We received a host of economics reports this past week; some good, others not so much. The week started with the Consumer Price Index report coming in better than expected at an increase of just 0.1% from the previous month (7.1% from a year ago), compared with respective estimates of 0.3% and 7.3%. This is great news (and the market [...]
Legendary investor and Berkshire Hathaway vice-chair Charles Munger recently stated: "The world is not driven by greed. It’s driven by envy." I think this perfectly encapsulates our current investing era. In a day and age where social media has replaced not only traditional news media but human interaction, where influencers and gamers are top career aspirations for the nation’s youth, [...]
Alhambra CEO Joe Calhoun explains why investors should follow the advice of the ancient Greeks and their Delphic Maxims.
Note: This will be my last full commentary for 2022. I will spend the month of December on research for next year, visiting with family, and taking some much-needed time off. I will still be watching markets, as will all the other members of the Alhambra team and if something happens which requires me to communicate, I'll certainly do that. [...]
International events and a strong U.S. dollar and not decimating foreign markets as you would expect. And things look even better if viewed through the lens of local currencies. Alhambra CEO Joe Calhoun breaks down the Currency Illusion.
When we think about the challenges facing an investor today, the big problems, the things we worry about that could cause a lot more harm than some interest rate hikes, are mostly outside the United States. China is prominent this weekend because of demonstrations against their zero-COVID policies. The Chinese people appear to be pretty well fed up with the [...]
Every great portfolio needs a volatility control. Steve Brennan and Alhambra CEO Joe Calhoun discuss the need for Real Estate as part of overall allocation.
Is the US economy on the verge of recession? Is it already in recession? We have several indications that the US economy is slowing and at least one that points to recession soon and maybe now. From the Conference Board's release of its Leading Economic Indicators last week: “The US LEI fell for an eighth consecutive month, suggesting the economy [...]
Even in the current market, there are opportunities to invest. Steve Brennan and Alhambra CEO Joe Calhoun discuss developing trends, shifts in the stock market, and when it may be time to switch from defense to offense.
One thing I can tell you for certain about last week's big rally on Thursday and Friday: there were a lot of people who desperately wanted a good excuse to buy stocks. And buy they did after a better-than-expected CPI report Thursday morning, pushing the S&P 500 up nearly 6% on the week with all of that coming on Thursday [...]
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