I have repeatedly said that while I'm not a big fan of bitcoin the currency, I think there is a lot of value in blockchain technologies. (See here, here, here, and here for more on that). Despite being the most inherently valuable piece of the crypto-currency craze, blockchain is also the least understood. With the power to change how business is done in real estate, shipping, material sourcing, and other industries. At The Wall Street Journal, Christopher Mims explains blockchain: What is blockchain? It’s essentially a secure database, or ledger, spread across multiple computers. … [Read more...]
Archives for March 2018
Is the Goldilocks Market Being Chased Away by Bears?
For years now the markets have been in what participants called the 'Goldilocks zone,'' not to hot, not too cold, just right. Well, with increased volatility, and some worrisome inflation numbers, that may be changing. Riva Gold and Georgi Kantchev write that after nine years, Goldilocks conditions may be gone. Nine years into a roaring stock bull market, fund managers are paying their last respects to Goldilocks. Investors broadly remain bullish on stocks and other investments, aided by an upbeat U.S. jobs report on Friday. But repeated bouts of market volatility in 2018 and signs of a … [Read more...]
Will 38% of Workers Telecommute by 2027?
According to Upwork CEO Stephane Kasriel, 38% of full time workers could telecommute by 2027. That could change the way cities are organized and drastically alter the makeup of transportation networks. Connie Loizos reports from TechCrunch: Workers “want to do this,” says Kasriel. And “in the current labor market, skilled workers have their way.” Interestingly, Kasriel argues that “city planners aren’t thinking sufficiently” about the shape of workforces and how they are evolving. He believes cities will be organized differently as a result. That’s something he shares in common with … [Read more...]
Smoking Hot Jobs Market
The February jobs numbers were released this morning and they were smoking hot. With unemployment already at its lowest level over 17 years, 313,000 jobs were added last month—that’s the most jobs created in a month since the summer of 2016. Not only were hundreds of thousands of jobs created, but over 800,000 people entered the labor force. Manufacturing employment increased by 31,000 jobs last month following a gain of 25,000 jobs the month before. Since Trump took office, manufacturing employment has gained steadily following a two-year period of stagnation. Clearly, despite the … [Read more...]
You Must Address the Issue of Risk
What risks are lurking in your portfolio? Calm markets have made many investors complacent. Are you one of them? Far too many portfolios that come across my desk are heavily invested in risky assets (yes, the S&P 500 counts) with no counterbalancing assets to tame volatility. Look at my chart below to gain an appreciation of just how helpful counterbalancing assets can be in your portfolio. Here you are looking at the performance of intermediate-term government bonds (dark blue) in years when the S&P 500 (bright blue) lost value. Since 1950, government bonds have been up in 13 of … [Read more...]
Mortgage Rates Still Low Historically
If you’re old enough to collect Social Security you might laugh out loud reading this from today’s WSJ: "U.S. mortgage rates have hit their highest level since 2014, a new challenge for a housing market that has been central to the economic recovery but remains vulnerable to even modest headwinds. The rate for a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage rose to 4.46%, the highest in more than four years and the ninth consecutive week of increases, according to data Thursday from mortgage-finance giant Freddie Mac." While everyone is talking about the “sharing” economy, I have yet to speak with an … [Read more...]
Richard Russell’s Rule #1
Originally posted January 7th, 2016. You need to have some will-power to stick to your guns in this stock market. No one said it was going to be easy. But to allow the magic of compound interest to work for you, you have to be patient. Here is one of the great lessons I love to read over and over again from the late Richard Russell. Mr. Russell passed away in November at the age of 91. He wrote daily to his beloved subscribers right to the bitter end. I miss reading his daily thoughts on the market and, even more so, on life in general. RIP Mr. Russell. Rule 1: Compounding: One of the most … [Read more...]
Never Stop…
The FT reports here that a new wave of automated artificial intelligence software is replacing routine office work now done by people. Forrester Research estimates that 4 Million office employees are likely to have their jobs taken over by such software over the next five years. “There are a lot of tedious processes that involve taking information from this place and entering into that place,” says Rich Wong, a partner at venture capital firm Accel, which led a $153m investment this week in UiPath, giving the company founded in Bucharest and now headquartered in New York a valuation of … [Read more...]
Many Millennials Have No Savings
A new report from the National Institute on Retirement Security shows that around 66% of working age Millennials have nothing saved for retirement. That's not good, but also not terribly surprising since so many of them have had a delayed start in the work force, have massive student loans, and rents are at some of the highest levels ever. On CNNMoney, Katie Lobosco details the report, writing: About one-third are saving for retirement. Most have less than $20,000 but some have much more. The average account balance is $67,891, according to the report. If they are saving, it's likely … [Read more...]
Could the ‘Proton Battery’ Revolutionize Energy Storage?
Researchers at RMIT University in Melbourne have created a rechargeable "proton battery," that could change the way energy is stored. The big advantage of the proton battery over today's battery technologies using lithium, is the affordability and environmental safety of its components. TechXplore reports: The working prototype proton battery uses a carbon electrode as a hydrogen store, coupled with a reversible fuel cell to produce electricity. It's the carbon electrode plus protons from water that give the proton battery it's environmental, energy and potential economic edge, says lead … [Read more...]
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