Historical Economic Data: 25+ Years (U.S.)
It’s hard to understand the economy in general, because there’s so much data and it’s so often taken out of context. We will narrow down only the most important indicators of economic development and examine real data published by government agencies to get context on these metrics. Macroeconomic data can be useful in making reasonable […]
Should You Be Investing in Defensive Stocks?
“But investing isn’t about beating others at their game. It’s about controlling yourself at your own game.” -Benjamin Graham The majority of investors want to see their money increase in value. Growth is an important objective, but it’s not the only one. A prudent investment plan also protects a portfolio from economic downturns. Defense-oriented equities […]
9 Industries That Thrive During a Recession
Today’s economy operates differently from past recessions. The Great Depression, for example, hit at a time when the primary means of transportation were trains and steamships. Today, in contrast, we have planes and cars as the primary means of transportation. While recessions tend to shake things up for a while until things get back on […]
The Importance of Price Elasticity of Demand in Investing
“The single most important decision in evaluating a business is pricing power. If you’ve got the power to raise prices without losing business to a competitor, you’ve got a very good business. And if you have to have a prayer session before raising the price by 10 percent, then you’ve got a terrible business.” –Warren […]
3 Leading Indicators for Markets – Why FedEx’s Latest Release is a Big Signal
FedEx’s latest preliminary earnings release sent the stock down 21.4% on Friday, September 16th as management withdrew their forecast on worsening business conditions. The news of forecasts being pulled at FedEx helped send the broad S&P down 0.72% because FedEx is a key company in the transportation industry and a component of the Dow Jones […]
Purchase Managers Index (PMI) as a Leading Indicator of Economic Growth
The Purchase Managers Index (PMI) is a great economics tool for investors to wrap their heads around as it can be watched as a leading indicator of changes in the economy. The changes in PMI data can indicate many things including changes in GDP, inflation, and employment which can all be used when making investment […]
The Misery Index is at 12.7%, Highest Since 1970’s
The misery index in economics is used to describe the severity of the negative effects of inflation and unemployment on the population. The misery index is the combination of adding together the inflation rate and the unemployment rate. Let’s explore what the misery index means, its history, and how investors can mitigate the effect on […]
Hawkish vs. Dovish and Why Investors Should Watch For Cues
Monetary policy, and the people who decide on it, are often described as hawkish or dovish depending on whether the proposed policy is restrictive or stimulative, respectively. As we will touch on later, restrictive monetary policy and higher interest rates have a twofold effect on stock valuations and investors should learn to watch for cues. […]
Fiat Money vs. Commodity Money: A Breakdown of the Pros and Cons
“Money, it’s a crime.” Pink Floyd My grandparents used to say that money makes the world go around, but what do we know about the money we use today? We currently use fiat money but also deal with commodity money as well. And then, we add Bitcoin and other types of electronic currency, and we […]
Economics 101: Macro vs. Micro Economics
Understanding the basic concepts of economics is critical to making smart investment decisions both at the stock-picking level and also at the portfolio asset allocation level. There are two major fields of economics; microeconomics and macroeconomics, and the laws of supply and demand play a factor in both which we will discuss as well. Microeconomics […]
