Quarter-end Review September 30, 2017
The charts in this article, summarizing major world equity market performance, are instructive. Each has a vertical bar chart showing the range between high and low of the past 52 weeks. Virtually all markets, USA, Japan, China and European are near their 52 week highs. It has been a decade since all important world economies were expanding simultaneously. This bodes well for the future, and it is unlikely that this momentum will suddenly reverse. READ ARTICLE
Scrutiny needed for Congressional aides’ investing activity
Capitalism is a wonderful system for efficiently allocating resources. It harnesses the power of individual profit incentive (AKA “greed”) to benefit society overall. However, when government fails to insure a level playing field for capitalist investors, confidence can quickly disappear, and the system can actually collapse. I urge you to read the article below and to contact your Congressional representatives to support much greater scrutiny of Congressional aides’ investing activity. 09-25-2017, From POLITICO, “Congressional aides risk conflicts with stock trades” by Maggie Severns. READ THE ARTICLE
On Sept. 28, 2016, three members of the Senate Judiciary Committee sent a letter to the Justice Department suggesting that the drug company Mylan was violating Medicaid laws. Nine days later, the Justice Department reached a massive $465 million settlement with the firm.READ THE ARTICLE
Lobbyists nervous about details of Trump tax plan
09-19-2017, From Bloomberg, “Lobbyists on Edge Awaiting Details of Trump Tax Overhaul Plan” by Ben Brody. READ THE ARTICLE The National Association of Home Builders has already created ads to either support or oppose a U.S. tax-code overhaul, depending on how Congress and President Donald Trump propose to treat its favorite tax breaks. “We’re at DEFCON One,” said Jerry Howard, [...]
From NYT – “When Brokers Want to Move Your Money…”
07-04-2017, From The New York Times, "When Brokers Want to Move Your Money Out of a Very Good Thing" by Ron Lieber. READ THE ARTICLE So far this year, here’s what our friends in the federal government have done for — and to — citizens who hope to find simple ways to save enough money for retirement without anyone robbing [...]
Quarter End Report June 30, 2017
Comparing the first half of 2017 with that of 2016, the improvement is remarkable. Between January 1, 2016 and June 30, U.S. equities had their worst correction in at least four years, only to regain footing and limp to the June 30, 2016 finish line with a 1% return, virtually all of it dividend income. By contrast, this year’s first [...]
The foundation for a recession
All recessions begin when consumers take on too much debt and businesses extend too much credit. Borrowing money to buy a car is a doubly negative experience: the consumer goes “on margin” to own an asset guaranteed to lose value. Long after the joyful smell of new leather has faded, the payments will continue, continue, continue… 07-04-2017, From Market Watch, [...]