Several times during the past several weeks rhetorically asked how the rising dollar will impact results, conjecturally answering if history is of any precedence, negatively. Yesterday this conjectural question and rhetorical answer became reality. The rising dollar has impacted earnings, an impact that I don’t...
Will history look back at the past few weeks and remark how could so many miss the current environment? I have often opined the most obvious conclusions are those which are most likely to be ignored. I think I am an optimistic person who never...
Last week was one of significance given the action by the ECB. Tomorrow is the commencement of the two day FOMC meeting where many are expecting the US central bank to offer more guidance regarding the time table of a change in US monetary policy. ...
As expected the ECB expanded stimulus to combat slowing growth and the threat of deflation. Draghi, the ECB President, announced plans to buy up to 60 billion euros of government bonds ($69 billion) a month. The buying will continue through September 2016, amounting to a...
Markets were relatively flat yesterday even as a large technology firm posted disappointing fourth quarter results. The decline was muted because the ECB said it will propose 50 billion euros of asset purchases a month through 2016 and from a rebound in oil prices....
It is generally accepted the SOTU can be seen as a an opportunity to pull the country and Congress towards policies that the President believes will help the nation or be seen as a divisive, partisan and small in its scope to inspire action and...
Four months ago many were commenting about the lack of volatility, pontificating the current conditions could last for a long time given massive cash balances. Fast forward to today. The consistency in the comments from the large financials’ earning releases is the “volatile volatility” which...
The financial world was totally and utterly stunned by the Swiss National Bank’s surprise decision to abolish its three year old policy of capping the Swiss franc against the euro. Bloomberg reports it was only three days ago the SNB would not abandon this policy...
Equities fell again yesterday as December’s retail sales disappointed, casting doubt on the thesis plunging gas prices will boost spending. Some have argued the disappointment is the result of rising health care premiums, low labor participation rates, and increasing rent amplified by lack of wage...
A few nights ago I was reading a report stating the current decline in oil was inevitable given the advancements in technology and the increase in American production. Unfortunately this report was dated December 2014 and was entirely backward looking. Other than a few that...