Markets inhaled a giant gulp of fresh air when Donald Trump was elected in November 2017, a gulp that buoyed them to new heights. Equities rallied and bond yields climbed to match forecasters’ hopes for tax cuts, health care reform, infrastructure spending, and deregulation. The S&P 500 rose about 5 percent in President Trump’s first…
Trump Bump Deflates Under Political PressureDetailsThe Lessons of 1994 By Angela Koch Back in 1994, a gallon of gas was about $1.09. A movie ticket was about $4 and the average cost of a new home in the United States was just under $120,000. But, presiding economic conditions, along with a few uncanny political events, and one major fiscal calamity offer…
The Lessons of 1994DetailsThe Entire World Just Got Hacked! So, How Safe is our Money? John Rothans Every generation worries about money. Our parents’ and grandparents’ life savings were under constant threat due to war, depression, recession, market crashes and the actions of government. We face many of these risks today along with something else—cyberwarfare. While virtually unseen…
The Entire World Just Got Hacked! So, How Safe is our Money?DetailsThere is nothing to fear but the “fear index” itself By Angela Koch With North Korea playing chicken with missile tests, the Cold War on permafrost, and Tehran free of sanctions and flush with cash—one would expect a world of worry on Wall Street. Add insurmountable sovereign debt, stagnant GDP, a shrinking middle class, a massive…
There is nothing to fear but the "fear index" itselfDetailsThe $20 Trillion Divide: Why This Debt is Different By John Rothans As of this writing, our National Debt sits just under $19.9 trillion dollars. The ever-ticking Debt Clock is the 800-pound gorilla lurking in the main boardroom of the U.S Department of the Treasury. The $20 trillion mark is the 900-pound grizzly at the…
The $20 Trillion Divide: Why This Debt is DifferentDetailsCentral banks around the world have been quietly buying gold for nearly a decade, reports the Official Monetary and Financial Institutions Forum (OMFIF), and have been net buyers every year since 2008. Their demand for gold jumped from less than two percent of total world demand in 2010, to 14 percent in 2014, adds the…
Why Do Central Banks Buy Gold?DetailsGOLD: If not NOW, then WHEN? By John Rothans Throughout history, gold has functioned as the world’s de facto safety net. It thrives in tough economic climates and has proven to be a reliable and predictable hedge against rising inflation, volatile stocks, a deepening recession and a weakening dollar. Some of gold’s greatest price surges…
GOLD: If not NOW, then WHEN?DetailsCoins. We collect them in jars, listen to them jingle in our pockets, pop them in vending machines, and even hold onto certain gold and silver coins to help protect our wealth for generations to come. Since the first gold coin was struck around 550 B.C. by King Croesus of Lydia, civilizations around the world…
Celebrate National Coin Week 2017, Celebrate AmericaDetailsVolatility Soup Syria, Russia, Iran, China and North Korea By John Rothans RECIPE: In the vast global pressure cooker start with two rogue regimes, add chemical weapons, long range missiles, a state sponsor of terrorism and two formidable global powers. Beat. Baste. Blanch. Cover. Bring to a boil. On April 6th President Trump ordered cruise…
Volatility Soup: Syria, Russia, Iran, China and North KoreaDetailsThe Vietnam Conflict A Salute to Those Who Served and Endured By John Rothans On March 29, 1973, the last combat troops were withdrawn from Vietnam and the last known prisoners of war arrived back home. It is fitting that today the nation honors and remembers those who served in the Vietnam War by celebrating…
The Vietnam Conflict: A Salute to Those Who Served and EnduredDetailsThere’s no denying it. The stock market has been on a roll. The S&P’s index has risen more than six percent since New Year’s Day, nearly 20 percent in the last 12 months, and roughly 250 percent since the start of the bull market in March 2009, reports The New York Times. If you’ve been…
Is the Red-Hot Stock Market Too Hot?DetailsWHAT’S IN YOUR IRA? In a perfect world, you pay into Social Security your entire working life and your money is waiting when you reach retirement, right? Not so fast. Didn’t you get the memo? This is far from a perfect world and Social Security shortfalls are a concern for all Americans. The Individual Retirement…
What's in your IRA?Details
