Sunday, February 23, 2025
On January 9, 2023, I published a The Market Cap titled “After a Record-Bad 2022, Here’s What Investors Can Expect.” In it, I made a series of predictions – what the stock and bond markets would do, and when, after a truly horrible 2022. Now, I’m not big on predicting the markets. They do what […]
Renewable energy companies have been hit hard by the recent increases in interest rates. Many of these companies borrowed a lot of money to build out their energy projects, with debt at very low-interest rates. Higher interest rates put the business models at risk, as they are forced to refinance when the debt matures. But […]
Ever since Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell told the markets to expect the Fed to cut interest rates several times in 2024, the bond market has been on a tear. Falling interest rates should ease issuers’ financial burden, so investors should, in theory, be willing to push a little further out on the credit risk […]
2024 is upon us. By the time this hits your inbox, the ball will have fallen, “Auld Lang Syne” will have been packed away for another 364 days, and my dogs will almost have recovered from the sedative we have to give them because of the massive fireworks display our neighbors put on every year. […]
One of the most popular finance games when the New Year comes around is to make forecasts about the upcoming year. Most predictions don’t come to pass—the future is just too darn fickle. However, it is the start of a new year, so I, too, will take a shot at some predictions. Because some things […]
Is one of your resolutions to figure out how to be more successful and less frustrated with your investment results? Prior to the final two months of the year, the stock market was volatile and frustrating. If you weren’t correctly invested at the end of October, you missed out on most of the year’s gains […]
Investors are attracted to closed-end funds (CEFs) because of high yields and (often) stable monthly dividends. These types of dividends can provide stability in retirement. The challenge is not all CEF dividends are created equal. So let’s take a look at what to look out for… The CEF Connect website lists 423 CEFs that trade […]
November was an excellent month for the U.S. stock market. The S&P 500 gained 9.1% in the month, compared to losing 5% over the previous two months. I was especially pleased to see the real estate sector (read: REITs) near the top of the sector performance chart. And more is coming. Let me show you… […]
If you asked the typical investor which two sectors led the charge in November’s big stock rally, few would come up with the right answer. The sector everyone would assume correctly that led the pack is technology, with a 13% gain. But the second sector—with a 12% rise—would not only come as a huge surprise, […]
Self-storage real estate investment trusts (REITs) have an excellent long-term track record. However, the pandemic shutdown, followed by the reopening of the economy, produced a boom and then a bust for self-storage operators. The year-and-a-half decline for these REITs is over, and it’s time to add some self-storage to your portfolio. Let’s take a look […]
