Eight centuries ago, in a muddy field near the royal fortress of Windsor Castle, the unpopular King John was forced to strike one of history’s most important bargains. A group of rebellious barons, resentful of his heavy-handed rule and even heavier taxation policy, coerced his royal seal to one of the most important documents in … Continued
“What good is the warmth of summer, without the cold of winter to give it sweetness?” – John Steinbeck Living in the Bay Area we can easily forget just how harsh winter can be. However, when economic trends began to suggest the U.S. economy was destined for another round of negative first quarter GDP, it … Continued
“Life imitates Art far more than Art imitates Life.” – Oscar Wilde In the run-up to this year’s Super Bowl, the New England Patriots found themselves playing defense against allegations tied to whether or not someone had intentionally deflated their footballs in order to improve their ability to grip them. Just as the Patriots spent … Continued
Oil finished 2014 down a massive 46% – making it the worst performing asset class of 2014. In The Wall Street Journal’s January 2014 economic forecasting survey, economists predicted oil would finish the year at approximately $95 a barrel, up from about $92 at the beginning of the year. But – as we saw very … Continued
“Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!” – Admiral Farragut (paraphrased), August 5th, 1864 In the final year of the American Civil War, as part of a larger effort to blockade Confederate ports, Admiral Farragut entered the heavily mined port of Mobile, Alabama. Tethered, underwater mines were known as ‘”torpedoes” in those days. As his fleet … Continued
Most people are familiar with the popular 1939 movie The Wizard of Oz. Far fewer, however, are familiar with the deeper storyline of the original book written in 1900 by Frank Baum as both a children’s novel and a parable about money reform in the late 1800s. It also addresses the corresponding Midwestern political movement … Continued
“The problem with QE is it works in practice but it doesn’t work in theory.” – Ben Bernanke’s quip in his final public appearance as Chairman of the Federal Reserve One of the more dangerous phrases used in the investment world is ceteris paribus. All else is seldom equal and the market’s core narrative … Continued
“Look at market fluctuations as your friend rather than your enemy; profit from folly rather than participate in it.” – Warren Buffett With Halloween fast approaching, it appears the stock market has decided to let one of its seemingly long lost goblins out of the closet – volatility. While most of us would prefer to … Continued
“I busted a mirror and got seven years bad luck, but my lawyer thinks he can get me five.” – Steven Wright Seven years ago California was facing a severe budget crisis. The state’s expenses exceeded revenues, creating an unsustainable path for the state’s finances, which ultimately unwound with the Great Recession in 2008. By … Continued
“You wish to surrender to me? Very well, I accept.” – The protagonist Westley in the novel The Princess Bride In the novel The Princess Bride, later made into a cult film, The Dread Pirate Roberts is not one person but several characters who successively take the same name in turn. The arrangement thrives because … Continued