I believe that the global economy is setting up for a new golden age reminiscent of the one the United States enjoyed during the 1950’s, and which I still remember fondly. This is not some pie in the sky prediction. It simply assumes a continuation of existing trends in demographics, technology, and economics. The implications [...]

The S&P 500 is now at 1,370, and most strategist forecasts for 2012 hover around 1,400, plus or minus some spare change. So the next nine months are going to be incredibly boring. Or they won’t. Even in a bull market, one expects to see pullbacks of at least one third of the recent gain. [...]

Everyone knows how much I love Apple shares as an investment. For years now, my report forecasting that the stock would hit $1,000 someday has been circulating inside the company for a sought after weekend read. Just today, my old friend, co-founder Steve Wozniak, was quoting from it in making his own $1,000 prediction. I [...]

I rely on hundreds of ‘moles’ around the world whose job it is to watch a single, but important indicator for the world economy. One of them checks for me the want ads in the manufacturing mega city of Shensen, China, and what he told me last week was alarming. Wage demands by Chinese workers [...]

The other shoe has fallen in China, with the People’s Bank of China’s move to cut bank reserve requirements by 50 basis points, the second time since November. The relaxation makes the Middle Kingdom a certified, card carrying member of the international quantitative easing club.  It also confirms the country’s time tested preference for announcing [...]

When I covered my short position on the Japanese yen on Friday, it was not because I suddenly fell in love with the Land of the Rising Sun, began each day with a Zen meditation, started eating sushi three times a day, or initiated writing this letter from a hot tub. It is because followers [...]

When communications between intelligence agencies suddenly spike, as has recently been the case, I sit up and take note. Hey, do you think I talk to all of those generals because I like their snappy uniforms, do you? The word is that the despotic, authoritarian regime in Syria is on the verge of collapse, and [...]

Just as portfolio managers are buying shares because the stock market is going up, the fundamental argument behind higher equity prices is starting to erode. As the totals are coming into focus for the Q4 earnings period, disappointment is becoming the order of the day. Of the 291 S&P 500 companies that have reported so [...]