GDP

Stocks fall, you go on the Internet, and news site after news site reports that the possible bankruptcy of Greece is pushing stock prices down. Throw in a few pictures of Greek police using tear gas to deter a crowd of 20,000 at Greece’s Parliament House, as they…

If the economic data don’t start improving, then even the best-managed companies are going to have a difficult time growing their earnings in future quarters. It’s a fine line the economy is on right now and the future is rather unclear. That’s why the main stock market indices…

Over the last few months, there has been a backlash on small-cap Chinese stocks that has driven the valuation on many of these stocks down to extremely low levels. The Shanghai Composite Index (SCI) traded at 2,709.95 on May 27, which was its lowest point since September 30,…

Stop buying the brand-name countries, including the U.S., Canada and Western Europe! How about Eastern Europe? Poland is seeing sizzling growth, with GDP estimated at 4.6% in 2011, according to the National Bank of Poland. What about the little tigers comprising Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan?…

China is the second-largest economy in the world and is continuing to roll along at a nice pace. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) recently downgraded U.S. GDP growth to 2.3% this year from the previous 2.9% but concurrently raised China’s GDP growth to 9.9% this year—up from the…

If you are looking for that extra edge for your portfolio, you need to add foreign stocks. While stocks in the U.S. are faring well so far in 2011, you need to also watch for stocks in the emerging markets. Based on my economic analysis, one of my…

Something is terribly wrong in America today. Just about a year ago, when the debt crisis hit Greece, the uncertainty in Europe caused investors to run to the security of the U.S. dollar and U.S. Treasuries. But now, despite what is happening in Japan, despite the civil unrest…

The key in China will be the rapid growth of the country’s middle class. In a recent research finding, Credit Suisse predicted that the household wealth in China will double to $35.0 trillion by around 2015 based on achieving sustainable GDP growth at or near the current growth…

Chinese stocks have been rallying following the week-long Lunar New Year break. Stocks on the benchmark Shanghai Composite Index (SCI) have rallied in six straight sessions and are holding above 2,900, up 4.2% this year, which is encouraging given the poor start. Yet, playing the Chinese capital markets…

For the benefit of the thousands of new readers who have been flocking to this financial e-letter over the past few weeks, the following is an expanded summary of what I have been saying about the stock market and where I believe it is headed. I started ringing…

As was widely expected, China’s central bank raised interest rates for the second time in a month and the third time since October in an effort to fight surging inflation and speculative real estate buying. The speculation is that the central bank will increase interest rates two additional…

We are seeing some hesitation in the upward movement of stocks despite what has been a fairly decent earnings season early on. The problem I see is the influx of uncertainties in Europe that is making traders think hard about going long. While there are problems with jobs…

Merry times are here. We’re happy. You’re happy. Wall Street is happy. With the gains on Tuesday, the Santa Claus Rally appears to be in place, as long as we see gains in the last five trading days of the year, followed by the first two sessions in…

Make no mistake about it; the economic situation in the United States is improving, but not at the pace I would like to see. The Federal Reserve came out and made a downward revision in its GDP estimate for both 2010 and 2011. The Fed predicted high unemployment…

Not sure if you noticed, but Chinese stocks are rallying. In China, the benchmark Shanghai Composite Index (SCI) has been rallying since being down over 28% earlier in the year, and currently is holding above the key 3,000-point level, down around four percent this year. Taking a look…

Washington may be indulging in a dangerous illusion; one in which it could be able to control China's currency — the yuan. Since September, the yuan has gained about 1.8% against the U.S. dollar, to which it is pegged; so, although the gain seems small, it is not.…

I just came back from a two-week trip to Sweden. One of my impressions, purely from a receptive tourist's perspective, is that Sweden is one of Europe's best kept secrets. It is a vast and enchanting country, offering a range of breathtaking landscapes, from rolling fields, to sandy…

The bulls appear to be in full control, but I'm not convinced that the rally is sustainable. I just sense the economic growth issues in Europe and Asia as a potential detriment to the domestic economy where President Obama is struggling to lift the economy with the mid-term…

Ever since the gold standard was removed, central banks have been selling off gold from their treasuries. They thought gold was not valuable enough to justify storage costs; they thought that gold was a dead asset. Many investors, financial planners and stockbrokers, who are now in their 30s…

Just because the crash of 2008 did not usher exactly the kind of depression experienced after the market crash of 1929 does not necessarily mean that we may not be heading that way anyway. How come? In essence, a depression is nothing more than a prolonged recession. How…