When you hear pundits say this or that, most pundits are wrong most of the time, especially those that call for extraordinary action. In the long run, stock markets go up because the fundamentals of the companies tend to get better. The product gets improved, the quality gets improved, the quantity gets improved, and ultimately the company gets improved. Sure, some companies are in their death throes, but there are more companies that are in the growth part of their life cycles. On balance this works out. We are not contingent on the world being a happy place as investors. Read more
Joan’s Real Estate Corner… Should I Accept This Offer?
Today’s market can be a difficult one for many sellers to navigate. And while your real estate agent can advise you, the ultimate decision of what offer to accept is entirely up to you.
This decision can come with quite a bit of pressure. Even in the most favorable of markets this can be a difficult time. How do you know when to accept an offer?
Here are some questions to consider. Read more
Volatility Is Back
Volatility is back it seems. Four of the five days last week saw prices of the Dow Jones Industrials gain or lose 100 points at some time during the day. Why? Some would argue that it is due to the news from Libya and the oil markets. As we have mentioned a few times already, oil really shouldn’t be an issue because there is plenty of oil. Libya is a lot bloodier affair than either Tunisia or Egypt, but Libya is hardly a big element in the global scheme of things. We think much of the volatility comes from a couple of more mundane sources, greed and fear. Read more
Do You Have The Time?
So, what does all this latest wave of unrest mean for the markets? That depends on a lot of things. If your time horizon is a few days to a couple of weeks, it might mean something. If you’re willing to jump out of tech stocks and into oil stocks on the assumption that oil prices will pop and you’re willing to take the chance that oil prices won’t pop, then maybe it matters to you. But, if you have a reasonable time horizon that runs out over years rather than days all this probably doesn’t matter all that much. Read more
Keep Your Energy Bill Low While Selling Your Home
Joan’s Real Estate Corner…
Whether you are moving into a new home, getting ready to sell yours or a vacant home, keeping energy costs down is desirable to both buyers and sellers. Even though there are many energy-efficient options these days, there are a growing number of energy-suckers.
You might be surprised to learn just how much that beautiful water feature costs to keep it running 24/7 year-round. Depending on where you live and the wattage needed, that fountain could cost an extra $30 per month. Read more
A Series of Rants
Odds and Ends
How about a series of rants on small topics this week, since we have had trouble putting together a really good topic for the week?
Inflation – inflation is coming back, someday, maybe not for a few months, maybe not for a couple of years. But, it will be coming back. This is an old debate that is pertinent again.
If you believe that Milton Friedman had his head screwed on straight, “inflation is always and everywhere a monetary phenomenon” works for you. Read more