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Market Outlooks
Weekly Market Compass: Israel may provide a preview of what’s to come in the US and UK — and in any country that achieves broad vaccine distribution.
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A month ago, I wrote about the great progress Israel was making in terms of inoculating its citizens against COVID-19. At the time, I said that we would want to follow economic data in Israel closely for indications of what the US and UK could expect in the near future — as they are making swift progress in vaccinating their respective populations — as well as what any country can expect once it successfully vaccinates a significant portion of its population.
Market Outlooks
Weekly Market Compass: Investors may be grateful for the Fed’s easy money, but they’re also wary about what might come next.
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If you had to quickly describe the relationship status between investors and the Federal Reserve, your best bet might simply be: “It’s complicated.”
Market Outlooks
Weekly Market Compass: The economy may not truly turn the page until spring
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It might be 2021, but it doesn’t feel like a new year in many parts of the world. We haven’t yet turned the page on all the difficulties of the past year, so it seems like we are stuck in 2020. Or as my colleague aptly put it, this is just Dec. 49, 2020.
Market Outlooks
Weekly Market Compass: Seven reasons I expect a powerful US economic recovery in 2021.
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I periodically walk into stores to get a sense of how the US economy is doing. This past weekend I walked into a car dealership in my area. I chatted with a car salesman who has worked in the industry for more than 50 years. He shared that this is a very strange economic environment — car purchases have increased (he had already sold four cars that day), but so have the number of people stopping by to see if there are any job openings, who say they’ve been out of work for six or nine months.
Market Outlooks
Weekly Market Compass: Stocks were hit last week in the face of inflation fears, but I believe it was a temporary adjustment to a rise in rates.
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Last week was what I would call a “Rip Van Winkle” week. Set in the colonial days of America, Rip Van Winkle is the story of a man who, sick of his wife, decides to go for a hike in the mountains with his dog. He meets a group of strange men who offer him an unusual drink, causing him to fall asleep.
Market Outlooks
Weekly Market Compass: As Israel leads the way in COVID-19 vaccinations, events such as concerts and theater performances return after an 11-month ban
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When I was in business school back in the late 1990s, I found that one of the most heavily used — and effective — teaching tools was the case study. Learning from what other companies and industries did or didn’t do was incredibly helpful in gaining understanding and insight.
Tax Management
What to do about tax uncertainty
Consider what may help to reduce taxes—just in case.
Market Outlooks
Weekly Market Compass: Bitcoin has gained credibility over the past three years, but I believe its use as a currency, a diversifier or an inflation hedge is a bit off the mark.
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The last time I wrote about bitcoin was back in December 2017. Back then there was a lot of excitement around bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies because both the Chicago Board Options Exchange and CME Group had begun offering bitcoin futures. Investors were excited about this opportunity, sending up the price of a single bitcoin thousands of dollars higher over the several previous weeks.
Market Outlooks
Weekly Market Compass: As we enter a new lunar year, the Fed reiterates its stance on inflation and stimulus.
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We have just begun a new lunar year — the Year of the Ox. I think we are all happy to have said goodbye to the Year of the Rat — although I suppose we should have known this last lunar year was going to be bad because the Year of the Rat is traditionally considered to be a year of turbulence in which change or disaster can happen. Interestingly, the rat and the ox have an unusual relationship.
Market Outlooks
Weekly Market Compass: Has "irrational exuberance" gotten the better of markets?
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Well, let me try to answer that question based on my own experience. I entered the financial services industry in late 1995, a bright-eyed and eager runaway from the practice of law. Not soon afterward, I listened intently to a historic speech by then-Federal Reserve Chair Alan Greenspan, who suggested that the stock market was exhibiting “irrational exuberance.
Market Outlooks
What to do about interest rates in 2021
See how historically low rates impact your wallet now.
Market Outlooks
Chart of the week: Adding fuel to the stock fire
Although the "meme stocks" have been dominating the news with their meteoric rise, don’t forget that the entire US market is at all-time highs.