<Click on chart for larger image> Soberlook – Has inflation in the US bottomed out? Some analysts are beginning to suggest that inflation in the Unites States may have bottomed. As discussed earlier this years, US inflation indicators were pointing to the lowest rate since 2009. Are the global disinflationary pressures going to push the… Continue reading Inflation
The Wall Street Journal – Search for Rich Payouts in Emerging Markets Hits a Wall Seeking out safety in emerging-market stocks is turning out to be a dangerous proposition. Betting on companies that pay relatively rich dividends has been a popular strategy among some fund managers eager to escape the turmoil that has struck developing… Continue reading Emerging Market Dividend Stocks Lag
Comment On Wednesday, April 16, 2014 at 9 AM CT (10:00 AM ET, 7:00 AM PT, and 15:00 BST), Bianco Research, in conjunction with Arbor Research & Trading, will be hosting a webcast/teleconference moderated by Jim Bianco. Join us Wednesday (not our normal time on Thursday) as we discuss the jump in volatility, earnings, the… Continue reading A Discussion of Recent Market Volatility
USA Today – Stocks close higher as volatility returns In a volatile day on Wall Street, stocks closed higher Tuesday after a roller-coaster session saw the major indexes take big swings in both directions. Investors were torn as reports of rising tensions in Ukraine wrestled for attention with signs of better-than-expected U.S. corporate earnings. Initially,… Continue reading Stocks’ Wild Ride
Comment Jim Bianco was on Bloomberg Radio yesterday morning discussing the markets and China. His comments were detailed yesterday. To listen to the interview, click below or stream off Bloomberg’s website. Audio [audio:https://www.biancoresearch.com/bianco/SubscriberArea/newsclips/2014/04/s733e180.mp3|titles=Bloomberg Radio] <Click on chart for larger image> The Wall Street Journal – China GDP Growth Slows to 7.4% China’s gross domestic product… Continue reading China’s Slowdown
<Click on chart for larger image> The Wall Street Journal – In Going Long, the Fed Is Short-Sighted Numbers compiled by the Federal Reserve bank of St. Louis record the lengthening of Treasury maturities in the Fed’s ballooning portfolio. The face value of that portfolio now stands at something over $2.3 trillion, of which bonds… Continue reading The Fed’s Portfolio
Real Time Economics (WSJ Blog) – Jon Hilsenrath: Out, damned dots! out, I say! If the dots aren’t useful, should the Fed be using them? If the recent upward movement in the dots doesn’t reflect the broad consensus of policy makers, what explains the disconnect between the views of individuals and the collective view? Does… Continue reading Hilsenrath On The Fed’s Dot Projections
The Reformed Broker (Blog) – The first down-quarter for earnings since 2012? FactSet Research has been chronicling the earnings estimate slashfest of the first quarter better than any other research outlet. To recap, at the end of 2013, the consensus earnings per share estimate for Q1 2014 was something like 4% growth year-over-year. As the… Continue reading Earnings
<Click on chart for larger image> Bloomberg.com – Belgium Among Top 3 U.S. Creditors Since last August, Belgium’s holdings of U.S. Treasury debt increased to $484 billion from $160 billion, putting the small country of 11 million in third place after China and Japan among the United States’ biggest creditors. It is, of course, not… Continue reading Belgium’s Holdings Of U.S. Debt
The Wall Street Journal – Deflation Threat Becomes More Widespread in Europe Consumer prices in the 28-member European Union rose at the slowest pace for 4½ years in the 12 months to March, indicating that falling inflation rates are a problem for economies throughout the continent, and not just those that share the euro…Eurostat’s figures… Continue reading More On Europe’s Deflation Threat
The Financial Times – GDP is flawed – just not the way most people think When economists talk about economic growth they are measuring the change in gross domestic product. Lay criticisms of GDP are often based on the indisputable observation that there is more to life than economics and material goods. GDP omits work… Continue reading Debating The Measurement Of GDP