Practical analysis for investment professionals 
The US Federal Reserve has offered conflicting messages on interest rates ahead of the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting next week. Ron Rimkus, CFA, tries to make sense of the noise and offers a wrap-up of other key issues affecting global markets for fundamental investors. Read more
Leave a CommentEarnings season is over, but September is a busy month for conferences. Those companies presenting at conferences last week tended to have relatively upbeat things to say about the economy. Will positive commentary outweigh soft economic data when the US Federal Reserve meets in September? No one at the Fed has ruled out a rate hike quite yet. Read more
Leave a Comment
Every player in fixed income hangs on the doings of Janet Yellen and Mario Draghi like teenagers with Taylor Swift and Justin Bieber. The focus is all on exogenous factors, says Jason Voss, CFA. What is not being accounted for? Endogenous criteria like the quality of the business models of the credits or whether a portfolio is diversified enough. Read more
Leave a CommentHighlights from last month include tips on how to effectively read financial news by Robert J. Martorana, CFA; James Grant’s opinion of negative interest rates; a discussion of Marc Faber’s take on the recent shifts in the global balance of economic power by Ron Rimkus, CFA; and the four main skill sets and one big realization that make up intelligence training, by Nathan Jaye, CFA. Read more
Leave a CommentThe dog days of summer continue to see sluggish economic growth, with the longed-for rebound slow to materialize. It is difficult to imagine any acceleration in growth rates without inflation, says Scott Krisiloff, CFA, in his latest roundup from the C-suite. Read more
Leave a CommentMarc Faber discussed how the global balance of economic power has shifted over the past decade and what it means for investors, at the 2016 Financial Analysts Seminar. Read more
7 CommentsFor the next few weeks, we will be in the slowest part of the earnings cycle, but some companies are speaking here and there. Among the newsworthy items from last week: CarMax saw weakness among subprime auto borrowers, homebuilders are positive, and the oil industry sees a bottom and a slow recovery. Read more
Leave a CommentRecent statistics suggest that consumers are in pretty healthy shape, but macro uncertainty may still be causing some hesitation. The US Federal Reserve is also showing some hesitation, as it neglected to raise rates last week. And while Fed chair Janet Yellen reiterated that every meeting is a “live” meeting, there are some signs that even the Fed may be starting to expect that rates will be lower for some time more. Read more
Leave a CommentUS Federal Reserve chair Janet Yellen set the tone for this week with a speech perceived as dovish by the market, Scott Krisiloff, CFA, observes in his latest roundup of news from the C-suite. Yellen said that policy should stay accommodative, while acknowledging that any accommodation should be removed before fully meeting policy goals. This week’s post also contains a number of quotes from the recent LD Micro Invitational conference. Read more
Leave a Comment
In this comprehensive overview of the work of the late economist Hyman Minsky, the author serves up a rich variety of concepts that will stimulate and inform anyone concerned about the fate of the economy. If you want to know where we are going, it helps to know where we have come from, and this book provides an essential road map for that journey — past, present, and future. Read more
Leave a Comment