Analysts are worried about the future of Turkey's economy. The country has suffered under doubt about its future during a rift with Washington D.C. over Turkey's proposed missile purchases from Russia. David Gauthier-Villars reports at The Wall Street Journal: The Turkish economy shrank at the end of 2018 and looks set to contract further this year, presenting a challenge for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan ahead of a critical electoral test for his ruling party and amid renewed diplomatic tensions with the U.S. Amid mounting popular discontent triggered by rising food prices and … [Read more...]
Archives for March 2019
Your Retirement Life: The World Needs More Cowboys
Wyoming is the Cowboy State, and if you are looking for more adventure in retirement, it's a great place to go. Wyoming residents are blessed with a tax burden that is tied with South Dakota for second lowest in the nation (behind Alaska). With an overall state tax burden of only 7.1%, residents fleeing New York (12.7%), Connecticut (12.6%), New Jersey (12.2%) or California, Illinois and Wisconsin (all 11.0%), could see savings adding up to around 4%. That's as much as the recommended annual portfolio draw down for many retirees. Can you afford to leave that money with your city and state each … [Read more...]
Grantham on Stocks: You Can’t Get Blood Out of a Stone
In a recent interview with CNBC, famed investor Jeremy Grantham explained that despite new stimulus from the ECB, and a halt on tightening measures by the Fed, he isn't optimistic that a boom in stock prices is forthcoming. Mark Decambre reports at MarketWatch: Jeremy Grantham, an investor credited with predicting the 2000 and 2008 downturns, told CNBC on Thursday that investors should get inured to lackluster returns in the stock market for the next two decades, after a century of handsome gains. “In the last 100 years, we’re used to delivering perhaps 6%,” but the U.S. market will be … [Read more...]
Big Oil “changing the way that game gets played” in the Permian
Big oil companies like Exxon and Chevron came late to the party in the Permian basin, but are now heavily invested in the oil play. Faced with certain difficulties ahead, they are looking to "change the game." Ed Crooks reports for The Financial Times: The Permian’s oil output has already shown prodigious growth in recent years: it has doubled since the summer of 2016, to 4m barrels a day, or roughly a third of total US daily production. The announcements from Exxon and Chevron were a signal that the boom would continue. “It is quite a stunning development, in terms of the scale and the … [Read more...]
Europe Seems Bent on Taxing U.S. Ingenuity
France has just introduced a 3% tax on major tech companies. Those hit hardest will be Facebook, Google and Amazon. These American companies brought their ingenious products to Europe, gaining strong followings. Now, the overly indebted governments of Europe, led by France, are itching to get their hands on tech cash. This isn't the first attempt at taxing tech companies in Europe, and it won't be the last. Elizabeth Schulze reports for CNBC: An EU-backed effort to pass a 3 percent tax on the revenues of big internet companies failed last year amid concerns from countries including Ireland … [Read more...]
You’re in Charge: Act—Don’t React
Thirty years ago this month, I was working hard to explain to investors like you the simple power of having a plan. An investment plan is the reliable engine that keeps your investment train on its track. I told readers they shouldn’t make investments without consulting their plan, writing: Am I clear on this? Sit back, take a deep breath and repeat after me, “I will have a plan; I will not be a reactionary investor; I will practice diversification.” Still with me? You see, I want you to lower your financial blood pressure. If an idea is sound today, it must be sound tomorrow. I learned … [Read more...]
Your Retirement Life: Don’t Pay Too Much for Your Big Macs
Since 1986, The Economist has published its Big Mac Index. The index is a lighthearted way of viewing purchasing power across national borders. The theory is that a McDonald's Big Mac uses the same ingredients and labor from one country to another, so when prices are compared in dollar terms, the differences in the purchasing power of money between locations is easy to see. In the latest reading, Russia has the cheapest Big Mac, at only $1.65. Fluctuating currency valuations can have a big impact on the index when dealing with different countries. When comparing the U.S. states, however, … [Read more...]
Will Disney+ be Bigger than Netflix?
Disney is close to unveiling its new streaming services, Disney+ and ESPN+. Those new services, along with Hulu, which Disney recently acquired a controlling share in, will serve as the platform for Disney's digital delivery future. The question many analysts are asking is, will Disney's services be as popular as Netflix? Barron's Nicholas Jasinski reports: The back story. Disney (ticker: DIS) so far has been coy about providing specific details, other than revealing that it plans to take a three-pronged approach to direct-to-consumer streaming. One service, called Disney+, will include … [Read more...]
Walmart Tells Suppliers to Hurry-it-Up
In a bid to compete with Amazon, Walmart is telling suppliers they need to accelerate their shipments. Jennifer Smith and Sarah Nassauer report in The Wall Street Journal: The retailer wants suppliers that ship full trucks of products to deliver orders within a specified two-day window 87% of the time, up from an 85% rate it targeted previously. Suppliers that fill part of a truck with their goods must hit a 70% on-time threshold, a significant jump from the previous target of 50%. Walmart also is changing how it penalizes suppliers when they make partial deliveries, an effort to make sure … [Read more...]
Here’s How to Build Yourself a Barricade Against Volatility
Back in October of 2006, as the crest of the Housing Bubble was forming, I remained doggedly attached to my principled investment strategy of diversification and compound interest. That month I encouraged readers to build a “volatility barricade.” Here’s what I wrote (with updated numbers to reflect the intervening years): Your Volatility Barricade Your portfolio’s fixed-income position does two things for you. (1) It either throws off cash for you to spend at Ace or True Value (not Wal-Mart or Home Depot) in retirement or, instead, allows your interest to compound in an IRA. (2) Your … [Read more...]
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