Irrational Exuberance: The Lesson of the Bird in the Bush “How do we know when irrational exuberance has unduly escalated asset values, which then become subject to unexpected and prolonged contractions?” Alan Greenspan, December 5, 1996 Another day, another market record. The Dow has set some 36 record high closings since the 2016 presidential election.…
Gold has been shining bright for thousands of years, including the year 2017. Gold prices gained 9 percent in the first quarter and 10 percent so far this year, reports Nasdaq. Despite such success, gold has taken a backseat to cryptocurrencies in some circles, leaving precious metals owners and market analysts alike wondering, “Could there…
The 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…
Back in early March, State Street Global Advisors erected a 4-foot-tall bronze statue of a young girl across from the iconic Wall Street Bull. The company is the investment management division of State Street Corporation, the third largest asset manager in the world. The statue was placed in Bowling Green Park in Manhattan’s Financial District…
What is the gold-to-silver ratio and why does it matter? This question is fundamental to understanding the relationship between silver and gold. What’s more, this ratio is one of the many key indicators used by seasoned precious metals holders to help determine the right time for them to buy silver or gold, in light of…
When it comes to economic growth, 2016 is looking a lot like 2015 — and probably even worse. Friday’s report showing that gross domestic product grew just 0.7 percent in the fourth quarter brought to a conclusion another year of dashed hopes for economic liftoff — “escape velocity,” as it is sometimes called. Seven years…
Investors fear a “black swan” catastrophic event in the financial markets right now more than ever before. At least according to the CBOE Skew Index, which measures the prices of far out-of-the-money options on the S&P 500. Its goal is to determine the benchmark’s tail risk or the “risk of outlier returns two or more…
China stocks closed sharply lower Tuesday but the damage was largely contained with most major world markets staging a recovery from Monday’s selloff. The benchmark Shanghai Composite declined 7.6%, while the smaller Shenzhen Composite shed 7.2%. The Shanghai index has now crashed 42% from its June 12 peak. After Chinese markets closed, Beijing launched new…
