Forbes: Will The Ghost Of Daimler Haunt Fiat Chrysler's Merger Ambitions?

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Not again?

That should be the question following Monday's proposed merger between Italian-U.S. carmaker Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and France's auto manufacturer Renault, best known for its eponymous brand of vehicles. The deal would create a mega-manufacturer of light vehicles with annual sales of almost $200 billion. Read more here.

Featured in "Seeking Alpha"

While fiscal and monetary policies can extend cycles by "pulling forward"future consumption, such actions create an eventual "void" that cannot be filled. In fact, there is mounting evidence the "event horizon" may have been reached as seen through the lens of auto sales.

I recently discussed this point with my friend Simon Constable specifically. He is right. Following the financial crisis, the average age of vehicles on the road had gotten fairly extended, so a replacement cycle became more likely. This replacement cycle was accelerated when the Obama Administration launched the "cash for clunkers" program, which reduced the number of "used" vehicles for sale pushing individuals into new cars.

See full seeking alpha post here.

Forbes: A Win For Trump In The 2020 Presidential Election -- At Least That's What The Bond Market Suggests

By SIMON CONSTABLE

The bond market suggests that president Trump will win the 2020 presidential election.

Prices for corporate bonds point to a heating up of the U.S. economy early next year. And when it comes to who wins the White House, the strength of the economy always ranks high in the voting booth.

"Trump's economy will reaccelerate in 2020," says David Ranson, director of research at financial analytics firm HCWE & Co. "2019 will mislead some people into believing that Trump is on the edge." Read more here.

Photo by Michael Vadon, CC BY-SA 2.0, 

via Wikimedia Commons

Forbes: Panicked Investors Flee China Amid Trade War Worries

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Investors in China have hit the panic button in a big way.

They've pulled $5.32 billion from that country's stock market in the two weeks through May 17 as fears of a growing U.S.-China trade war sent a chill across Wall Street.  Read more here.

Photo by Andrey Metelev on Unsplash

Forbes: Why Now's The Time To Bet On European Stocks

By SIMON CONSTABLE

It's time to invest in European stocks.

A sophisticated analysis of the relationship between movements in the currency markets and the subsequent stock market performance shows that Sweden and the eurozone (Europe's single currency area) should outperform those in the U.S. and other major markets over the coming year. Read more here.

Featured in "OilPrice.com"

By SIMON CONSTABLE 

Apart from hopes that U.S. and China will reach a trade agreement, investor appetite for commodities is also boosted by signs of rising inflation—an environment in which commodities typically outperform other assets, The Street’s Simon Constable writes.

Read the full OilPrice.com story here.

Photo by Erik Mclean on Unsplash

Featured in "GoldSeek"

“They are snapping up the metal at the fastest rate in almost half a century in a trend that looks set to continue. Over the 12 months through March 31, they purchased a whopping 715.7 metric tons of gold bullion worth around $29.4 billion, according to a recently published report from the industry group World Gold Council.” – Simon Constable, The Street.

See full GoldSeek post here.

PHGCOM, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons