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By smoothing out the effect of the business cycle on corporate earnings, investors get a truer picture of how expensively or cheaply stocks are priced. Yale professor Robert Shiller has popularized this concept and packaged it as the Shiller P/E ratio, alternatively known as the cyclically-adjusted P/E (CAPE) ratio, and it has become a widely followed and efficacious stock market valuation measure. Currently the ratio is standing at a 21.4 (approximately 30% higher than its long-term average) causing many value investors to adopt a cautious stance toward US stocks. [Let me explain more fully.] Words: 690

If I had to guess, I would say that a majority of people in the country still view the housing market in a negative light. They note: •the still-large overhang of foreclosed properties, •the still-low rate of new housing starts, and •the still-depressed level of housing prices in many parts of the country but that is looking at the market from a static viewpoint. There have been some very important improvements in the housing market over the past 18 months...that have all the makings of a clear turnaround that is underway and likely to continue. [Let me explain.] Words: 388

We’ve all heard countless times from mainstream economists, policymakers, and their ilk that America is somehow immune from consequences. They always pin their argument on the dollar standard. ‘Our’ central bank issues the reserve currency of the globe and that alone immunizes us from any repercussions. The 25% unemployment of Spain and Greece? The 50% unemployment among the young people in Spain? Forget about it! Never going to happen here because our paper is better than everyone else’s. Right? Sounds good, but only if you take them at their word and ignore the realities that lie just under the surface. [Let's take a closer look those realities.] Words: 2220

Until policymakers see the light, it's very slow and steady as she goes, with a chance of higher inflation on the horizon. This is not necessarily bad for the stock market, however, since I continue to believe that both stocks and bonds are priced to the expectation that growth will be very weak or even negative in the years to come. Words: 696

The conventional stock market investing advice is rooted in myth - rooted in a false understanding of what the historical stock-return data says about investing for the long-term....Set forth below are five reasons why I believe that the conventional stock market investing advice must soon change. Words: 2067

Financial repression occurs when governments channel funds into their own sovereign bonds in order to reduce debt levels through mechanisms such as directed lending, caps on interest rates, capital controls, debt monetization, or by other means. The promise of financial repression is that it will hold down government borrowing costs and reduce government debt levels, but critics argue that financial repression merely targets the producers of society, i.e., the middle class, and therefore harms the economy. Let's take a look at financial repression ands its supposed pros and cons. Words: 1486

With China becoming the #2 economy in the world it has, without question, transformed into an enormous force in the world’s commodity markets...with many years to come of major commodity production, consumption, and importation for China and the countries that serve that commodity food chain. [Let's examine China's dominance in the commodity industry and identify investment opportunities to take advantage of continued growth.] Words: 1282

Screams about how these top-bracket income tax and capital-gains tax increases will ruin the economy by hammering spending and eliminating the incentive to work can be seen for what they are - the whining of people who don't want their taxes to go up [BUT, when it comes to the possible increase in the top tax on dividends they have a point - a BIG point - a VERY big point. Let me explain.] Words: 450

Total sales for the season are projected to be at $586 billion - a 4% increase over last year - and this year, mobile is going to make a big impact on just how that money gets spent. We've gathered a wealth of data relative to this year's holiday retailing season, specifically as it pertains to online and mobile behaviors, and you'll find that data in this infographic

You have probably read in multiple articles that mining stocks offer leverage to the movement of the underlying metal. This hasn’t been the case over the past several years, however, which has created some confusion in the precious metals investment community. While the gold price has more than doubled (+110%) in the past five years, the AMEX Gold Bugs Index (HUI) is up only 15% so why do people keep saying that mining stocks offer leverage? Well, because they do during certain periods of the bull market. [Let me explain the situation more fully and exactly where we are in the current bull market.] Words: 677