Whether it’s the EU, ECB, FED, NAFTA, TPP, WTO, IMF, QE, ZIRP or now NIRP … the whole alphabet soup of established economic policy and international free trade seems to have come under intense scrutiny this year. While our own domestic election year politicking certainly plays an inflammatory role, we are struck by the far-reaching … Continued
When the Federal Reserve ended its stimulative bond buying program, commonly known as “Quantitative Easing”, some investors questioned whether the U.S. economy would be able to support itself without additional stimulus. Since that time, the economy has continued to grow, albeit at a slow pace, and global equity markets have slogged through a volatile period … Continued
A growing topic of conversation amongst many investors is how to properly think about their investment performance within context of the current environment of historically low interest rates and persistently low inflation. To answer that question, it is helpful to look back at the last forty years of history and incorporate that period’s steady decline … Continued
The British Are Leaving! The British Are Leaving! Following months of debate on the potential impact and ramifications of membership in the European Union, the people of the United Kingdom voted last night to ‘leave’ in a historic referendum. Global markets have responded significantly to the downside, a move exacerbated by poorly interpreted polling data … Continued
The decade leading up to the Great Depression was a period of significant technological advancement, broad cultural achievement and well-documented economic prosperity. Often overlooked, however, was that it was also a period of deep grief in the wake of World War I, the greatest trauma the world had known up until that moment. This unique combination … Continued
Sand Hill hosted its first annual Forum back in early 2009 during the depths of the most severe financial crisis in generations, in order to provide timely insight and information to help address that difficult period. We have since then tackled other important related topics, ranging from risk management to behavioral finance to identity theft. … Continued
In Wall Street’s eyes, there are few things more troubling than uncertainty, which has been in no short supply during this current economic cycle. The severity of the recession, the slow recovery, atypical reaction of some asset classes and the level and degree of central bank intervention have all contributed to elevated concerns. One of … Continued
Liquidity, or the lack of it, is what everyone seems to be talking about relative to the bond market these days. What does it mean and why should we care? Don’t we just buy and hold bonds until they mature? Not so much anymore. A security is perceived to be liquid if quantities, large and … Continued
The markets are off to a rough start this year, culminating last week with a capitulation-like sell-off that left the S&P 500 Index down 10% since January 1st. The pull-back was triggered by many of the same worries that we experienced last fall: China’s slowing growth and their overvalued currency, the Federal Reserve’s decision to … Continued
While breaking every established financial record in the movie industry, the release of “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” also brought into clear focus the bifurcated state of the movie industry. Given changes in our collective viewing preferences for entertainment, as well as changing economic forces, studios have gravitated towards the safety and security of producing … Continued