The Chicago Business Barometer, also known as the Chicago Purchasing Manager’s Index, is similar to the national ISM Manufacturing indicator but at a regional level and is seen by many as an indicator of the larger US economy. It is a composite diffusion indicator, made up of production, new orders, order backlogs, employment, and supplier deliveries compiled through surveys. Values above 50.0 indicate expanding manufacturing activity. The latest Chicago Purchasing Manager’s Index, or the Chicago Business Barometer, rose in December to a value of 67.6 from 63.9 in November. Investing.com forecast 62.0. Here is an excerpt from th...
Most of what you’ve heard about millennials is wrong. Well, only sort of wrong. Wrong in the same way that adult men are 5’10” tall. That is certainly the average height, but it’s not me, nor is it most of my friends. Because averages are always kind of wrong, advice about millennials is kind of wrong. Shutterstock Are they more interested than other generations in purpose and doing good? Sure, on average. Opportunity to learn on the job? Yes, some of them. Autonomy combined with feedback, plenty of them. But not all. There are about 75 million people in the millennial generation. Can you imagine 75 million people with identical hopes...
When most people think of professional property management, they tend to think that, well, that it is only for the bigger companies or people with hundreds of units. While this may hold some truth, there are plenty of examples where everyday people utilize the professional services of property management companies for just a few units. Let’s break down the basics so we can get a clearer picture of the pros and cons of both sides. The Full Cost of Managing Rental Property Yourself Investors have the choice to manage their own properties as a way of cutting down on expenses. However, some investors will choose to hire a property managemen...
After a record run of weeks where bullish sentiment was below 50%, we have now seen two straight weeks where bullish sentiment has come in above 50%. According to the weekly sentiment survey from AAII, bullish sentiment came in at 52.65% this week, and although it only represented a slight increase from last week, it is the highest weekly reading we have seen since November 2014! As bullish sentiment has surged, bearish sentiment plummeted to 20.63% from 25.62%, which is the lowest weekly reading since November 2015. The tide in sentiment has really started to turn!...
In the few weeks after the 2016 presidential election, individual investor bullish sentiment spiked to near 50%. Over the course of the next five months though, bullish sentiment trended lower to a year low of 23.85%. From March through April the market had some volatile periods that may have influenced investor sentiment; however, true to form this year, the market never experienced a prolonged or significant contraction. So, in spite of a fairly steady climb in the equity markets, individual investor equity sentiment remained at a level indicating investor cautiousness until November. However, over the last month bullish sentiment has been ...
My Swing Trading Approach I will likely take a conservative approach to the trading day ahead. Manage profits in existing trades, and at most, add one new position to the portfolio today. Indicators VIX – Bounced another 2.2% yesterday to 10.47. T2108 (% of stocks trading below their 40-day moving average): Flat for three days and counting. Remains at 63% Moving averages (SPX): Held the 10-day moving average, back above the 5-day MA. Industries to Watch Today Utilities showing life at the 200-day moving average. Healthcare trying to breakout of its coil. Industrials and Basic Materials continues to trend higher. My Mark...
The gold volatility index moved to a new all-time low and there was no meaningful action in gold recently. Well, we profited on the decline and on the following upswing, but the price action that we saw was nothing to call home about. For months, gold has been moving around the $1,300 level and it’s trading relatively close to it also today. But, will this action persist for much longer? Not likely. It seems that something is about to hit the fan. Before this week, there were many signs pointing to lower prices of precious metals in the following weeks, but not necessarily in the following days. This week, we are finally seeing the bearish ...
Jobless claims came in higher than expected for the second straight week by staying unchanged from last week’s reading at 245K. Economists had been expecting a drop to 240K. Even if the print was higher than expected, claims notched their 147th straight week below 300K, which is impressive to say the least. If claims stay below 300K for another 15 weeks, this current streak will go down as the longest ever. While the four-week moving average got close to making a new low two weeks ago, the last two weekly prints have put that low out of reach for now. As shown below, the average weekly reading over the last four weeks has been 237.75K, whic...