April 4, 2013 By Steve Blumenthal With the S&P 500 Index reaching a new high, excitement builds and a focus on risk sinks slowly beneath the surface. I found the following "Then and Now" and "Total Debt" charts enlightening and a reminder that the world remains uniquely out of balance. Oh, [...]Read More >
On My Radar: March 22, 2013 - 03-22-2013
March 22, 2013 By Steve Blumenthal There is something in us humans that makes us want to call the market tops and bottoms. Far too many investors jump from "investor" to short-term, hot money "gambler". Perhaps it's the intellectual challenge, the potential business accolades or the ego. [...]Read More >
On My Radar: March 15, 2013 - 03-15-2013
March 15, 2013 By Steve Blumenthal Book Smarts and Street Smarts. Often lacking in the investment world is a knowing sense of logical human behavior and how behavior likely plays out at points of significant inflection. The great investor connects the dots before the move. Some people are [...]Read More >
On My Radar: March 1, 2013 - 03-1-2013
March 1, 2013 By Steve Blumenthal While the Fed pumps the system with its super steroid mix, beneath the surface the risks mount. Two links today: First, Stan Druckenmiller (famed hedge fund manager and former chief strategist for George Soros) and second, a research piece from Research [...]Read More >
On My Radar: February 22, 2013 - 02-22-2013
February 22, 2013 By Steve Blumenthal Currency War has been on my radar for some time. It is about human behavior and probable reaction to crisis. The issue, as we know, is a developed world stuck in unmanageable debt and entitlements. The unique challenge this time is that the UK, EU, US, [...]Read More >
On My Radar: February 14, 2013 - 02-14-2013
January 24, 2013 By Steve Blumenthal We frequently hear that the economy is bad so stocks are down or the economy is good so stocks are up. I'm sure you cringe along with me when you hear the news reports incorrectly justifying that day’s market move. I believe that the best predictors of [...]Read More >
On My Radar: February 7, 2013 - 02-7-2013
February 7, 2013 By Steve Blumenthal Not since February 2000 (not a typo) has more money raced into equity funds until this past January 2013. I hear Sir John Templeton whisper in my head, “Sell when everyone else is buying”. He also advised to, “Buy when everyone else is selling,” though that [...]Read More >
On My Radar: January 24, 2013 - 01-24-2013
By Steve Blumenthal January 24, 2013 This morning Ray Dalio was interviewed on CNBC. Have you ever watched a master teacher present to his class? There is a silence and sense of crystal clear awareness. Ray spoke about his macro perspective, the markets and his views on how to structure a [...]Read More >
On My Radar: January 11, 2013 - 01-11-2013
January 11, 2013 By Steve Blumenthal Over promised! Under funded! Unmanageable debt! Keep on printing boys! Checks for Free! In this week’s piece, I share a link to “Money for Nothin’ Writing Checks for Free” by Bill Gross. Bill does a great job in simplifying and sharing his views on what [...]Read More >
On My Radar: January 3, 2013 - 01-3-2013
January 3, 2012 By Steve Blumenthal As I dive through a broad range of independent research each week, following are several bullet points I found interesting: John Mauldin – Somewhere Over the Rainbow Since U.S. GDP (Gross Domestic Product) has tended to grow (at least until recently) at [...]Read More >
On My Radar: December 27, 2012 - 12-27-2012
S&P 500 Index 1420 By Steve Blumenthal December 27, 2012 Included in this week’s Trade Signals are the following: Updated Sentiment Charts – sentiment is neutral. I cautiously favor “RISK ON”. High Yield Bond signal remains in a “buy”. Russell 2000 Index Chart – nearing [...]Read More >
On My Radar: December 20, 2012 - 12-20-2012
December 20, 2012 By Steve Blumenthal As I dive through a broad range of independent research each week, following are several bullet points I found interesting: James Rickards – Capital Account Interview with Lauren Lyster Rickards argues that the Fed is fighting deflation and a [...]Read More >
On My Radar: December 13, 2012 - 12-13-2012
December 13, 2012 By Steve Blumenthal As I dive through a broad range of independent research each week, following are several bullet points I found important: Ray Dalio on CNBC Gary Shilling on the Fed’s recent move – “Playing with Fire” Ten Year Forward Expected 60/40 Return – link to [...]Read More >
On My Radar: December 6, 2012 - 12-6-2012
December 6, 2012 By Steve Blumenthal As I dive through a broad range of independent research each week, following are several bullet points I found important: Rob Arnott – 2012 IMCA Winter Specialty Conference I was in Scottsdale this week speaking at the IMCA Winter Specialty [...]Read More >