The Federal Reserve is exploring the possibility of issuing digital currency backed by the central bank (CBDC) at some point in the future, which may have significant implications for cross-border international monetary transactions and other areas of the economy. As noted in this article…
Earnings season is kicking off, with several major banks reporting their quarterly results this week. These results can often serve as a barometer for the greater economy at-large, given that many sectors and industries interact with banks as they secure financing, issue debt and equity to investors…
While observing domestic and global economic activity trends, an investor would be well-served to keep in mind their specific investment time horizon. Particularly in the case of assessing an economic recovery, precise timing is important for investors with a short time horizon because discrepancies between short-term economic indicator expectations and results can cause significant volatility in equity and debt markets. Investors with a longer time horizon, however, can take advantage of the fact that…
Dividends can provide essential tax-advantaged cash flows to investors’ portfolios for the purpose of opportunistic tactical reinvestment and periodic income distributions. Banks are currently priced at relatively low levels and, as a result, boast relatively high dividend yields. The low stock prices aren’t necessarily…
Watching economic indicators can be an advantageous approach to identifying opportunities to introduce tactical tilts to a portfolio as market conditions change. The volume of durable-goods orders, an important…
Holding excessive amounts of cash is an expensive position to take, thanks to the concept of opportunity cost. From a probabilistic standpoint, for the privilege of holding excess cash an investor is paying the difference between the interest rate on cash and the expected return from other investment…
Individuals often have the option to invest in their employer via stock equity through an Employee Stock Purchase Program (ESPP), employee stock options plan, or restricted stock units, which can serve to effectively align incentives to create long-term value and provide employees the opportunity to meaningfully participate in such value creation. These plans often…
Even with the growth of the “sustainable energy” industry, due in large part to technological advances and government subsidy policies, worldwide oil demand has continued to grow as fossil fuels have provided the energy that individuals, families, and businesses need in growing economies. That growth may…
A number of investors make an attempt to outsmart and outperform the market by building an under-diversified portfolio concentrated on a few selected stocks that they believe are “better” investments than the broader market. It’s important to understand the fundamental principle in…
Investors have recently shown increasing interest in offerings that focus on environmental, social, and governance (ESG) sustainability. As this WSJ article notes, “in the first half of 2020, net flows into sustainable funds totaled $20.9 billion in the U.S., compared with $21.4 billion for 2019 as a whole.” An apples-to-apples comparison, however…
The U.S. dollar has recently been weakening considerably relative to other currencies, driven at least in part by exceptionally low interest rates that reduce the appeal of holding the dollar. While the impact of a cheaper currency is complex and not entirely predictable, it does bring…
The Federal Reserve operates with a dual mandate to support employment levels and to keep inflation under control. These objectives can be in tension with each other, since fundamental economic theory proposes that one is often achieved at the expense of…
Institutions and individual investors often employ money-market funds as a way to invest assets for a very short period of time when they would like to achieve a nominal return that’s above zero while theoretically shielding their money from short-term volatility. While this is typically not an…
When an industry experiences a sea change driven by shifting consumer trends and technological advancement, investors may find both new opportunities and new risks to cash flow. The auto industry is experiencing just such a disruption, as electric vehicle technology, rideshare trends, upstart competitors, a global pandemic, and…
At any given point in time, the value of the stock market reflects all future cash flows, discounted to the present at the appropriate cost of capital. This is important to understand because equities do not and should not necessarily correspond to current economic conditions. In the context of a recession, understanding the probabilistic recovery outlook can…
Companies face a constant challenge to maintain relevance and financial viability as economic conditions, customer preferences, and government policies change. Adept investors identify and overweight companies that successfully assess and adjust to these changes. The energy sector is currently dealing with the challenge of lower consumer demand and the resulting lower prices; as this article notes, “the coronavirus pandemic has…
The spot price of gold attained an all-time high on Monday, July 27, drawing the attention of investors worldwide. The precious metal is often employed as a hedge against inflation and market uncertainty, based on the theory that gold should retain its value when equity and bond prices fall, or when currency is devalued and nominal prices rise. It’s worth noting that gold does not…
With earnings season upon us, quarterly company reports can provide information that assists investors in analyzing trends and identifying beneficial investment opportunities. Revenue and profit margin data help to paint a picture of how current economic conditions and consumer behavior are impacting company operations. Cash flow statements and balance sheets enable an assessment of…
When asset classes like stocks, bonds, and real estate deliver markedly different returns over a given period of time, it may be beneficial for investors to tactically rotate from a relatively more expensive asset class to a relatively less expensive one. The broad higher price movement of equities since…
Several different tax-advantaged options are available to support the endeavor to save and invest for higher education expenses. Parents can employ these when planning for their children’s college costs, and individuals may take advantage of these options to fund their graduate-level…
