Should We Accept There Are Problems In The World The US Cannot Solve? Authored by Mike Shedlock via MishTalk.com, The US and EU need to address the above question. Philosophical Question of the Day Credit Wolfgang Münchau at Eurointelligence for the question. I changed it slightly. He phrased it as EU, not US.  The Green MEP, Reinhard Bütigkofer, wrote yesterday that Ursula von der Leyen had personally intervened to stop the EU from upgrading its ties with Taiwan. We ourselves would like to know whether this decision was preceded by a phone call from Berlin, or whether the spirit of Angela Merkel is already roaming independently inside the Berlaymont building. The acting German chancellor said yesterday that it would be damaging for Europe to decouple totally … [Read More...]

Broad Equity Market Tone:Advance/Decline Line: LowerSector Performance: Most Sectors DecliningVolume: Around Average Market Leading Stocks: Performing In LineEquity Investor Angst:Volatility(VIX) 17.9 +2.0% Bloomberg Global Risk On/Risk Off Index 2,959.0 -147.0 points Euro/Yen Carry Return Index 132.72 -1.0% Emerging Markets Currency Volatility(VXY) 9.9 +2.4% S&P 500 Implied Correlation 48.5 +.6% ISE Sentiment Index 127.0 -17.0 pointsTotal Put/Call .77 +14.9% NYSE Arms 1.3 -.8% Credit Investor Angst:North American Investment Grade CDS Index 51.43 +.60% US Energy High-Yield OAS 397.90 +3.2%European Financial Sector CDS Index 58.21 +1.9% Italian/German 10Y Yld Spread 121.0 +1.0 basis pointAsia Ex-Japan Investment Grade CDS Index 85.03 -2.4%Emerging Market CDS Index 187.49 +1.1%China Corp. High-Yield Bond USD ETF(KHYB) 33.4 +.54% 2-Year Swap Spread 26.25 +2.0 basis pointsTED Spread 11.75 +.25 basis point3-Month EUR/USD … [Read More...]

I review the list of dividend increases every week, as part of my review process. I focus my attention on companies that raised dividends in the current week, and have at least a ten-year track record of annual dividend increases. Only a company with a strong cash flow generating business can afford to grow dividends for a long period of time. Therefore, a business growing dividends for at least… To read the whole article, please click on the article title above. [Read More...]

In general, once you become eligible for Medicare (either by reaching age 65 or by being on Social Security disability for two years), your Medicare premiums for a given year are based on your modified adjusted gross income (MAGI*) from two years prior. For example, a person’s 2022 premiums are based on their 2020 income level. The law is written this way for a simple pragmatic reason: “two years ago” is generally the most recent data Medicare has at the time they must determine your premium for a given year. For example, a person’s 2022 Medicare premiums must be determined in 2021 — at which point Medicare doesn’t have the person’s 2021 information yet, so they use 2020. However, the law also provides that, if your income declines significantly … [Read More...]

A few years ago, I read about an article, that outlined the attitudes of investors at different levels of net worth. According to an investors poll in Investor’s Business Daily – 27% of investors with networth below $100,000 used futures and options as their primary trading investment vehicles, – Only 1 % of investors with networth above $500,000 used futures and options The poll also… To read the whole article, please click on the article title above. [Read More...]

Smith: Leftists Support Tyranny, Conservatives Do Not; It’s Time To Separate Authored by Brandon Smith via Alt-Market.us, One of the great semantic debates of the past decade has been the ongoing attempt to muddle the definition of “Left vs Right” in the American political sphere. For example, a lot of people who are new to the liberty movement (people who became active during or after the Trump campaign in 2016) have heard of the “false left/right paradigm”, but they have no clue what it actually means. If you think it means there are no legitimate political sides in this fight and that the entire conflict is theatrical or manipulated, then you are misinformed. The false left/right paradigm specifically refers to the fake division … [Read More...]

Broad Equity Market Tone:Advance/Decline Line: Substantially HigherSector Performance: Most Sectors RisingVolume: Around Average Market Leading Stocks: Performing In LineEquity Investor Angst:Volatility(VIX) 16.4 -7.4% Bloomberg Global Risk On/Risk Off Index 3,148.0 +175.0 points Euro/Yen Carry Return Index 134.38 -.21% Emerging Markets Currency Volatility(VXY) 9.0 +.9% S&P 500 Implied Correlation 48.7 -3.9% ISE Sentiment Index 151.0 +31.0 pointsTotal Put/Call .72 -2.7% NYSE Arms 1.35 +95.7% Credit Investor Angst:North American Investment Grade CDS Index 51.1 -.7% US Energy High-Yield OAS 378.03 -1.8%European Financial Sector CDS Index 56.70 -.4% Italian/German 10Y Yld Spread 121.0 +2.0 basis pointsAsia Ex-Japan Investment Grade CDS Index 88.5 -1.1%Emerging Market CDS Index 178.68 -.6%China Corp. High-Yield Bond USD ETF(KHYB) 33.6 +1.5% 2-Year Swap Spread 24.0 +1.5 basis pointsTED Spread 11.0 +.25 basis point3-Month EUR/USD Cross-Currency Basis … [Read More...]

NASA To Crash Spacecraft Into Asteroid, Testing Earth’s Planetary Defenses Asteroids orbit the Sun and sometimes come close to Earth. When these space rocks come within 30 million miles of Earth, NASA calls them Near-Earth objects (NEOs). On Nov. 23, the space agency plans to launch a spacecraft into Earth’s orbit that will eventually slam into an asteroid about a year from now, hoping to alter the space rock’s course.  NASA is currently making launch preparations for the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) spacecraft to be catapulted into Earth’s orbit via a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on Nov. 23.  NASA’s Planetary Defense Officer Lindley Johnson wrote in a press release:  “DART will be the first demonstration of the ‘kinetic impactor’ technique in which a spacecraft deliberately collides with a known … [Read More...]

Broad Equity Market Tone:Advance/Decline Line: LowerSector Performance: MixedVolume: Above Average Market Leading Stocks: Performing In LineEquity Investor Angst:Volatility(VIX) 15.9 +5.3% Bloomberg Global Risk On/Risk Off Index 3,277.0 -171.0 points Euro/Yen Carry Return Index 135.47 -.75% Emerging Markets Currency Volatility(VXY) 9.04 -.55% S&P 500 Implied Correlation 49.3 -2.1% ISE Sentiment Index 130.0 +6.6 pointsTotal Put/Call .68 unch. NYSE Arms 1.64 +80.2% Credit Investor Angst:North American Investment Grade CDS Index 50.24 -1.6% US Energy High-Yield OAS 352.36 -2.5%European Financial Sector CDS Index 55.71 -3.1% Italian/German 10Y Yld Spread 116.0 -6.0 basis pointsAsia Ex-Japan Investment Grade CDS Index 81.32 -.74%Emerging Market CDS Index 179.30 -1.3%China Corp. High-Yield Bond USD ETF(KHYB) 33.1 -.42% 2-Year Swap Spread 20.75 unch.TED Spread 10.0 +.5 basis point3-Month EUR/USD Cross-Currency Basis Swap -19.25 -.5 basis pointMBS 5/10 Treasury Spread 65.75 +3.75 basis … [Read More...]

A reader writes in, asking: “I am planning to do a smallish conversion each year before I turn 72. I am 66. Now though, I recall hearing a CFP say that it is important also to do a ‘breakeven analysis’ before converting money from a traditional to a Roth IRA. He has found that, for most of his clients, the breakeven point is too distant for a conversion to provide a meaningful benefit. Clients would have to be in their 90s. If you have room in your blog, please touch on what a “breakeven analysis” is in the context of a Roth conversion and how to do it.” This is a common misconception — one that is common even among financial professionals, unfortunately. In most cases, … [Read More...]

Broad Equity Market Tone:Advance/Decline Line: Around EvenSector Performance: MixedVolume: Around Average Market Leading Stocks: Performing In LineEquity Investor Angst:Volatility(VIX) 16.5 -.5% Bloomberg Global Risk On/Risk Off Index 3,240.0 -55.0 points Euro/Yen Carry Return Index 135.78 -.74% Emerging Markets Currency Volatility(VXY) 9.1 +.44% S&P 500 Implied Correlation 52.1 -5.0% ISE Sentiment Index 104.0 -29.0 pointsTotal Put/Call .86 +32.3% NYSE Arms 1.30 +39.8% Credit Investor Angst:North American Investment Grade CDS Index 51.37 +1.1% US Energy High-Yield OAS 354.08 +.55%European Financial Sector CDS Index 58.18 +2.1% Italian/German 10Y Yld Spread 128.0 +9.0 basis pointsAsia Ex-Japan Investment Grade CDS Index 81.02 +1.3%Emerging Market CDS Index 186.18 +2.17%China Corp. High-Yield Bond USD ETF(KHYB) 33.41 -.62% 2-Year Swap Spread 19.25 +2.0 basis pointsTED Spread 8.5 -.5 basis point3-Month EUR/USD Cross-Currency Basis … [Read More...]

I like to profile successful dividend investors, who come from humble beginnings, invest their savings patiently for decades, live frugally and end up making a difference in their communities. One such example is Stephanie Mucha. She was a nurse, who invested in stocks for several decades, who ended up donating over $5 million to charity. The is called “The Oracle of Buffalo” for her savvy stock… To read the whole article, please click on the article title above. [Read More...]

Durham Probe Inches Closer To Hillary As Alfa Bank Hoax Plot Thickens Authored by Paul Sperry via RealClearInvestigations.com, A Hillary Clinton campaign operation to plant a false rumor about Donald Trump setting up a “secret hotline” to Moscow through a Russian bank was much broader than known and involved multiple U.S. agencies, according to declassified documents and sources briefed on an ongoing criminal investigation of the scheme. In addition to the FBI, the 2016 Clinton campaign tried to convince the Obama administration’s State Department, Justice Department and Central Intelligence Agency to look into the hoax, and continued pressing the issue even after Trump was inaugurated in January 2017.The goal was to trigger federal investigative activity targeting her Republican rival and leak the damaging information to the … [Read More...]

Broad Equity Market Tone:Advance/Decline Line: LowerSector Performance: MixedVolume: Around Average Market Leading Stocks: Performing In LineEquity Investor Angst:Volatility(VIX) 15.6 +3.7% Bloomberg Global Risk On/Risk Off Index 3,601.0 +61.0 points Euro/Yen Carry Return Index 136.18 -.41% Emerging Markets Currency Volatility(VXY) 9.11 +1.2% S&P 500 Implied Correlation 52.8 +3.6% ISE Sentiment Index 84.0 -35.0 pointsTotal Put/Call .81 +9.5% NYSE Arms 1.21 -13.6% Credit Investor Angst:North American Investment Grade CDS Index 51.69 +.84% US Energy High-Yield OAS 348.04 -.09%European Financial Sector CDS Index 56.88 +.45% Italian/German 10Y Yld Spread 110.0 +6.0 basis pointsAsia Ex-Japan Investment Grade CDS Index 83.55 -.69%Emerging Market CDS Index 184.82 +2.0%China Corp. High-Yield Bond USD ETF(KHYB) 34.55 +.03% 2-Year Swap Spread 17.25 +.5 basis pointTED Spread 7.25 -1.0 basis point3-Month EUR/USD Cross-Currency Basis … [Read More...]

Warren Buffett is one of the best investors in the world. The reason why he’s so famous is that he has managed to compound money at an above average rate of return for over 70 years. If you look at this chart of historical returns of famous investors, you would notice an interesting fact. The first is that the investors who have generated very high rates of return tend to only last… To read the whole article, please click on the article title above. [Read More...]

Gordon Chang: Joe Biden’s Taiwan Policy Is Now A Total Disaster Authored by Gordon Chang via 19fortyfive.com, “He is just too old and likes to bluff, doesn’t know what he is talking about,” tweeted China Daily’s Chen Weihua on Friday, referring to President Joe Biden. On Thursday, Biden told CNN’s Anderson Cooper he would defend Taiwan. “Yes, we have a commitment to do that,” the President said, responding to a question about what the U.S. would do if China attacked the island republic. Chen’s dismissive comment confirms that America’s deterrence of China is eroding fast. “Biden has been anything but clear,” ABC News wrote about the President’s intentions toward Taiwan. On the contrary, he has been crystal clear, on a number of … [Read More...]

There’s a common refrain in retirement planning that you want to spend from tax-deferred accounts when your marginal tax rate is low (as is often the case in years after you retire but before Social Security and RMDs kick in). It’s true that it’s better to spend from tax-deferred accounts than from Roth accounts when your tax rate is low. But there are other dollars that you want to spend first every year. Let’s consider an example. Imagine that, in a given month, you’re trying to decide from which account to draw your next $1,000 of spending. And let’s also imagine that, so far this year, your taxable income has not yet fully offset your standard deduction and credits … [Read More...]