Disparity of income has been a preponderate subject for politicians and activist groups for some time, yet in the end, it’s those that earn the higher incomes that pay for the majority of taxes. An estimated 77.5 million Americans, identified as households, pay no federal income tax. The non-partisan, non-profit tax group known as The Tax Policy Center released income …
Which States Have the Highest Gas Tax – Fiscal Policy
Many states continue to grapple with the effects of falling fuel prices. Resource-heavy states like Alaska are particularly hard hit. Even states that do not produce gasoline are being affected. The lower fuel costs are bringing in less gas tax revenue in some states causing budget deficits. Taxing gasoline is controlled by the states, not the federal government, allowing states …
Macro Overview
Macro Overview February 2017 A change in sentiment was prevalent throughout the markets as new rules and regulatory reversals began to take effect. Volatility rose as markets tried to discern President Trump’s policies. Equity markets propelled to new highs in January as optimism fueled U.S. equities, sending the Dow Jones Industrial Average to a new milestone level of 20,000. The …
Trump Tax Proposals – Fiscal Policy
A new presidency usually brings the promise and hope of a more efficient government, lower taxes and a simpler approach. With a new administration now in place, the pursuit of these ideals is in play. Trump’s proposals aim to simplify taxes by reducing the number of brackets from the current seven, to three. Some argue that this simplification may actually …
Economic Update – 1st Quarter 2017
The year 2016 has been a very interesting year on the economic front. (Not to mention, on the political front.) It began with a steep double-digit plunge in stock markets in January and into February and ended with a six-week market rally following the election. Equities Overall, global stocks performed reasonably well. U.S. stocks again took the lead, with larger-cap …
Stock Indices Reach New Highs – Domestic Equity Overview
Although there will always be reasons to be cautious and diversified in our investment portfolios, there are many reasons to be optimistic right now. Many analysts believe that the stock market rally following Trump’s election reflects the expectations of a new era of fiscal stimulus. Both economists and analysts agree that the Fed has basically exhausted all of its stimulus …
Investing in Precious Metals
Investing in Precious Metals November 11, 2016 With the constant barrage of commercials, talk-show hosts and unsolicited emails etc. touting the virtues of investing in gold or silver, we are often asked whether it would make sense for them. The question we have to ask ourselves is what would be the purpose of our investment in precious metals. First of …
Economic Update – 3rd Quarter 2016
Dear Clients, Friends and Associates; Though September was a little slow, we did end up with a decent quarter for growth. Most of the domestic stock indexes were up over 4%. International stock indexes were typically up over 6% and emerging markets indexes were up over 8%. Total bond indexes were basically flat to slightly negative. Yield on the …
New Sector Joining S&P 500 Index – Equity Markets Update
For the first time since the launch of Global Industry Classification Standard (GICS) in 1999, a new headline sector has been added to the S&P 500 Index. Equity REITs was added as the 11th sector by MSCI and S&P Dow Jones as part of their annual index rebalancing on September 16, 2016. This designation as a standalone class shows the …
OPEC Pumps Up Oil Production – Oil Industry Update
As oil prices rebounded throughout May and June, drillers revived idle rigs at the prospect of catching higher prices as they evolved. Unfortunately, the upswing in production and drilling was accompanied by growing supplies and less consumption, thus resulting in a supply glut. As a group, OPEC represents the world’s largest producer of oil, with Saudi Arabia being the single …