Daily State of the Markets

Additional Signs of Improvement

Good Monday morning and welcome back. Although the ECB and FOMC Meetings are over and rates have been increased in the U.S., the Fed remains a focal in the markets due to the fact that we have a full calendar of Fed-speak on tap for this week. For example, at 8:00 a.m this morning, Federa…

BlackRock: "Win More by Losing Less"

When interviewing investment managers, one of the most important things to understand is the manager's and/or the firm's bias. Make no mistake about it; most all managers have a "view of the world" (aka how the markets work) that will impact their approach to managing money. Thus, it is c…

Indicators Show Signs of Improvement, But...

Good Monday morning and welcome back. We made it through the ECB meeting, the UK election, and Comey's eye-opening testimony last week and well, the major indices are none the worse for wear. Next up is this week's Fed announcement (where Yellen's gang is expected to raise rates another 2…

Wait, BlackRock Is Saying What?

With no fewer than three potential big, bad events (and a fourth - the FOMC meeting - on tap for next week), traders appear to be in wait-and-see mode at the present time. And since I do not believe in making predictions about what the news will be - or more importantly how Ms. Market is …

The Fed's On A Mission - Will It Be Different This Time?

To be sure, there are those that remain concerned about the state of the U.S. economy. The glass-is-at-least-half-empty crowd used last week's weaker-than expected Nonfarm Payrolls report as Exhibit A in their argument. And while the more upbeat economic crowd cites the timing of data col…

Remember: Fundamentals "Trump" Politics

Don't you just love this game? One minute the stock market is rallying to new heights on the back of Trump's big plans (and the related odds of said plans being implemented). The next thing you know, "repeal and replace" is dead on arrival, tax reform is looking less and less likely in 20…

Bulls In Charge, But Where's The Beef?

Good Monday morning and welcome back. A third terror attack in London in as many months, Wednesday's general election in the U.K., this week's meeting of the ECB, the isolation of Qatar (and the corresponding impact on oil), next week's Fed meeting, and this week's testimony of former FBI…

Quick Take: Jobs Disappoint, Bulls Need To Hold The Line

Stocks broke to fresh all-time highs yesterday as the bears were once again unable to get anything going with the overbought condition and concerns over politics in Washington. The onus is now on the bulls to make the move stick and to avoid the dreaded "breakout fake out." Until …

How Bad Will The Big, Bad, Bond Bear Get?

In yesterday's meandering morning market missive, we talked about the possibility of the bond market entering a big, bad bear cycle and how a great many analysts expect things to get ugly in the coming years for bond investors. The thinking is actually quite logical. The economy i…

Are You Prepared For The Big, Bad Bond Bear? (Should You Be?)

Most market analysts will concur that interest rates bottomed out in the summer of 2016. More specifically, after trending lower for approximately 35 years, the yield on the U.S. Gov't 10-year Treasury Note hit an all-time low of 1.367% on July 5, 2016. And most every bond guru on the pla…