When you identify your fears and learn to use them positively, you can develop ways to deal with them that will catapult your dream into reality.
April 13, 2023
Good morning.
Markets initially cheered the news that inflation dropped more than expected. But a 5 percent inflation rate is still historically high, even if it’s at the lowest level in two years. More importantly, it’s more than twice the Fed’s inflation target of 2 percent.
In other words, inflation may have dropped nearly in half from its peak of 9.6 percent last year… but there’s still another half to go. With the banking system feeling the strain of rapidly-rising interest rates already, that second half may not be the soft-landing that markets have priced in.
Traders should continue to be cautious, and look for market volatility to continue. The good news? That means more trading opportunities both long and short in the weeks and months ahead.
Now here’s the rest of the news:
A Major Credit Crunch Has Begun
This is moving even faster than a lot of us thought that it would. For weeks, I have been warning my readers about the coming credit crunch. When banks get into trouble, they start getting really tight with their money. But I thought that it would take some… [Read Here]
Why War Does Not Keep Us Out Of Recessions
When I took my high school’s twentieth-century world history class, both the teacher and workbooks claimed repeatedly that World War II took us out of the Great Depression. Why would anyone question this? After all, unemployment went down… [Read Here]
April 13, 2022
Good morning.
The rise of the pandemic, combined with historically low interest rates, allowed many to buy a second home for vacations. That trend continued into last year. But now, with both rising interest rates and higher loan fees and other expenses for second homes, the trend has ended.
Homebuyers over the past two years have enjoyed significant price appreciation, and the sale of some vacation homes could help keep prices from continuing to rapidly rise.
With the rise of remote work trends, it’s likely that ownership of a second home will continue to stay above pre-pandemic levels for some time. That still bodes well for businesses catering to the housing industry, as shortages still persist in many markets where people are moving to today.
Now here’s the rest of the news:
Inflation Takes Another Record-Breaking Leap
Inflation soared over the past year at its fastest pace in more than 40 years, with costs for food, gasoline, housing, and other necessities squeezing American consumers and wiping out the pay raises that many people have received. [Read Here]
Ukraine Crisis Threatens The U.S. Dollars’s Supremacy
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the economic warfare that followed have reopened the question of whether the dollar’s trade dominance is drawing to an end. What would it take for global commerce to take place outside the US… [Read Here]
April 13, 2021
Good morning.
The stock market is forward-looking. And it’s been looking forward to this earnings season. It’s a chance for companies to report solid numbers for the first quarter of 2021. Earnings are expected to not only be good compared to the 4th quarter, but will also provide a strong view relative to the first quarter of 2020, when stocks had to first start pricing in the pandemic.
But the real question is, what happens after earnings? With some solid numbers likely, and with many companies still avoiding any future guidance, the next few weeks may lead to a big rally for stocks, but then a possible summer selloff. Time will tell, but keep a close eye on guidance from the companies that actually provide it.
Now here’s the rest of the news:
Gold to Rise to $2,000 on Low Rates, Weak Dollar: Aberdeen Standard Investments
Steve Dunn believes a 10-year Treasury yield of 2% will force the Fed to weaken the U.S. dollar to keep debt payments manageable. That’s when he thinks gold investors will flood back into the market… [Read Here]
Infrastructure Bills Do Not Lead To Recovery, Only Increased Federal Control
Brandon Smith of Alt-Market.us reassesses the New Deal’s actual economic impact, and speculates why the Biden administration would follow FDR’s disastrously failed example… [Read Here]
April 13, 2020
Good morning.
I hope you find yourself well rested and reinvigorated for the coming week. There were so many a special & sacred holiday’s that align with this past weekend that it can help to bring new perspective and joy. One thing that may help with that is the news out of New York.
If you’ve been following the COVID-19 outbreak, the num-ber of hospital beds being used is trending significantly be-low previous estimates and appears like it will never come close to the crisis levels originally predicted. This is definitely a blessing!
April 13, 2019
Good Morning … Do It Now!
Have a great Day and a Great Rest-of-the-Week! 🙂
April 13, 2018
Habits of Highly Effective People
Last we checked, humans are not machines, and we don’t all want the same things. But for the most part, we do want to do something purposeful, to use the time we have to the best of our ability, and we also long to discover our authentic selves.
If our lives consist of a series of choices, how do highly effective real people make them?
First and foremost, they know what’s important to them. The greatest productivity hack is to love what you do. It is much, much easier to be both productive and satisfied when you spend most of your time on something you find meaningful.
It really does no good at all to become “good” at the wrong things. It’s actually negative because the more efficient you become, the more likely it is that you’ll continue on the wrong path. Therefore, it’s better to fail quickly at the wrong things, so you can discover the right ones.
They decide for themselves before other people decide for them. Highly effective real people tend to be questionnaires. They don’t accept what they are told at face value. They even examine their own beliefs to find inconsistencies and opportunities for improvement. Whenever someone asks, “You can have A or B, which do you want?” … they often respond by saying, “I’d like C, please.”
This is hard at first, but gets easier as you gain experience. You have to understand that throughout your life, there will always be people who want to decide on your behalf. They have their own goals and agenda. Because they too are human, they care about themselves more than they care about you.
They take time to enjoy life in whatever way makes sense to them. Even though they are highly effective, these people aren’t afraid to spend time on hobbies or different interests. As the saying goes, time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time.
And that’s the key point — time that you enjoy wasting. Maybe you have a weird hobby, or maybe your idea of fun is different from other people’s. Who cares? Do whatever you need to recharge and regroup.
In conversations, they truly listen. They don’t just think about what they’re going to say next. Listening is an underrated skill, yet it’s easy to develop: just start doing it.
Empathy takes practice. Sometimes it’s helpful to repeat back what someone says, not robotically but in more of a “I want to make sure I understand this” way. Over time, you can also learn to listen not only to what is said, but what is unsaid (and sometimes more important).
They learn what time is best to wake up and go to sleep. It’s not the same for everyone! Once they know their ideal rhythms, they try to stick to them, making exceptions only occasionally. Sure, it’s fun to change things up now and then. But if you operate most effectively according to a certain routine, you’ll be most effective when you stick with it.
Highly effective real people embrace goals. The goals vary — and some might not even call them “goals” — but they consistently work towards something. They know that the process is more important than actually achieving the goals, but to have the process, you have to have an endpoint to look towards.
Goals are the tangible expressions of values — what we decide are important to us, and therefore the choices we make each day. Highly effective real people know that the actions they take on one day will affect the opportunities available to them in the future, should they live long enough to see it.
Lastly, they find a balance between service and self-care. Highly effective people know that life isn’t all about them. They want to serve others however they can. They want to make a difference! As they consider their goals, values, and decisions, this value is always present.
Yet it isn’t exclusive. To operate most effectively in life, and to get what you really want, you also need to think about yourself. Not every goal has to be perfectly aligned with what it produces for other people. Personal growth comes through challenge.
It all leads to the overall philosophy of non-conformity: you can do good things for others and yourself at the same time. It’s not either/or, but rather, both/and.
In sum, highly effective people seek to use whatever time they have to the best of their ability.
Habits…
April 13, 2017
I’ve still got plenty to learn. But I’m pretty sure of one thing: With the right mindset and game plan, any ordinary, unconnected, wage-earning American can become wealthy.
Most people — like 98% — who fantasize about becoming rich never will. But for those who do the right things in the right order over a reasonable amount of time, the chances are very good. I’d say 90%+.
Doing the right things in the right order over a reasonable amount of time — what does that mean?
Have a plan … Work a plan!
REW