Federal Reserve
Created in 1913 with the enactment of the Federal Reserve Act, the Federal Reserve (the Fed) is the central banking system of the U.S. The Fed functions as the bank of the U.S. government, overseeing the nation’s financial institutions. As the central bank, the Fed safeguards and manages the U.S. economy and its money supply with its economic and monetary policies, which makes it a very powerful global player. Ben Bernanke is the current chairman of the Federal Reserve.
Stock Advisor Sentiment Suggests Sell-Off Ahead
By Michael Lombardi, MBA for Profit Confidential
As the key stock indices continue to climb higher, optimism amongst investors and stock advisors rises to a dangerous level.
According to the Advisor Sentiment tracked by Investors Intelligence, an indicator I follow to gauge optimism in the stock market, the number of stock advisors who are bullish towards key stock indices is at its highest since April of 2011. (Source: Investors Intelligence, May 22, 2013.) To bring this into perspective, in April of 2011, the key stock indices like the S&P 500 started to decline, dropping nearly 20% through October of that year.
The stock market is becoming very overbought and very overpriced. It’s not a matter of “if” the market faces a major set-back, but “when.”
The U.S. economy continues to struggle and early indicators of economic slowdown are flashing warning signs. Consider the Business Outlook Survey by the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia, which provides an outlook for manufacturing activity in the Philadelphia area. The survey indicates demand has been weak, with new orders and shipments declining and inventories building up. (Source: Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia, May 16, 2013.)
The index of current manufacturing activity in the Philadelphia region registered at negative 5.3 in May compared to positive 1.3 in April. Any number below zero indicates conditions in the manufacturing sector are becoming poor.
This isn’t the only troubling statistic that shows the U.S. economy is headed towards an economic slowdown. Our economic growth is questionable; unemployment is still staggering; the majority of jobs created since the financial crisis have been in low-paying jobs, and a significant portion of the U.S. population is on food stamps…. Read More
Federal Reserve’s Quantitative Easing Making U.S. Economy Fundamentally Weak?
By Michael Lombardi, MBA for Profit Confidential
While testifying in front of the Joint Economic Committee in Washington regarding monetary policy and the economic outlook of the U.S. economy, the Chairman of the Federal Reserve, Ben Bernanke, said yesterday, “…the committee has said that it will continue its securities purchase until the outlook for the labor market has improved substantially in a context of price stability.” (Source: “The Economic Outlook,” Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, May 22, 2013.) In other words, the Federal Reserve has made it clear, once again: it will not stop quantitative easing until the unemployment rate comes down.
The Federal Reserve continues printing $85.0 billion a month in new money, using this newly created money to purchase long-term U.S. bonds and mortgage-backed securities (MBS). The Fed has already inflated its balance sheet to over $3.0 trillion, and by keeping the pace of quantitative easing the same, its balance sheet will reach $4.0 trillion very quickly.
I believe the longer the Federal Reserve continues with the quantitative easing, the bigger the eventual troubles will be.
First of all, quantitative easing and artificially low interest rates by the Federal Reserve have essentially forced investors to take higher risk elsewhere, as guaranteed yields have collapsed. The yield on 10-year U.S. bonds is less than two percent; meanwhile, tax-favored dividends from the rising Dow Jones Industrial Average stocks pay 2.35%.
It is very well documented in these pages how investors are rushing to get higher yields as the Federal Reserve stays the course. Investors are adding junk bonds to their portfolio; conservative investors, like the central banks, are buying stocks; and bond funds … Read More
Japan Not Home-Free Despite Strong GDP
By George Leong, B.Comm. for Profit Confidential
In these pages, I recently discussed the amazing returns in the benchmark Nikkei 225 index in Japan and how the country is following America’s example, printing money to fuel the economy.
The fact is that Japan is finally beginning to see some results from Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s aggressive strategy to inject $2.4 trillion into the Japanese economy over the next decade.
Maybe this time it’s for real. Previous attempts to drive Japan’s economy out of its economic tailspin have failed. Of course, it will take some time, and success will depend on the continued weakness of the yen and a pickup in the global economy, especially with the country’s key trading partners in China.
If the first quarter was any indication, the despair in Japan may be finally coming to an end after decades of disappointment; but again, it’s only one quarter.
Japan saw its gross domestic product (GDP) surge 0.9% in the first quarter or an annualized rate of 3.5%, according to data from Japan’s Cabinet Office. (Source: “Japan GDP Rises 0.9% On Quarter In Q1,” RTTNews, May 15, 2103.)
What’s also interesting is the rise in private consumption in Japan, which contributed to 2.3% of the 3.5% GDP growth. The upward move in consumer spending is critical, as a large part of the economic renewal in Japan will be dependent on consumer spending as is the case in the United States. According to Trading Economics, consumer spending accounted for about 60% of GDP in Japan, so it’s essential.
While it’s still way too early to see if Japan is on the path to growth, the country’s … Read More
How to Create a “Do-It-Yourself” Fund for Diversification
By George Leong, B.Comm. for Profit Confidential
The stock market has only one direction in mind and that’s up. I sense there’s froth building up. This current market action reminds me a bit of what happened in 1999, but the situation is different in that interest rates are at record lows, the Federal Reserve is providing liquidity, and the valuation of stocks is much more reasonable versus that of 1999.
My concern is how far the stock market can rise before we see a correction of any significant magnitude. Yet even with selling, it would be a buying opportunity, not a sign to exit.
The one key thing you need to make sure of is that your portfolio is diversified to withstand any major selling in a particular sector and market cap. Case in point: if you were heavily weighted in the precious metals, such as gold and silver, your portfolio would have been devastated by now.
This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have any metals in your portfolio, but you need to have ample diversification, which is the key to success in the stock market.
If your assets are well diversified, it would be fine to play a possible upside bounce in gold. (Read “Is Gold’s Near-Beath Crisis Over-Exaggerated? Concerns of a Market Meltdown May Not Be.”)
The reality is that it doesn’t matter if you are investing in real estate, gold, stocks, art, or classic cars; the prudent way to protect your assets is to make sure you are diversified in the stock market.
The concept of spreading the investment risk is portfolio management—a process that encompasses the creation, monitoring, and adjustment of … Read More
This Stock’s 24% Year-to-Date Gain Signaling a Buy Opportunity?
By Mitchell Clark, B.Comm. for Profit Confidential
“Opportunity cost”—it’s a phrase used in microeconomic theory to denote the costs that are forgone by not having your resources in the highest returning assets.
It is a phrase that’s pertinent to the stock market.
Without question, I remain completely taken aback by what has transpired with the stock market since the beginning of the year.
Looking at the numbers, not being invested in many corporations has been costly.
Excluding the reasons why, the simple fact is that the Dow Jones Industrial Average is up 16% since the beginning of the year (not including dividends).
The S&P 500 is up 15.7%. The NASDAQ Composite is up 14.8% and the Russell 2000, an index of small-caps, is up 16.6% (not including dividends).
I think this stock market can smell the end of quantitative easing.
More meaningful, however, is the Federal Reserve’s policy regarding interest rates, which are going to continue to be low for the near future, as it has been made very clear.
This is a huge, perhaps neglected, certainty for the stock market and corporations.
Making the case for being a buyer in this market is extremely difficult. Institutional investors have already placed their bets and a lot of corporations—good companies with real staying power and solid prospects for earnings growth going forward—are fully priced.
Johnson & Johnson (NYSE/JNJ) is a benchmark stock. Like many large corporations, Johnson & Johnson does everything it can to squeeze every penny out of its bottom line. The company lays off employees, closes plants, and does everything to minimize taxes. Johnson & Johnson’s 10-year stock chart is featured below:
Chart courtesy … Read More
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