Tag: Inflation

  • Prices Are Still Too High

    Prices Are Still Too High

    According to WSJ, many Americans continue to fixate on inflation, despite the fact that prices are rising more slowly. This discontent with inflation is weighing on President Biden’s approval ratings and his re-election hopes. Although inflation has fallen, it remains a significant concern for consumers. They are particularly sensitive to rising prices because they remember…

  • Buyer Beware (pt 2)

    Buyer Beware (pt 2)

  • Buyer Beware!

    Buyer Beware!

    In August 2023, mortgage rates rose to the highest level in 23 years, with the national average 30-year fixed mortgage hitting 7.48%. With home prices and mortgage rates both rising, the U.S. is now witnessing the biggest numerical gap in the monthly cost between owning a home and renting in over 50 years. Today’s chart…

  • The NFL’s Magic Money Machine…

    The Dallas Cowboys rank first in the NFL, and across all sports leagues around the globe, with a value of $9.2 billion, well ahead of the New York Giants ($7.04 billion) and Los Angeles Rams ($6.98 billion).  The guaranteed profits and $120 billion worth of domestic media deals locked in for the next nine years have pushed…

  • Bianco Predicts…

    Bianco Predicts…

    The Magnificent Seven stocks (FANG stocks, plus Tesla, Microsoft, and Nvidia) have contributed significantly to the overall market gains. Bianco attributes their success to the hype around artificial intelligence and the rollout of new technologies. However, he also notes that the performance of the other 493 stocks in the S&P 500 has been less impressive,…

  • Car inflation….

    Car inflation….

    One factor is the high demand for affordable transportation, which led to older cars becoming valuable commodities instead of being scrapped. As a result, there are fewer average cars available for the middle class. The high-price, high-margin models received first priority and pick of the limited semiconductors supply sourced from China. Car manufacturers and dealers…

  • Blackstone forecasts….

    Blackstone forecasts….

    Blackstone CFO Michael Chae sees inflation trending down and economic resilience. However, he also highlights the challenges of the cost of capital and the availability of capital, which are affected by factors like short rates, quantitative tightening ($1T annually), and credit contraction. As a result, Blackstone expects the Fed to deliver a slowdown to the…

  • Dalio’s World

    Dalio’s World

    Ray Dalio and Thomas Friedman discuss China’s Confucianism way of thinking and how it affects China’s foreign policy. China views itself as a family and its country as an extended family. Confucianism is a top-down, hierarchical philosophy based on strict parenting. They focus on mutual respect between those who are more powerful and those who…

  • Time For Bonds

    Time For Bonds

    https://finance.yahoo.com/news/jpmorgan-michele-says-time-exit-143330550.html I don’t agree with this but…… it’s interesting to read what the other side thinks….. JPMorgan’s Michele Says It’s Time to Exit ‘Cash Trap’ and Move Into Bonds JPMorgan’s Michele Says It’s Time to Exit ‘Cash Trap’ and Move Into Bonds (Bloomberg) — It’s time to exit the “cash trap” of money market funds…

  • Fed Day

    Fed Day

    https://finance.yahoo.com/news/fed-expected-to-skip-a-june-rate-hike-but-signal-more-in-the-future-141346398.html The Fed’s benchmark interest rate stands in a range of 5%-5.25%, the highest level since September 2007. As part of its most aggressive rate hiking campaign since the 1980s, the Fed has increased the target range for its benchmark interest rate by 5 percentage points since March 2022.