With Europe and China joining the other key regional markets, they are all now in intermediate up trends, as measured by our 4-Factor Monthly Trend Indicator. This is not a prediction of the future, merely an observation of the current trend condition of the markets. (see video description of the indicator methodology and uses; and performance of the US large-caps in tactical allocation since 1901; here). Each market is plotted below using a proxy ETF, showing the trend indication month-by-month for the last 10 years (4+ years for China ETF). The trend indicator is plotted in black in the top panel, showing 100, 50 or 0. A 100 means up tr...
Podcast: Play in new window | Play in new window (Duration: 13:15 — 7.6MB) DOW – 6 = 20,661 SPX + 4 = 2348 NAS + 27 = 5821 RUT – 0.95 = 1345 10 Y – .04 = 2.39% OIL – .09 = 48.15 GOLD + 4.00 = 1249.20 London was shaken yesterday by the first major terrorist attack since the 2005 subway bombings. Witnesses told of hearing multiple gunshots after a policeman was attacked outside Parliament. On Westminster Bridge, a car mowed down pedestrians. Two pedestrians and a police officer were killed, and at least 20 people injured, some very seriously. A vehicle ran over pedestrians before crashing into a fence outside Parliament. A man ...
The following is a guest blog post: The worldwide solar industry is alive and well. As one of the simplest forms of electricity generation, the growth in solar energy has been nothing short of phenomenal. In Asia-Pacific, the UK and across Europe, the solar market has started to mature. This has led to some significant changes in the industry, notably a secondary market for alternative investments related to the solar industry. In other continents, the solar industry is only beginning to take root. Latin America, Asia and Africa are now rapidly growing markets. The solar industry gained traction in the early 2000s, with Spain, Germany, Italy ...
I woke up this morning and, as I do every morning, opened my laptop and turned on the coffee machine before doing anything else. A few minutes later, I went through a couple dozen new emails as I sipped my coffee. Same inbox, same routine, same internet… day in and day out. Nothing has changed. But, of course, that’s simply not true. Nothing stays the same. In the digital world, that’s especially true. It’s in a state of constant flux. Right now, it’s seeing two massive user trends take shape. Each one is gaining steam, pulling in more and more people and more and more dollars. They coexist without problems or interference from each...
I woke up this morning and, as I do every morning, opened my laptop and turned on the coffee machine before doing anything else. A few minutes later, I went through a couple dozen new emails as I sipped my coffee. Same inbox, same routine, same internet… day in and day out. Nothing has changed. But, of course, that’s simply not true. Nothing stays the same. In the digital world, that’s especially true. It’s in a state of constant flux. Right now, it’s seeing two massive user trends take shape. Each one is gaining steam, pulling in more and more people and more and more dollars. They coexist without problems or interference from each...
President Trump wants to increase exports and says the dollar has to come down. Janet Yellen and the Fed are hell-bent on raising interest rates, which should increase the value of the dollar. Historically the economy slows down when rates begin to climb yet the stock market is soaring. High inflation affects all of us and generally signals a weakening of the currency. Kiplinger forecasts, “Core inflation, which excludes food and energy, will end 2017 at a 2.4% annual rate.” For those who don’t eat or drive, that doesn’t sound too bad. They also predict, “Overall prices of groceries will be nearly flat next year but the cost of din...
President Trump wants to increase exports and says the dollar has to come down. Janet Yellen and the Fed are hell-bent on raising interest rates, which should increase the value of the dollar. Historically the economy slows down when rates begin to climb yet the stock market is soaring. High inflation affects all of us and generally signals a weakening of the currency. Kiplinger forecasts, “Core inflation, which excludes food and energy, will end 2017 at a 2.4% annual rate.” For those who don’t eat or drive, that doesn’t sound too bad. They also predict, “Overall prices of groceries will be nearly flat next year but the cost of din...
Investors are taking patterns on the very long term charts very serious. If a very obvious and important pattern unfolds on a +10 year chart, it is wise not to ignore it. In the case of the finance sector, we observe a huge double top pattern. When we say huge, we really mean HUGE. The very long term chart below shows how spectacular this chart setup is. After the 2007 top, financial stocks lost 90 percent of its value in 12 months time. A series of steep rallies followed between 2009 and the start of 2017. We saw the last rally coming as we wrote last summer Financials Setting Up For Very Strong Rally In 2016?. However, lately we spotte...
Investors are taking patterns on the very long term charts very serious. If a very obvious and important pattern unfolds on a +10 year chart, it is wise not to ignore it. In the case of the finance sector, we observe a huge double top pattern. When we say huge, we really mean HUGE. The very long term chart below shows how spectacular this chart setup is. After the 2007 top, financial stocks lost 90 percent of its value in 12 months time. A series of steep rallies followed between 2009 and the start of 2017. We saw the last rally coming as we wrote last summer Financials Setting Up For Very Strong Rally In 2016?. However, lately we spotte...
Duke Energy (DUK) is a popular holding in many retirement portfolios because of the company’s generous and dependable dividend. Duke Energy has paid uninterrupted dividends for more than 90 years and increased its payout each calendar year since 2005. With a dividend yield above 4%, a high Dividend Safety Score, and low stock price volatility, Duke Energy is worth a closer looks. Let’s review Duke Energy’s business and dividend profile to see if the company is a solid candidate for investors living off dividends in retirement. Business Overview Duke Energy’s history dates back to the early 1900s, and the company is largest electric ...