Well not exactly but it is looking more like this. For many years China was the engine of the world. It was reassuring to see China growing 10% to 12% per year while we in the developed world were stumbling from one Bubble to another. Now the tables have turned a bit. China is still […]
News
Luck Runs Out for Macau’s Casinos
After years of light-speed growth, gambling in Macau is finally taking a breather. This is the first year ever that gambling revenue in the Chinese territory has fallen, and the slowdown has been significant. October, the fifth straight month of dwindling business, was the worst decline in history. And the stock prices of Macau’s big […]
Sven Eklof attends course on Social Security
Sven attended the UVM Extension School course What Your Clients Should Know About Social Security with expert Peter Weinbaum, JD, as the instructor. Weinbaum is known as the “Social Security Maven.” The course reviewed Social Security Income and how to maximize the benefit depending on the situation. Spousal benefits, survivor benefits, and the importance of […]
The State of the Language
There is good news and bad news about English today. If you are a native speaker then the news is good. English is the global language today and its lead over all others is growing not shrinking. French has been a competitor in diplomacy and also at the Olympics but its importance is receding. Chinese […]
Emotions on Parade
Barron’s reported recently that Ray DeVoe had died. Ray was a long time market commentator. I first ran into his material at Spencer Trask back in the 1970’s. The DeVoe Report was always thought provoking, often amusing and a must read in a world so full of throw away commentary. Ray came up with what […]
California Dreamin’ About Enough Water
Serious drought. Help save water. That’s a message you’ll see everywhere in California, including the Amber Alert signs on highways that normally are used for emergencies. California is in one of its worst droughts ever. More than 80% of the state is in “extreme” drought according to the National Weather Service, and 58% is in […]
Moving The Ball Forward
Investors reading press reports on the U.S. economy have good reason to be confused. On the one hand, the U.S. looks in pretty good shape when compared to its European and Asian counterparts; most of Europe appears on the brink of recession and economic growth in China continues to slowly decelerate. But, relative to historic […]
Eric Hanson: Guest Lecturer at UVM School of Business
On September 24th Eric Hanson was the guest lecturer at Professor Lauck Parke’s Business 010 – The Business Enterprise. This course is an overview of business and required of every incoming freshman intending to major in Business at the University of Vermont.
Stop Freaking Out About Retirement…
This does not come from some rose colored glasses, “The future is copacetic” kind of article. It comes from ConsumerReports, a pretty sober and practical publication. We have all read the stories that Americans are not saving enough and it’s probably true. It is estimated that 14% of Americans over 65 have no retirement savings […]
Yes, We Are Going To Have A Correction!!… Now Get Over It…
The stock market reached bottom in mid-winter, 2009. We are now in the sixth year of this Bull market. The rise in stocks has been very broad-based with most industries benefitting. And volatility has been very low. The chart below shows this is the fourth longest Bull run in the last 85 years without a […]
Grocery Shopping Disrupted…
Buying food today is no longer as simple as showing up at the supermarket to fill up your cart. Now you can go to the farmers’ market and spend a small fortune on local organic duck eggs, white rose nectarines, and artisanal breads. You can pick up a gallon of milk and a pound of […]
What Is An Investment Policy Statement and Why Non-Profits Need One…
We manage funds for a wide range of non-profit entities. While they differ in many respects, most face the central challenge of prudently managing funds entrusted to them by donors. Typically the finance or investment committees tasked with this charge face two problems. First, committee members may or may not have the expertise needed to […]
