investors

The lack of major economic reports today means the direction of the Dollar is likely to exert more influence on the U.S. equity markets. With the Dollar up overnight because of risk aversion, traders are selling equities. Yesterday’s tight trading range and lack of follow-through during the New York session may have been indications that the stock markets are overbought.

The European currency has depreciated dramatically against the US dollar in the past few months, falling from over $1.50 on December 1st to $1.35 today. The move has caused many investors to question the viability of the European Union and its currency, while also serving to reinforce the notion of the USD’s position as the world’s reserve currency.

U.S. stock indices are trading in a tight range overnight as investors await testimony before the House Financial Services Committee by Fed Chairman Bernanke. Expectations are for Bernanke to talk about the state of the employment situation as well as addressing whether more financial stimulus is required.

The Libyan government has been sounding off lately about boosting the profile of its oil and gas market, but it’s questionable whether international companies will ignore the government’s missteps in the industry - not to mention the recent lackluster energy finds - and keep injecting money into the North African country.

Income portfolios should have a stable market value. In thirty-five years of investment management, I've determined that the single biggest error investors make is their focus on the market value of income securities. Stable income yes; stable market value – not! Roughly 25% of you incorrectly put this one in the "True" column.

All three major stock indices finished the day sharply higher after earlier weakness driven by a possible pact between the EU and Greece and better than expected weekly jobs data.

Investing with a calendar year focus has no basis in the realities of finance, business, or economics... isn't it obvious that the Stock and Bond Markets are far more closely related to the Business Cycle than to the Earth's around the Sun? The Market Cycle Investment Management Account Program provides better guidance--- and results.

Investing with a calendar year focus has no basis in the realities of finance, business, or economics... isn't it obvious that the Stock and Bond Markets are far more closely related to the Business Cycle than to the Earth's around the Sun? The Market Cycle Investment Management Account Program provides better guidance--- and results.

The U.S. Dollar had a volatile trade overnight with a slight bias to the downside. Profit-taking was highlighted last night as traders turned a little positive that a solution was going to be reached regarding the escalating deficit issue in Greece. Overbought technical factors even helped to weaken the Dollar.

Fear over concerns about sovereign debt default and a worse than expected U.S. initial claims report helped to push commodity and stock markets lower on Thursday. Risk aversion drove investors toward safer, lower-yielding assets to the benefit of the U.S. Dollar.

The Japanese Yen rose on Thursday as investors shifted assets out of the troubled Euro Zone on renewed budget turmoil in Greece. A spike in the cost to insure Greece’s sovereign debt triggered a flight to safety rally which fueled a turnaround in the Yen after earlier weakness. News that a similar situation is developing in Portugal also contributed to the Yen’s strength.

U.S. equity markets could not hold on to its earlier gains and fizzled into the close. Earlier today, the market got a boost, driven higher by good corporate earnings reports and a better than expected consumer confidence report.

Investors dumped stocks late in the trading session on Friday as sentiment shifted toward less risky assets. The combination of a stronger Dollar, monetary tightening in China and a proposal by Obama to end financial institution prop trading weighed heavily on traders this week.

U.S. equity markets closed lower as investors dumped higher risk assets, but buyers once again stepped in on the intra-day dip. Wednesday’s weakness started on the Shanghai Exchange overnight after China asked banks to stop lending for the rest of the month. This sent a signal to traders that the easy money environment would be coming to a close.

The shape of this economic recovery will not be in a “V”, as many pundits have promulgated, but instead may be the inversion of that letter…which will unfortunately look much more like a tepee. The upcoming downfall will surprise most investors who have been tricked into believing that a government can print and spend their way into prosperity.