Rationalization is the devil on our shoulder. Sometimes we know he’s there, egging us on. Sometimes we’re so caught up in the moment that we forget he’s there. Nudging. Always nudging.
Series I bonds are US Savings Bonds that the government resets the interest rate on every six months, adjusting for inflation. And, well, you don’t need us to know inflation has been getting worse. If you spend money, you know a dollar doesn’t buy what it used to. Let us expand just a bit on this point.
Is the recent action in markets the beginning of a downturn, or just a temporary pause? That is the $64,000,000,000,000 question;$64,000 just doesn’t seem to do it justice anymore (yes, I know I’m dating myself here).
I don't think Jimi Hendrix and Alan Greenspan would have ever hung out, but I do think if they’d met by some kind of happy accident, they'd have gotten along well if each knew more about what really inspired the genius of the other.
There is a wave of defaults and bankruptcies building in the economic ocean and it will soon become a tsunami.
We have all had to make adjustments from time to time, both large and small. As evidenced by the number in our herd, we are a fairly adaptable species. So, while we resist making them, we are pretty good…
I have an old-ish pair of noise-cancelling headphones, and to my untrained ear, they sound like they filter the noise by just making a low humming sound in the background. They remind me of the media right…
As a follow up to our last post, I thought we’d offer some perspective on what’s next for markets because we’re seeing a lot of half-baked messages on the internet. As I type, the US stock market is down 8% on the day, and I’m seeing weather forecasters and bartenders offering investment advice to people asking what they should do. What’s next for markets is anybody’s guess. What’s next for you is entirely within your control.?
Recently, a close friend told me she felt like she was trying to push the river. It was the first and only time I can recall anyone using the term, and it has stuck with me since. It comes to mind when I hear people talk about protectionist policies intended to stem globalism and close borders.
There are two major economic trends that have been unfolding for almost forty years now, and both are nearing a turning point. Interest rates and tax rates have been declining since the early 1980s and both must go up at some point. I’ve been telling our clients that tax and interest rates are going to go up for so long now I sound like a nut job. But sooner or later, every prognosticator is right.