<Click on chart for larger image> MoneyBeat (WSJ Blog) – April ETF Flows Show Rising Caution: BlackRock As the appetite for riskier investments dwindled last month, investors moved money into global stock exchange-traded funds at the slowest pace since October but stepped up their buying of bond ETFs, according to data from BlackRock Inc. BLK… Continue reading ETF Flows
The Wall Street Journal – Treasury Is Readying Floating-Rate Debt The U.S. government moved closer to issuing a new type of Treasury bond whose interest rates change over time. The Treasury said Wednesday it may start this new type of government bond as early as the fourth quarter, a sign the U.S. government is inching… Continue reading Floating Rate Debt
Zero Hedge (Blog) – Former Fed Governor Warsh Admits “There Is No Plan B” At the very crux of the financial crisis, former Fed governor Kevin Warsh notes, “experimental extreme monetary policy,” had the “right risk-reward”, but, he warns, in this excellent (and somewhat chilling) discussion at the Milken Institute, “we left a financial crisis… Continue reading “There Is No Plan B”
The Wall Street Journal – Bond Funds Running Low on…Bonds The number of bond funds that own stocks has surged to its highest point in at least 18 years, another sign that typically conservative investors are taking bigger risks to boost returns. Regulators generally allow funds to hold a mix of assets, but the scale… Continue reading Bond Funds Reaching For Yield In Odd Places
<Click on chart for larger image> Real Time Economics (WSJ Blog) – U.S. Treasury Could Clip Coupons, Help Fed The Treasury Department could start to issue fewer notes and bonds if higher tax receipts and a stronger economy continue to boost revenues. That could be good news for the Federal Reserve’s efforts to keep interest… Continue reading Treasury Issuance
The Financial Times – Reinhart/Rogoff: Austerity is not the only answer to a debt problem The recent debate about the global economy has taken a distressingly simplistic turn. Some now argue that just because one cannot definitely prove very high debt is bad for growth (though the weight of the results still say it is),… Continue reading The Reinhart & Rogoff Debate Continues
The Financial Times – Battle is on to make bonds more transparent A retail investor who gets her hands on an Apple bond can sleep pretty soundly. Not only can she be pretty sure the iPhone maker will be good for the interest payments. If she decides, at some point in the future, to sell… Continue reading Corporate Bond Liquidity
CNBC – Ashton Kutcher Bites Into ‘Bitcoin Revolution’ The “bitcoin revolution” is here, and it offers an investing opportunity, Ashton Kutcher tells the TechCrunch Disrupt conference Wednesday. “I think bitcoins are obviously becoming more and more relevant,” said the actor, who is also founder of the A-Grade venture firm. “The fact that people are hacking… Continue reading The Bitcoin Revolution Has Jumped The Shark
Charts of the Week Topics Covered This Week Include: Earnings Are Still Not Good Earnings Are Still Not Good – 2 Are Dividend Stocks Really Leading The Rally? Privatize Fannie/Freddie A Look At Consumer Credit The Treasury Pays Down Debt Home Prices Continue To Rise … … As Homeownership Continues To Fall Student Loans In… Continue reading Charts of the Week
ADP – ADP National Employment Report Shows Slower Pace of Job Gains; 119,000 Jobs Added in April Highlights Small businesses (1-49 employees) +50,000 Medium businesses (50-499 employees) +26,000 Large businesses (500 or more employees) +43,000 Zero Hedge (blog) – ADP Private Jobs Plunge, Miss; Fall For Fifth Month In A Row With the March Payroll… Continue reading An Updated Look At ADP’s New Methodology
<Click on chart for larger image> <Click on chart for larger image> The Wall Street Journal – Home Prices Score Highest Annual Gain Since 2006 Sharp drops in the number of homes listed for sale and growing demand for home purchases sent U.S. home prices up by 9.3% in February from a year ago, the… Continue reading Home Prices Continue To Rise As The Homeownership Rate Continues To Fall