“When we have gold we are in fear, when we have none we are in danger” Gold is often considered the ugly duckling of investing, we think, unfairly. Gold doesn’t generate cash flow; it exhibits some volatility with prices often moving in fits and starts. But, from a portfolio manager’s perspective, the reason for adding […]
Can China Reverse the Current Inflation Trend? Although supply chain disruptions are clearly a contributing factor to current inflation, China’s influence on inflation should not be discounted. Prices are still significantly higher, but have recently fallen, coinciding with Chinese authorities cracking down on commodity speculation. The recent correction does NOT mean we can stop worrying […]
Does the Financial News Have You Confused? Here is a Simplification. Today’s world of instant and constant information can easily put us in a position where we can’t see the forest for the trees. Stepping back from the constant barrage of seemingly conflicting financial data points and focusing on the ‘forest’ can be an enlightening […]
The Long and Short of Interest Rates When the week started, it appeared that short-term rates would be the ‘story of the week’ due to a planned drain of Treasury cash (See “Are Negative Rates Coming Despite Fed Opposition”, below.) However, on Thursday, long-term rates took center stage as the 10-year yield jumped from a […]
Commodities – The Bull Market You Aren’t Hearing About Over the past several months, these pages have been littered with concerns about inflation re-appearing. Much like recessions and pandemics, we never really know precisely when inflation might happen. This inability to predict markets is at the heart of our investment process. The world is unpredictable, […]
Bond Yields Raise Their Ugly Head Most of the time, market commentary focuses on the stock market, but every so often, the bond market flexes its muscle and takes center stage. This week was one of those times and with good reason. The push-pull of more fiscal policy to help the economy and the inflationary […]