WSJ: What's My Active Share?

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Investors recently gained access to more information about how their actively managed mutual funds are managed. Now they need to figure out how to use it. Read more here.

Photo by Robb Miller on Unsplash

Barron's: El Nino Modoki Could Jolt Coffee Market

By SIMON CONSTABLE

It’s time to drop a shot or two of espresso into your portfolio.

After years of sliding, coffee prices look set to jump due to a dry weather system that could stunt next year's crop. Read more here.

Korn Ferry: Responding to Europe's Record Heat Wave

The headlines tell it all: Europe's getting baked. July’s unprecedented wildfires in Sweden’s far north have forced town evacuations. Similarly, on the beaches near Athens, Greece, infernos have killed dozens. Britain, the land where rain rarely stops, is afflicted by drought. One utility has even instituted a hosepipe ban.

From the edge of the Arctic tundra down to the shores of the Mediterranean, extreme dry heat is threatening Europe with temperatures at or near the highest on record. The unusual spate of natural disasters has government responders and planners overloaded, but equally challenging are private sector's readiness, and the leadership required there as well. Read more here.

Forbes: Brexit May Slow Britain's Innovation

By SIMON CONSTABLE 

Britain's exit from the European Union may risk the U.K. losing that most valuable of all things: Innovation. At least that's according to one scholar.

It could be a blow to the country's three leading exports, which are defense/aerospace, pharmaceuticals, and financial services. Read more here.

Forbes: Why A Surging Dollar Will Crush Emerging Markets

By SIMON CONSTABLE

The surge in the dollar isn't over yet, and that means bad news for investors in emerging markets.

Beginning in late January the dollar index against major currencies has so far added more than 7% in value, according to government data. The move has come as the U.S. economy has accelerated while growth much of the developed world has remained sluggish. Read more here.

Barron's: Gold Could Be in a Prolonged Tailspin

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Don’t expect gold prices to recover anytime soon, because the strength of the U.S. dollar will keep a lid on any rally at the very least and could push prices for the metal down further. Read more here.

Forbes: Did The Fed Break The "Yield Curve Indicator?"

By SIMON CONSTABLE

A once-reliable indicator of future recessions may be broken.

The metric in question is the so-called treasury yield-curve which measures the difference in the cost of the government borrowing for two years and the cost of the government borrowing for 10 years.

In the past, when the 2-year interest rate on U.S. Treasuries was higher than the 10-year rate on U.s. Treasuries, then we could reliably expect a recession in short order.

Not so much anymore, because recent actions by the Federal Reserve may have broken the indicator, according to one analyst. Read more here.