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Linus Pauling Categories
Tag Archives: interest rates
Layoffs, housing data point to chronic problems
Sour reports Thursday, June 23, on the number of people who sought unemployment benefits and buyers of new homes illustrate what Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke acknowledged Wednesday: Many factors weighing on the economy are proving to be more chronic than first imagined. Read More
Why safe corporate bonds aren’t so smart anymore
The safest corporate debt isn’t looking so smart anymore. Read More
Once bullish, contrarian Jim Grant likes cash now
Jim Grant quotes obscure dead economists at length. He pines for an earlier time of gas lights and top hats when the dollar was convertible to gold. He wears bowties. Read More
Why inflation hurts more than it did 30 years ago
Inflation spooked the nation in the early 1980s. It surged and kept rising until it topped 13 percent.
These days, inflation is much lower. Yet to many Americans, it feels worse now. And for a good reason: Their income has been even flatter than inflation. Read More
Consumer spending and incomes rose in February
Americans earned a little more and spent a little more in February, thanks to a tax cut. But a big part of the extra money went to cover higher gas prices.
Consumer spending jumped 0.7 percent last month and personal incomes rose 0.3 percent, the Commerce Department said. Both gains reflected a Social Security tax cut, which boosted take-home pay. Still, high gas prices soaked up much of the spending increase. Read More
Markets are more predictable than you think
The markets may be rational after all.
The threat of severe nuclear contamination from a breached Japanese nuclear reactor still looms. The outcome of the escalating war in Libya is uncertain. Yet The Standard & Poor’s 500 index ended the week up 2.7 percent. The Dow Jones industrial average rose 3.1 percent. So what happened to all that headline-driven volatility from two weeks ago? Read More
Ultra-Short Bond Funds: Know Where You’re Parking Your Money
Ultra-short bond funds are mutual funds that generally invest in fixed income securities with extremely short maturities, or time periods in which they become due for payment. Like other bond mutual funds, ultra-short bond funds may invest in a wide range of securities, including corporate debt, government securities, mortgage-backed securities, and other asset-backed securities. Read More
Climbing a Bond Ladder
There is usually more than one way to travel from point A to point B. When planning a trip, a person can look at a map or use the internet to identify a variety of carriers or alternate routes that will deliver a person to a desired destination. There will naturally be advantages and disadvantages with each carrier and each route selected. So it is with fixed income investing: there are a variety of investment products and structuring techniques that may help deliver targeted results. Read More
Investors’ return to US stocks could be too late
Investors are finally inching back into the stock market. But are they too late?
While millions sought refuge in traditionally stable bonds over the past two years, they missed a more than 90 percent rally in stocks. Suddenly bonds don’t look so safe, and some of the $11 trillion that Americans have parked in mutual funds is shifting back to stocks.
After putting more than $570 billion into bonds over the past two years, mutual fund investors reversed course last fall Read More
Credit cards in 2011: Higher rates, richer rewards
A new breed of credit cards is on the way for 2011. Tighter regulations, cutting-edge technologies and a growing willingness by banks to lend again are just some of the factors reshaping the credit card industry. For sharp-eyed consumers, the changes could present an opportunity to significantly lower monthly expenses.
To make the most of your plastic, here are the key trends to watch…read more Read More
Questions to consider on long-term care coverage
The market for long-term care insurance grew even more foreboding for some consumers last year when big insurers announced sizeable premium hikes.
Insurers that provide coverage for a nursing home stay, adult day care or a home health aide have seen higher-than expected claims at the same time their ability to grow a cash cushion has been hampered by low interest rates. Because of the squeeze, MetLife Inc. recently stopped selling coverage…read more Read More
Fund investors begin slowly embracing US stocks
It appears investors are beginning to get comfortable with risk again. Not only are they pulling money out of bond mutual funds at the fastest pace in two years, but they’re slowly starting to embrace stocks again.
The shift in sentiment comes as positive economic news and robust corporate earnings lift stocks, which have risen 20 percent since the start of September.
Prices of bonds, typically less risky than stocks, are heading in the opposite direction. A broad measure of the bond market, the Barclays Capital U.S. Aggregate Bond index, is down nearly 3 percent since early November…read more Read More
Gold continues record-setting pace
Gold continued its record-setting pace as investors sought a haven until they learn what the Federal Reserve plans to do about the economy . . . read more Read More
The Straight Answer on Improving Your Credit Score
Lenders are judging credit scores more closely than ever in the aftermath of the economic crisis. To qualify for no-fee cards, secure a loan and keep your interest rates low, you need . . . read more Read More
