Forbes: More Brexit Lies Dispelled

By SIMON CONSTABLE

It’s not surprising that most people are averse to change. But some of the worries people have about Britain leaving the European Union are wildly pessimistic. They paint a world so gloomy that even fantasy writers would have a hard time selling these ideas to publishers. The level of gloom simply wouldn’t be seen as realistic enough.

For instance, in a coffee shop one morning a young Frenchman asked me (I’m English) if he’d be able to visit Britain after the so-called Brexit (Britain’s exit from the E.U.). Read more here.

Forbes: How Wall Street Really Invests

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Anyone wanting the inside scoop on how investing really works could do a whole lot worse than to read the forthcoming book by my former colleague Spencer Jakab. He’s an editor at the Wall Street Journal, but more importantly he was once a top-rated Wall Street stock analyst.

The book, Heads I Win, Tails I Win, which is scheduled to be published next week, might better have been labeled ’Confessions of a Wall Street Stockpicker.’ But knowing Jakab as I do, that really isn’t his style because such a title hints at unbridled debauchery. That’s not the image he projects, either personally or in his writing.

Read more here.

U.S. News: How to Save $10,000 in 6 Months

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Hardly a month goes by without some report or another stating that Americans aren't saving enough for retirement. It's a sad state of affairs, but it is also one that doesn't have to be inevitable, at least not if you are smart.

There are easy ways to jump-start the savings process. Here are some ideas that will generate savings of an additional $10,000 in six months. Read more here.

WSJ: Investors Expand Their Appetite for Commodities

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Desire for commodities-based funds is expanding beyond just oil and gold.

In recent months, investors also have developed a healthy appetite for funds focused on agricultural products and industrial materials. Indeed, the entire commodities complex has become a magnet for fund investors’ money, according to new research. Read more here.

Molten Gold Being Poured

Allen Drebert, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

WSJ: What Do Chart Gaps Mean for Investors?

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Some investors watch for “gaps” on daily stock-price charts as meaningful signs of future price moves. What exactly are they?

Stock charts show vertical bars with opening, high, low and closing prices. Most of the time, the price ranges overlap from one day to the next, but sometimes—say, a stock opens higher than the previous day’s trading range and stays there—there will be a gap, or empty space on the chart where no trading occurred. Technical analysts see some gaps as harbingers of a change in trends. Here are two key types:

Photo by Behnam Norouzi on Unsplash

WSJ: The Big Interview With Robert Shiller

By SIMON CONSTABLE 

A blast from the past: With Robert Shiller discussing economics.

Barron's: Getting Mileage From Gasoline Prices

By SIMON CONSTABLE 

Gasoline prices look set to trade in a sideways range over the summer, but there are profits to be made for investors willing to play the options market. The main caveat: It will require taking on significant risk by selling options rather than buying them. 

Experts say gasoline prices won’t venture far from the recent active month futures of $1.50 a gallon on the CME. Few are expecting a return to the days of $3 or $4 a gallon fuel—and there seems little chance we’ll see $1 a gallon. Read more here.

Photo by Gab Pili on Unsplash