A combination of stronger economic growth, declining interest rates, and expectations that the economy will get even better pushed the U.S. stock markets to another set of record highs this week. As fears of higher bond yields continue to fade, sectors that do well under lower interest rates took off this week. Commodities in general came back in favor and even the greatest laggard of all—gold—saw some fresh demand. That’s right, the precious metal I least favored at the beginning of the year actually came to life, although it has a long way to go before recapturing its former luster….
Insights & Advice
Bill Schmick
A highway of opportunity
Most Americans seem excited and hopeful about the prospects for the Biden Administration’s infrastructure plan. Local politicians as well as their construction buddies are salivating at the possible promise of getting their share of this multi-trillion-dollar prize. But looking beyond the pork barrel, we might want to consider how innovation and technology could help America regain its first-class status in infrastructure. As of 2019, the United States is ranked 13th in the quality of its infrastructure, after countries like Singapore, Japan, Germany, and the United Kingdom among others. Of course, it may not be a fair comparison since the U.S….
Stocks grind higher as bond yields retreat
April is usually a good month for markets. Historically, it is one of the three best months of the year for equities. We all know what happens in May (‘sell in May and go away’) but we will worry about that later. Over in the bond market, the bond vigilantes may have started to doubt their conviction that inflation is a fait accompli and so yields must go up. This week, yields declined a bit, which gave a boost to some sectors (gold and silver, for example), while banks pulled back a little. But Friday’s Producer Price Index report for…
Water is becoming a rare commodity
America is running out of water. During the next 50 years, the nation could see its fresh water supply reduced by one third. But if you think that’s a problem for the next generation, you are wrong. This year alone, as many as 83 out of 204 U.S. water basins could begin to feel the brunt of these shortages. And don’t think these shortages will only affect those regions that we would expect to be dry. The central and southern Great Plains, the Southwest and central Rocky Mountain states, as well as the South, Midwest, and parts of California are…