Young Research & Publishing Inc.

Investment Research Since 1978

Disclosure

  • About Us
    • Contributors
    • Archives
    • Dick Young’s Safe America
    • The Final Richard C. Young’s Intelligence Report
    • You’ve Read The Last Issue of Intelligence Report, Now What?
    • Dick Young’s Research Key: Anecdotal Evidence Gathering
    • Crisis at Vanguard
  • Investment Analysis
    • Bonds
    • Currencies and Gold
    • Dividend Investing
    • ETFs & Funds
    • Investment Strategy
    • Retirement Investing
    • Stocks
    • The Efficient Frontier
  • Investment Counsel
  • Retirement Compounders®
  • Free Email Signup

Archives for February 2010

Avoid These Securities

February 26, 2010 By Dick Young

February 26, 2010 One sector of the financial markets that is greatly underpricing risk today is municipal bonds. State and local governments are facing extraordinary budget pressure. The recession has eviscerated tax revenues, but spending requirements have not dropped. During the last fiscal year, some state and local governments relied on federal stimulus money to balance their budgets. But federal handouts cannot be relied upon indefinitely. The federal government has funding problems of its own. And tax increases aren’t always an option. To deal with extraordinary budget pressure, … [Read more...]

The Real POP in Investment Returns

February 25, 2010 By E.J. Smith

Putnam Investments’ full-page colored advertisement in this week’s WSJ was hard to miss—the Putnam marketing team made sure of that. In the ad, they tout their suite of Absolute Return Funds, which seek to do well in any type of market environment, up or down. As is often the case, and certainly is here, if it sounds too good to be true, it is. The funds have outperformed their laughable benchmarks, but have failed every one of mine. It used to be a well-known fact at Proctor & Gamble that the smart people worked in engineering and the really smart ones worked in marketing. I’ve been … [Read more...]

Bad News for Small Business

February 24, 2010 By Jeremy Jones, CFA

In 2009, the number of problem banks increased nearly 200%. Problem banks now hold $400 billion in bank assets. Most of these problem institutions are regional and community lenders. The same banks that dominate in small business and commercial real estate lending.  A continued rise in problem banks is likely to hinder a recovery in these sectors of the economy. … [Read more...]

Canadian Banks and a Chinese Bubble

February 23, 2010 By Jeremy Jones, CFA

This is the first installment of Clippings, a new feature from Youngresearch.com. In Clippings we'll periodically post articles on markets, economics, finance, investments, and anything else we find of interest. What U.S. Banks Can Learn from Canada By Derek DeCloet – BusinessWeek “Canadian banks did not fail because they mostly avoided the big mistakes with mortgages. They didn't lend to people who couldn't prove a sufficient income. They did give no-money-down mortgages, but not many—and the practice was effectively banned. They made scant use of teaser rates. They do these things … [Read more...]

A Snapshot of the Economy

February 19, 2010 By Dick Young

February 19, 2010The Conference Board Leading Economic Index (LEI) came out this week. The LEI increased 0.3% from December. Each month when the Conference Board releases the leading, coincident, and lagging indicators, my staff sends me an updated table of the numbers (see below). I use the table to spot changes in trend and momentum in the economy. I grade each indicator individually and as a group. This monthly exercise gives me a good snapshot of the health and strength of the economy. What are my indicators signaling this month? The leaders continue to increase, but momentum is losing … [Read more...]

The U-Shaped Recovery?

February 17, 2010 By Jeremy Jones, CFA

Historically, housing recoveries follow a V-shaped trajectory. Even with significant government support, the current housing recovery, appears to be taking more of a U-shaped path. A healthy skepticism on the pace of a housing recovery remains warranted. … [Read more...]

Commodities Demand

February 16, 2010 By Jeremy Jones, CFA

Did you know that China accounts for close to 40% of the consumption of aluminum, copper, lead, tin, zinc, and nickel? China is by far the most important consumer of industrial metals. China is also a large consumer of energy and agricultural commodities. If you want to know what the outlook for commodities demand looks like over the coming decade, look to China. If the Chinese economy is growing, it is safe to assume that demand for commodities is on the rise. In the fourth quarter, China’s GDP growth was over 10%. So commodities demand is likely on the rise, but what about supply? You can't … [Read more...]

A Grave Threat

February 12, 2010 By Dick Young

February 12, 2010 Olivier Blanchard, the IMF’s top economist, is calling for a doubling or tripling in the rate of inflation. He wants central bankers to raise their inflation targets to 4%-6% from an average of 2% today. What would possess anyone to recommend more inflation? Mr. Blanchard thinks a higher inflation rate would allow for greater flexibility in times of financial crisis. You can’t make this stuff up. The beneficiaries of Mr. Blanchard’s inflation scheme would, of course, be spendthrift governments. The burden of government debt falls sharply in inflationary environments. … [Read more...]

Pop Quiz

February 11, 2010 By E.J. Smith

You’re right if you guessed that the largest stock fund is an exchange-traded fund (ETF), a fact I always find somewhat surprising when studying the list of the largest stock funds in The WSJ’s monthly fund report. The one at the top of the list is the SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY), with $91.11 billion in assets. When I first started working in this industry, back in 1995, Fidelity Magellan was the largest stock fund. It was an actively managed fund, so it was a big deal when it was surpassed by Vanguard’s Index 500, a passive index fund. With the index fund, investors knew what they owned, … [Read more...]

Productivity Growth

February 10, 2010 By Jeremy Jones, CFA

Here is why the U.S. will lead the Euro Area in an economic recovery. Higher productivity growth in the U.S. will allow American firms to ramp up employment sooner than their European counterparts. … [Read more...]

  • 1
  • 2
  • Next Page »

Search Young Research

Most Popular

  • Are You Fairly Wealthy? I’m Listening
  • “I Need Preservation of Principal and Growth”
  • Were Silicon Valley Bank's Motivations for Taking Losses Pure?
  • Your Survival Guy’s BEST Insider’s Guide to Key West
  • Vanguard Wellesley (VWINX) vs. Wellington (VWELX): Which Fund is Best?
  • The Power of a Compound Interest Table
  • Treasury Studying How to Increase Deposit Insurance
  • Who's to Blame for Banking Vulnerability?
  • Mortgage Market Not Expected to Settle Down Soon
  • Are You Living Your Best Life?

Don’t Miss

Default Risk Among the Many Concerns with Annuities

Risk and Reward: An Efficient Frontier

How to be a Billionaire: Proven Strategies from the Titans of Wealth

Cryptocosm and Life After Google

Warning: Avoid Mutual Fund Year End Distributions

Is Gold a Good Long-term Investment?

How to Invest in Gold

Vanguard Wellington (VWELX): The Original Balanced Fund

What is the Best Gold ETF for Investing and Trading?

Procter & Gamble (PG) Stock: The Only True Dividend King

The Dividend King of the North

You’ll Love This if You’re Dreaming of an Active Retirement Life

The Importance of a Balanced Portfolio

Invest with Peace of Mind and Comfort

What Kind of Life Are You Investing For?

RSS The Latest at Richardcyoung.com

  • Biden’s Fake Democracy Summit: Hungary and Turkey Snubbed
  • Freefalling at Stanford
  • If You’re a Highly Effective Person, We Should Talk
  • DONBAS: Russian Tanks Face Gauntlet of Death from Javelin Wielding Ukrainians
  • Do You Know How to Slow Your Brain’s Aging?
  • We’ll Burn the Place Down!
  • Biden Embraces Modern Monetary Theory
  • Is Vanguard Voting Against Your Political Beliefs?
  • Does Anyone Still Think Ron Paul Was Wrong?
  • The Kings of Onlywood, Key West, Florida

RSS The Latest at Yoursurvivalguy.com

  • If You’re a Highly Effective Person, We Should Talk
  • What’s Happening to Charles Schwab?
  • Prepare for the Predictable
  • Is Vanguard Voting Against Your Political Beliefs?
  • Call It the Difference between Normal and Crazy
  • “I Need Preservation of Principal and Growth”
  • DEMOCRATIC SENATOR: Biden’s ESG Veto “Absolutely Infuriating”
  • Are You Fairly Wealthy? I’m Listening
  • How Long Is Your Water Supply Chain?
  • Your Survival Guy’s BEST Insider’s Guide to Key West

About Us

  • About Young Research
  • Archives
  • Contributors

Our Partners

  • Richard C. Young & Co.
  • Richardcyoung.com

Copyright © 2023 | Terms & Conditions