MarketWatch: The Price of Dumb: $15 Trillion

By SIMON CONSTABLE 

We all know there’s a price for being dumb. The problem is quantifying it. 

But now some researchers have an estimate of the cost of America’s failure to make the grade in the classroom. It will cost the U.S. economy close to $15 trillion through the year 2050. 

That’s trillion, with a T. It’s enough money to wipe out nearly all of America’s debt. Read more here.

Photo by Ivan Aleksic on Unsplash

WSJ: The Food Stamps-Beer Connection

By SIMON CONSTABLE

It’s a strange trend, one that could be significant to policy makers: When monthly food-stamp distributions fall on a weekend, beer sales to that population jump – by up to 7%.

According to a new study, the day of the week food-stamp funds are distributed seems to be influencing monthly beer sales among the population eligible for the benefit. The findings were released in a paper this month by Elena Castellari and Chad Cotti of theUniversity of Connecticut, and the University South Carolina’s John Gordanier and Orgul D. Ozturk. See original story here.

United States Department of Agriculture, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

WSJ: What is a Secular Bull Market?

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Lately, there has been a lot of talk about a “secular bull market” for stocks. It definitely sounds promising. But what exactly does it mean?

In short: It describes a long-term bull market.

“Think about a halcyon economic situation that keeps corporate profits high and extends for a long time,” says Jeremy Hill, managing partner at New York-based asset-management firm Old Blackheath Cos. At such a time, stocks have the wind at their back, with solid economic growth driving higher and higher earnings. However, during the long life of a secular bull market, stocks occasionally will fall back before resuming their climb, Mr. Hill says. See original story here.