With no electric, no cable TV, and no internet service, Hurricane Irene disconnected me from the civilized world for a few days. Heck, I couldn’t even access the Wall Street Journal from my iPhone. In times of crisis (and Irene was exactly that) survival* is the primary focus. Everything else can wait.—And you shouldn’t be freaking out about what your...Read More

There is a lot of debate right now directed at the state of the economy: Are we going to experience a “double-dip recession”? or, Can this “recovery” hold up?  First of all, isn’t it hard to believe we’re in “recovery” when so many people remain unemployed,  still above above 9%?  I’ve heard people talk about a “jobless recovery” – but what...Read More

In my opinion Steve Job’s decision to step down from the top spot at Apple is the most important news story in the investment world today. I don’t care about Warren Buffet investing $5 billion in Bank of America. BofA has $1 trillion in customer deposits — which makes Buffet’s investment a drop of water in a very...Read More

Today’s key headlines: Gold Cedes $1,800 CBO: $1.3 Trillion Deficit for 2011 Stocks Move Higher There’s lots of talk and speculation about whether or not the gold bubble is about to burst – and whether you should buy, sell, or hold it. Gold is a currency hedge, a place to make money when currencies –...Read More

This is about as messy of a market as you’re going to see. Headlining today’s Wall Street Journal are these notables:             Manufacturing Reports Reflect Slowdown             UBS to Cut 3,500 Jobs             Markets Remain Unkind to BofA This, not to mention, that a small earthquake rattled the northeast today, possibly to be followed by a...Read More

Those of you who have read my book know that I like to view market activity through multiple perspectives. Most of my previous charts begin at year ended 2002, which in my opinion provides the truest economic view because it begins at the approximate date of the last recessionary bottom. And because I don’t believe we’ve hit rock bottom in this...Read More

Days like these (the DJIA was down 400+ points again today) the most popular question I hear is: Where’s the bottom? When is the best time to get in?  First of all, the best time to increase your stock allocation is when Market fundamentals turn positive. They’re all negative right now: there is a currency crisis going on and inflation is threatening...Read More

As you know, there are lots of negative market stimuli out there. Yet corporate earnings continue to show strength. Today, Staples posted a bold 36% year over year increase in earnings, John Deere’s grew at a 15% clip, and the profits for discount retailer Target grew 4% in a tough market. And for a time the...Read More

It seems like only yesterday that people were saying, What downgrade?—the market is back!  And then today’s headlines came along (from The Wall Street Journal): Europe Moves to Halt Crisis Banks Lead Stocks’ Fall Gold Rises on Growth Fears   The Dow opened lower today and struggled all day to make it above water before ending down 76...Read More

The Sunday Call is the most important point I think you should consider before hitting the streets in the new week. This week it’s: Buy, Sell, or Hold?—How you should approach your investments this week. Here’s my two cents. First and foremost: Be comfortable with your asset allocations! You need a steady hand during these times and...Read More