<Click on chart for larger image> The Economist – Don’t get europhoric Investors are becoming excited about Europe again—too excited Alas, the euro zone is still a long way from meeting the dictionary definition of a recovery. Indeed, investors’ swing from gloom to europhoria appears already to have gone too far. To start with, the… Continue reading Is Europe Turning Around?
USA Today – Over half of Americans pass on the stock market At a time when the U.S. stock market is still flirting with record highs, more than half of Americans are standing on the sidelines. A Bankrate.com survey released Thursday found that 52% of those polled said they weren’t currently investing in the stock… Continue reading Reasons Many Americans Don’t Buy Stocks
<Click on graphic for larger image> The Economist – Growth in America: Careful now Unless wages grow, America’s economic blip could become a trend The other components tell another story. Start with exports (see chart 1). On a trade-weighted basis, the dollar has appreciated by 13% in the last year. America is not especially exposed… Continue reading Wage Inflation
<Click on chart for larger image> Bloomberg.com – Why Jeff Gundlach Is Very Scared of High-Grade Corporate Bonds Money manager Bonnie Baha can’t think of a worse time to be buying the bonds of America’s blue-chip companies. They’re yielding about the least ever, with the average dipping under 2.9 percent this month. Prices of the… Continue reading Gundlach Speaks
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<Click on chart for larger image> Real Time Economics (WSJ Blog) – Jon Hilsenrath: BIG QUESTION FOR FED IS NOT WHEN, BUT HOW TO RAISE RATES Minutes released by the Federal Reserve of its March policy meeting were a reminder that the central bank could face real operational challenges when it decides to start raising… Continue reading The Fed Worries About How To Raise Rates
<Click on chart for larger image> The Wall Street Journal – Swiss, Mexican Bond Deals Represent Milestones for Debt Until Wednesday, no country had ever sold 10-year debt that gives investors a yield of below 0%. And no country had ever issued a 100-year bond denominated in euros. But in the latest stark sign of… Continue reading Negative Rates
The Wall Street Journal – Jon Hilsenrath: Fed Divided on June Rate Increase, but Soft Data May Prove Deciding Factor Federal Reserve officials were divided at their March policy meeting on whether they might raise interest rates in June, and recent soft economic data could make a midyear move even less likely. Minutes of the… Continue reading More On The FOMC Minutes
Comment Yesterday Jim Bianco guest hosted the first hour of Bloomberg’s Surveillance TV discussing a wide variety of topics. To view the entire show, click on the image above. To view any of our recent interviews, click here. In the clips below, Jim talks about the Shell/BG Group acquisition and QE wealth effect in Europe. … Continue reading Discussing The Markets
MoneyBeat (WSJ Blog) – Why Earnings Season May Not Be Horrible for Stocks An earnings recession, diverging monetary policy, a stronger U.S. dollar and falling oil have dealt equities a tough hand in 2015. The S&P 500 is only up 1.1% on the year. And some of the existing challenges may remain for a bit… Continue reading Q1 Earnings
<Click on chart for larger image> The Wall Street Journal – Oil Prices Tumble as Supplies Hit New Record The most volatile oil market in three years was hit with another sharp swing on Wednesday, as a huge buildup in crude supplies sent U.S. prices to their biggest loss in two months. Crude oil for… Continue reading Crude Oil Supplies
<Click on chart for larger image> The Wall Street Journal – Rising Optimism Fuels Deal Rebound Takeovers are booming as companies gain more confidence about the economy, use stockpiles of cash to reach for future growth and get boosts from low interest rates and the surging stock market. Wednesday’s bid by Mylan NV of $28.9… Continue reading The M&A Boom