Korn Ferry: A Prime Minister…or a CEO?

By SIMON CONSTABLE

It’s always a weird feeling when the boss gives two-weeks notice. Employees are hoping that the new boss hired has the qualities that make for a successful leader. 

It’s even more unusual when the boss who’s quitting is the UK Prime Minister. Between now and June 7, when Theresa May steps down from the post, members of the ruling Conservative Party are tasked to determine who among an increasing number of potential successors has what it takes to be a successful leader of the country. Read more here.

Forbes: Three Things For Stock Investors To Worry About

By SIMON CONSTABLE

There's trouble brewing in corporate America, and it could hurt your stock holdings.

Here are three things you need to know:

TheStreet: How the Rain-Soaked Midwest Will Crush the Corn Crop and Send Prices Jumping

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Biblical-style flooding in the Midwest is hampering the corn planting season and sending prices for the grain to their highest level in three years. 

And the rally could go further in the autumn by as much as 20% over current levels, analysts say. Read more here.

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