Just weeks after a devastating earthquake sparked a humanitarian crisis in Haiti, another natural disaster has hit the South American nation of Chile. Early Saturday morning, a magnitude 8.8 earthquake, the fifth strongest ever measured in the country, occurred off of Chile’s coast, causing massive destruction throughout the region. At least 100 aftershocks of magnitude 5.0 or greater have hit since the quake, complicating relief efforts significantly. The death toll has already topped 700, and is expected to rise as aid workers scramble to reach the areas hit hardest. “We’re facing an unthinkable catastrophe that will require an enormous effort in resources,” said Chilean President Michelle Bachelet in a televised address. [click to continue…]
Investors returned from a long holiday weekend with an abundance of optimism on Tuesday, as encouraging news from Asia helped to boost markets. Europe, which recently replaced Japan as the unofficial drag on the global economy, surged as well, as confidence in the Greece bailout efforts picked up. In takeover news, Simon offered $10 billion for rival mall operator General Growth, which is currently operating under bankruptcy court protection. [click to continue…]
Over the last year, U.S. equity markets have staged a remarkable recovery as volatility has plummeted and the emergency stimulus measures implemented amidst heated debate appear to have had their intended effect. Indications that unemployment may be close to peaking and that consumer confidence is on the rise once again only add fuel to the [...]
One of the world’s most successful bond managers is encouraging investors to bet against predictions made recently by Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, who recently told a group of business leaders that inflation was not a major concern and could even move lower from its current levels.
The rise of the ETF industry has helped to establish commodities as the “fourth asset class,” making investments in natural resources available to more investors than ever before. Commodity exchange-traded products have attracted almost $29 billion in cash through the first 11 months of 2009, making this space one of the main drivers of growth [...]
U.S. stocks and aluminum represent very different asset classes, but some investors have begun to notice troublesome similarities between the two. Following a furious bull market rally on Wall Street over the last several months, it is beginning to appear that U.S. stocks have run too far too fast. By many measures, domestic equity markets [...]
Investors have rejoiced in the rebound of the U.S. equity markets this year, but the real winners have been those who were bullish on commodities as the markets bottomed. Hopes of a steady recovery, consistent downward pressure on the dollar, and even strikes at major South American mines have sent prices for metals used in [...]
With a roller coaster six months behind us that saw no shortage of interesting twists and turns and unsuspected headlines, we’ve finally reached the midway point of 2009. Ahead of us is the highly anticipated “second half of 2009,” which for months we’ve heard will hold returns to growth, a recovering economy, and enough green [...]
