Debt Ceiling Jitters 8/28/17

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The Markets

Hope Floats

Optimism about possible pro-growth economic policies, including tax reform and deregulation, helped U.S. stock indices finish higher last week, reported Barron’s. It wasn’t all smooth sailing, though. Stocks bobbed up and down as investors’ optimism was weighted by concerns about a possible debt-ceiling battle and government shutdown.

CNN offered some insight to the historic economic impact of government shutdowns on productivity:

“The last time the government was forced to close up shop – for 16 days in late 2013 – it cost taxpayers $2 billion in lost productivity, according to the Office of Management and Budget. Two earlier ones – in late 1995 and early 1996 – cost the country $1.4 billion.”

For investors, it’s important to distinguish between a shutdown’s potential effect on the U.S. economy and its possible impact on U.S. stock markets. A source cited by The New York Times reported:

“…during all 18 government shutdowns, starting in 1976…the Standard & Poor’s 500-stock index averaged just a 0.6 percent loss over the course of those closures. Early on in shutdown history, investors reacted very negatively. Closures in 1976 and 1977 coincided with 3 percent declines in the [S&P 500].

As investors grew more accustomed to shutdowns, they seemed to become more blasé about them. During the mid-1990s and the 2013 closure, for instance, stocks actually rose. They gained 3.1 percent during the 2013 stoppage.”

Bond investors were relatively calm last week, according to Financial Times. Although, there were signs of “debt ceiling jitters.” Yields on U.S. Treasuries that mature in October (when a shutdown may occur) rose on concerns investors might not be repaid in a timely way.

No matter what happens in September and October, keep your eyes on the horizon and your long-term goals.

Millennials Are Killing It!

A recent article in Buzzfeed listed headlines announcing the various things Millennials have “killed” or are “killing.” The list included Big Oil, the NFL, the workday, the cereal industry, and bar soap.

Here’s another industry that is being undermined by millennials’ preferences: cable and satellite television. Millennials are leading a viewing revolution. They are unwilling to ante up for cable and satellite subscriptions, preferring less expensive Internet and streaming services that provide content via the World Wide Web.

A 2017 survey from Videology found more than half of millennial men (ages 18 to 34) have stopped paying for cable, and Forbes reported:

“…on average, the 30-and-under crowd's primary means of consuming content is through mobile devices, streaming, and online. That's in sharp contrast to the over-30 crowd who still rely on television for an average of more than 80 percent of their film and TV show viewing.”

The waning popularity of cable and satellite TV appears to have a lot to do with cost. The typical household paid more than $1,200 a year, on average, for cable and satellite television in 2016, according to Nerdwallet – and the cost increased in 2017. Consumer Reports wrote, “Most pay TV companies have announced modest price hikes, but there are also new hidden fees.”

Budget-minded millennials may be having an influence on older generations whose preferences appear to be changing, too. GfK, a market research company, reported:

“New findings…show that U.S. TV households are embracing alternatives to cable and satellite reception. Levels of broadcast-only reception [a.k.a. antenna reception] and Internet-only video subscriptions have both risen over the past year, with fully one-quarter (25 percent) of all U.S. TV households now going without cable and satellite reception.”

So, what kind of savings can be generated when you cut the cable? It all depends on what you currently pay, but it may be worth crunching the numbers.

Weekly Focus – Think About It 

“I find television very educating. Every time somebody turns on the set, I go into the other room and read a book.”

--Groucho Marx, American comedian

Here, There, And Everywhere 8/21/17

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Hot Tip of the Week

Did you know an ostrich's eye is bigger than its brain?

The Markets

Here, there, and everywhere… 

Markets around the world appear to be benefiting from global economic recovery. 

After pointing out the United States’ economy is the heart of the global financial system, Barron’s reported:

“The Standard & Poor’s 500 index has tirelessly amassed 30 record closes this year, but is up just 1.2 percent since March 1. Meanwhile, nearly every foreign stock market has sprinted ahead…We wrote on March 25 about how a global recovery should goose smaller, fresher bull markets abroad. By now, it is firmly becoming the consensus view – metals are rallying, with copper up 18 percent this year; the MSCI All Worlds Index has risen for eight straight months.”

Emerging markets haven’t performed too shabbily either. Through the end of last week, the MSCI Emerging Markets Index was up 22.88 percent year-to-date. Franklin Templeton’s Mark Mobius wrote improved performance in emerging markets is the result of “…encouraging economic data in China, investor inflows, and corporate earnings growth.”

So, global stock markets have been delivering relatively robust performance this year. 

What have bonds been up to? They’ve gained value year-to-date, too.

Bond markets continue to tell a different story than stock markets. The Federal Reserve raised its benchmark interest rate for the third time in June. In theory, interest rates should be moving higher, yet the yield on 10-year Treasury bonds was lower (2.19 percent) at the end of last week than it was at the start of the year (2.45 percent).

Have You Tried Taco Mode?

In March, the Harvard Business Review (HBR) offered some ideas about innovation in America. It’s a topic that deserves some attention as “…recent data suggests that innovation is getting harder and the pace of growth is slowing down. A major challenge in business and policy spheres is to understand the environments that are most conducive to innovation.”

One place to look for examples of innovation is the sharing economy where innovations often echo the late 1800s. Back then, according to HBR, innovation primarily occurred outside of companies. In contrast, today, the majority of patents go to inventors who are associated with companies.

Let’s take a look at a couple recent ideas that may or may not gain traction:

• Taco Mode. Ridesharing – arranging for a ride via an app – has changed transportation and become one of the industry’s fastest growing market segments, according to data from Statista reported by TechCrunch.com.

The latest rideshare innovation is Taco Mode. Hungry passengers can request rides that include stops at a fast food chain drive-throughs. One company executive described the option as ‘inverse delivery.’ The hungry are delivered to the food rather than vice versa.

• Just-in-time watch rentals. The demand for Swiss watches has fallen off in the United States. The Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry reported exports to the United States dropped steadily (-9.6 percent) between 2015 and June 2017.

Could the culprit be luxury watch rentals? Barron’s Penta reported luxury watch rentals are a relatively recent sharing-economy innovation. For a monthly membership fee of $149 to $999, watch lovers have opportunities to “…access experiences and embark on journeys otherwise unattainable – without having to spend a major chunk of their savings.”

• Neighborhood networks. It’s a straightforward concept: A social network that connects neighbors so they can share tools, leftovers, playgroups, and more. It’s big in Brazil, according to Forbes. One company has more than 140,000 registered users across 3,800 cities.

But, anyone who has ever watched Homer Simpson borrow Ned Flanders’ tools and not return them understands why some aspects of this idea may not catch on. 

What innovations would you like to see in the sharing economy?

Weekly Focus – Think About It 

“One word sums up our country’s achievements: miraculous. From a standing start 240 years ago – a span of time less than triple my days on earth – Americans have combined human ingenuity, a market system, a tide of talented and ambitious immigrants, and the rule of law to deliver abundance beyond any dreams of our forefathers.”

--Warren Buffett, Oracle of Omaha

Churning Up Big Trouble 8/14/17

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Weekly Market Commentary

August 14, 2017

The Markets

North Korea may be a little country, but it can churn up big trouble.

The possibility that verbal hostilities between the United States and North Korea could trigger geopolitical conflict had investors on the run last week. In the United States, the Standard & Poor's 500 Index fell by 1.4 percent, the Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 1.1 percent, and the NASDAQ Composite finished 1.5 percent lower.

Financial Times explained:

"The sell-off came as U.S. President Donald Trump escalated the war of words against the North Korean regime's accelerated [program] of nuclear testing. Mr. Trump tweeted on Friday, "military solutions are now fully in place, locked and loaded, should North Korea act unwisely."

While major U.S. indices headed south, the CBOE Volatility Index (VIX) - also known as Wall Street's fear gauge - headed north. The VIX, which has been flirting with historic lows for much of the year, rose 44 percent in a single day, reported CNBC.

Stock markets in Europe and Asia were also affected by the saber rattling. National indices across Europe suffered weekly losses of 2.2 percent (Sweden) to 3.5 percent (Spain), according to Barron's. In the Asia-Pacific region, India's Sensex 30 lost 3.4 percent and South Korea's Kospi was down 3.2 percent for the week.

Geopolitical concerns overshadowed some important economic news in the United States. Inflation, as measured by the U.S. Consumer Price Index, rose very little in July. In fact, consumer prices have been soft for five straight months, reported MarketWatch. Persistently low inflation could affect the Federal Reserve's plan to raise interest rates this year. The Fed's goal is 2 percent inflation.

Are electric engines the tortoise competing with the combustion engine's hare?

In the late 1800s, the Paris-Rouen race for horseless carriages included 102 vehicles fueled by steam, petrol, electricity, compressed air, and hydraulics, reports The Economist. Not a single electric engine made it to the starting blocks. (The internal combustion engine won.)

Oh, how times have changed!

The International Energy Agency's Global EV Outlook 2017 reported:

"New registrations of electric cars hit a new record in 2016, with over 750 thousand sales worldwide. With a 29 percent market share, Norway has incontestably achieved the most successful deployment of electric cars in terms of market share, globally. It is followed by the Netherlands, with a 6.4 percent electric car market share, and Sweden with 3.4 percent. The People's Republic of China (hereafter, "China"), France, and the United Kingdom all have electric car market shares close to 1.5 percent. In 2016, China was by far the largest electric car market, accounting for more than 40 percent of the electric cars sold in the world and more than double the amount sold in the United States."

Financial Times reported the UBS analysis suggests the market may be at an inflection point as the total cost of ownership for electric vehicles may become comparable to that of combustion engine vehicles as early as 2018 in Europe, 2023 in China, and 2025 in the United States.

Even though their popularity is growing, electric cars comprise a small portion of the market today. UBS expects electric cars to account for 14 percent of the global market, and more than one-third of the European auto market, by 2025.

Weekly Focus - Think About It

"Though most of them sit idle, America's car and [truck] engines can produce ten times as much energy as its power stations. The internal combustion engine is the mightiest motor in history."

--The Economist, August 12, 2017

Start of the Bull Market 8/7/17

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August 7, 2017

The Markets

Who's been buying shares of company stock?

Since the start of the bull market in 2009, U.S. companies have been buying their own stock. Stock buybacks peaked during the first three quarters of 2016 and have dropped off sharply since then, reports Financial Times citing a report from Goldman Sachs.

Companies participate in stock buyback (a.k.a. share repurchase) programs to improve shareholder value. For example, if company management believes a company's shares are undervalued, it can buy shares on the stock market or offer shareholders a fixed price to purchase their shares. This reduces the number of shares in the marketplace and increases earnings per share, which has the potential to boost the company's stock price.

The slowdown in stock buybacks hasn't hurt stock markets. Financial Times reported:

"The slowing pace of companies buying back their own shares has certainly not halted Wall Street's stellar run so far this year. While there is a reduced tail wind of buybacks helping boost earnings per share via a lower share count, U.S. companies have reported robust year-on-year sales and earnings growth for the recent quarter. That has helped offset the decline in buyback activity, but some warn that the clock is ticking for Wall Street bulls."

There was no sign of a slowdown in the bull market last week, though. The Department of Labor reported the United States added more new jobs than anyone had expected during July, and the unemployment rate fell to 4.3 percent - the same level as May 2017, which was the lowest in 16 years, according to Barron's.

Jobs growth was music to many investors' ears. 

Financial Times reported, "U.S. equity indices hovered near record highs - with the Dow Jones Industrial Average touching an all-time peak of 22,089.05 in early trade - with financials bolstered by the rise in yields. European [markets] ended the week on a strong note, helped by a sharp retreat for the euro against the dollar."

Saving is as Easy as Riding a Bike!

If you would like to save more money - for retirement, college tuition, healthcare costs, or some other financial priority - hop on your bike and ride. 

As it turns out, riding your bike may help boost your savings. Whether you commute to work on two wheels or cycle around town doing errands, opting for manpower instead of horsepower can help generate some additional savings, according to a source cited by Bankrate.com:

"The average American household spends over $9,000 a year on transportation, making it the second-largest expense after housing...Many families simply take for granted the two-car, driving-to-work arrangement that's the norm for American households and often don't consider alternatives like public transportation, carpooling, or biking...That's a shame, because its status as a major household cost means cutting transportation can radically cut your overall costs and, potentially, increase your ability to save..."

If you are serious about saving, imagine what your finances would look like if you:

* Drove less. AAA reported owning a small car costs about $6,600 a year, while rumbling around in an SUV costs more than $10,000 annually. (The estimate includes fuel, insurance, depreciation, maintenance, fees and licensing, finance charges, and tires.) Eliminating a car could significantly improve your ability to save.

* Cycled more. Not everyone can get by without a car; however, if you bike shorter distances or when the weather is good, then you could qualify for a low mileage discount on your auto insurance.

* Didn't go to the gym. If you're riding a bike to work or to run errands, then you probably don't need spin class. The average gym membership runs $54 a month or almost $650 a year.

* Bought less stuff. Impulse purchases are less tempting when you're cycling because bike baskets and saddlebags have limited storage space. Who knows how much that could help you save? 

In addition to saving money, two-wheeled travel options are likely to improve your fitness and reduce the stress of rush hour driving. Cycling may even eliminate the need for dieting and some medications. Here's an added bonus: If biking improves your longevity, you may have more time to spend the money you save!

Weekly Focus - Think About It

"Life is like a 10-speed bicycle. Most of us have gears we never use." 

--Charles M. Schultz, Cartoonist

Now, the Bad News 7/31/17

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July 31, 2017

The Markets

There was some good news and some bad news last week.

First, the good news: Thanks to consumer spending and an upturn in federal government spending, the U.S. economy grew faster from April through June this year. Gross domestic product (GDP) grew by 2.6 percent during the period, according to the advance estimate for economic growth. This was an improvement over growth from January through March, when GDP increased by 1.2 percent.

Now, the bad news: Personal income did not grow as fast from April through June as it did from January through March. Wages and salaries grew at a slower pace, as did government social benefits and other sources of income. The New York Times wrote:

"Wage growth, however, decelerated despite an unemployment rate that averaged 4.4 percent in the second quarter. Inflation also retreated, appearing to weaken the case for the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates again this year.

'Although growth is solid, the lack of wage pressure buys the Fed plenty of time, and works with a very 'gradual' tightening cycle,' said Alan Ruskin, global head of G10 FX strategy at Deutsche Bank in New York. 'There is more here for the Fed doves than the hawks.'"

The Federal Reserve Open Market Committee left rates unchanged at its meeting last week, commenting, "The stance of monetary policy remains accommodative, thereby supporting some further strengthening in labor market conditions and a sustained return to 2 percent inflation."

The Standard & Poor's 500 Index finished the week flat. Yields on 10-year Treasury bonds moved slightly higher.

Cooking Illiteracy Could Improve Happiness

What does heavy cream become when you whip it? If you answered 'whipped cream,' try this one: What does whipped cream become when you whip it a little longer? If you said, 'butter,' congratulations! You may possess above average knowledge of cooking.

You may have heard about the death of the culinary arts. According to various surveys and news reports, few people today possess the skills required to boil an egg. In 2014, The Seattle Times reported:

"As cooking has been rendered optional - the victim of rising restaurant culture, myriad takeout options, and supermarket sections packed with pre-cut vegetables, shredded cheese, and prepared foods - [cooking instructors] say cooks are increasingly losing touch with skills considered basic, or even essential, just a generation or two ago. And that is changing the way...recipes are developed and written."

It's also changing the restaurant industry. An April 2017 survey from Morgan Stanley found demand for online order and delivery from restaurants is growing rapidly. By 2020, digital food delivery may comprise "...40 percent of total restaurant sales - or $220 billion...compared with current sales of around $30 billion."

Before you lament the ignorance of today's youth, consider the results of seven surveys, completed by Harvard University and the University of British Columbia, encompassing more than 6,000 respondents in four countries. The Washington Post reported:

"Across all surveys, life satisfaction was typically higher for people who regularly spend money to save time. This was true regardless of household income, hours worked per week, marital status, and number of children living at home...working adults in the United States reported higher life satisfaction if they regularly paid to outsource household tasks such as cooking, shopping, and general maintenance."

This may be the new math. Spending money to increase 'free' time equals improved happiness. 

Weekly Focus - Think About It 

"Cooking with kids is not just about ingredients, recipes, and cooking...it's about harnessing imagination, empowerment, and creativity."

--Guy Fieri, Founder of Cooking with Kids Foundation

Thanks Central Banks 7/24/17

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July 24, 2017

The Markets

Do we have central banks to thank?

Low interest rates, accommodative monetary policy, and improving economic growth have helped stock markets around the world reach record highs, reports Barron's:

"...a look around the globe shows the surge of the U.S. market to new peaks to be anything but unique. Major [markets] in Europe and Asia also have been setting records. Even in South Korea, the Kospi closed at a new peak and is up 25 percent from its 52-week low last year, as the global technology rally has proved to be more powerful than the threat of a nuclear-missile launch from North Korea. Last week also saw a record close in the S&P BSE Sensex in India. Japan's Nikkei is up 25 percent from last August and near a 52-week high (albeit still down 48 percent from its 1989 bubble peak). The Shanghai Composite is a relative laggard, with a 9.6 percent gain from its August lows, bolstered by a 3.7 percent jump over the past five weeks."

Eventually, central banks are expected to tighten monetary policy by raising interest rates and reducing the size of their balance sheets and that could affect markets. The U.S. Federal Reserve released its Policy Normalization Principles and Plans back in 2014. Last month, Chair Janet Yellen indicated the Fed currently intends to begin normalizing policy during 2017.

U.S. monetary policy isn't the only phenomenon investors may want to keep an eye on. 

Fiscal policy (the steps a government takes to influence its country's economy) deserves some attention, too. The United States will, once again, hit its legal spending limit (the debt ceiling) this fall. U.S. News reported, "Were the United States to hit its borrowing limit - and thus have to start missing payments and stiffing creditors - there's no telling the exact consequences, but they wouldn't be good."

The bond market does not appear to be confident fiscal policy will proceed smoothly. Barron's reported, "Yields on T-bills that mature in mid-to-late October jumped relative to surrounding maturities, a sign that the money market saw a risk - however slight - of not getting paid on time."

So, Here's Another College Conundrum: College is a Hot Topic.

College is a hot topic. In recent years, pundits have debated whether students should attend college or skip it and start their own companies. The Thiel Fellowship, founded by tech entrepreneur Peter Thiel, offers students $100,000 to do just that.

For students who choose college, much has been made about which degrees will pay off. Some argue liberal arts degrees lack value, and technical instruction is the real ticket to success. Meanwhile, technology company leaders have reported liberal arts are essential because "they train students to thrive in subjectivity and ambiguity, a necessary skill in the tech world where few things are black and white."

College is also known for changing the way students think. A new survey indicates it may alter their culinary perspectives. The Economist commissioned a poll to see if residence, income, education, or political affiliation has an effect on food preferences and, guess what? College and post graduate work may expand students' gustatory preferences and change their eating habits! No, they don't develop an unhealthy obsession with ramen noodles, boxed mac and cheese, or free food (usually). The survey found:

* People with post graduate degrees dine out more frequently - often weekly - than people with high school diplomas. 

* Post grads also tend to eat Indian foods, like curries, more often than people with high school diplomas. 

* College grads are more likely than non-college grads to have eaten sushi within the past year. 

* College grads are also more likely than non-college grads to know what prosciutto is and to have eaten it recently. 

As it turns out, the great equalizer was Mexican food. A majority of Americans have eaten Mexican food during the past year, regardless of educational attainment.

Weekly Focus - Think About It 

"Peanut butter and jelly in the same jar. I don't understand that. I mean, I'm lazy but I'd like to meet the guy that needs that. This guy must be thinking, "I could go for a sandwich, but I'm not gonna open TWO jars. I can't be opening and closing all kinds of jars and cleaning WHO KNOWS how many knives."

--Brian Regan, American comedian

Not a Good Week for Banks 7/17/17

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Weekly Market Commentary

July 17, 2017

The Markets

It was a good week for a lot of stocks but not bank stocks.

The Standard & Poor's 500 (S&P 500) Index and the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) both finished at record highs last week. Barron's indicated investors owe Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen a debt of gratitude:

"The main force behind the rally was the dovish performance by Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen in Congress on Wednesday and Thursday when she reiterated that rate hikes would most likely be gradual. On balance, her remarks were interpreted as evidence of continued accommodative monetary policy and, from there, stocks were off to the races. The ignition of the rally can almost be time-stamped to her appearance. Before her speech, the market was down for the week."

Of course, some sectors of the stock market did better than others last week. In the S&P 500, Real Estate, Information Technology, and Consumer Staples stocks had the highest percentage gains at the close on Friday, while Financials, Telecommunications, and Consumer Discretionary stocks lagged, according to Fidelity.

In the Financials sector, banks were the weakest performers, finishing Friday almost a full percent lower. It was a bit of a mystery, wrote Financial Times (FT), since several banks beat earnings expectations. FT reported:

"Perhaps the most important factor that weighed on bank stock prices, however, had nothing to do with the comments from executives nor the quarterly financial results. Macroeconomic data published on Friday showed U.S. inflation at the consumer level cooled last month while retail sales fell short of estimates, pushing Treasury bond yields lower. Lower interest rates are bad news for banks, which make more money if they can charge borrowers more."

Investors appear to believe there is smooth sailing ahead. The CBOE Volatility Index remained below 10.

Merriam Webster Defines 'Disrupt' as to Break Apart', and 'To Throw Into Disorder.'

While disruption doesn't sound like something anyone would enjoy much, it has the potential to create investment opportunities for those who share a vision and are willing to take risks. 

Morgan Stanley recently wrote, "It's hard to think of an industry that won't be touched in some way by technological disruption over the next decade." Here are a few of the trends that may really stir things up during the next few decades:

* Machine learning. "The transportation and medical industries are likely to be first in line for disruption," Morgan Stanley suggested. A disruptive change researcher wrote, "If we think about what machine learning really is, it's pattern recognition. We might see radiology and scans detecting cancers earlier than they're detected today. And it's possible that in the future we can also use machine learning to scan for genes that might predispose us to certain kinds of diseases."

* Autonomous vehicles. The auto industry, as we know it, is likely to change in some significant ways when self-driving vehicles become more prevalent. Other industries will be affected, too. For instance, insurance could change dramatically. After all, who do you insure when software is driving?

In addition, cities may lose a source of revenue if there is less need for parking. CNBC wrote, "Reports estimate self-driving vehicles have the potential to reduce parking space by about 61 billion square feet, which is about the size of Connecticut and Vermont combined." This may be a boon for the real estate market.

The responsibilities of law enforcement may change, too, and crash test dummies may be out of work.

* Augmented reality. Imagine a surgeon being able to practice a surgery, a rigger learning their craft without scaling heights to lift heavy objects, or a teacher making students' textbooks come alive. Augmented reality has the potential to help professionals refine their skills, make dangerous training safer, and fascinate students at all levels of learning.

Morgan Stanley also pointed out that Blockchain, which enables electronic contracts and custody, may change the financial industry, and Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR) may help cure disease at the genetic level.

We live in interesting times!

Weekly Focus - Think About It

"Companies don't have ideas. Only people do. And what motivates people are the bonds of loyalty and trust they develop around each other." 

--Margaret Heffernan, International businesswoman and author

Things you may want to know... 7/10/17

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July 10, 2017

The Markets

Things you may want to know...

Last Friday, Financial Times (FT) published, 'Five markets charts that matter for investors.' Among the issues addressed in the charts were:

* The bond market bear watch. The yield on 10-year German Bunds (Germany's government bonds) reached an 18-month high of 0.58 percent recently. Yields rose after the European Central Bank's Mario Draghi indicated its stimulus efforts would end at some point.

When bond yields rise, bond values fall, and that makes rising interest rates quite a significant event for anyone who holds lower yielding bonds. In the United States, 10-year U.S. Treasuries moved to a seven-week high last week and then dipped lower following the release of the Federal Open Market Committee meeting minutes, reported CNBC.com.

* Financial companies gaining favor. During the past month, U.S. stock markets have seen a sector rotation. FT reported:

"...S&P financials have gained some 6 percent, with tech sliding almost 4 percent. That still leaves financials lagging behind the S&P 500 for the year and well behind the roughly 17 percent gain for tech. A similar story has unfolded in Europe between banks and tech."

Investors' appetite for financial companies may reflect the belief higher interest rates are ahead. Banks and other financial firms generally benefit when interest rates rise. Investor's Business Daily reported:

"Several Wall Street giants have warned of weak trading revenue in Q2, continuing the lackluster trend in 2017...Still, bank stocks large and small have been leading in recent weeks, helped by higher bond yields and massive buyback and dividend plans."

Last week, the unemployment rate in the United States rose from 4.3 to 4.4 percent. It was good news according to an expert cited by Barron's, "...the rise in labor force participation indicates slack remains in the labor market." That may be the reason wages showed little improvement.

It Doesn't Appear to be Common Knowledge, But....

There may be an affordable car crisis in the United States. The latest Bankrate.com Car Affordability Study found:

"...typical households in most of America's larger cities don't earn enough to afford the average new vehicle, under a common budgeting rule for buyers... The '20/4/10' rule says you should aim to put down at least 20 percent of a vehicle's purchase price, take out a car loan for no longer than four years, and devote no more than 10 percent of your annual income to car payments, interest, and insurance. If you can't stay within those lines, you can't afford the car."

The only major city where a new car remains affordable is Washington, D.C.!

For some, the obvious solution is choosing a less expensive model. For others, the answer is buying a used vehicle. For the latter group, here's some bad news: even an average-priced used car - nationally, the average price is about $19,200 - is unaffordable for households in eight of the 25 largest cities.

Leasing is also an option; one that may have helped create an oversupply of used cars. In July, Automotive News reported:

"...millions [of] cars that were leased two or three years ago, many of them used compact and midsized cars with low mileage, are heading toward auction lots and used car dealerships. That surge in supply threatens to depress prices for new and used vehicles, raising the risk of losses for automakers and finance companies on lease deals. It also undercuts the value of cars customers want to trade in for a new vehicle."

The rising popularity of ride-sharing and car-sharing, and the introduction of self-driving vehicles, may also depress prices. In fact, some automakers have introduced their own ride-sharing services.

Weekly Focus - Think About It

"A man is rich in proportion to the number of things he can afford to let alone."

--Henry David Thoreau, American philosopher and naturalist

Central Bank Scare 7/5/17

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Weekly Market Commentary

July 5th, 20107

The Markets

This is the way the quarter ends - with a central bank scare. 

Central bankers are stodgy. They speak carefully. For many, reading the words 'Federal Reserve' is enough to cause boredom to set in and web surfing to ensue. 

Last week, though, the European Central Bank and Bank of England cracked the 'open secret' (i.e., central banks will provide less stimulus and increase rates at some point), and investors did not like what they heard.

Central bankers were quick to say they didn't necessarily mean what people had heard, but the rumor of less accommodative monetary policy was already moving markets. Barron's wrote:

"But make no mistake: Last week was a game changer. Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen fretted about the high level of asset prices, the Bank of England's Mark Carney hinted at a rate hike, and Mario Draghi suggested the European Central Bank could be nearing the end of its bond buying...The market didn't take it sitting down. Long-term Treasury yields surged, resulting in a wider spread off of short-term bond yields."

A wider spread between short- and long-term Treasuries could be good news. The Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland explained:

"The slope of the yield curve - the difference between the yields on short- and long-term maturity bonds - has achieved some notoriety as a simple forecaster of economic growth. The rule of thumb is that an inverted yield curve (short rates above long rates) indicates a recession in about a year, and yield curve inversions have preceded each of the last seven recessions..."

Central bankers comments affected U.S. stock markets, too. The technology sector lost its allure, while the possibility of rising interest rates made the financials sector more attractive. It didn't hurt that all major institutions passed the Fed's stress tests for the first time. That could translate into share buybacks and higher dividends, reported Financial Times.

There were some notable statistics during the second quarter of 2017. For instance:

Investors were preternaturally calm 

Throughout second quarter, investors have been confident the Standard & Poor's 500 Index would offer a smooth ride. The CBOE Volatility Index (VIX), a.k.a. the fear gauge, has only closed below 10 sixteen times; seven occurred during the second quarter of 2017.

Consumer sentiment was quite positive

Consumers were feeling highly optimistic throughout the quarter. In June, the University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment Survey reported, "Although consumer confidence slipped to its lowest level since Trump was elected, the overall level still remains quite favorable. The average level of the Sentiment Index during the first half of 2017 was 96.8, the best half-year average since the second half of 2000..."

Investor sentiment shifted into neutral

Last week, the number of investors who were neutral (rather than bullish or bearish) about markets hit its highest level in a year. The AAII Blog reported:

"This year's record highs for the S&P 500 and the NASDAQ have encouraged some individual investors, but the Trump administration's ability (or lack thereof) to move forward on economic and tax policy remains on the forefront of many others' minds. Also playing a role in influencing sentiment are earnings, valuations, concerns about the possibility of a pullback in stock prices, and interest rates/monetary policy."

The U.S. economy appears to be growing, albeit slowly. Last week, the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta forecast real GDP (Gross Domestic Product) growth during the second quarter of 2017 at 2.7 percent.

You Say Potato, I Say Potato

A persistent debate among the geek set is how to pronounce the abbreviation for Graphics Interchange Format (GIF). You know, GIFs, the animated images you see online. Graphics starts with a hard 'g' sound, but pronunciation conventions suggest that 'g' makes a soft sound before the vowel 'i.' The Economist wrote:

"Some questions will be pondered for all eternity. What is the meaning of life? Where do you go when you die? And, even more puzzlingly, what is the right way to pronounce "GIF?"...Debates over whether it begins with a hard "g," as in "gift," or a soft one, as in "giraffe," can make discussions about religion or politics look civil by comparison. Well aware of the risk that taking a side could lead to protests, boycotts, or worse, the Oxford English Dictionary and Merriam-Webster have maintained strict neutrality. They proclaim that both pronunciations are acceptable, betraying nary a hint of favoritism."

It's interesting that dictionaries, those arbiters of correct spelling and pronunciation, would stake out neutral ground. After all, in the early days of the United States correct spelling was open to interpretation. In the American Constitution, the word 'choose' is spelled 'chuse' and 'Pennsylvania' was spelled 'Pensylvania' (the Liberty Bell inscription has one 'n,' as well). Also, 'defense' was spelled 'defence.'

The first American dictionary wasn't published until 1806. Its author, Noah Webster, decided many spelling conventions were artificial, so he imposed the standards he preferred, changing 'musick' to 'music,' 'centre' to 'center,' and 'women to wimmen.' Not all of his changes were accepted.

This year, in an effort to resolve the GIF issue once and for all, a forum for computer programmers surveyed 50,000 users in 200 countries. Sixty-five percent believed a hard 'g' pronunciation was correct, while 26 percent believed the soft 'g' was right.

The survey results inflamed soft 'g' users, who claim it was rigged.

Weekly Focus - Think About It 

"My seven-year-old grandson sleeps just down the hall from me, and he wakes up a lot of mornings and he says, 'You know, this could be the best day ever.' And other times, in the middle of the night, he calls out in a tremulous voice, 'Nana, will you ever get sick and die?' I think this pretty much says it for me and most of the people I know, that we're a mixed grill of happy anticipation and dread."

--Anne Lamott, American novelist and non-fiction writer