Red Flags Rise on Emerging Stocks

Monday’s Wall Street Journal discussed the intermediate term future for emerging markets.  A growing number of analysts find the recent rebound in emerging markets troubling.  Developing country equities are up 16% since June.  Theeir message: Proceed at your own risk.  Based on a five year forecast, U.S. small cap stocks are still a better growth  Read more ➝

Investors Turn From Once-Hot REITs

Investors fled Real Estate Investment Trusts en mase since mid May when Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke suggested that the Federal Reserve’s accomodative monetary policy might soon come to a close.  Their concerns appear to be  twofold; there’s concern that higher borrowing cost will impair REIT’s ability to continue to pay handsome dividends and also concern  Read more ➝

Paul Ryan: Here’s How We Can End This Stalemate

In an op-ed post in today’s Wall Street Journal (to read CLICK HERE), Representative Paul Ryan, R-Wis, proposed broading the Congressional dialouge beyond a conversation on the Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare) to include a conversation about changing the tax code and tackling Medicare funding–two topics that, at least in theory, garner broad bi-partisian support.   Read more ➝

IMF’s Pessimism on Global Growth Widens

The International Monetary Fund cut its world growth forecast Tuesday amid deteriorating emerging-market prospects, urging authorities to shore up their economies as the U.S. prepares to exit its easy-money policies and wrestles with a budget impasse that threatens to derail the global recovery.  To view the entire article from the Wall Street Journal CLICK HERE.

Just a simple garage–maybe not!

Today Google celebrated it’s 15 year anniversary at the garage where founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin started the company.  Turns out they were not the only silicon valley companies to start in a garage.  Hewlett Packard started the trend and Apple got it’s start there as well. Maybe its time to move out the  Read more ➝

Mortgage rates fall to 9-week low

This week the Los Angeles Times reported that mortgage rates fell to a 9-week low. This may come as good news to those who have not taken advantage of these historically low rates.  It also bodes well for new and resale housing–both key drivers of the economy.  To read the entire article CLICK HERE.  

BlackRock’s Larry Fink speaks out

Larry Fink, the CEO of BlackRock, the largest asset manager in world speaks out about retirement and what living longer will mean to all of us.  He also shares his opinion of the equity market (here’s a hint, he has 100% of his personal portfolio in Equities).  CLICK HERE to read the interview from the  Read more ➝

Tesla

Over the last few months we have purchased Tesla (symbol TSLA) for a handful of clients.  Given the fact that it is a start up company, competing with some very big players (GM, Ford, BMW, Toyota etc…), based on relatively new technology and run by a CEO who has never been in the car business, it is not  Read more ➝