US

Mother Goose Revisited

If Goldilocks were the presiding genius of the fabled new economy of the roaring nineties, Humpty Dumpty may be more appropriate to the current situation. All the Fed’s horses and all the President’s men are working to put the U.S. economy back together again, but their conventional tools may prove inadequate.

Earning Projections

Due to the consistent upward bias of analyst projections, investors should exercise caution in valuing equities on the basis of forward earnings expectations.

Writing Down Current U.S. Equity Valuations

The disparity among market commentators and analysts in their assessment of market valuations is unusually high today. Although our analysis suggested that the sharp price decline following September 11 brought the U.S. equity market close to fair value, the subsequent rise in the market and our closer analysis of the aggressive earnings assumptions required to…

A Snapshot of the U.S. Economy and Capital Markets

The economy and capital markets were heading decidedly downward before the terrorist attacks intensified the public’s overall feeling of uncertainty and risk. While the post-September 11 panic selling has subsided, markets are still pricing in considerably higher risk premiums than existed prior to the terrorist attacks. This increase in risk-aversion affects economic growth and corporate…

The U.S. Dollar

The U.S. dollar’s recent decline against other major currencies has led to speculation that this long dollar bull market may be over. A secular decline or sharp drop in the U.S. dollar is not inevitable, but it cannot be ruled out.

Indexing to S&P 500–Risky?

Despite the dramatic fall in equity prices since March 2000, today’s S&P 500 still carries a great deal of intrinsic risk relative to its past.

The Current State of Play

Despite the severity of the peak-to-trough declines in the Nasdaq and S&P 500, it is hard to make the case that most equity investors have been put through the wringer of a serious bear market.

Re-examining the Wealth Effect

Several recent studies challenge the validity and pervasiveness of the wealth effect. One report complains about flaws in the methodology behind the calculation of personal savings, while others suggest that the propensity to consume may have moved to a permanent and higher level, which would be less vulnerable to stock market weakness. These arguments hold…