Finance / the Markets

Apr 20, 2011 at 08:27 | Mad Hedge Fund Trader

My current scenario for global equities has them selling off over the summer, then a rebounding led by emerging markets starting sometime in the fall. In that case, you…

Apr 18, 2011 at 19:57 | Mad Hedge Fund Trader

No one has been more negative about the long term outlook for the Treasury bond markets than I. At the rate that we are piling on spending while chopping back…

Apr 18, 2011 at 09:24 | Mark Nicholls

The overweighting of the UK stock market towards fossil fuel companies means that UK pension funds are at particular risk of any sudden reassessment of the viability of high-carbon energy…

Apr 14, 2011 at 09:09 | Stuart Burns

Following our two-part article on the price of oil and the consequences for global growth posted April 12, it was interesting to see a Reuters article that reported…

Apr 14, 2011 at 07:59 | Mad Hedge Fund Trader

With the Q1 earnings season now underway, investors seeking a repeat of Q4’s blistering results are about to be sorely disappointed. While calendar 2010 delivered a white hot 41% improvement…

Apr 08, 2011 at 09:27 | Dian L. Chu

If you take a look at the unusual market trends--nothing seems to faze the markets and commodities trading in tandem with stocks, then one thing becomes glaringly clear - --…

Mar 29, 2011 at 04:23 | Mad Hedge Fund Trader

The July 21 deadline for the hedge funds to register required by the one year anniversary of the Dodd-Frank bill is fast approaching, and the industry is roiling with turmoil.…

Mar 21, 2011 at 16:45 | Ronald Stoeferle

In the preface to his classic work “The Theory of Money and Credit”, Ludwig von Mises says: “Nevertheless, the problem of money has remained one of the darkest chapters in…

Mar 15, 2011 at 17:00 | Mad Hedge Fund Trader

I went into the Japanese earthquake positioning for a big “RISK OFF” trade, and it now looks like we are getting it in spades. The black swans are alighting.

Mar 14, 2011 at 00:00 | Mad Hedge Fund Trader

I just got off the phone with several frightened, somewhat dazed survivors of the Japanese earthquake who work in the financial markets, and I thought it important to immediately pass…

Mar 13, 2011 at 19:24 | Mad Hedge Fund Trader

During my ten years in Japan, I suffered through many earthquakes. One shaker caught me on the 20th floor of the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan, where the building swayed…

Mar 10, 2011 at 20:33 | Mad Hedge Fund Trader

I have been a huge bear on the Treasury bond market, saying that you must sell every rally for the next ten years. But markets have to breathe, and nothing…

Mar 09, 2011 at 23:09 | Mad Hedge Fund Trader

On this two year anniversary of the great bull market, one has to ask if it is about to die of old age. Take a look at the chart below…

Mar 09, 2011 at 07:10 | Gloria Gonzalez

The crisis in Libya and its impact on the energy markets shows the importance of oil, gas and mining companies fully disclosing the political, legal and regulatory risks they face,…

Mar 07, 2011 at 20:39 | Mad Hedge Fund Trader

There is no happier corner of the fixed income universe, which has been soaring like a bat out of hell for the past two years. Average yields for the bond…

Mar 03, 2011 at 09:38 | Christopher Laird

As the US enters deflation, and gold rockets up, it’s time to ask what happens when the USD loses its haven status. The leading candidates to compete with the USD…

Mar 03, 2011 at 09:10 | Mad Hedge Fund Trader

A confidential report from the Pentagon just made public says that the 2008 financial crisis was the result of targeted attacks by terrorists groups. A ramp up of oil prices…

Mar 01, 2011 at 20:35 | Mad Hedge Fund Trader

ETF’s are much more attractive than mutual fund competitors, with their notoriously bloated expenses and spendthrift marketing costs. You can’t miss those glitzy, overproduced, big budget ads on TV for…

Mar 01, 2011 at 20:34 | Mad Hedge Fund Trader

Many hedge fund traders are unhappy about the current near monopoly enjoyed by the top three ETF issuers, Black Rock, State Street, and Vanguard, which control 83% of the market.…

Mar 01, 2011 at 08:05 | RFE/RL staff

Food prices are shooting up to levels last seen back in 2008, when foodstuff inflation hit populations around the world. If present trends continue, though, some consumers might find themselves…