With continued worries over budget crises in the “PIIGS” (Portugal, Italy, Ireland, Greece, and Spain) and their rapidly deteriorating fiscal conditions, the future of the euro zone’s common currency has been called into question. Most of attention has focused on Greece, where double digit budget deficits threaten to grind the government to a halt and spread throughout the region. While some are pushing for a Greek bailout, others worry about the signal this action might send to other troubled economies across the Mediterranean. Greece’s richer counterparts certainly aren’t happy about the idea of a bailout, especially in Germany where in a recent poll 53% demanded that Greece be thrown out of the euro zone if they can’t solve their problems without outside funding. [click to continue…]
Through the eyes of an investors, the consumer sector of the global economy is generally split into two segments: consumer staples and consumer discretionaries. Consumer staples stocks generally include those that manufacture and sell goods that are vital components of most household budgets, such as food and non-durable household goods. Companies producing goods that are deemed to be more of a luxury spend are classified as consumer discretionary stocks. [click to continue…]
ETFs have come along way in their relatively short existence, evolving from plain vanilla funds tracking major equity benchmarks to include more exotic products such as ETFs with triple leverage, and ETFs that employ long/short strategies, hedge fund tracking ETFs, and actively-managed funds. While some investors point to the several dozen funds that have struggled [...]
In yet another sign that China has become one of the most powerful global economic forces, Daimler AG announced on Monday that sales at its Mercedes-Benz car division rose 16% in November, due in large part to strong growth in demand from the emerging Asian economy. “A total of 8,700… cars were delivered in China [...]
The day after Thanksgiving traditionally kicks off the holiday shopping season, one of the most important times of the year for consumers and investors alike. While promotional campaigns and receipt tallies from “Black Friday” are always closely monitored, this year the day comes with added importance. As the U.S. economy heads towards the finish line [...]
In the latest sign that this recovery just might have some staying power, several major retailers reported strong earnings reports for the third quarter. But along with these pleasant surprises came warnings of tough times ahead, indicating that forecasts for the upcoming holiday remain murky. The major retail earnings announcements made so far this week [...]
Over the last few years, ETFs have seen a tremendous surge in use and popularity among all breeds of investors for a number of reasons. Some are attracted to the low costs. Others value the tax efficiency and liquidity. I love ETFs (in part) because they facilitate a “top-down” approach to investing. Picking individual stocks [...]
According to a report from consultants Bain & Co., spending on luxury goods in expected to decline by about 8% in 2009, an improvement from an earlier forecast that called for double digit declines on the year. Previously, Bain had projected a decline of about 10% following a drop of up to 20% in the [...]
