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Archives for December 2016

What You Need to Know About the U.S. Energy Landscape

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It is clear to me that heading into 2017, the U.S., if it has the will power to continue modestly cutting energy consumption, is at the doorstep of energy self-sufficiency. Such self-sufficiency will allow the United States to extricate itself from its entangling alignments in the Middle East forever. And Israel? Well … Here, bp.com explains how the U.S. stands on the energy front. The US kept its edge as the world’s largest producer of oil, natural gas, renewables and nuclear power in 2015. The US is the world’s largest consumer of natural gas, with 2015 growth driven by low … [Read more...]

This One Valuable Post Was Your Favorite in 2016

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In 2016 Youngresearch.com published a number of posts our readers loved, but this one "You Need to Know Why I Love Vanguard GNMA," was your favorite. I wrote this piece only a short time ago on December 16, but even in that short period it has garnered more pageviews than any other post this year. Here is the piece again in full: Good morning from Newport, RI where at 5:22 am it’s 11 degrees outside, 1-3 inches of snow are expected, and with the wind it feels like -5. In Bartlett, NH my iPhone says it’s -6 outside with the wind blowing 29 mph making it feel like it’s -34. It’s cold outside. … [Read more...]

This is What you get Free Each Week with Portfolio Strategy

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If you are new to our site or haven’t yet signed up for our free weekly Portfolio Strategy service, below is just a taste of what you missed this year. And these are just my posts. Each week our goal is to bring you our most cogent thoughts on the economic and financial landscape. Our weekly email service helps investors, both novice and expert, cut through the noise and invest their serious money with the savvy and sophistication of a seasoned pro. If you have family or friends who you would like to share our free Portfolio Strategy service with, just click the button with the envelope on … [Read more...]

These are the Most Expensive Housing Markets in the Country

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Janet Yellen's 8-year yield heist has done wonders to help home prices recover from their 08-09 crash. But the gains made in home prices haven't been driven by sustainable fundamentals. Home prices have outpaced income gains in many housing markets. MarketWatch reports on some of the least affordable housing markets in the nation. New York County and San Francisco County predictably top the list, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau comparing median home values against median household income. The median home price in New York County was 11.6 times the median income ($849,000 versus … [Read more...]

What’s the Spectacular New Frontier for IoT Innovation?

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The next big thing in the future of the Internet of Things (IoT) is automobile electronics systems. Now hpematter.com lays out the astonishing future for IoT through the eyes and vision of Bosch Software Innovations CEO Rainer Kallenbach. Rainer Kallenbach, CEO of Bosch Software Innovations, says that Bosch’s goal is to have each and every electronic component connectable to the internet. “HPE is an important ecosystem partner of the Bosch Group, supplying hardware and software. But it isn’t enough that the devices can just connect to each other—they have to be able to actually talk to … [Read more...]

Will the Pension Portfolio Corruption Scandals Never End?

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Yet another pension fund corruption case has been brought against a portfolio manager, this time by U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara, against New York State Common Retirement Fund official Navnoor Kang. Kang allegedly steered business from the state's pension fund toward certain brokerages in return for drugs, strippers, cash and other gifts. If the accusations are true, it's just one more instance in a string of recent pension fund corruption cases. The Wall Street Journal reports: On Wednesday U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara announced the indictment of New York State Common Retirement Fund … [Read more...]

Is this New Trend the Most Unusual Surprise from 2016?

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For the first time since 2007, bookstores recorded an uptick in sales this year. MIT Technology Review explains what Amazon is doing with Amazon Books: The theories are intriguing, and they may contain bits of truth. But the real impetus behind the stores is probably much simpler: Amazon wants to sell more books. Not long ago, the common wisdom held that Amazon would remake the book business in its own image. Its Web store would kill off bookstores, and its Kindle would render physical books obsolete. In an interview in 2009, 18 months after the Kindle’s launch, Jeff Bezos suggested that … [Read more...]

Have You Lost a Valuable Part of Your Life Savings?

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It turns out that many Americans are missing out on parts of their retirement savings. With frequent job changes, and confusing enrollment practices, Americans are leaving 401(k) plans and other retirement vehicles that they might not even know exist behind them . Anne Tergesen writes at The Wall Street Journal: As Americans jump from job to job, they are leaving more 401(k)-style accounts and pension benefits with ex-employers. Some lose track of the money, forfeiting a piece of their retirement security. While no one keeps exact tabs on the number of lost retirement accounts, … [Read more...]

Could This Simple Strategy Conquer the Dow 4 Years In a Row?

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The "Dogs of the Dow" strategy is on pace to outperform the Dow Jones Industrial Average for the fourth year in a row. To execute the Dogs of the Dow strategy, you buy the 10 highest yielding stocks at the start of the year and hold them for 12 months. The strategy is simple, but not easy as it often means buying the most unloved and out of favor Dow components. Steven Russolillo gives some more detail on the Dogs' 2016 performance in The Wall Street Journal: The dogs approach mimics what was the hottest trade in the first half of the year: chasing yield. Many of the market’s … [Read more...]