Countries with high number of doctors and nurses may have a better capacity to handle Covid-19 according to the OECD. The following chart shows the number of doctors and nurses for select countries:
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Source: OECD via Twitter
The Concentration of S&P 500 Exceeds Late 1990s
The S&P 500 is no longer represents the true state of the US economy. The current bull market in tech stocks has further pushed the concentration levels in the index. A few weeks ago an article in The Financial Post noted that the concentration level in the S&P 500 exceeds the level reached in the 1990s during the dot com era. At that time, the top five firms accounted for 16.6% of the index. By Q2 of this year, the top five had a combined weightage of 21.7% as shown in the chart below:
Source: Russell Investments Canada
The S&P sector breakdown at the end of July, 2020 is shown below:
Source: S&P Global
As of Aug 27, 2020 the breakdown looked as follows with the IT sector amounting to nearly 28.5% of the index.
Source: SSGA
It remains to be seen how long the tech sector can remain at such high levels in the index.
Related ETF:
- SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY)
Disclosure: No Positions
Reagan and Bush 1984 Re-election Campaign Poster
The 2020 US Presidential election is scheduled for Tuesday, November 3, 2020. Americans will get to elect primarily between the candidates of two parties – the Democrats and Republicans. As with the past election nobody knows who will win.
With that note, I recently came across this interesting re-election Campaign Poster promoting Ronald Reagan for President and George H.W. Bush for Vice President. The interest rate went down to 13% from 21% during the Reagan Presidency as per this poster. The “Restoring Respect” section notes some notable events including the hostile takeover in Afghanistan.
Note: Posting this poster does not represent my political views in any way.
Click to enlarge
Bringing America Back has been re-branded as MAGA by the current President and his handlers !
The Stock Market Crash of 1929 and its Consequences: Video
The stock market crash of 1929 triggered the The Great Depression in the U.S. Below is a short video on the crash and its consequences.
Source: Documentary Channel on You Tube
Canada S&P/TSX Composite Index Historical Annual Returns 1924 To 2019: Chart
The historical annual returns of Canada’s benchmark S&P/TSX Composite index from 1924 to 2019 are shown in the pyramid chart below. Canadian stocks yielded a positive return in about 73% of the time. So in the long run, stocks tend to offer positive returns despite crises such as the dot-com crash, financial crisis of 2008-09, etc.
Click to enlarge
Source: Russell Investments Canada
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