Forbes: 3 Things To Watch In 2023: Ukraine, China And Europe Matter

By SIMON CONSTABLE

No one knows for sure what 2023 will bring to Wall Street.

Nevertheless, recent history suggests what we might want to keep an eye on over the next 12 months. Read more here.

Mvs.gov.ua, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Forbes: Wilma Soss. The Woman Who Changed Wall Street Forever

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Women making a major difference on Wall Street is now the norm.

But decades before Cathy Wood made a splash then a crash with the tech-focused ARK Innovation ETF exchange-traded fund, there was Wilma Soss. 

And did she make a difference or what! Read more here.

Forbes: Individual Investors Bail On Everything In December, Data Show

 By SIMON CONSTABLE

Individual investors seem to have caught the jitters in every asset class.

That’s usually a positive sign for the market as a whole, which should come as a relief following a year when stocks and bonds both took a serious beating. Read more here.

Photo by Tomas Eidsvold on Unsplash

Forbes: Loan Data Shows Exceptional Economic Health, Though HELOCs May Be Cracking

By SIMON CONSTABLE

How bad is the economy?

Not nearly as bad as some are saying, at least according to some key loan metrics. Read more here.

Photo by Jonathan Borba on Unsplash

Forbes: Much Crypto Trading On Unregulated Platforms Could Be Phony, New Research Shows

By SIMON CONSTABLE 

If the scandal surrounding the FTX crypto-exchange wasn’t bad enough to scare all-but the crypto diehards to flee, now there’s even more bad news for cryptocurrency investors.

Up to four fifths of crypto trading on unregulated crypto exchanges may be phony, new research shows. Read more here.

Photo by Kanchanara on Unsplash

Forbes Greece: Ύφεση ακούμε και ύφεση δεν βλέπουμε – μήπως ο Milton Friedman είχε δίκιο;

Του Simon Constable

Φτάνει πια με τη συζήτηση περί ύφεσης. Εδώ και –τουλάχιστον– έξι μήνες πολλοί οικονομολόγοι προβλέπουν μια επικείμενη επιβράδυνση ή κατάρρευση που θα συντρίψει την αμερικανική οικονομία.

Όπως τόσες και τόσες προβλέψεις στα ΜΜΕ, ούτε αυτή έχει εκπληρωθεί. Ούτε κατά διάνοια. Σε άρθρο μου που δημοσίευσα τον περασμένο Ιούνιο ανέφερα ότι υπήρχαν ελάχιστες ενδείξεις για ύφεση – τα σημάδια έδειχνα απλώς επιβράδυνση της ανάπτυξης. 

Εντούτοις, οι εκκλήσεις για "οικονομική λήθη" δεν κόπασαν, μα ακόμα περιμένουμε την ύφεση. 

Αυτή η αστοχία –και άλλες παρόμοιες– αποτελεί μάλλον την αιτία που έκανε τον οικονομολόγο J.K. Galbraith να αποφανθεί: "Η μόνη λειτουργικότητα των οικονομικών προβλέψεων είναι να κάνουν την αστρολογία να δείχνει αξιοσέβαστη". Και όντως η εικόνα της αστρολογίας βελτιώνεται κάθε μέρα. 

Barron's: Copper Is Sliding. Where Inflation Could Send Prices Next Year.

By SIMON  CONSTABLE

Copper prices will probably tumble nearly 20% over the next 12 months as demand cools and supplies stay stable amid a likely economic slowdown, experts say. 

“I wouldn’t be surprised to see prices edge lower,” says Carlos Sanchez, director of commodities management at New York–based CPM Group. Read more here.

Photo by Ra Dragon on Unsplash

Forbes: Long-Time Gold Bear JC Parets Turns Bullish; $5,000 Possible

By SIMON CONSTABLE

A long-time bear on investing in gold bullion seems to have flip-flopped.

Now he’s bullish, and how! Read more here.

 

Photo by Zlaťáky.cz on Unsplash

Forbes: Will Federal Reserve Rate Hikes Pull Down Inflation? Probably Not, New Research Shows

By SIMON CONSTABLE

We all know inflation is bad right now. But will the Federal Reserve’s actions have any helpful consequences?

Probably not, new research shows.

“The prevailing view that rate hikes are causative in curbing inflation implies a negative correlation between the two variables,” writes David Ranson, director of research at financial analytics firm HCWE & Co. Read more here.

Federal Reserve, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Barron's: Ukraine War Upends Global Commodities Prices

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Ouch! The invasion wasn’t expected, and it wasn’t pleasant. But the war between Ukraine and Russia was central to commodities prices this year. The impact of the conflict is still being felt globally.

On Feb. 24, Russia invaded Ukraine, following weeks of military buildup dating back to 2021. The move sent shock waves through commodities markets. Read more here.

CBS Eye on the World with John Batchelor: #France #UK Strikes, delays, and the mystery of modest MegaTech in France and Britain. @BatchelorShow Occitane.

 By SIMON CONSTABLE

Listen here.

The original uploader was Deipnosophista at English Wikipedia., 

Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

WABC Radio with Frank Morano: Crypto Panel 12-20-2022

 By SIMON CONSTABLE

Listen here.

Forbes: Recession Still Nowhere To Be Seen: What You Need To Know...

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Enough already with the recession talk.

For at least six months, many economists have been forecasting an imminent economic pullback or collapse that would crush the U.S. economy.

Like so many things forecast in the media, it hasn’t happened. Not by a long way. A piece I wrote in June indicated there were few signs of recession, just slower growth.

Still, the calls of economic oblivion keep on coming relentlessly and yet no recession has emerged.

That failure and similar ones is probably the root of the Wall Street quip: “Economists were invented to make astrologers look good.” And those astrologers are looking better every day.

Here’s what you need to know. Read more here. 

Unemployed men queue outside a depression-era Chicago soup kitchen opened by Al Capone 1931. This file was provided to Wikimedia Commons by the National Archives and Records Administration as part of a cooperation project. The National Archives and Records Administration provides images depicting American and global history which are public domain or licensed under a free license.

WABC Studio Debrief Jan 4, 2009: Gloom Prediction in 2009 @Batchelorshow

 By SIMON CONSTABLE

John Batchelor and Simon Constable play unemployed hedge fund managers and predict the economic calamities the U.S. faces in 2009

WATCH HERE.

WABC Studio Debrief 12-20-2008: Batchelor and Constable Play Scrooge and Marley

By SIMON CONSTABLE

John Batchelor and Simon Constable as Scrooge and Marley discuss the Bernie Madoff scandal.

WATCH HERE.

WABC Studio Debrief January 11, 2009: Smoot-Hawley

 By SIMON CONSTABLE

John Batchelor and Simon Constable play the Smoot and Hawley protectionists.

WATCH HERE.

WABC Studio Debrief November 25, 2008. Too Big to Fail?

 By SIMON CONSTABLE

Debrief November 25, 2008. Batchelor and Constable discuss "too big to fail" and all of its insanity.

WATCH HERE.

WABC Studio Debrief ll January 25. 2009: Hoarding Cash In a Piggy Bank

By SIMON CONSTABLE

John Batchelor and Simon Constable discuss the new fashion of hoarding cash this time in a piggy purloined from a now-dead bank.

WATCH HERE

WABC Studio Debrief Jan 18, 2009: Pizza Hell

 By SIMON CONSTABLE

John Batchelor and Simon Constable discuss how an empty pizza box relates to collapsing world trade. And how the situation is straining domestic politics in Asia and the rest of the developing world

WATCH HERE.

WABC Studio Debrief Debrief ll Jan 18, 2009: Bad British Banks

By SIMON CONSTABLE

John Batchelor and Simon Constable discuss plans by the U.K. government to create a bank to hold the mountains of bad debts which have been clogging up balance sheets lately.

WATCH HERE

WABC Studio Debrief: Strange Story of Funny Bunnies

By SIMON CONSTABLE 

John Batchelor and Simon Constable discuss the strange tale of a box of edible rabbits and $10,000 containing it. Plus, where do you put your money now?

WATCH HERE.

WABC Studio Debrief January 25, 2009: Blight on Blighty

 By SIMON CONSTABLE

WATCH HERE

WABC Studio Debrief Feb 8, 2009: Steel Bending

By SIMON CONSTABLE 

Batchelor and Constable discuss the declining steel trade now and in the 1930s.

WATCH HERE.

WABC Studio Debrief Feb 2, 2009: Protectionism Lives

John Batchelor and Simon Constable discuss the disturbing trend in trade.

WATCH HERE.

WABC Studio Debrief Feb. 1, 2009: We're all Socialists Now

Debrief Feb. 1, 2009 - We're all Socialists Now

John Batchelor and Simon Constable discuss the ins and outs of compensation on Wall Street.

WABC Studio Debrief Dec 28, 2008: One World Government

John Batchelor and Simon Constable discuss the theory that the world is headed for a single ruling body for the globe.

WABC Studio Debrief January 4, 2009

 By SIMON CONSTABLE

Watch here.

CBS Eye on the World with John Batchelor: #UK #France Sunak Government reopens West Cambria Colliery

 By SIMON CONSTABLE

Listen here.

Adam Schultz , Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Forbes Japan: 進むドル高、欧州や新興国への影響は？

By SIMON CONSTABLE

ドル高が進んでいる。主要通貨に対する米ドルの強さを示すドルインデックスは、2002年4月以来約20年半ぶりの高値水準にある。

フォーブスの寄稿者のひとりであるジョン・トビーも論じているように、ドル高はたしかに米国にとってはプラスにはたらく。だが、それ以外の国や地域では必ずしもそうではない。Read more here. 

Photo by Mackenzie Marco on Unsplash

Forbes: The Biden Administration’s “Reverse Ferret”On Energy Policy

By SIMON CONSTABLE 

The longstanding previous energy policy stance had become an embarrassment to the administration. Read more here.

Photo by Alfred Kenneally on Unsplash

Top Writer in Energy on Medium

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Honored to be a top writer on the topic of energy at Medium.com 

Read more here.

Briefings Magazine: Where Tech Starts, Ends

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Something odd happened almost three decades ago. Startup web-browser company Netscape went public, delighting investors despite having no profits. This event, on August 9, 1995, prompted one of the biggest global economic shifts since the industrial revolution. Over the last 27 years, web-based businesses have become behemoths worth billions of dollars: Amazon, Meta, Alphabet, Alibaba, Tencent, Baidu, Netflix. Yet the overwhelming majority of these big tech companies come from just two countries: the US and China. Other countries, such as those in Europe or Asia (excluding China), lag hugely. Read more here.

David Lienemann , Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Forbes China: 专家预测，金价到2027年底将创下新纪录

By SIMON CONSTABLE

世界上最出色的贵金属专家之一表示，黄金价格将很快刷新纪录，而投资者只需要一点耐心。

大宗商品咨询公司CPM Group的创始人兼执行合伙人Jeff Christian在最近的一段视频中表示：“我们仍然预计，在未来——比如在五年之内，金价将创下新高。”

Read more here.

Forbes: UK’s Rishi Sunak Bans Fracking But Government Green Lights New Coal Production

By SIMON CONSTABLE

What the frack?

Britain’s approach to fossil fuels is nothing if not inconsistent. Read more here.

Photo by Juan Encalada on Unsplash

CBS Eye on the World with John Batchelor: #France #UK The winter bites Northern Europe. Occitane

 By SIMON CONSTABLE

Listen here.

Adrien Béron, CC BY-SA 1.0, via Wikimedia Commons

WSJ: Financial Flashback -- Nasdaq Dealers Accused of Fixing Markets Settle for $1 billion

 By SIMON CONSTABLE

Exclusively in the print version of the Wall Street Journal

Forbes Uruguay: El gurú Jeff Christian le habló al inversor: "El 2027 será el año récord para el oro"

By SIMON CONSTABLE

El oro está viendo un precio promedio anual récord este año, y probablemente mejorará en los próximos cinco años, según uno de los mejores expertos en metales preciosos más grandes del mundo. Read more here.

Photo by Zlaťáky.cz on Unsplash

CBS Eye on the World with John Batchelor: Commodities -- UK with coffee but without adequate cucumbers, tomatoes or eggs. Barron's

 By SIMON CONSTABLE

Listen here.

Photo by Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash

Forbes: Value Stocks Poised For “Outperformance” Everywhere — GMO Report

 By SIMON CONSTABLE

For years growth stocks were hot, right up until they were not.

But lately, value stocks have taken over in a big way. And what’s better for investors is the trend of outperformance of value versus growth will likely continue, experts say. Read more here.

Photo by Alexander Grey on Unsplash

Forbes: Message To Fed: Greenspan Gradualism Please, Enough With Shock-And-Awe, Expert Says

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Will the Federal Reserve please give up its efforts to impress the world.

What the economy and investors need is small policy tweaks, according to a recent report by veteran Wall Street expert Jim Paulsen, chief investment strategist at Leuthold Group. Read more here.

Federalreserve, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Forbes: Gold Price To Hit New Record By End Of 2027, Expert Forecasts

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Gold prices will hit new records relatively soon. Investors just need a little patience, according to one of the world’s best precious metals experts.

“We still expect to see record prices over the next, say, five years,” says Jeff Christian, founder and managing partner of commodities consulting firm CPM Group. Read more here.

Photo by Zlaťáky.cz on Unsplash

Forbes: Yes, Crypto Really Is Dangerous To Your Wealth, And Your Health

By SIMON CONSTABLE

If the last two years have taught investors anything, it should be that crypto investing is a treacherous activity. 

In other words, unless you have an iron stomach that can cope with epic volatility, bitcoinBTC -2.5% and the rest of the crypto stable should be avoided. Read more here.

Photo by Kanchanara on Unsplash

Forbes: U.S. Unleashes Chevron. Oil Major To The Rescue In The Energy Crisis

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Still, there's something iffy in the White House decision. Read more here.

Photo by Karsten Winegeart on Unsplash

Forbes: Economic Nationalism Is Back: Global Trade Will Never Look The Same

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Global trade is going to look like you’ve never seen it before.

And for that, you can blame the rise in economic nationalism, a recent report states. Read more here.

Dan Scavino , Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Forbes: No, Britain’s Economy Isn’t On The Rocks.

 By SIMON CONSTABLE

How bad is Britain’s economy?

It depends on what you read. Read more here.

Photo by Charles Postiaux on Unsplash

What A Likely Ultra-Short Winter Means For You

By SIMON CONSTABLE

It’s time to kiss goodbye to those worries about soaring natural gas bills.

Yes, I know that governments across Europe and North America have screamed until they were blue in the face about the cost of living crisis, most notably the potential for massive heating bills this winter.

The problem for the politicos is it likely just won’t happen that way. For that you can thank the laws of economics and mother nature. Read more here.

Photo by Doris Morgan on Unsplash

Forbes: Where’s The ‘Imminent’ U.S. Recession? Nowhere, As Black Friday Nets Huge Sales

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Are you frustrated by the constant forecasts of an imminent recession? If so, you aren’t alone.  For months now experts have parroted the “a recession is unavoidable” mantra ad nauseam. The message has been blunt: We should all hunker down while looking for pennies down the back of the sofa. 

The problem is that such recession claims are at once, wholly wrong and largely irrefutable. Read more here.

Photo by Tamanna Rumee on Unsplash

CBS Eye on the World with John Batchelor: #COP27: Big Oil, Big Coal, Big Gas and the renewable future.

 By SIMON CONSTABLE

Read more here.

R3dus-01, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Barron's: Coffee Is About to Be a Hot Commodity. How to Play a Brief Rally.

By SIMON CONSTABLE

It’s time to pour a drop of joe into your portfolio. A recent tumble in coffee bean prices will likely reverse shortly, prompting possible gains of as much as 25% over the coming weeks. 

The issue is that the downdraft, caused by collapsing Vietnamese currency, plus an overly optimistic outlook for Brazil’s crop, has gone too far. Read more here.

MarkSweep, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

CBS Eye on the World with John Batchelor: #Commodities -- Diesel in short supply as the softs stabilize. Barron's, WSJ, Forbes

 By SIMON CONSTABLE

Listen here.

Chulmleigh : Diesel Pump by Lewis Clarke, 

CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The Hartford: The Future of Insurance: How AI & Machine Learning Are Shaping Underwriting & Claims

By SIMON CONSTABLE 

Humans in underwriting and claims have embraced their AI and machine learning counterparts with open arms – here’s why. Read more here.

Photo by Michael Dziedzic on Unsplash

CBS Eye on the World with John Batchelor: #Commodities, Moderating with the European Climate.

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Listen here.

Log Pile by Anne Burgess, CC BY-SA 2.0, 

via Wikimedia Commons

WSJ: November 1972, Dow Closes Above 1000 for the First Time

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Exclusively in the print edition of The Wall Street Journal