The U.S. stock market took off like a rocket the day after the election. Why did it rally as strongly as it did? Was it policy? Something to do with Trump himself? Relief the painful campaign process was finally over? Or could it be the next 2-4 years looks a little less cloudy than it did on Monday? After all, investors have already had 4 years of…

Leading up to election, social media has been inundated with posts about minimum and living wages. However, what are they exactly? Do they actually work? Whom do they benefit and whom do they hurt, if anybody? Or, are they mostly political props candidate use to curry favor with voters? In this week’s Trading Perspectives, Sam Clement and John Norr…

In this week’s Trading Perspectives, Sam Clement and John Norris discuss trends in the restaurant industry and the likely causes for many of the recent closures. John also gives a huge shout-out to Current Charcoal Grill here in Birmingham.

After another crazy year in the economy and markets, will there ever be a return to some sense of normalcy? Join John Norris, Sam Clement and David McGrath from our investment committee in this recorded webinar panel discussion on this topic and more: - How will the Fed rate cuts impact the economy? - Why the disconnect between the economic data & …

To the outsider, American consumers must be a weird bunch. They will bemoan the cost of something insignificant, like a carton of eggs, while spending obscene amounts of money on concert tickets, sporting events and other types of activities. Undoubtedly, this change in consumer behavior will impact the economy moving forward. However, are the gove…

Last week, The People’s Bank of China threw an unprecedented amount of stimuli on the Chinese banking system in order to spur the sluggish economy. The Chinese stock markets have soared in response. However, will it be enough? The Chinese economy and banking system are facing severe structural challenges which could take decades to repair. From dec…

In the United States, millions of people use some form of social media every second of every day. For many, it is their primary source of information. If so, just how accurate is it? Further, are they getting news from a number of different sources and voices? Or is it the same people saying the same thing over and over again? In this week’s Tradin…

After months of speculating when the Fed would cut the overnight rate, it finally did so this past Wednesday by 50 basis points. Further, Fed Chairman Jay Powell essentially said this was the first cut of potentially many, while reiterating the economy was still strong. So, what does this mean for the U.S. economy? What does it mean for the real es…

The Census Bureau recently reported the official Poverty Rate fell to 11.1% in 2023. Historically, this is a very low number. Further, median household income rose to an all-time high last year, and the current unemployment rate is a miserly 4.2%. Washington tells us the Consumer Price Index is a very manageable 2.5%, and real wages are going up. T…

The quickest way to grow an economy is to unfetter it. However, the Federal government has enacted over 200,000 pages of regulations in the Code of Federal Regulations. It also routinely investigates naturally occurring monopolies, usually in the tech sector, which is both time consuming and costly. Since regulations present a cost to doing busines…

Baseball card collectors should beware. The same could be said of folks who have stamp and coin collections. China table settings? Antique furniture? Silver serving trays and tea sets? Any so-called collectors’ item you can buy off the television? Most of these things don’t have the true market value many think they do. That is to say, what people …

Sometimes the official economic data doesn’t tell the whole story. So, when the data is in doubt, you have to go to corporate earnings releases to find the truth. Last quarter, it seems the truth was lower income households are feeling the pinch, and upper income earners are becoming more cost conscious. At least on somewhat generic goods and servi…

Recently, the Bureau of Labor Statistics has been reporting the Consumer Price Index (CPI) continues to increase at a decreasing rate. That is ordinarily a good thing for US consumers. However, don’t tell that to potential first-time homebuyers who still can’t find a decent house at a monthly payment which makes sense. This keeps them renting inste…

After an incredibly easy go of it for the first seven months of 2024, the start of August was a rude awakening to U.S. stock investors. The market can and will go down, and no one is happy about it when it does. However, what was the real cause of this recent sell-off? Was it really a weak jobs report? Japanese monetary policy? Impending economic d…

This week, Israel assassinated high ranking officials in both Hamas and Hezbollah. The world currently awaits Iran’s reaction and response to the killing of its allies. Will it lead to a greater escalation of hostilities in the Middle East? If so, just how involved with the United States get? With all of the anti-Israel protests happening in this c…

The 2024 Presidential campaign has been nothing if not exciting. From the disastrous first debate to the assassination attempt on Donald Trump to President Biden dropping out of the race, things couldn’t get more weird. Or could they? Kamala Harris will assuredly leave the Democratic Convention in Chicago as the party’s official nominee. However, w…

The collapse in the real estate market in China, and subsequent banking crisis, haven’t attracted much media attention in the United States. However, it is a very real story to the average Chinese citizen and that country’s prospects for economic growth moving forward. Simply put, the incredible erosion of wealth due to falling housing prices will …

What if NATO held a conference in Washington and nobody paid any attention? As far as most Americans are concerned, that is exactly what happened this past week. Regardless of the general public’s disinterest, NATO remains the United States’ primarily military alliance and commitment. Further, NATO obligates the U.S. to potentially fight and die fo…

The recent U.S. Presidential debate has been a topic of discussion since one minute after it began. Is the current President capable of serving out another term? Is the former President capable of keeping his ego in check to run the country without malice? What does this do for the election? What does this mean for the perception of American power …

With China as the most notable exception, the world’s richest countries 25 years ago are still largely the richest. Similarly, the world’s poorest countries at the start of the century are still at the bottom of the list. The same could be said for U.S. states. Why is this? Why do some countries and economies continue to thrive and others languish?…

Recently, the G7 held its annual meeting in Italy. In the past, this gathering got a lot of media attention. Recently, it hasn’t, and this year was no exception. After all, the only leader of the group who is certain to be at next year’s event is Italy’s Giorgia Meloni. As a result, some have called the meeting “Meloni & the 6 Lame Ducks.” This rel…

With the news surrounding Elon Musk’s potential $50+ billion pay package from Tesla, people are again focusing on CEO pay in general. Should these people be making THAT much money? While the headline numbers are truly mindboggling, is there more to it than meets the eye? Is there a difference between income and wealth creation when analyzing an exe…

South Africa, Mexico, the United Kingdom and the European Parliament are all having elections over the next 6 weeks. Individually, each of them has consequences for the United States and their own regions. Combined, they could very easily have a massive global impact. Will the South Africans continue their drift into the Chinese and Russian orbits?…

The world’s population is growing. Most of these people will be in third-world countries. They will aspire to have creature comforts Americans take for granted. Things like appliances and central air. In the United States, accelerated computing (AI), cloud and blockchain technologies and electric vehicles consume a lot of energy off the already str…

The U.S. stock market has been surprisingly strong thus far in 2024. This, despite the fact that the Federal Reserve hasn’t cut the overnight rate, and doesn’t appear poised to do so anytime soon. So, what is driving the current optimism? How much higher can stock prices climb? What will it take for U.S. investors to finally sell their positions? S…

Washington continues to report rosy economic data, and the general public continues to not believe it. Why is the average American so down on the economy when the official data suggests they should be happy? Is it inflation? Is it societal divisiveness? What is the real story? In this week’s Trading Perspectives, Sam and John discuss the disconnect…

The recent turmoil, protests and an apparent lack of accountability at many prestigious American institutions of higher learning have begged a question: is an Ivy League education still worth the cost? Does the rarefied air of these schools for the elite still impress the American public the way it once did, not so long ago? If not, why and when di…

With all the turmoil around the world, and the subsequent drawdown on US stockpiles, just how prepared would the US be if the planet erupted in a hot war? Would the United States have enough ammunition, missiles, ships and planes to fight several different types of wars on several different continents? What’s more, is the American public ready for …

Last week, the minimum wage for fast food workers in California went to $20. This will become the de facto minimum wage for unskilled labor across the state. While it might seem like a win for workers, what will be the likely end result? After all, someone will have to absorb this mandated cost increase, and it isn’t just going to be employers. Don…

Last week, a wayward container ship struck the Key Bridge causing it to collapse. This effectively closed the Port of Baltimore until the powers that be can clear the wreckage from the shipping channel. Will these delay derail the US economy? Will it cause supply chain issues up and down the East Coast? Will we have to wait months for our cars, our…

The recent turmoil in Haiti begs the question just what is the United States’ role in that fractured country? However, what should our role be in the Democratic Republic of Congo? Somalia? Myanmar? Gaza? Ukraine? The jungles of Colombia? Central America? And any other place which is suffering with internal strife, famine, civil war and worse, if th…

This week the Administration restated tailpipe emission standards which will effectively end the American auto industry as we currently know it. The goal is simple: to have more Americans drive more electric vehicles in order to drive down harmful carbon emissions. However, as the old saying goes, for every action there is a reaction. Did the Admin…

Everywhere you look, it seems people are doing better than you are. They drive nicer cars. Eat better food. Wear nicer clothes. Have cooler friends. Take fancier trips. You name it. However, the chances are someone is looking at you, and feeling the same way. This begs the question: can money really buy happiness in a society which consumes so much…

What if they threw an election and no one cared? After all, both Biden and Trump had pretty much locked up their party’s nomination long before this week. So, a lot of Americans didn’t even bother voting. How will the sense of resignation impact the consumer and markets over the long months to November? Is the recent rally in cryptocurrencies and p…

The government says the economy is growing rapidly and the U.S. consumer is alive and well. However, people don’t seem to believe this apparent good fortune, and complain about having to tighten their belts. So, just how strong is the U.S. consumer? And, what would you least be willing to cut out of your budget if worst came to worst? In this week’…

This week, the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced the Consumer Price Index (CPI) was higher in January than analysts had been predicting. The markets didn’t like the news, much like consumers. The question remains: how much longer will inflation be a problem? If higher interest rates can’t do it alone, what must happen in the economy? And from wh…

There is little argument much of this century’s economic growth will come from emerging economies. However, that doesn’t mean there will always be money to be made in them for US investors. Growth is one thing, profit is another and the return of profit is yet another. Do the powers that be in places like Beijing, Mexico City, Buenos Aires, Hanoi, …

The bickering, back-biting and name calling which we have come to expect from election cycles is already at a fever pitch. Although Donald Trump still has to get past Nikki Haley, the two political parties are wasting little time bad-mouthing each other. It is enough to make one tune down the volume or switch channels. How did we get to this point?…

This week, the SEC effectively approved Bitcoin/Cryptocurrency ETFs for retail investors. No longer will folks have to trade on some shadowy platform or even open up a Coinbase account. It is cryptocurrency for the masses, but is it a good idea? After all, can anyone effectively value, say, a Bitcoin? Is it really a currency? A method of exchange o…

While a lot of people make resolutions to start the year, few of them actually see them through to fruition. With that in mind, what should the planet’s most powerful people resolve to do this upcoming year? What will they actually resolve? The two don’t have to be the same. In this week’s Trading Perspectives, Sam and John try to solve the world’s…

What will the stock market do next year? Will the economy go into recession? How many times will the Fed cut rates, if they do so at all? As always, there are so many questions leading into a new year. In this week’s Trading Perspectives, Sam and John share their thoughts about what could be in store for 2024. Is it good news or bad? You will have …

This week, central banks across the world essentially said their collective fight against inflation was over. In the United States, the Fed’s own data suggested it would start cutting the overnight rate roughly 3 times in 2024. Couple that with Fed Chairman Powell’s dovish comments about inflation, and investors took it as the end of this tightenin…

This past weekend, the CFP Committee chose its Top 4 teams to participate for the national championship. But were they the best, let alone the most deserving teams? Is there any real difference between the best and the most deserving? Or did the committee simply make a business decision? After all, money talks, and it always has. In this week’s Tra…

After surprising right-wing victories in elections in Argentina and the Netherlands, pundits have noticed there seems to be a growing trend towards nationalism, especially in Europe. While some outlets blame record immigration levels for this change in sentiment, the causes could also be economic. After all, has globalism produced the economic bene…

This past week, the board of directors at OpenAI abruptly terminated co-founder and CEO Sam Altman. This came as a shock to just about everyone but the board itself. However, it reopened the conversation about AI and its potential future impact on, well, everything. That it has the potential to fundamentally change our lives and conduct business is…

Depending on to whom you are talking, America’s global influence is either plummeting or slowly decreasing. Regardless, it seems no one feels the US is in ascendency. How did this come about and what are the reasons? Further, what does it mean for the US economy, if anything at all? Does it matter if the US is no longer the world’s policeman, but i…

Although analysts keep saying inflation is coming down, prices at the store certainly aren’t. This is the difference between relativity and absolutism. Although prices have been elevated for a while, consumers continue to have sticker shock. So, how much longer will it be before the average U.S. consumer accepts higher prices are here to stay and m…

As everyone knows, Washington is already running eye-watering deficits. What happens when the U.S. has to significantly increase defense expenditures in order to fulfill our global promises? Couple that with an apparent unwillingness to address runaway entitlements programs, and how is the Treasury going to pay for it all? At least at current inter…

Recently, consumers have been using drugs approved to treat diabetes to lose weight. Depending on the person, the results can be significant. Further, it seems people using these drugs for weight loss often change their consumption patterns, at least to some degree. While this is obvious great news for a country struggling with obesity, what does i…

Last weekend, Hamas unleashed a coordinated military attack against southern Israel, catching the latter off guard. While the world’s leaders have condemned the attack, social media message boards and websites aren’t anywhere close to being one-sided for the Israelis. Far from it. Since young people are more apt to use social media, is there a gene…