The FT reports that bacteria resistant to the so-called "last resort" anti-biotic, colistin, are growing on farms in China. In the absence of new medical innovations, these bacteria could become unstoppable. The 2015 discovery in China of bacteria with mcr-1, the colistin resistance gene, sparked fears over the future of human health. Margaret Chan, head of the World Health Organization, said last year that medicine risked “going back to the dark ages” without action to spur development of new antibiotics and to preserve the dwindling numbers that remain effective. Since the discovery in … [Read more...]
Archives for February 2017
Do You Know Your Retirement Score?
Fidelity makes it easy for investors to get a quick sense of where their retirement preparations are, and how to get back on track if they've fallen behind. Check out your Fidelity Retirement Score here. Customer Stories: Lee’s and Michelle’s Retirement | Fidelity … [Read more...]
A Canary in the Commercial Real Estate Coal Mine?
Commercial real estate is a famously cyclical business. Booms and busts are a part of the landscape. Eight years of near-zero interest rates has resulted in nothing but boom for the sector. Today the WSJ reports some real-estate investors are reducing their holdings and getting more selective about deals. Could this be an early-warning signal of the next bust? Some prominent real-estate investors are reducing their holdings and getting more selective about new deals, in a sign that the eight-year bull market for U.S. commercial property is coming to a close. Asset managers at pension funds … [Read more...]
RAGE Gauge: The Roar of the Silent Majority
You heard the silent majority speaking loud and clear in November’s presidential election, and now the results are in. For the first time in 3-years there was a decline in year-over-year background checks for pistols—a barometer for sales—and a 29% decline from the same month last year. Isn’t it amazing what a president can do to the psyche of a nation? But a populist in the White House won’t be cheap and that’s reflected in the 5% surge last month in gold prices as the market anticipates higher inflation down the road. How much higher? Populism can be expensive. Continue to invest with … [Read more...]
For the First Time Amazon Appears to be Targeting Profits
Known more for a drive to build market share than to maximize profits, Amazon may now be signalling a shift in focus. Laura Stevens writes at The Wall Street Journal: Amazon’s stronger margins likely reflect more discipline in spending and fewer promotions at the expense of profit, as well as a larger percentage of sales stemming from its third-party sellers, analysts said. Those sales are nearly pure profit margin because Amazon doesn’t have to buy and hold the product itself. It also gets paid for items that sellers ship in for Amazon to fulfill. ... Amazon often has bucked retail … [Read more...]
Will a WTO Member Wolf Pack Corner the U.K. on Trade Post-Brexit?
James Bacchus writes today that WTO trade negotiators may be eager to exploit the U.K.'s separation from the EU herd. Like a wounded animal, the U.K. could be set upon with demands for more open markets, giving advantages to nations that could never have set such terms when the U.K. was a member of the EU. The widespread assumption is that Britain will be able to fall back automatically on the balance-of-trade rights and obligations it enjoys as a member of the World Trade Organization. In Brexit parlance, this is called the WTO option. The problem is that 163 other WTO member countries … [Read more...]
Don’t be Lulled to Sleep by this Market
The S&P 500 hasn't traded in a daily range of 1% or greater for 34 sessions. That's the longest such a trend has continued since 1995. But investors shouldn't be lulled to sleep by a sleepy market. Be vigilant and continue to avoid risk. Chris Dieterich explains the Index's low volatility at The Wall Street Journal. To be sure, the stock market has mostly been going up even though the daily moves have been soporific. Since the streak began, the index has climbed just 1% in total, but it’s still set new all-time highs along the way, most recently on Jan. 25. Still, uncertainty about the … [Read more...]
China Reserves Fall Below $3T for the First Time In Years
Despite China's draconian policies that aim to maintain high foreign currency reserves, the country is leaking wealth fast as citizens rush to convert their yuan into foreign currency. Bloomberg reports: Key Points Reserves fell $12.3 billion to $2.998 trillion, the People’s Bank of China said Tuesday That compares with the $3.004 trillion estimate in a Bloomberg survey of economists The central bank’s intervention in foreign-exchange markets drove the drop, as did seasonal factors such as high demand for other currencies during the week-long Lunar New Year holiday, the State … [Read more...]
This is a $100 billion Dividend Opportunity
If there is one sector of the stock market that has been damaged most by burdensome regulation and ultra-loose monetary policy over the last decade it is the Financial sector. Here the WSJ outlines the potential for the six biggest U.S. banks to return more than $100 billion to investors if Trump succeeds in a push to loosen bank regulation. The six biggest U.S. banks could potentially return more than $100 billion in capital to investors over time through dividends and share buybacks if the Trump administration succeeds in a push to loosen bank regulation. President Donald Trump on Friday … [Read more...]
Extra Vigilance Required with Rollback of Fiduciary Rule
With the Trump administration signalling it will roll back the Department of Labor's proposed "fiduciary rule" for retirement accounts, it's a good time for retirees to examine how their funds are being managed. Are your accounts being overseen by a fiduciary like Richard C. Young & Co., Ltd., that is required to put your interests ahead of theirs, or are you doing business with a brokerage strictly focused on distributing securities among its clients and reaping commissions and fees along the way? Michael Wursthorn writes at the Wall Street Journal: President Donald Trump’s move to roll … [Read more...]
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