Storied bond investor Bill Gross was recently and widely-quoted saying that “the cult of equities is dying”; the latest salvo in PIMCO’s “New Normal” campaign. We continue to find the arguments for a “New Normal” less than compelling on several counts, not least that there is…
In early June, it was reported that more than six million usernames and passwords were stolen from LinkedIn computers and posted to a Russian website. Barely five weeks later, Yahoo reported that 450,000 usernames and passwords were stolen from its computers and posted online by…
Have you found yourself engulfed in the details for the upcoming election? Are you concerned about how you will be affected by the results? If so, please join us for an interactive discussion with political expert Greg Valliere as he discusses how the new administration…
Elissa participated in the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s first Innovation Strategy meeting, held on Tuesday and Wednesday in Washington, D.C. This is her report on the proceedings. Thanks to all of you who shared your ideas and comments! Elissa’s Report The purpose of the CFPB…
There seems to be a growing consensus that, notwithstanding Europe’s well-documented troubles, the region’s stock markets have become so beaten down that they may now be a real bargain. All other things being equal, the more equity prices get pushed down, the higher the expected…
Marketwatch’s Jonathan Burton reviews the many factors that investors should consider when choosing a mutual fund, including such things as diversification, risk, and style drift. Jonathan quotes Dave on the subject of controlling fees and expenses. It can’t be said enough: with funds, costs matter….
The Eurozone is back in the news today as economic and political events have given rise to fresh doubts that European policy-makers will get their financial house in order. Renewed uncertainty took several forms, from comments by the head of the IMF that Europe is…
The New York Times ran an interesting piece a few days ago (Wary of Heights (and the Future)) that pointed out the seeming paradox of the S&P 500 Index hitting four-year highs, while investors continue to sit skeptically on the sidelines. Morningstar reports another $3.8…
An article in the Journal of the Society for Judgment and Decision Making last year made the case that simple, name recognition-based systems for choosing winning sports teams beat more elaborate, expert-based systems. The article’s title, “The wisdom of ignorant crowds: Predicting sport outcomes by…