Articles written by Real Investment Advice - Benzinga

The VIX And Market Climb: Should We Care?

By Michael Lebowitz The financial media frequently opines on what the daily gyrations of the VIX (implied volatility index) signal regarding investor sentiment. Despite how often it is quoted and discussed, many investors do not truly appreciate what implied volatility measures.

The "Everything Market" Could Last A While Longer

By Lance Roberts We are currently in the “everything market.” It doesn’t matter what you have probably invested in; it is currently increasing in value. However, it isn’t likely for the reasons you think. A recent Marketwatch interview with the always bullish Jim Paulson got his reasoning for the rally.

Agency REITs For A Bull Steepener

By Michael Lebowitz

Market Declines And The Problem Of Time

By Lance Roberts

Risks Facing Bullish Investors As September Begins

By Lance Roberts

Japanese Style Policies And The Future Of America

By Lance Roberts

Market Decline Over As Investors Buy The Dip

The market’s 8.5% decline during August sent shockwaves through the media and investors. The drop raised concerns about whether this was the start of a larger correction or a temporary pullback. However, a powerful reversal, driven by investor buying and corporate share repurchases, halted the decline, leading many to wonder if the worst is behind us.

Are Mega-Caps About To Make A Mega-Comeback?

By Lance Roberts Are the “Mega-Cap” stocks dead? Maybe. But there are four reasons why they could be staged for a comeback. The recent market correction from the July peak certainly got investors’ attention and rattled the more extreme complacency. As we noted previously:

The Sahm Rule, Employment, And Recession Indicators

By Lance Roberts Economist Claudia Sahm developed the “Sahm Rule,” which states that the economy is in recession when the unemployment rate’s three-month average is a half percentage point above its 12-month low. As shown, the latest employment report has triggered that indicator.

Can Mega-Capitalization Stocks Continue Their Dominance?

By Lance Roberts

Fed Rate Cuts – A Signal To Sell Stocks And Buy Bonds?

By Lance Roberts With both economic and inflation data continuing to weaken, expectations of Fed rate cuts are rising. Notably, following the latest consumer price index (CPI) report, which was weaker than expected, the odds of Fed rate cuts by September rose sharply. According to the CME, the odds of a 0.25% cut to the Fed rate are now 90%.

Private Equity – Why Am I So Lucky?

By Lance Roberts

Petrodollar Panic: Separating Fact From Fiction

By Michael Lebowitz Recently, a few media outlets have warned of the imminent demise of the petrodollar agreement, commonly called the petrodollar. With such narratives comes investor anxiety. Consider the following article titles on the topic.

Commodities And The Boom-Bust Cycle

By Lance Roberts It is always interesting when commodity prices rise. The market produces various narratives to suggest why prices will keep growing indefinitely. Such applies to all commodities, from oil to orange juice or cocoa beans. For example, Michael Hartnett of BofA recently noted:

Deviations From Long-Term Growth Trends Back To Extremes

By Lance Roberts In 2022, we discussed the market’s deviations from long-term growth trends. That discussion centered on Jeremy Grantham’s commentary about market bubbles. To wit:

Electricity Demand May Cure Debt Concerns

By Lance Roberts The future of electricity demand for everything from electric cars to Bitcoin mining to artificial intelligence may also be the cure for our debt concerns. Before you dismiss that statement, let me explain.

Moving Average Crossovers Suggest The Bull Is Back

By Lance Roberts

Stock Rally As Powell Sparks A Buying Frenzy

By Lance Roberts The latest FOMC meeting caused a stock rally as Jerome Powell turned more “dovish” than expected. While Powell did note that progress on inflation has been lackluster, the announcement of the reversal of “Quantitative Tightening” (QT) excited the bulls.

Behavioral Traits That Are Killing Your Portfolio Returns

By Lance Roberts Investor psychology is one of the most significant reasons individuals consistently fall short of their investment goals. While one of the most common truisms is that “investors buy high and sell low,” the underlying reason is the behavioral traits that plague our investment decision-making. George Dvorsky once wrote that:

Retirement Crisis Faces Government And Corporate Pensions

By Lance Roberts It is long past the time that we face the fact that “Social Security” is facing a retirement crisis. In June 2022, we touched on this issue, discussing the stark realities confronting Social Security.