Dividends are back. “The humble dividend is reclaiming its rightful place as the arbiter of stock-market value. In three of the four biggest developed markets, shares offer a higher yield than the longest-dated government bond, and in the fourth—the U.S.—the dividend yield beats even a 20-year bond,” writes James Mackintosh at The WSJ. But offering higher yields than the longest-dated government bonds is like jumping over a candle stick. “The low returns on the longest-dated bonds are extraordinary: 0.3% on Japan’s 40-year government bond, 0.9% on Germany’s 30-year bund, 2.1% on Britain’s … [Read more...]
These Stocks are Crushing the Competition
For dividend focused investors, the last three years have been a tough row to hoe. From year-end 2012 through year-end 2015, the speculative NASDAQ took a big lead over the more conservative and more Prudent-Man-centric Dividend Achievers Index. This seemingly long run (3yrs does not make an investment cycle) for speculative shares encouraged many to jump ship for what were believed to be greener pastures. Investors who had neither the ability nor willingness to ride out the wicked downturns that accompany such speculative portfolios allowed greed and relative performance comparisons to drive … [Read more...]
“We Are in the First Innings of a Washout in Hedge Funds”
“There is no doubt that we are in the first innings of a washout in hedge funds,” said Dan Loeb of Third Point LLC in a quarterly letter dated April 26. $15 billion has been withdrawn from hedge funds in the first quarter and a lot more is headed that way. Why? The 2 and 20 game seems to have rubbed investors the wrong way—an arrangement where they collect a 2% management fee and 20% of the profits leaving you with the letters e, t, and s of your assets. Then you pay taxes. What’s the word on the street as this dreadful group gathers in Las Vegas for the SkyBridge Alternatives conference … [Read more...]
“It Makes a Great Deal of Sense to Own Gold”
Gold is here to stay. Make sure you own some. As I’ve said in the past, I don’t worry too much about the short-term action of gold. And I don’t buy it to make money. I buy it to hedge against the unexpected. It’s an insurance policy for my portfolio if you will. Is there any insurance for a reckless Federal Reserve the world over? No one knows exactly how this race to the bottom by Central Banks will end. But it is clear that they don’t have much regard for maintaining the value of their currencies. “It makes a great deal of sense to own gold. Other investors may be finally starting to … [Read more...]
When the Wi-Fi Goes Out: The Eagles Take It Easy
Losing your internet connection or Wi-Fi can be pretty annoying. Lately we’ve been experiencing spotty Wi-Fi connectivity at our house. Last night our internet was completely out because a cable was accidentally cut by a “third party” construction company. It’s not the end of the world. But it doesn’t help, especially when your teenagers are trying to do their homework. It’s ironic, now that I think about it, we had the Eagles, Their Greatest Hits (1971-1975) spinning on our record player. This is by far our most played album over the last six months. It’s a perfect early-in-the-week album. … [Read more...]
Learning from the Stock Market Crash of 1929
Here you get a glimpse into what really caused the stock market crash of 1929 from the Cato Institute’s Alan Reynolds courtesy of his 1979 article in National Review. [gview file="https://www.richardcyoung.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/reynolds_speech_19791109.pdf" width="640px" save="1"] … [Read more...]
The Monday Melee: Is Europe Really Dependent on Russian Energy?
A Relic from the Past Tim Boersma and Michael E. O'Hanlon of The Brookings Institution call "The notion that Europe is weak and dependent on Russian natural gas is a relic from the past." They write: For many years, analysts and policymakers have debated the question of Europe's dependence on natural gas from Russia. Today, this problem is largely solved. Russia provides only one-third of Europe’s gas. Importantly, Europe’s internal infrastructure for transporting natural gas in all desired directions has improved greatly. So have its available storage options, as well as its possibilities … [Read more...]
Do We Really Need to Convert to a Roth IRA?
So you’ve created a Roth IRA because: “My accountant suggested I convert to a Roth IRA.” I get it. Sure it could make sense long-term if the growth of the portfolio is good, and if the law remains the same. That’s too many ifs for me. To feel more comfortable I’d prefer you didn’t have to deal with the issue all together as I pointed out here: Chris [Edwards] is Cato Institute’s Director of Tax Policy Studies and editor of DownsizingGovernment.org. If you’re looking for a way to help advance the principles of individual liberty, limited government, free markets and peace, you’ve found it in … [Read more...]
This is Why You Buy Bonds
Investing in the bond market has been a tough slog over the last few years. Zero percent policy rates and bond buying by the world’s major central banks has kept yields at some of the lowest levels on record. Investors have long had an aversion to the bond market. Bonds don’t offer the glamour and hope that many crave from their investments. And bonds don’t provide the kind of long-term upside that stocks can. Add today’s ultra-low yields to the investing public’s natural bias against bonds, and the result is a move by some investors to load up on stocks in an effort to boost income. Higher … [Read more...]
Investing in the Forlorn, the Unloved, the Out-of-Favor, Part II
Dividend paying stocks may not always get the recognition they most certainly deserve (they are now!). But they some how have a knack of paying you to be invested. And that’s enough recognition for me. Don’t be afraid of investing in the forlorn, the unloved, or the out-of-favor. They tend to be the one’s that surprise you when they grow-up. In the March 2016 issue of Richard C. Young’s Intelligence Report, Dick Young wrote: The Great John Neff John Neff, in his Vanguard Windsor fund days, was an outstanding proponent of investing in the forlorn, the unloved, the out-of-favor. John was … [Read more...]
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