Blog Archives

Inflation - Temporary Peak or Just Starting?

inflation

Inflation is clearly one of the hottest topics for investors in particular and society more generally as the following chart shows. Core inflation has not moved commensurately with the exploding interest in the topic.

Inflation is going to be the HOTTEST topic of Q2 and Q3

The following charts show why inflation is such a hot topic.

Read more ›



I Won't Back Down - Powell and Yellen versus Wall Street

Jerome Powell Janet Yellen Wall Street

Well, I won’t back down

No, I won’t back down

You can stand me up at the gates of hell

But I won’t back down

No,

Read more ›



GamePop and the Lollapalooza Effect

Gamestop r_wallstreetbets Robinhood

Here is GameStop’s stock price chart for one month. Setting aside that it was up 62% for the time and day when I captured this screenshot, it’s up over six times during this one month period. And at its peak, it was up about 10 times!

GameStop Robin Hood 5 Day Stock

Now let’s look at a three-month view and the meteoric rise can be put in more perspective.

Read more ›



March of Folly and the Federal Reserve

Folly-and-the-Fed

In The March of Folly author Barbara Tuchman defines folly as acts that are clearly contrary to the self-interest of the organization or group pursuing them. It would seem like the Fed would fall into this definition. Its mandate is full employment and price stability while also providing prudent financial oversight to minimize the risks of financial contagion (I added the third one).

Read more ›



Zero Sum Thinking - Winner Take All

It’s pretty clear that Donald Trump views virtually everything from the prism of winning and losing. And every issue is looked at with a very short term horizon. There does not appear to be any satisfaction derived by developing a long-term strategy, methodically implementing it, and seeing the seeds planted blossom into a beautiful garden that is sustainable and beneficial to all.

Read more ›



Change With Success...And a Potpourri of Topics

Change with Success

There is a reason behind the reason for this blog which will be revealed at the end. I will use a sleight of hand to talk about the importance of not resting on one’s laurels and using a growth mindset to keep changing even in the face of great success.

Read more ›



Ghosts of Inverted Yield Curve Past

Yield Curve inverted

And all the roads we have to walk are winding

And all the lights that lead us there are blinding

-Wonderwall by Noel Gallagher (for Oasis)

I saw a double bill of Noel Gallagher (formerly of Oasis) and Smashing Pumpkins last week.

Read more ›



Dividends - Do They Really Matter?

Dividends

Most real estate investors deploy their capital in this asset class because of the income it can generate. This is very much the case for those investing with CWS. Since 1991 CWS has sold 79 properties**. Approximately half the return has come from dividends and the other half from appreciation*.

Read more ›



See and Wait

See and Wait

Not surprisingly, the Fed pulled the trigger and raised short-term interest rates by 0.25% for the first time since last December. I thought I would convey what I think are the most pertinent variables to be monitoring in the wake of the Fed tightening. I’m calling this blog post “See and Wait” as I will be showing many charts and opine on some of the ramifications but we will have to wait to see how it unfolds in the real economy.

Read more ›



COVID-19, Catch-22, Treasury-117

COVID 19 Coronavirus

With over $6 trillion in global stock market losses in one week, it’s clear that investors have woken up to the real risk that the coronavirus is not contained, somewhat akin to the subprime crisis that Ben Bernanke famously said was and led to massive financial losses around the world.

Read more ›



Categories

Free Insights