Are investors presently risk averse? Or are they pursuing high risk investments? The answers are important to understanding the tone of markets, particularly when there have been large moves one way or another. For bond investors, “spread” is the magic measure. What I want to address here is two ways spread is measured and... »
Don’t be a fair weather investor, staying too close to your investments in sunny times and ignoring them when the storms come. Investors, when optimistic, commonly check investment prices and news frequently. Then, when pessimistic, they let their statements pile up, unopened. Ignoring your investments can be problematic, but being overly attentive can be... »
No, I am not advising we ignore Punxsutawney Phil. Rather, we need to disregard shadows of things past in deciding what to do next. Nothing is quite so powerful as recent bad times for dampening investors’ enthusiasm and keeping them away from sound, long-term investments. The shadows (memories and feelings) are too fresh. So,... »
The Senate confirmed Ben Bernanke’s reappointment, albeit with a record high 30 “nay” votes. So, is he now free to act independently? Or does the far-from-unanimous approval vote, combined with the on-going congressional efforts to trim the Federal Reserve’s powers, limit his actions? And what about that negative vote at the Federal Reserve Open... »
