Consumer confidence, one of the key measures of where the economy and, by default, markets are headed rose more than economists had forecast in January. While economists had forecast an increase from 53.3 in the prior month to 54, the confidence in fact rose to 60.6, well beyond those expectations. According to a report at [...]
The Standard and Poor’s/Case-Shiller housing price report released Tuesday shows that housing prices continued their downward trend in November from October. As an average of the 20 cities surveyed by S&P/Case-Shiller Index, prices were shown to have dropped by an additional 1% with 19 of the 20 cities showing declines. The only city showing a [...]
As the markets touch highs they have not enjoys in several years, the skeptics and optimists alike are keeping a watchful eye on how some of the most popular companies are reporting their earnings. On Tuesday, January 25, 2011, one such company that is expected to announce earnings is Johnson and Johnson, one of the [...]
In its latest information on mutual fund flows for the month of December, Morningstar shows that the fixed income asset class is quickly falling out of favor among retail investors who are more inclined to take on risks and search for growth. The areas where investors are placing their fixed-income money do not included large [...]
Information posted on the FDIC website brings the total of bank failures for 2010 to seven. On Friday, January 21, 2010, the FDIC shuttered four additional financial institutions including the Bank of Asheville in Asheville, NC, United Western Bank in Denver, CO, CommunitySouth Bank and Trust in Easley, SC, and Enterprise Banking Company in McDonough, [...]
In a report delivered to Congress on Friday, January 21, 2011, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) proposed a unified fiduciary standard be adopted by Financial Advisors and Broker-Dealers alike. The 208-page report takes an in-depth view of the retail investment industry and makes careful distinctions between the quality of care that retail investors receive [...]
After the bell on Thursday, January 20, 2011, the Associated Press reported that Google‘s Eric Schmidt would be passing the reins of the company to co-founder Larry Page. Whether or not this change in management will prove positive or negative for the company remains to be seen, but we suspect that the long-term benefits will [...]
by Rich Best While the current stock market boom has some people rejoicing, at least in muted tones, it doesn’t appear as though their level of anxiety has abated much. Investors sometimes have short memories, but a stock market rally of 22% in six months is not likely to make people forget the carnage left [...]
The recent drop in share prices of precious metal funds hasn’t yet muted the celebratory cheers of investors who rode the two-year rally to the top. But many are reevaluating their positions in the face of the increasing volatility of precious metals and some are joining in on the profit-taking that seems to be gaining [...]
A common request we receive at the Mutual Fund Site is one concerning value funds. And realistically, value investment funds offer an added cushion to the potential for long-term capital appreciation; cheap equity prices. Arguably the biggest challenge facing value investors concerns safety of capital, something that is never guaranteed but should at the very [...]
Everyone thought that the simplest way to build wealth was through home ownership. Real property in the US became such a huge vehicle to wealth building that consumers were able to spend beyond their means (as measured by their income levels) and refinance their debt. Rinse and repeat. This type of leveraged purchasing behavior allowed [...]
Choosing the right income investment fund or funds to hold in your portfolio has never been more difficult as it is now. In absolute terms, rates are so low that it seems there really is just direction for them to head: up. This puts pressure on bond prices, reducing the Net Asset Value (NAV) of [...]
All conventional wisdom points to a slow year for Apple’s growth and stock price. After delivering a staggering return of nearly 150% to investors in 2009, it rewarded them again in 2010 with a more earthly 50% rise. When Apple reached the unfathomable milestone, in 2010, of becoming the number two company based on market [...]
Money funds are not something normally discussed here, but the “cash equivalent” asset class certainly plays a substantial role in financial planning and portfolio construction. In fact, individual investors find that as their net worth and portfolio assets grow, so does the need for a solid money investment fund. Specifically, what investors seek is security [...]
Facebook is what many believe will be the most highly anticipated IPO since the recession. Whether people are bullish on what will be an inevitable IPO for Facebook or bearish is somewhat irrelevant because there is one definitive winner in this future (and not-yet public) transaction: Goldman Sachs. Oh, and the equity investment funds that [...]
