A Decade Lost?
The holiday season is a great time to see friends of old who are back in town and catch up with family you don’t get to see as often as you would like. While getting caught up on each other’s lives, and amidst the small talk, most people these days bring up their dissatisfaction with […]
Lessons From 2011
ONE– Stock market returns are seldom what we expect. The S&P 500 index was up 2% for the year, after being up 8% at the end of April and down 12% at the beginning of October. Large stocks did better (Dow up 7%); small stocks did worse (Russell 2000 down 4%); and international stocks did […]
Market Analysis
Renewed fears of a double-dip recession, policy paralysis across the U.S. and Europe, and the looming threat of a financial crisis in the euro zone combined to create very volatile markets and a devastating quarter for equities. Equity Markets The third quarter of 2011 saw the value of small stocks and international stocks fall more […]
Hedging Inflation: Comparing Commodity Futures and TIPs
I have generally recommended the use of Treasury Inflation Protected Securities (TIPs) as a hedge against inflation. Are Commodity Futures an attractive inflation hedge similar to TIPs? In a March 2011 article, author Geetesh Bhardwaj, addresses the use of various investments as a hedge against unexpected inflation. (Let me know if you would like a […]
Walmart Vs. Gold – How Will Investors be Rewarded?
Capital Market Recap Investors experienced positive returns in virtually every asset class during the first quarter of 2011. Small U.S. stocks led the way with returns exceeding 8%. Emerging international markets were in negative territory for most of the quarter but ended in the black. Large company stocks around the world managed to shrug off […]