ALWAYS CONSULT YOUR INVESTMENT PROFESSIONAL BEFORE MAKING ANY INVESTMENT DECISION
July 28, 2023 | The Federal Reserve hikes rates again
The Federal Reserve hiked interest rates again, to 5.25 percent to 5.5 percent. This is the highest Federal Funds rate in 22 years. The Fed has stated that it is determined to wrestle inflation back under control, which means getting to its 2 percent target or lower. Has the Fed gone too far in this […]
July 21, 2023 | China Property Market Struggles with Debt Bubble
China began a new stage in its multi-year struggle with insolvency among property developers. One of the biggest, China Evergrande, reported losses of US$81 billion this week. Will massive debts of US$207 billion dollars in the property sector drag China down? The property sector started to contract in 2021, after a brief post-COVID surge. Recent […]
July 14, 2023 | The Bank of Canada is More Worried About Inflation Than a Recession
The Bank of Canada raised its interest rate again this week, the tenth increase since March 2022. The new level, at 5 percent, means that many borrowers will face rates of 7 percent and higher on bank loans and mortgages. Why does the Bank of Canada keep raising rates? The Bank of Canada (BOC) set […]
July 7, 2023 | Value Investing Will Come Back
Value investing as a style should be doing better during this period of rising interest rates and growing recession fears. But growth investing continues to perform better than value investing by a wide margin. Will value investors ever dominate again? Value stocks are defined as “cheap” when using metrics like share price to book value […]
June 30, 2023 | A Failed Coup in Russia But There is More To Come
The head of the Wagner Group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, staged a coup or mutiny, making accusations about Russian army leadership and the conduct of the war and threatening to bring 25,000 of his mercenaries to Moscow. But he backed down and is now in exile in Belarus. Is the coup a sign of more upheaval to […]
June 23, 2023 | The Bear Market is Still with Us
The bear market that started in early 2022 is still intact. Many pundits are making noise about a new bull market, but it is best to ignore those people. The stock market has not completed its full correction yet. What indicators confirm the bear market? A normal bear market lasts until valuations are reasonable again, […]
June 16, 2023 | The Fed Remains Committed To Fighting Inflation
The Federal Reserve delivered a “hawkish pause” this week. The Fed funds rate was held steady, as the Fed continued to tighten monetary policy and suggested that further rate hikes are inevitable. Will the Fed stay the course until inflation is at its 2 percent target? The official statement says that the Fed is committed to a […]
June 9, 2023 | The Bank of Canada Turns Hawkish Again
The Bank of Canada delivered a surprise rate hike to 4.75 percent on Wednesday, reversing an April 2023 decision that paused the interest rate hiking cycle. As a result, mortgage rates, prime lending loans and almost everything else in the debt business will get more expensive. At what point will the BOC stop its rate […]
June 2, 2023 | Artificial Intelligence is Generating a Stock Market Frenzy
The latest investment hype is based on widespread investor interest in Artificial Intelligence (AI). Nvidia, a company that makes computer chips for AI, is trading at huge multiples of earnings that have only been seen in extreme bubbles like the dot-com era of 1999. Is AI a genuine investing opportunity? AI is generating a frenzy […]
May 26, 2023 | The Bank of Canada Sounds Worried
The Bank of Canada uses more alarmist language in its latest Financial System Review (FSR), a regular report that discusses the risks to the Canadian financial system. Should we be more worried about Canadian banks? Canadian central bankers write an assessment of the health of the Canadian financial system on a regular basis, highlighting risks […]
May 19, 2023 | A Geopolitical Event Could Rock the Financial Markets
Geopolitical events can move markets, if only temporarily. Crises on a world scale frighten investors, causing them to make hasty decisions that can be harmful to their financial success. Could a geopolitical event cause investor panic? The history of geopolitical events shows that markets can survive most events without much trouble. For example, a […]
May 12, 2023 | Canadian Banks Must Focus on More Productive Loans
The concentration of economic activity in the residential real estate sector is hurting Canada’s future. Residential real estate investment is not desirable when compared to other activities that generate intellectual property, jobs and increased productivity. Why are Canadians so enthralled with investing in non-productive residential real estate? In a recent article in the Globe and Mail, Dr. […]
May 5, 2023 | U.S. Government Risks a Damaging Default on its Debt
The looming fight over a statutory limit on borrowing by the U.S. federal government is getting close to a red alert situation. If the disagreement is not resolved the government will run out of money to spend. Could the government default on its payments? What would the consequences be? Source: Milwaukee Independent At the most […]
April 28, 2023 | Elon Musk Makes Another Gamble
Elon Musk, founder and CEO of the leading electric vehicle company Tesla, is making a possibly reckless gamble that will affect the automobile industry deeply. After several price cuts the most popular Tesla Model Y is now less expensive than the average new car in the U.S. Will Elon’s latest gamble pay off? Tesla’s […]
April 21, 2023 | U.S. Recession is Coming
A recession in the US is inevitable; probably coming later this year. The increase in interest rates that came from a surge in inflation guarantees that the consumer will reduce spending, probably pushing the economy into recession. Many analysts and economists are now accepting the inevitability of a new recession which may have started already. […]
April 14, 2023 | Real Estate Speculators are Desperate for Interest Rate Cuts
Inflation moderated slightly in March but remains stubbornly high. The consensus is that central banks must cut rates later this year, but the latest CPI for March puts that type of wishful thinking into doubt. Will central banks hold the line on interest rates even as demands to cut rates grow louder? The CPI showed […]
April 7, 2023 | A Gold Market Revival Has Arrived
Gold prices took off higher this week as doubts about the US dollar spread throughout the markets. The gold bugs have been very quiet during this inflationary period, until now. Are gold and gold miners about to catch a bid? Early articles I’ve written in this weekend note series were on gold, in 2015 and […]
March 31, 2023 | Commercial Real Estate is the Next Domino
If there is another shoe to fall for the troubled regional banks, commercial real estate is a likely catalyst. Reports arrive daily that many sectors, especially office towers, continue to struggle to meet their commitments. Regional banks hold most of the debt for commercial real estate. As of mid-week, the banking crisis was shuffled to […]
March 24, 2023 | Central Banks Must Choose Between Fighting Inflation and Saving The Banks
Central banks, especially the Federal Reserve, are caught between a rock and a hard place. It seems that they might have to choose between saving the banking system and fighting inflation. Their recent statements, until this week, indicated that they would make fighting inflation their only priority, even if that means triggering a recession. But […]
March 17, 2023 | Canadian Banks are Different But Not Immune
Several banks made headlines this week. The Silicon Valley Bank of San Francisco was wound up after deposits fled. First Republic Bank, also of San Francisco, got into trouble and was rescued. Credit Suisse received government aid. Are Canadian banks next? These banks are in trouble for a variety of reasons but there’s a common […]
March 10, 2023 | Warren Buffett Speaks and Smart People Listen
The world’s most successful long-term investor, Warren Buffett, writes an annual letter to shareholders about investing and the recent performance of his investment vehicle, Berkshire Hathaway. This year’s letter came out last weekend, and like always, the short piece contains interesting ideas, comments and tips on investing. Why not take advantage of his wisdom, at […]
March 3, 2023 | Tesla Live Investor Event Disappoints
Tesla presented a live event for investors this week and got a mixed reaction. Was this March 1 event a flop? In a four-hour marathon event, various Tesla employees presented on almost every aspect of their company. First, Musk outlined a vision for how the planet can eliminate fossil fuels entirely. He calls this The […]
February 24, 2023 | The Russia Ukraine Conflict Drags on into a Second Year
The Russia Ukraine “special military operation” is now one year old and showing no signs of ending. A surprise visit of US President Joe Biden to Ukraine promising “unwavering support” ensures that the US will not cut back on assistance and that Ukraine forces will not be defeated on the battlefield in the near future. […]
February 17, 2023 | Hot Inflation Reports Mean That Rate Hikes are Not Done Yet
The fight against inflation is far from over. The US Federal Reserve is committed to taking rates higher, even if the result is a recession or a severe market correction. Can this cycle end? This week there were economic reports showing that CPI inflation is not fading away. The markets were convinced that inflation reports […]
February 10, 2023 | See Who is Swimming Naked Now
Famed investor Warren Buffett, of Berkshire Hathaway, has a saying about market bubbles. He says, “You only find out who is swimming naked when the tide goes out.” Is the tide going out? Who is swimming naked? As discussed last week the bear market is about one year old, and the markets are down slightly […]