The Retired Investor: U.S. Dominance of Global MarketsBy Bill Schmick,
04:15PM / Thursday, March 13, 2025 | |
It has been a great run. For 15 years, the U.S. stock market has been the envy of the world. Led by the FANG stocks, global investors could not get enough of American stocks — until now.
By the end of 2024, global investors had committed more capital to America than ever before. At the same time, the dollar traded at a higher value than ever since the world abandoned fixed exchange rates 50 years ago.
While America's share of the global economy was 27 percent, its stock market represented 70 percent of the worldwide stock market. Since 1992, every year China has grown closer to the U.S. as the world's biggest economy. China's GDP has grown 0 Comments
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The Retired Investor: Government Shutdown Looms LargeBy Bill Schmick,
04:19PM / Thursday, March 06, 2025 | |
It is getting to be a regular occurrence. The U.S. Treasury runs out of money and warns Congress that they need more. Politicians on both sides strut and crow but delay until the 11th hour only to pass another "continuing resolution" for a few months. Will it ever end?
Exactly what is a continuing resolution (CR)? They are temporary spending bills that allow the federal government operations to continue when final appropriations have not been approved by Congress and the president. CRs are never-ending stories with a shelf-life of 2-3 months.
This time, the deadline is March 14. Has anything changed? Well, yes and no. The factions within the 0 Comments
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The Retired Investor: Veterans take it on the chin in DOGE bloodbathBy Bill Schmick,
03:53PM / Thursday, February 27, 2025 | |
They love their country. As such, it is no surprise that many veterans would want to continue to serve their nation after discharge. It is why so many vets apply to work for the federal government. That partnership seemed to work out for both parties—until recently.
For those of us who have served in the military, we have done so out of love for our country. When it called, we stepped up. In exchange, we learned a lot of good things in the armed services. For me the list is long. Leadership, teamwork, a strong work ethic, the ability to handle stressful situations, self-direction, and motivation come to mind. I am sure I have missed some.
These 0 Comments
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The Retired Investor: Are Federal Asset Sales a Solution to Debt Problem?By Bill Schmick,
04:16PM / Thursday, February 20, 2025 | |
At last count, the federal government owns 28 percent of the total land in the U.S., and under the surface of that real estate lies a wealth of oil, gas, and coal. Does selling off federal assets make sense in this era of downsizing government?
President Donald Trump plans to shrink the federal government through firing, hiring freezes, and layoffs. The only personnel spared are those in military enforcement, national security, and public safety. Everything else is fair game.
Earlier this month, regional managers at the General Services Administration (GSA) received memos from headquarters directing them to terminate the leases on approximately 7,500 federal 0 Comments
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The Retired Investor: A Different View on Interest RatesBy Bill Schmick,
04:41PM / Thursday, February 13, 2025 | |
Scott Bessent, the nation's new Treasury secretary, is a product of the investment world. His private sector background brings to the government a different set of tools and ideas that may lessen the burden on the Federal Reserve Bank in its fight against inflation.
For decades, politicians of both parties with few exceptions have left it up to the Federal Reserve Bank to curb inflation while maintaining employment. It has been a tough job, especially when fiscal policy is working at cross purposes with their mandate. The fly in the ointment over the last several decades has been that while the central bank has been largely insulated from political pressures and has 0 Comments
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