August 25, 2023 It was a banner week in the news! India landed on the moon! India parked an unmanned probe, equipped with a lunar rover, on the south pole of the moon. (This came just days after a Russian attempt crashed and burned… or whatever crashing spacecraft do in space.) The mission is to …
Inflation’s Big Comeback: The Only Thing Keeping It in Check is About to Give Way Read More »
August 18, 2023 The key is getting people to look the wrong way. In the world of magic it’s called “misdirection.” Misdirection is the subtle art that cleverly diverts the audience’s attention, leaving them utterly enchanted, baffled, and awestruck all at once. (Maybe that’s why many magicians have a “lovely assistant”…) Magic illusions aren’t really …
Exposing the Illusion: Are Ratings Agencies Spoiling the Show? Read More »
August 11, 2023 If you’ve seen any of the films in the John Wick franchise, you’ve undoubtedly noticed something very different about the world that “Baba Yaga” inhabits. This world-within-a-world has a unique economy that centers around the “members-only” Continental Hotels. Everything at or related to Continental business costs… one gold coin. A bourbon at …
July 28, 2023 Music Groups have been packing stadiums for decades. From the Beatles farewell concert at Shea Stadium to Bruce Springsteen… well… anywhere. But none have ever been deemed an economic force of nature. Until now… The Federal Reserve’s Beige Book is published eight times a year — before each Fed meeting. It contains data …
July 21, 2023 Strange question coming up, but bear with me… What are the odds of something happening in the past? Pretty good, wouldn’t you agree? I’m joking, of course. Hindsight is the perfect knowledge of the result of some action. And it’s always 20/20. The problem is, no knowledge is ever perfect — even …
July 7, 2023 I thought I’d do things a little differently this week and start with the Postscript… Sadly, this will be my last post as Editor of Streetlight Confidential. We’ve made some changes here at the Streetlight Group and for now my energies will need to be focused on some other projects. I’ll be …
June 30, 2023 There’s an old saying in the financial world that the stock market tends to “climb a wall of worry.” It refers to when a bull trend keeps rising in the face of bad news. A negative economic report shakes up the market… An unexpected twist in geopolitical relations… A natural disaster impacts …
Climbing a Wall of Worry: Is This Obscure Indicator Saying We’re At the Top? Read More »
June 24, 2023 He asked it again at last week’s FOMC press conference. The reporter from Fox Business asked Fed Chair Jay Powell the question I’ve been asking (and hoping someone would ask) for a year… Edward Lawrence with Fox Business. So I want to go back to comments you made in the past about …
Blind Ambition: The Government’s Reckless Pursuit of Whatever It Wants Read More »
June 16, 2023 How do you know whether a business idea is or isn’t ready for prime time? You could spend months (or longer) planning and developing every detail of it… Or you could invite feedback from other entrepreneurs… But pretty much the most definitive way to know is by taking your product, plan, or …
June 9, 2023 If you needed any more proof about the level of uncertainty that’s permeating the economy and where it might be headed, you need look no further than this article box in the Wall Street Journal this past week… Wrapped around an article explaining how the Saudis would now unilaterally cut production by …
The Recession Debate Goes On (But These Diverging Indicators are Signaling Trouble) Read More »
