“O Death, Where is Your Sting?”
Dear Friends,
I hope my post today finds you doing well. It’s been a while since my last post. Life gets hectic at times as you know and such has been the case here. […]
Floating on Proverbial Air
Hey Friends. I hope my post finds you well.
Never since I started investing in stocks has the market been more confusing and convoluted. Our financial foundations seem to be floating on air today. National debt was 122.9% of the nominal GDP for our nation as of September 2023. […]
Good News!!
Merry Christmas, friends!!
From Chapter 2 of the Gospel of Luke, we read in verses 10-11:
10 And the angel said to them (the shepherds), “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” (ESV, Bible) […]
From Investing to the Southwest Frontier
Hey friends. I hope my post today finds you doing well and that you had a blessed Thanksgiving with those you love. Today, I’ll really go off the beaten path of investing talk onto other paths, namely hiking trails and the like. […]
Accounting for Bond Investments
Hey Friends. Today, I’ll post with regard to a specific account found on many balance sheets, especially on the balance sheets of financial companies. The account is Investment (in Marketable Securities).
Specifically, today’s post considers accounting for Investments in Debt Securities (e.g. Bonds). It seems a fitting topic, given the present highly-charged interest rate environment. Bond prices bear an inverse relationship to interest rates. As rates rise, bond values decrease. A company that has a large portfolio of investments in bonds has likely seen steep declines in the market value of its portfolio. […]
Be Careful Out There
Hello friends! I hope this post today finds you doing well.
My wife and I have been traveling and my post is brief today, yet salient. This market is very much on edge in my view. The CBOE Volatility Index (VIX) doesn’t indicate fear among investors at this time. Yet, there are so many uncertain and significant macro variables lurking that could change things quickly and adversely with regard to the continued (surprising) relative resilience of the current stock market. […]
Revisiting the Basics of Stock Investing
Hey Friends. In 2013, my book, “Choose Stocks Wisely,” was published. Its emphasis is on the balance sheet as the starting point for stock investment analysis. Why this emphasis? […]
What a Weird Market!
Hey Friends. I hope your summer is off to a great start. Here in the deep south, we have recently seen unusual rains and electrical storms but it has all calmed down now and it’s the typical summer weather again (hot and humid with isolated showers once in a while).
While the weather has been unusual lately, the market is more unusual, in my view. Feelings can steer you off course, but this market feels very “weird” to me. The uncertainties of runaway debt levels coupled with inflation where the jury is still out on the Fed’s future course of adjusting interest rates just don’t seem to correlate at all with the confidence shown toward stocks. […]
It’s M for Marines
Hey Friends,
Yesterday I posted on “Memorial Day.” My reference to “marines” should have been “Marines.” It’s more than a typo and I wanted to send this update.
See you next time,
Paul