Bonds

News you can use

by Henry Becker 03.31.2011
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Here are a few headlines that grabbed my attention today US Banks versus UK Banks – Same problem different approaches (for now) NYT PIMCO and Buffett shunning bonds – Bloomberg WalMart calling for “serious inflation” – USA Today US Equity Fund Flows dropping – WSJ    

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History and the markets

by Henry Becker 03.22.2011

History has been a useful guide in managing a portfolio but today’s unprecedented debt, weaker dollar and struggling global economies puts the usefulness of history in question.

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Do bonds mystify you?

by Henry Becker 04.22.2010
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As if the last 18 months have not been challenging enough for stock investors, even the world of bond investing has become more complicated. Just as there are many things that affect stock prices there are certainly forces pushing the bond market around. Interest rates, currency values and fear are just a few of those [...]

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Where is the Yin for the market Yang?

by Henry Becker 11.24.2009
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Yin and Yang in Korean philosophy are opposing forces that are interconnected.  Portfolio construction in the modern world is all about correlation and opposing forces.  Correlation, as it relates to investing, is how two assets move relative to one another.  The application of correlation in portfolio construction is to have some non-correlated assets in your [...]

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Profit from a falling dollar without shorting?

by Henry Becker 09.28.2009
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The dollar is looking heavier than cement boots. How can you profit from the dollar’s weakness without shorting the dollar? A common way to make money in a floundering security without shorting is to find something that moves up when the floundering security moves down. Shorting, especially with ETFs, can be a dangerous proposition if [...]

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Are corporate bonds today’s Cinderella investment?

by Henry Becker 08.20.2009
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It was not that long ago that investors complained endlessly to their advisors about the investment grade corporate bonds in their portfolio.  The common complaint was that the bonds did not go anywhere (compared to stocks).  Worst of all in the market sell of in the last year corporate bonds took their lumps too.  Their [...]

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