Friday’s big OPEC meeting in Vienna will have a big influence on how much consumers pay at the pump over the next several months, and it appears likely that prices will moderate in the coming period. Though oil producers have been benefiting from rising oil prices, ironically, a tacit agreement between the biggest producer and the biggest consumer of oil appears to be holding sway to keep prices down.
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South Korean stocks are a bargain, but the question is: How long do we need to wait for concrete confirmation of genuine progress in the peace process on the Korean peninsula? The market makes no announcements when reaching a bottom. If we wait until South Korean construction companies are paving the foundation for a new Riviera on the Sea of Japan, we’ve waited too long. Yet actions on the part of North Korea suggest the peace train has left the station.
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The Wall Street Journal recently recounted the story of a 37-year-old orthodontist whose loan debt exceeds $1 million. Here’s how you can go about paying as little for college as possible: First, define your goals. Maybe college isn’t even an appropriate expenditure. If it is appropriate, get a scholarship. If you can’t get one, take that as a signal to start off in community college. Finally, consider a low-cost online bachelor’s, allowing you to target higher value graduate and professional degree
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The media focus on personalities, but history records policies and policy shifts. That goes for this weekend’s G-7 summit, in which President Trump took umbrage at Prime Minister Trudeau’s news conference in which he declared that “Canadians will not be pushed around.” The drama we see performed today is bigger than any individual personalities and is signaling a policy direction – one of reduced international cooperation.
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America’s protectionist policy is bad for business. What has given America its historical competitive edge was the rule of law, private property rights and low taxation, which stimulated sustained high levels of economic growth. The tariff mindset is at odds with this tradition, and it's a small step from tariffs to unneeded domestic regulation that would choke off future Apples and Googles. The U.S. should do the opposite -- that is, work to further reduce tariffs, duties and restrictions.
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Seeking Alpha's Robyn Conti discusses her personal financial recovery in the two years since she wrote poignantly of the financial difficulty she found herself in. Her story is testimony to the ability we all have to turn ourselves around, start living within our means and start building toward a brighter future.
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A Bain & Company report called “Labor 2030: The Collision of Demographics, Automation and Inequality” warns that advanced economies are hurtling towards a demographic bust. However, the ensuing shrinkage of the workforce does not imply higher pay, since automation could eventually eliminate up to 50% of all current jobs. But robots can’t do everything, and the burden of work may fall on pre-retirees aged 55 to 74, while 18 to 29-year-olds hunker down in a new life stage Bain calls “second adolescenc
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A CNBC headline proclaims that the “oil market is ignoring the big Iran story.” Is there something that one analyst CNBC interviewed understands that the oil market does not? To the contrary, the market has correctly figured out what Saudi Arabia’s current interests are, and what Russia’s interests are, and as they go, so will go oil prices for now. Fears of a “nasty” Iranian response to U.S. sanctions, voiced by one analyst, are not relevant to the current oil price trend.
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Memorial Day honors members of the country’s armed forces who gave their lives in the service of their country. It would be fitting to acknowledge the price paid to afford us our freedom in a manner tailored to an investment audience. Specifically, what might a “Memorial Day portfolio” look like? We offer a few suggestions.
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Are drug companies villains profiteering off of a public that can ill afford needed medicines or are they merely earning the reward markets provide for their lifesaving and life-enhancing work? And what of advisors? The two cases are different because healthcare is a more fundamental human need, but we can still observe of both of them that society benefits from a system that rewards excellence in these areas.
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