IBJ Articles

Year after ‘Crypto Bowl,’ dominoes fall as former titans bite the dust Mickey Kim and Roger Lee / February 3, 2023 “How do you think I’m going to get along without you when you’re gone?  You took me for everything that I had and kicked me out [...]

COVID put “Globalization” in ICU and Putin pulled the plug; now what? Mickey Kim and Roger Lee / January 13, 2023 The following is an excerpt from Kirr, Marbach & Co.’s fourth-quarter client letter, available here. The seeds of the second great age of globalization were sown more [...]

Investors court “TARA” following messy divorce from “TINA” Mickey Kim and Roger Lee / November 25, 2022 Kirr, Marbach has been fortunate to have Roger Lee, CFA, CPA as a Senior Research Analyst for the past six years.  Roger is an exceptionally bright individual and shares my [...]

“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 [...]