Forbes: Wall Street Puzzle -- Investors Stampede Into Bonds Funds, While Economy Booms

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Investors can’t seem to get enough of mutual funds and exchange-traded funds that specialize in fixed-income securities.

That’s happening even as stocks continue to soar, and the U.S. economy looks set to roar louder in 2020 than this year. Investors usually prefer stocks to bonds when the economic outlook is good. Read more here.

Darden: Regulation vs. Shadow Banking In China

By SIMON CONSTABLE

China Beige Book, which studies independent data on the Chinese economy, recently reported a significant increase in the phenomenon, accompanied by the intertwined issues of slowing economic growth and high levels of debt.

Given the inherently fragile nature of shadow banking and the importance of the Chinese economy to the global economy, the rise bears examination. Read more here.

Forbes: Former Fed Chief Found Economists “Useless,” New Book Says

By SIMON CONSTABLE

One of the most storied economists of the twentieth century thought economists were "useless!" 

The man in question might surprise some people including hordes of Wall Street investors. 

It was the late Paul Volcker, one-time head of the Federal Reserve and a near-fixture of the economics establishment for the past few decades. Read more here.

Forbes: Jeremy Corbyn Loses. Party Loyalists To Get Axed

By SIMON CONSTABLE

There's a certain irony in the wake of Britain's general election. The fall-out of massive losses at the polls for the left-leaning Labour Party won't fall much on its forlorn leader Jeremy Corbyn. 

Yes, he'll soon step down as leader, but he'll still have a job as a Member of Parliament.

The real suffering will get felt by the party's worker bees and its nearly five-dozen ousted MPs. Read more here.

Jeremy Corbyn

Photo by Richard Townsend, CC BY-SA 4.0 

<https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, 

via Wikimedia Commons

Korn Ferry: Britain’s Bold Move Toward Healthcare

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Just days after a landslide election victory for the Conservative Party, Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson just made a massive and bold announcement: He’ll get laws passed to guarantee plenty of cash for the state-run healthcare system.

The official announcement will likely come Thursday when the Queen, who is the official head of state, will reopen Parliament and outline the coming legislative agenda. Tucked within her speech will be a call for £34 billion ($45 billion) in annual taxpayer money for the National Health Service (NHS). Read more here.

Forbes: Gold To Approach $1,700 By The End February, Analysts Say

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Get ready for a fast and sizable pop in gold prices. 

The cost of buying one troy ounce of the metal will likely rise by around 15% over the next couple of months, analysts say. Read more here.

Barron's: Wheat Prices Headed Higher at Prospect of Extreme Weather

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Predictions calling for hot, dry weather early in 2020 followed by destructive flooding could cause “monumental crop failure” and easily propel wheat prices at least 40% higher within the next few weeks, analysts say. 

“There is a good possibility that the price could be over $6 at a minimum,” says Shawn Hackett, president of Boca Raton–based Hackett Financial Advisors. He says the rally could go far higher depending on the harshness of the weather. Active-month futures contracts for Kansas City Hard Red Winter, or KCHRW, wheat were recently fetching about $4.29 a bushel on the CME. Investors looking to profit from the move should buy July-dated futures contracts for KCHRW. Read more here.

Narek Avetisyan, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons