Posts by Adam Baratta

August 31, 2016 |

Another Vote Against Negative Interest Rates

Negative rates

As the spread of negative interest rates is set to continue, German bank boss John Cryan is voicing his thoughts on the monetary policy tool. Cryan is the CEO of Deutsche Bank, Germany’s largest bank and a bank that is recognized all over the globe. As more financial experts weigh in on the potential effects of negative interest rates, Cryan made his opinion fairly clear, stating that such a policy could have “fatal consequences.” Deutsche Bank has felt the effects of negative interest rates which... Continue Reading

Category |

August 25, 2016 |

World Bank to Become First SDR Bond Issuer in China

Yuan

The People’s Bank of China recently approved the inaugural issue of bonds denominated in SDRs (Special Drawing Rights) by the World Bank. This is the first bank to receive such approval and represents the beginning of the SDR bond market in the world’s second largest economy. In issuing the SDR bonds, the World Bank is expanding its product base as it looks to open and develop new markets. Why is this important? This new issue of SDR bonds in the Chinese market may yet be... Continue Reading

Category |

August 15, 2016 |

The Earlier the Better

another warning sign

The idea of saving early and often is widely publicized in financial media, and this notion is certainly grounded in some very time-tested and solid principles. In fact, it has been shown time and time again that those who start saving early in their working lives and continue to save throughout their working lives can amass some very considerable fortunes. In our view, there are two things that make this possible. The power of compound interest The power of dollar cost averaging Should you look... Continue Reading

Category |

August 10, 2016 |

Welcome Lower Prices With Open Arms

3 reasons

Gold saw some decent selling pressure to end last week’s trading, with spot prices falling by nearly two percent. Friday’s non-farm payrolls data was the primary culprit, as the report showed the U.S. added 255,000 jobs last month-well above consensus estimates of 180,000 jobs. The unemployment rate moved a tad higher, but that may simply be attributed to an increase in the labor participation rate. Combined with positive revisions for both May and June, the jobs data was described by analysts as “stellar, strong and... Continue Reading

Category |

August 9, 2016 |

BOE Takes Action

Economic stimulus

The Bank of England yesterday took some preliminary measures to boost economic activity following the nation’s June 23rd vote to exit the European Union. These measures included an interest rate cut from .5 to a record low .25 percent along with some $10 billion in corporate bond purchases and $60 billion in government debt. And there may very well be more to come… While stocks were heavily sold-off initially following the Brexit vote, they have come roaring back, with some indices reaching fresh all-time highs.... Continue Reading

Category |

August 3, 2016 |

The Stock Market Fallacy

how quickly things can change

After seeing a decent sell-off following the June 23rd Brexit referendum, stocks have not only fully recovered, but the broad market S&P 500 is probing deeper into new all-time high territory. After the S&P fell over 120 handles in the wake of Brexit, the market took just days to recover. Since that recovery, the market has remained on the offensive, with seemingly unstoppable forces behind it propelling it to fresh all-time highs. This begs the question: What powers could be behind the sharp rise in... Continue Reading

Category |

July 26, 2016 |

ECB Ready for More Printing?

Printing press

The European Central Bank met yesterday and as expected, kept interest rates at record lows in an attempt to revive growth and spur inflation. The central bank also added that it intends to maintain rates at current levels, or possibly even lower for an extended period of time. Back in March, the ECB cut its deposit rates deeper into negative territory and increased its stimulus measures. While no action was taken yesterday, the overall message appears to be pretty clear: Rates could remain low and... Continue Reading

Category |

July 18, 2016 |

A Black Hole of Debt

Black hole

In the German language, the word for debt – ‘schuld’ – means the same thing as guilt. Someone who has a tremendous amount of guilt would seek forgiveness. So the term many economists are now using – forgiveness – in regards the world’s growing debt problem would seem appropriate. But this term does not encapsulate the crises that would result if a large portion of debt was erased by policy makers. Until recently, the term ‘debt forgiveness’ in regards to government and corporate debt was... Continue Reading

Category |

July 12, 2016 |

Gold Poised for More Gains

on the way

  The gold market is showing some significant signs of strength recently that cannot be denied. Price action on Friday was indicative of the significant underlying strength currently being seen in gold ­ and with good reason. Following the Employment Situation report for June, which showed non­farm payrolls adding an additional 287,000 jobs, gold saw some decent selling. That selling, however, was quickly met by willing buyers who happily scooped up gold on the dip. By late afternoon, gold was in positive territory for the... Continue Reading

Category |

July 6, 2016 |

A Lurking Danger

major hurdles

It seems that the pace and timing of additional interest rate hikes by the Federal Reserve has largely dominated financial headlines in recent months. While the general consensus seems to be that the pace of further hikes will be very slow and incremental, we’d like to present an alternative possibility that seemingly few investors are considering. What if inflation expectations were to pick up rapidly? What if in the coming quarters, inflation were to accelerate at a pace significantly faster than the Fed’s two percent... Continue Reading

Category |