McKinsey Global Institute February 2020 Report Subject: Economic outcomes and the relationship between individuals and institutions have shifted for workers, consumers, and savers in advanced economies. Life has changed substantially for individuals in advanced economies in the 1st 2 decades of the 21st Century as a result of trends including disruptions in technology, globalization, the economic […]
$XAU, $XAG,$USD The history of gold is nearly as long as the history of human civilization. Gold has been inextricably linked to human civilizations since at least Y 6000 BC. There is absolutely no way of looking at the history of the world without encountering the history of gold. Most importantly, gold has been used as […]
$SPY, $QQQ, $DIA US consumer spending surged 0.9% in March, the biggest gainer in about 10 years, as inflation pressures remain non-existent. The March gain was the biggest monthly increase since August 2009, the Commerce Department reported Monday. That is a big improvement after 3 months of lackluster readings in this Key segment of the economy. Consumer […]
$NSRGY FLASH: Switzerland Decides People Do Not Need Coffee to Live, Misses the Point of Living! Recently, Switzerland announced plans to abolish the nation’s emergency stockpile of coffee, in place for decades, after declaring the beans not vital for human survival, though opposition to the proposal is brewing. Nestle (OTCMKT:NSRGY), the maker of instant coffee […]
$USD, $SPY FLASH: The Fed’s decisive statement this week that interest rates are unlikely to rise this year sends a signal to US households: keep buying things. The Fed tries to guide the US economy by controlling the interest rate banks charge one another for overnight loans. Moving this rate up lifts other rates in […]
Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) Sunday praised President Trump for doing “exactly what he promised” by withdrawing US troops from Syria, and derided the “armchair generals” in Washington who “want to keep us at war forever.” In an TV interview Senator Paul said he’s “very proud” of President Trump’s determination to get US troops out of […]
For Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) Winter is Trouble $TSLA For Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) there is chance to end the year on a high note, but Winter is coming and in much of the US pre-Winter is here. 1-H of Y 2018 was disappointing for Tesla given the many M-3 delays, the company did deliver a profit in Q-3, […]
US Consumer Sentiment on Track for Best Year Since 2000 Consumers ready to Pick Up Spending Heading into Holiday Season US consumers have greater certainty about job and income prospects. University of Michigan’s (MSI) consumer sentiment index flat to unchanged but remains strong US consumer sentiment topped analysts expectations to stay on track for its best […]
US Investors are Ignoring Political Drama, the ‘Economy’s Everything $SPY National Economic Council Director Larry Kudlow said stock-market investors are apparently ignoring any White House political turbulence because the robust economy is proof President Donald Trump’s strategy is working. The Bull market on Wall Street set history this week when it eclipsed the S&P 500’s […]
Republican Tax Plans Include Making US Cuts Permanent $DIA, $SPY, $QQQ, $RUTX, $VXX Tax Reform 2.0 Republican plans to build on last year’s US tax legislation will include making individual and small business tax cuts permanent, expanding savings plans and giving breaks to start-up companies, according to documents released on Tuesday by the chief architect […]
Most Investors Pick Stock Funds as Best Long-Term Investment $SPY Investors have selected stock index or mutual funds over 5 other investments as the best for the long term results, according to the latest Wells Fargo/Gallup Investor and Retirement Optimism survey. Real estate and individual stocks are a distant second. Fully 54% of investors choose […]
President Trump’s Tax Cuts Seen Halting a 3-Month Retail Sales Slump $SPY For sure President Trump’s tax cuts have given a boost to Americans’ take-home pay this year. The Big Q: Will the US consumer putting the extra cash toward savings and debt, or using it to go shopping? The Big A: We here a […]
Bitcoin as Money, Is it or Is it Not? $BTCUSD A medium of exchange means people will give you things in exchange for it. And yes there are some places where people will give you real goods and services for Bitcoin, but not many. If Bitcoin is to compete with global currencies it needs a […]
US Powerball Jackpot at $535-M Americans are told by some that the American Dream is dead, after all, a life of hard work, saving money and endless planning and investing is just too much for many people to handle. But, hang on, The American Dream has not really died, it is now very different. The […]
The Trump Rally Swells Retirement Accounts Balances $DIA, $SPY, $QQQ, $VXX Retirement savings account balances have hit all-time highs. A string of record 401(k) and IRA account totals now stretches across three consecutive quarters, according to Q-2 data from Fidelity Investments. The data covers 22,155 companies and 15.1-M 401(k) plan participants, as well as 8.8-M […]
Gold Is Crisis Insurance $GLD Gold is known as an inflation hedge, but its role as a crisis hedge is even more important. Gold is anti-fragile, to use the term coined by risk analyst and bestselling author Nassim Taleb. When currencies collapse and economies falter, Gold can ensure your survival, financially and literally. Below are […]
The Links Between Health, Wealth, & Longevity Dr. Michael Roizen and financial expert Jean Chatzky explore them in their new book: “Age-Proof: Living Longer Without Running Out of Money or Breaking a Hip” has a clear and uplifting take-home message: With a little planning and foresight we can both live long and prosper. To help […]
Sunday We Greet Daylight Savings Time, Yes! Sunday, most of our nation, sans Arizona and Hawaii, will greet dailylight savings time (DLS) by losing an hour of sleep. DSL officially begins at 2:00a: Spring forward, remember? Arizona and Hawaii do not participate. The Big Q: Why? The Big A: Because each state is free to […]
50% of Americans Could Not Pay a Sudden $500 Expense A new report found nearly 6 of 10 Americans do not have at least $500 in their savings account as a cushion against emergency expenses. The study by financial website Bankrate showed just 41% of Americans surveyed would be able to use savings for an […]
LED SOURCE® POISED FOR GROWTH – ADDING 4 EXECUTIVES IN Q4 (Wellington, Florida) LED lighting continues to grow, with new opportunities developing quickly for the products and services LED Source® offers, especially under it’s newest brand, Effinion®. With a highly unique and scalable business model, encompassing both its Franchise and high growth National Accounts businesses, […]
Fed May Follow BOJ and Buy Stock in Move Toward Socialism $GLD, $SLV People are worried there is a real possibility of the US Fed will follow in the Bank of Japan’s lead and begin buying stocks. “My biggest concern is government ownership of stocks. Stocks are companies, is that not government ownership of companies? […]
The Fed is Out of “Tools” to Fix US Economy $DIA, $SPY, $QQQ, $VXX New York Fed President William Dudley said in a speech Monday from Bali, “Market expectations, to my eye, derived from federal funds futures prices, which price in no more than one 25 basis-point rate hike through the end of 2017 … […]
Hotel News: LEDSource Saves Operators Money LEDSource.com is saving Hoteliers big money and adding to margins. The Chatwal Hotel is an example of how LEDSource is delivering savings. The Chatwal Hotel completes LED lighting retrofit reducing lighting energy use by 90%. Uses rebates and incentives program to lower costs to $1 per LED lamp. Located […]
In a World of “Helicopter” Money, Gold Wins $GLD In a Y 2002 speech deriding deflation, Ben Bernanke once poised the idea that a central bank could do just about anything to generate inflation. While the typical central bank tool is with lower interest rates, there iss a limit to how far down that could […]
China Confident of Accomplishing Economic Development Targets The performance of the Chinese economy in 1-H of Y 2016 was steady and in line with expectations, and China is confident of achieving its Key full-year development targets, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said Friday. “New economy is vibrant, new business forms are booming, and new growth momentum […]
The World’s Largest Sovereign Wealth Funds In the midst of collapsing Crude Oil prices, Oil-funded sovereign wealth funds (SWFs) are under pressure to liquidate assets, according to political risk advisory firm GeoEconomica. There was roughly a 20% fall over the past year in the deposits and reserves stored in the Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency (SAMA) […]
A Troubling Story: “The US has Become a ‘Renter Nation’” A troubling story is playing out across they USA in the 10 years since the housing bubble peaked and burst in a horrific crash. As real estate has risen, homeowners are thriving and renters struggle. For many longtime owners, times are good. They are enjoying […]
The Why of Sustainable “Green” Building Worldwide The Trends The Top 2 reasons for building Green: client demand (35%) and market demand (33%). The global Green building market grew in Y 2013 to $260-B, including an estimated 20% of all new US commercial real estate construction. This trend is expected to intensify in the coming […]
China’s Banks Not Vulnerable to Financial Crisis China’s banks are in pretty good shape and not vulnerable to a potential financial crisis despite a rapid rise of corporate debt in the country, a US expert said Wednesday. “While lending more to corporates unable to pay interest and principal on previous loans means financial risks are […]
New Crowdfunding Rules Effective Now New rules crowdfunding rules effective Monday, 16 May allow Americans earning less than $100-K a year to invest in small businesses and startups. Investors can now risk $2,000 a year or more investing in small companies in exchange for a stake in the business. Companies can raise up to $1-M […]
Over 60% of American Families Have No Retirement Plans Since voluntary savings plans led by 401(k)s have largely replaced traditional pensions, it is no surprise that this is the “best of times” for many highly paid America workers. It is the “worst of times” for almost everyone else in the nation, especially the 42% of […]
Inflation Rate Anemic, US GDP Anemic, Fed Rate Hikes Questionable $DIA, $SPY, $QQQ, $VXX US inflation barely rose in March on soft consumer spending , making it less likely that the US Fed will be able to hike interest rates 2X this year. The US Commerce Department said Friday the PCE (personal consumption expenditures) price […]
