The Financial Times – US first-quarter earnings outlook dims on falling oil Wall Street analysts have slashed expectations for US earnings in the first quarter as companies grapple with plummeting oil prices and slow economic growth. The growing pessimism comes amid a brutal start to the year for the stock market during which the S&P… Continue reading An Earnings Update
Bloomberg.com – Michael C. Bender: With Super Tuesday at Hand, Trump Looks Unstoppable The realization that the billionaire real estate developer is poised to become the Republican presidential nominee is starting to set in for many in the party who oppose him. The next two weeks are lined up to clarify the Republican nominating race… Continue reading SEC “Super Tuesday” Election Betting Update
<Click on chart for larger image> The Wall Street Journal – High-Dividend Stocks Gain Appeal Suddenly, boring is beautiful in the stock market. As investors lick their wounds from early-year troubles and search for some stability in their portfolios, they are dumping shares in fast-expanding industries such as technology and turning to companies paying hefty… Continue reading Dividend Paying Stocks
<Click on chart for larger image> The Wall Street Journal – China Cuts Reserve Requirement to Boost Liquidity China’s central bank said it will lower the amount of deposits banks hold in reserve by 0.5 percentage point, as a burgeoning liquidity shortage outweighs its concerns over the impact of more credit-easing on the Chinese currency.… Continue reading Chinese Stocks Fall Another 4%, Panic Ensues, Reserve Requirements Cut
The Financial Times – Investors pull more than $60bn from mutual funds in January Investors pulled more than $60bn from mutual funds globally in January, marking the worst month of outflows since the height of the financial crisis. The outflows were most acute for European mutual funds, with investors redeeming €42.6bn ($47bn), according to Thompson… Continue reading Big Outflows From Mutual Funds In January
<Click on chart for larger image> Bloomberg.com – Fed Dots Don’t Connect for Bond Traders Scorning Rate-Hike Path The derivatives market is sending unprecedented signals that the Federal Reserve is mistaken in its policy-rate path. Even as officials argue that higher borrowing costs are warranted, the bond world sees the potential for the shortest cycle… Continue reading The Disconnect Between The Market And Fed
MoneyBeat (WSJ Blog) – The New Oil-Storage Space: Railcars The U.S. is so awash in crude oil that traders are experimenting with new places to store it: empty railcars. Thousands of railcars ordered up to transport oil are now sitting idle because current ultralow crude prices have made shipping by train unprofitable. Meanwhile, traditional storage… Continue reading Using Railcars To Store Crude
<Click on chart for larger image> Reuters – Oil to average just over $40 a barrel in 2016: Reuters poll Oil prices will average just over $40 a barrel this year due to subdued demand and the likelihood a tentative agreement by leading producers to freeze output will do little to drain a supply glut,… Continue reading Oil Forecasts Remain Optimistic
<Click on chart for larger image> The Wall Street Journal – Share Buybacks: The Bill Is Coming Due Low rates alone aren’t enough to make it easy to pay off a loan. Many companies may find that out the hard way, especially as high-yield debt markets show signs of strain lately. U.S. companies went on… Continue reading Share Buybacks
<Click on graphic for larger image> Bloomberg.com – Gold Becomes the Biggest Winner of 2016 Gold’s comeback is dominating 2016. The precious metal is the year’s best-performing major asset. Its 16 percent gain is topping gauges of high-yield and investment grade bonds, Treasuries, all currencies and major stock indexes in developing and emerging countries. Turmoil… Continue reading Gold Returns Continue To Dominate Markets
<Click on chart for larger image> CSN News – U.S. Has Record 10th Straight Year Without 3% Growth in GDP The United States has now gone a record 10 straight years without 3 percent growth in real Gross Domestic Product, according to data released by the Bureau of Economic Analysis. The BEA has calculated GDP… Continue reading Subpar GDP Over The Past Decade
<Click on graphic for larger image> The Wall Street Journal – One Way to Make Mortgages Easier to Get To broaden mortgage access, the U.S. government wants to revive the market that brought the economy to its knees. But years of effort haven’t succeeded in rekindling it. For the eighth straight year, the market for… Continue reading A Plan To Revive The Private Mortgage Market