Small cap banks in the US provide a vital function to the economy. They offer loans to about 44% of farms, 50% of small businesses and 15% of all residential mortgages. When the Dodd-Frank Act was signed into law in 2010 in response to the Global Financial Crisis(GFC) small banks were hurt more than their …
Continue reading ‘U.S. Small Bank Failures in the Past 15 Years: Chart’ »
Gold is an important asset to own. During times of capital market contractions gold can act as a cushion and help protect a portfolio from severe declines. The following chart shows the performance of gold over other asset classes in different time periods: Click to enlarge Source: The Many Uses of Gold, US Funds Related ETF: …
Continue reading ‘Performance of Gold vs. Other Asset Classes: Chart’ »
The current bull market started from the trough of the Global Financial Crisis(GFC) in early 2009. Despite being called a bull market it does not feel like a typical bull market. In fact, experts have dubbed this bull as the “most hated bull market in history”. The chart below compares the returns of the current …
Continue reading ‘The Current vs. Past Bull Market Returns: Chart’ »
The Dividend Yields offered by Asian firms is higher other equity markets. With a dividend yield higher than 2.5% Asian companies pay the second highest yield after Europe. This rate is also much higher than the dividend yield of American companies. The chart below shows the comparison of Asian dividend yield to other markets: Click …
U.S. household debt reached an all-time high in the last quarter of 2017 according to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. The total debt owed stood at $13.15 Trillion or about $40,000 per person. Click to enlarge Source: Gold and the Global Ticking Debt Bomb, US Funds