the central bank’s leadership: They aren’t economists. They draw from a mix of experience in banking, engineering… Continue reading Meet The New FOMC Voters
The Wall Street Journal – U.S. Retailers on Pace for Best Holiday Season in Years Spike in online orders, last-minute shopping has research firms forecasting strong holiday-sales growth Surging online orders and last-minute shoppers helped retailers make up for a slow start to the holiday-shopping season, fueling hopes that higher wages, the rising stock market,… Continue reading Retail Heats Up
The Wall Street Journal – Many of 2016’s Recession Warning Signs Turned Out to Be Economic False Alarms The balance of evidence suggests the U.S. is not in a recession. That wasn’t a sure bet when the year was young. Over the first half of 2016, various indicators pointed to a possible recession in the not-too-distant future: sharp… Continue reading Predicting Recessions
<Click on chart for larger image> Real Time Economics (WSJ Blog) – The Penny Costs More to Make Than It’s Worth, Again The U.S. Mint couldn’t squeeze any more cents from a penny. The cost to produce the 1-cent coin rose to 1.5 cents in the 2016 fiscal year, Mint spokesman Tom Jurkowsky said. That’s… Continue reading The Cost Of A Penny
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Charts of the Week This week we assembled a collection of about 90 of our favorite long-term charts. To view the entire presentation, click on the open button above. Topics Covered This Week Include: Long Term Interest Rates Back To 1790 Short Term Interest Rates Back To 1831 Long Term and Year-over-Year Change in CPI… Continue reading Charts of the Week
<Click on graphic for larger image> Bloomberg Business – Yuan Turnover Soars in Sign of December Outflow Pressures The onshore yuan’s surging trading volume is another piece of evidence that capital is fleeing China at a faster pace This month’s jump in trading volume signals sentiment has kept deteriorating since November, when the nation’s foreign-exchange reserves… Continue reading Yuan Volatility Not Spooking Markets