Thursday, January 26, 2017

Forbes: How Britain Can Beat The Brexit Blues

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Here's an idea. For a better future, as the U.K. quits the European Union it should look to its past and re-establish trade links with the old empire. It would almost certainly benefit all concerned. Here are some reasons why:

Tuesday, January 24, 2017

Forbes: Davos Just Jumped The Shark

By SIMON CONSTABLE

There are many symbols of how much the world changed over the past year. But for me, Davos stands out.

The annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos now seems as dated as wearing a top hat and frock coat to the office. It has jumped the shark. That's primarily because its image in the public mind jars with a radically changed zeitgeist. Read more here.

U.S. News: There's an Investing Opportunity in India


By SIMON CONSTABLE

While Americans were going to the polls in November something big happened in India. It has presented an unexpected buying opportunity for nimble investors who don't mind taking on some additional risk.

Without warning on Nov. 8, India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that the existing large denomination rupee bills would be scrapped. The idea was to help eradicate the endemic corruption that plagues the country.

Anyone holding such currency would need to swap the notes for new ones, and if they were exchanging more than a small amount of cash the owners of the currency would pay a tax to the government. Read more
 here.

Friday, January 20, 2017

Forbes: Why The Market May Go Ugh Under Trump

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Here's some bad news for inauguration day. If you are a stock market investor brace yourself for a fall in prices.

Sam Stovall of CFRA Research explains the ins and outs of the matter in this video.

Wednesday, January 18, 2017

Forbes Video: Why Small Biz Loves Trump

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Small business owners were a big part of the reason that Donald Trump won last year's election. They had their reasons. 

Joan Adams of Pierian Consulting explains the detail in this video.

Forbes Video: Is The Trump Admin. Doomed To A Recession? History Says Yes

By SIMON CONSTABLE

No President wants to see a recession on their watch. 

Unfortunately for President-elect Trump the risk of a recession goes with the territory. The first reason should be obvious. In a capitalist society there are business cycles that go down as well as up. The down periods are less long-lasting than the up periods, but still they happen, and it is a risk everyone who occupies the Oval Office takes on.
The second reason is that Republican presidents have a long history of seeing a recession within their first two years in office. 

Sam Stovall, chief investment strategist at CFRA Research explains the history and why an early recession might be avoided in this video.


Forbes Video: Trump Era -- What's It Like For Conservative Women?

By SIMON CONSTABLE

During last year's campaign there was no shortage of reporting on President-elect Trump's interactions with women. 

Earlier this month I was fortunate enough to meet with long standing conservative, Joan Adams of Pierian Consulting. She explains her thoughts on the matter in this video.

Tuesday, January 17, 2017

Forbes: Stop Looking For A Job

By SIMON CONSTABLE

If you're graduating college or grad school in a few months, then don't bother to get a job. Instead, get multiple gigs. That's the message from Diane Mulcahy, author of the recently published book The Gig Economy.

Earlier this month I had the good fortune to meet with her for breakfast. Her idea is simple: Rather than seek a job, it's far better to find your niche in the so-called gig economy, a.k.a. selling services direct to more than one corporation simultaneously. Read more here.


U.S. News: 7 Tips to Recover From Holiday Overspending

By SIMON CONSTABLE


It's that time of year when people realize just how excessively they spent during the holidays. You'll find out precisely the size of your splurge when your credit card bills arrive.
If you went overboard, don't panic. "At some point in our lives we have all overspent – it's just human," says Richard Rosso, director of financial planning of Clarity Financial in Houston. Even the most financially restrained people sometimes break their budget. Anyone who says otherwise, probably isn't being honest. Read more here.

Tuesday, January 10, 2017

U.S. News: 5 Important Economic Metrics to Know

By SIMON CONSTABLE

With a new administration in the White House, investors will be watching closely to see how the economy does. But which metrics and indicators will help them determine whether the economy is sluggish or hopping along?

The vast array of indicators can be confusing, particularly for the uninitiated. There are many of them, and not all are created equal.

That's why it makes sense to see what the experts watch. Read more here.

Monday, January 9, 2017

WSJ: What Is ‘Price Discovery’ and Why Does It Matter?

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Sometimes investment professionals use the term “price discovery” to describe how markets work. Here is what it means and why it is relevant.
Price discovery is the mechanism by which competing buyers and sellers determine the price of a security or an asset. Typically, this is done on an exchange such as the New York Stock Exchange. Read more here.

WSJ: Fund Investors Found Commodities Golden in 2016

By SIMON CONSTABLE

U.S. fund investors caught commodities fever in 2016 in the biggest way in six years, as prices of gold, oil and other commodities rallied.
Funds specializing in precious metals were back in fashion, as were those that invest across the commodities spectrum. Funds that hold single commodities other than precious metals were out of fashion. Read more here.

Friday, January 6, 2017

TheStreet: A Gold Price Slump Is Good News, Even If You Own the Metal

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Gold prices have been in a slump these past few months. But investors who own the metal shouldn't be sad.
In fact, quite the opposite. They should be thrilled. Read more here.

Wednesday, January 4, 2017

U.S. News: Good Outlook for M&A Should Boost Stocks

By SIMON CONSTABLE
Just like the 1980s video game Pac-Man, corporations look set to start gobbling up each other this year.
If that happens, and it looks likely to do so, then the stock market should rally. That's because greater numbers of mergers and more acquisitions tend to go hand in hand with gains in the major stock indices, such as the Standard & Poor's 500 index. In short, more deals equal higher stock prices. Read more here.

Tuesday, January 3, 2017

Forbes: A Simple Way to Help Your College-bound Student Ace Personal Finance

By SIMON CONSTABLE

It's normally this time of year that first year undergraduates start to realize that their finances are a mess. At least that's when it dawned on me when I was at college.

Author Kingsley Amis nailed the sentiment when he wrote: "[...] he [Jim] must review his financial situation, see if he could somehow restore it from complete impossibility to its usual level of merely imminent disaster."  That was from Amis' superb novel, Lucky Jim.

Yes, right now many students may feel just like the protagonist of that novel right now -- totally skint, or broke.

The problem has long been simple. We spend a lot of time insisting that students learn algebra and punctuation. But we spend close to zero time teaching basic personal finance.
That's where the O.M.G. Official Money Guide for College Students by Susan Beacham et al., comes in handy. Read more here.


Erdogan Top Ten For Journalists in Turkey

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Top ten list of safe topics for journalists in Turkey:

  1. Erdogan is awesome.
  2. Err... That's it.
  3. ...
  4. .
  5. .
  6. .
  7. .
  8. .
  9. .
  10. .

President Erdogan (cropped)
By Secretary of Defense [CC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

Forbes: 2016 -- The Beginning Of The End For E.U.

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Britain's historic vote last June to leave the European Union marks the beginning of the end for the European Union. It will be a change as monumental as the end of the Soviet Union a quarter century ago. The parallels are eerie. Read more here.


Знаме на Европейския съюз / Drapeau de l'Union Européenne / Flag of the European Union

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