Stephen Shefler

Contributor since: 26 Feb 2010

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• What Will Be the Fate of Dividend Taxes and What Should Fund Investors Do?

  Published 30 November 2012 | viewed 0 times

  For the investor in funds that generate above average dividends, such as equity-income or value funds, key questions going forward are what will the tax…

• Clear Risk of Falling Off the Fiscal Cliff: Here's Why

  Published 02 November 2012 | viewed 0 times

  Executives at investment firm Goldman Sachs have repeatedly warned over the past two months of the risk of falling off the much discussed "fiscal cliff."…

• Looming Policy Warfare: Ignore at Your Peril

  Published 05 September 2012 | viewed 0 times

  There is a lot of talk and press coverage about what is now commonly described as "the fiscal cliff." A more accurate description of what…

• Geithner: Americans Have Spent and Borrowed Too Much and Save Too Little. What Happens Next?

  Published 20 September 2010 | viewed 0 times

  For the past year, Secretary of the Treasury Tim Geithner has repeatedly warned, "People were living beyond their means for a long period of time.…

• What Auto Sales Tell Us About Future Economic Growth

  Published 03 September 2010 | viewed 0 times

  The vast majority of Americans, including most investors, fail to grasp how far the economy is currently operating below historic norms. This year, for example,…

• The Housing Depression and Why It Suggests Improved Future Economic Growth

  Published 30 July 2010 | viewed 0 times

  For the home construction industry, the recent recession has been a depression. The data tell a brutal tale. In 2005, construction started on 2,068,000 homes.…

• New Home Sales: The Glass Half Empty, the Glass Half Full

  Published 01 July 2010 | viewed 0 times

  The new home sales data for May, released in late June, are a tale of woe, hope and uncertainty. The headlines were alarming. Bloomberg's was…

• The Debt Bubble

  Published 01 June 2010 | viewed 0 times

  First we had the dot-com bubble, then the housing bubble and next on stage is the national debt bubble. The national debt has entered a…

• Ratchet Down Your Total Return Expectations in the Coming Decade

  Published 01 April 2010 | viewed 1,783 times

  "You will be lucky to get 6% on your portfolios, maybe 5%," according to Laurence Fink, Chief Executive of the giant funds manager BlackRock, speaking…

• Obama's Wake Up Call and What It Suggests for Future Interest Rates

  Published 02 March 2010 | viewed 2,608 times

  Anyone who failed to pay careful attention to the future deficits and national debt projections in President Obama?s budget plan for the coming fiscal year…

• Fed Inaction Will Have "Massive" Repercussions for the Economy: True or False?

  Published 31 January 2010 | viewed 3,071 times

  Upcoming headlines may read: "Fed Set to Raise Interest Rates Though Economy Remains Fragile." The Federal Reserve is now winding down its $1.25 trillion purchases…

• The End of the Federal Funds Megacycle

  Published 04 January 2010 | viewed 3,663 times

  While there are many uncertainties concerning the economy going forward, one thing is certain: The federal funds rate is essentially zero and the only possible…

• Why Core Inflation May Fall Further Than Expected

  Published 31 October 2009 | viewed 4,069 times

  The minutes of the Federal Reserve's September board meeting, issued in mid-October, contained some forecasts/predictions about future inflation rates that are worth exploring, specifically: Most…

• Money Market Rates: A Look Forward

  Published 02 September 2009 | viewed 3,611 times

  In August, money market fund rates fell to their lowest level since they became alternative saving instruments for the public. The current average yield on…

• The Home Construction Depression and Its Aftermath

  Published 03 August 2009 | viewed 4,474 times

  A key question going forward for the economy and GDP: When will we recover from the home construction depression and at what rate? First, a…

• Investors Beware! The Markets May Not Behave as History Suggests

  Published 31 May 2009 | viewed 4,572 times

  If there was an uncertainty index to measure forecasts of the United States macroeconomy, it would now register 85, assuming the norm would be 50…

• Pedal to the Floor: But Will It Be Enough?

  Published 05 May 2009 | viewed 3,640 times

  The government is going all out to break the downward slide of the U.S. economy and propel it uphill. Three metrics will help determine whether…

• Bailing Out Banks - A Further Threat to Economic Recovery and Your Portfolio

  Published 30 January 2009 | viewed 3,727 times

  New York Times economic columnist Joe Nocera knows how to talk straight. Consider his recent comments about the current banking crisis: As for taxpayers, the…