Categories Finance

The Capital Spectator: Investing, Asset Allocation, and Economic Insights

            <div class="entry-content">

Last week, most major asset classes, as represented by a selection of exchange-traded funds, experienced gains, with real estate investment trusts (REITs) in the US leading the charge.

Continue reading

            <div class="entry-content">
        <p>* The US Senate is poised to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/07/us/politics/senate-china-semiconductors.html">pass</a> significant industrial policy legislation.<br/>* Signs of division among Democrats in the Senate could <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/557078-schumer-faces-cracks-in-democratic-unity">jeopardize</a> the party's legislative agenda.<br/>* Will Congress <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/a-g-7-deal-on-a-global-minimum-tax-for-companies-faces-hurdles-11623016756?mod=hp_lead_pos2">approve</a> the G-7 agreement on a global minimum tax?<br/>* Treasury Secretary Yellen <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2021/06/06/higher-interest-rates-would-be-good-for-the-country-treasury-secretary-yellen-says-.html">asserts</a> that increased rates would benefit the US economy.<br/>* China's imports <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/china/chinas-imports-grow-fastest-pace-decade-2021-06-07/">increased</a> at the fastest rate in a decade as of May.<br/>* US oil prices <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2021/06/06/investing/us-oil-prices/index.html">rose to $70 per barrel</a>, reaching this milestone for the first time in three years.<br/>* Researchers are <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/06/science/covid-vaccine-boosters.html">examining</a> whether Covid-19 booster shots will be necessary.<br/>* US employment growth <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2021/06/04/jobs-report-may-hiring-impact-covid-cases-fall-states-reopen/7538488002/">picked up in May</a>, although it fell short of projections.<br/>* Real US Treasury yields measured through <a href="https://www.treasury.gov/resource-center/data-chart-center/interest-rates/Pages/TextView.aspx?data=realyield">TIPS</a> remain significantly negative:</p>

            <div class="entry-content">

After a period of underwhelming performance, two of our three proprietary strategies delivered benchmark-beating returns last week, as of June 4. The third strategy equaled the benchmark, Global Beta 16 (G.B16), which maintains a consistent 16-fund opportunity set as shown in the table at the conclusion of this update.

Continue reading at The ETF Portfolio Strategist

            <div class="entry-content">
        <p><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0691214476/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;creativeASIN=0691214476&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=thecapitalspe-20&amp;linkId=2310eec1d97825c7969aa105cdfad68e" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img decoding="async" class="alignleft" src="https://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&amp;MarketPlace=US&amp;ASIN=0691214476&amp;ServiceVersion=20070822&amp;ID=AsinImage&amp;WS=1&amp;Format=_SL250_&amp;tag=thecapitalspe-20" border="0"/></a>● <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0691214476/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;creativeASIN=0691214476&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=thecapitalspe-20&amp;linkId=da9c6fd20dac256cdd28c88c85a4d6de" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Profit Paradox: How Thriving Firms Threaten the Future of Work</a><br/>Jan Eeckhout<br/><strong><a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/money/2021/05/11/994856975/why-soaring-stocks-could-be-bad-news-for-the-economy">Review</a> via NPR</strong><br/>While the stock market has experienced its share of ups and downs, it has consistently reached historic peaks in recent years. For many, this trend indicates a thriving economy and robust retirement portfolios. However, economist Jan Eeckhout argues that this booming market signals deeper systemic issues within the economy. Despite benefiting personally from the stock surge, he contends that excessive profits driven by powerful corporations are undermining worker income and the overall economic landscape. This notion is the central argument in his upcoming book, *The Profit Paradox: How Thriving Firms Threaten the Future of Work*.</p>

Continue reading