SKARBECK: Buffett’s 1999 speech offers wisdom for today
Speaking in front of newly minted IPO multimillionaires, Buffett’s killjoy speech threw cold water on the long-term outlook for investors.
Ken Skarbeck
Articles
SKARBECK: Crisis in student loans requires bold solutions
Cracks are widening in the growing student loan crisis.
SKARBECK: Candidates fail to address nation’s financial problems
If you listen to the presidential candidates, you would think there is unlimited money available to cut taxes and spend taxpayer money like a drunken sailor.
SKARBECK: New rules affect liquidity for money market funds
When the next financial crisis hits, investors could find access to their cash in money funds temporarily restricted.
SKARBECK: $1B Dollar Shave Club sale gives investors lots to ponder
Giant consumer brand companies have relied too heavily on cost-cutting to deliver earnings. Their failure to innovate means they have to acquire upstart businesses that are gaining traction with consumers.
SKARBECK: Investing wisely in market doesn’t have to be complex
The complexity that is being brought to bear in the realm of alternative investing these days is mind-boggling.
SKARBECK: Investors should steer clear of multi-alternative funds
The common thread with multi-alternative mutual funds is that their fees are high and the performance has been outright terrible.
SKARBECK: Pricey LinkedIn purchase reflects frenzy over cloud
Microsoft threw a curveball to investors this month with its $26.2 billion purchase of LinkedIn. The $196-per-share cash offer was 47 percent above LinkedIn’s stock price of $133 per share.
SKARBECK: Brexit not a game-changer for long-term investors
American business has navigated plenty of turmoil and produced attractive results for investors.
SKARBECK: Blockchain might remake payment system
Originally developed as the record-keeping technology behind the digital currency bitcoin, blockchain’s open-ledger system is predicted to transform finance and many other industries.
SKARBECK: Rekindling economic growth may require novel thinking
Policymakers might have to resort to other means to stimulate a stalling economy. One of the more radical ideas is the concept of “helicopter money.”
SKARBECK: After stumbles, hedge funds fall out of favor with investors
The bloom has come off the rose of the decade-long investor stampede into hedge funds.
SKARBECK: Adviser rule is compromise but could protect investors
The goal of the Department of Labor’s fiduciary rule is to have less-conflicted advisers and lower costs for retirement accounts.
SKARBECK: Beware of growing use of ‘adjusted’ earnings
While it’s perfectly legal to present non-GAAP earnings alongside GAAP figures, lately the list of excluded items has expanded to where the difference between the two figures is sometimes substantial.
SKARBECK: Rising corporate profits have justified bull run
Plenty of loud voices argue this long but lazy bull market has been manufactured by the Fed’s policies. That’s not what’s driving stocks.
SKARBECK: Investors can participate in new era of space travel
America is embarking on the next great era of space exploration, and investors in both private and public companies will play a big role.
SKARBECK: Big banks worth a look at today’s cheap prices
it is easy to see why investors are concerned about bank stocks. Yet, barring a broad economic downturn, which doesn’t seem to be in the cards, there are reasons to like U.S. bank stocks at these lower prices.
SKARBECK: World’s bankers pulling out all the tricks to spur growth
Around the world, central bankers are using unconventional strategies in an attempt to stimulate their economies.
SKARBECK: As gloom-and-doomers fret, the wise go bargain hunting
The S&P 500 has fallen 10 percent in the first 11 trading days of 2016. It’s as if someone flipped the sell switch on Jan. 4 and left it on. Predictably, the gloom-and-doomers are out in force.
SKARBECK: Long term outlook? Illiquid options work well
Investors who have long-term outlooks and the temperament to hold less-liquid securities, can take advantage of the opportunities presented in illiquid markets by scooping up stocks and bonds at discount prices.