The Romantic Economic Landscape: And They All Shall Have Prizes
The past two weeks have been quite historical. Let’s review some facts and ponder about the direction of the markets in the foreseeable future. Euroskeptics won major battles in several countries demonstrating the failure of a leadership that has created a sclerotic...
Weekly Market Update
Market Action Equities in the US closed at all time highs as the nation continues a slow but steady recovery. The jobs report published on Friday slightly beat expectations and revealed that the US economy has recovered all jobs lost during the Financial Crisis,...
Weekly Selections from Monthly Barometer
5 insightful op-eds or articles to help make sense of today’s world Nouriel Roubini, “The Great Backlash” (Project Syndicate, May 31, 2014) In this short column, the economist / pundit argues that the backlash against globalization – and the freer movement of goods,...
A Review of the Most Important Global Events in May by Monthly Barometer
If hard evidence is needed that the global economy is in a “muddle through” situation, the latest data on global trade provides it. In the first quarter of this year, exports and imports from the G7 and the BRICs fell by respectively 2.6 and 0.1% (from the previous...
Weekly Market Update
Market Action US equity markets closed the month of May posting gains. It marks the fourth month in the year that stocks have posted gains. The S&P 500 and Dow Jones closed Friday at record highs Despite gains in equities the week was marked by considerable...
Weekly Selections from Monthly Barometer
5 insightful op-eds or articles to help make sense of today’s world Michael Spence, “Labor’s Digital Displacement” (Project Syndicate, May 22, 2014) The Nobel laureate in economics explains why digital technologies are transforming global value chains and, with them,...
Weekly Market Update
Market Action Stock markets in the US posted their first gains in three weeks. The S&P 500 closed at a record high on Friday despite little in the way of earnings or economic news this past week. US Treasury Bonds dominated market commentary early in the week as...
Anything Goes: Lessons Learned from Market Sages
One of the greatest privileges in my life is to sit down with people I admire and be taught important lessons. I had that honor again last Thursday in London, UK. I had luncheon with A.M. and D.M., and in the course of the conversation I was reminded that in the shaky...
Weekly Selections from Monthly Barometer
5 insightful op-eds or articles to help make sense of today’s world Martin Wolf, “Time for Draghi to Open the Sluice” (Financial Times, May 13, 2014 – metered paywall) The FT’s columnist observes that the Eurozone’s recovery in confidence is encouraging, but too...
Weekly Market Update
Market Action A positive start to equities this week quickly reversed course by the time markets opened on Wednesday. Low US Retail Sales prefaced poor data from China and Australia and contraction in Europe. In addition private forecasters expect US Q1 GDP growth to...
