Strategies

Financial markets are influenced by relatively predictable cycles and should play a big role in one's decision-making process just as they do in our day-to-day lives. This article takes a look at several and discusses their relevance to one's investment management process.

To understand how the stock market behaves it is imperative to realize that the stock market is overwhelmingly influenced by interest rates. It’s difficult to overstate this key fact. Interest rates are the bone and marrow of the stock market. More specifically, the stock market is ruled by long-term and short-term interest rates creating an overriding framework for what drives the market in which different sectors do better or worse at different points in the economic cycle. This article explains the behavior more fully.

Wearable tech has come a long way from it's humble beginnings that started with the calculator watch and is likely on the brink of rapid ascension, especially with big hitters like Samsung and Apple pursuing the opportunity. Take a look at today's infographic and find out what kind of wearable gadgets you can get your hands on today from these and other top companies!

What investors are actually doing with their money – acting out of fear or greed – is a better predictor of future stock market returns than even Buffett’s favorite, and highly touted, total market capitalization-to-GNP valuation measure. How do we use this information as a contrary indicator? How do we put it into practice? Read on.

Wearable technology has been around in some form since the 17th century. However, it is only in the last five years, with the miniaturization of technology that it has started to emerge as a game changer enabling businesses to increase productivity, reduce costs, and improve employment practices and providing consumers with many innovative and life-enhancing products.

Many financial firms that focus on older, wealthier generations such as Baby Boomers are unprepared from the coming general shift. They will have to reshape their services and message to meet the needs of Millennials.The stakes are high for both sides. Here's why.

For any retail investor looking at technology opportunities, identifying just where various technologies are in their respective development (how much work is still to be done to bring the ideas to fruition) and, as such, when each of them will become realities, is imperative. Our Hype Cycle graph does just that. Take a look.

Move over Millennials, there’s already a newer generation businesses are interested in, and it’s called “Gen Z”. If you were not familiar with this new generation label, no one would blame you. Generation Z is currently under construction, with a vague birth range that starts in the mid-90’s to present day. This infographic provides some basics on Gen Z.

If the past long-term cyclical correlations between interest rates, equities, and commodities were to play out as they have done going back to the 1880s, U.S. stocks and interest rates should continue to rise as commodities either fall or underperform according to a 60-year cyclical pattern model referred to as The Market Map.

Ponzi schemes. You’ve heard about them in the news. Charismatic schemers make promises of outsized returns by providing early investors quick returns (made up of money from even newer investors) and then lure thousands of gullible or inexperienced investors into much bigger risks eventually robbing them of million Despite warnings, many people continue to fall for such schemes. This infographic presents the low down on Ponzi schemes.