Thursday, June 4, 2020
Global pandemics and civil unrest don’t seem to impact stock prices, but it remains challenging to find yield in a world of near-zero interest rates. Central banks are doing everything they can to keep global economies from crashing (which is the main reason stock prices are stable), and the result is that yield can’t be […]
In our recent article, “What The Heck Is Going On?”, our guru friend Chuck Butler remarked: “There’s no harm in holding cash, as long as your bank isn’t charging you to do so, which is probably coming down the road, so be prepared!” Chuck’s remark did not go unnoticed. Subscriber Rikk M. asked, “IF we go […]
In the era of ultra-low interest rates, yield enhancement strategies have become prolific. Actually, let’s take a step back. It used to be that you could generate a reasonable yield from fixed interest investments, like government or corporate bonds. However, with interest rates approaching zero, those types of investments just don’t provide robust yields. So […]
One of the big questions for the financial markets as we head into the next decade is where are interest rates going as we kick off a new year. On one hand, the labor market is strong and stock prices are at all-time highs. On the other hand, many other economic indicators are showing a […]
A high current yield and monthly dividends are two hot buttons for income focused investors. In the U.S. most companies pay dividends every quarter, while most of us pay our bills each month. Thus, the three dozen or so stocks that pay monthly dividends get a lot of attention. And of course, with income stocks, […]
In a world of ultra-low interest rates, it seems every investor is searching for yield. Of course, that should come as no surprise when 10-year notes are yielding something like 1.6%. A yield like that is certainly not going to fund most people’s retirement! Given the yield of government bonds, it’s also no wonder that […]
Recently I was contemplating the spill-over effects of the continuing trade war and got to thinking about oil. I figured it was time to send a (very) informal “thank you” letter to China’s President Xi. Here’s the initial draft. Dear President Xi, I wanted to drop you a real quick line to say, “gracias, merci […]
Why are investors so fixated on interest rates? If you follow the financial markets regularly, you’ll notice how laser-focused the investment community is on what the Federal Reserve is doing, how bond markets react, and what it all means for interest rates. But why are interest rates so important? What does a change of a […]
If the markets weren’t so focused on the trade war with China, then most of the focus would likely be on interest rates. Of course, the trade war has an impact on interest rates, although it’s not a cut and dry connection. In a nutshell, tariffs could hurt domestic economic numbers, which could certainly factor […]
Just a few months ago, bond “experts” were all over the financial news networks predicting the yield curve would soon invert. An inverted curve, where short-term rates are higher than long-term rates, is a reliable indicator that the economy will go to negative growth – a recession. At that time the stock market was setting […]
