IBJ Articles

“Buy the dip,” but beware of tax pitfalls Mickey Kim / November 4, 2022 Bespoke Investment Group reported as of the end of September, “the Fed’s crusade against inflation resulted in a record destruction of wealth in dollar terms and an extremely large drawdown in percentage terms.”  The [...]

Market, economic storms are inevitable--so are bold, unreliable forecasts Mickey Kim / October 7, 2022 The financial markets and economy have been hit by their own metaphorical Hurricane Ian in 2022.  Stocks are firmly in “bear market” territory (down more than 20%).  Bonds, historically considered “safe” investments, have [...]

Why “free” is the most dangerous word in investing Mickey Kim / September 9, 2022 There are a number of words/phrases used to pitch investment products that are “red flags” and should cause you to “raise your antenna” and activate your “BS detector.”  These would include “bulletproof,” “guaranteed,” [...]

History suggests stocks may enjoy a post-Midterm election bounce Mickey Kim / August 12, 2022 Seasonal tendencies of stock prices make for interesting conversation.  Pundits offer the brilliant advice of “Sell in May and Go Away,” which means liquidate your portfolio to avoid a summer/fall swoon.  Heeding this, [...]

Bursting of speculative bubbles leaves path of financial destruction Mickey Kim / June 17, 2022 Warren Buffett famously said, “Only when the tide goes out do you discover who’s been swimming naked.”  To slow rampant, persistent inflation, the Federal Reserve (“Fed”) has slammed on the monetary brakes by [...]

Rising Rates 101:  How it happened and why it matters Mickey Kim / May 13, 2022 Interest rates have surged at the fastest pace since 2009, as inflation has reached levels not seen in forty years, leading to severe indigestion for the stock and bond markets. Low interest [...]

Brace yourself, energy insecurity and $4 gas could be here to stay Mickey Kim / April 8, 2022 What a difference two years makes!  The Covid-induced economic shutdown crushed U.S. demand for oil, plummeting from 21 million barrels per day (MBPD) to 14 MBPD (down 33%).  Pouring proverbial [...]

Buffett: “Never bet against America,” even during times of war, pandemic Mickey Kim / March 18, 2022 In late February, geopolitical tensions were at the boiling point as Russian president Vladimir Putin dispatched his army to the Ukrainian border for “military exercises” and put his fighter jets along [...]

“Sudden-Death Aversion” leads to “suboptimal” choices by NFL coaches, investors Mickey Kim / February 18, 2022 On Jan. 16, 2016 the Green Bay Packers traveled to Arizona for a playoff game against the Cardinals (which had annihilated the Packers 38-8 three weeks prior). A 7-point underdog, the Packers [...]

Investors, realize 2021 was a high-return, low-volatility “unicorn” Mickey Kim / January 21, 2022 In 2021, the S&P 500 had its 12th best annual performance since World War II (posting 70 new all-time highs along the way), but investors should expect more modest returns in 2022.  To prevent [...]