http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304572204579503471330762810?KEYWORDS=a+better+way+to+run+rating+agencies

After last week’s major sell-off in stocks, the S&P 500 Index is down -3.14% year-to-date.  This week I take a look at what this means for the equity markets, from a Technical perspective.  Feel free to contact me directly with any questions that you have.  jim@biltmoreinvestments.com

1-25-14 Blog

Take a look at the attached article in regards to the housing market recovery worldwide.  The author is using the “House-to-Rent” ratio data from Q2 2013 to determine undervalued or overvalued.

Globally speaking, house prices rose in 32 of the 51 advanced and emerging market economies in the IMF’s Global House Price Index, compared with increases in 9 countries in the second quarter of 2009, when the housing crisis was in full swing.

http://www.businessinsider.com/chart-over-and-undervalued-markets-2013-11?nr_email_referer=1&utm_source=Triggermail&utm_medium=email&utm_term=Markets%20Chart%20Of%20The%20Day&utm_campaign=Moneygame_COTD_112713

http://www.businessinsider.com/sp-500-rolling-10-year-returns-2013-11?nr_email_referer=1&utm_source=Triggermail&utm_medium=email&utm_term=Markets%20Chart%20Of%20The%20Day&utm_campaign=Moneygame_COTD_112613

http://www.businessinsider.com/historical-cpi-in-one-chart-2013-11?nr_email_referer=1&utm_source=Triggermail&utm_medium=email&utm_term=Markets%20Chart%20Of%20The%20Day&utm_campaign=Moneygame_COTD_112013

Barring an unexpected shake-up in the next six weeks, 2013 will undoubtedly be remembered as the year of the stock market.

http://www.businessinsider.com/stocks-absolutely-crushed-bonds-in-2013-2013-11?nr_email_referer=1&utm_source=Triggermail&utm_medium=email&utm_term=Markets%20Chart%20Of%20The%20Day&utm_campaign=Moneygame_COTD_111713

I came across the following article this morning and thought I would share it.

http://advisorperspectives.com/dshort/guest/Blair-Jensen-131110-Gauging-Investor-Sentiment-with-Twitter.php

Here’s an article that I found over the weekend from my old boss, Bill Gross from PIMCO.  If Mr. Gross is correct in his prognosis about the direction of interest rates, you will need to make sure that you have your own investment portfolio structured properly to take advantage of a low interest-rate environment!

http://www.dailywealth.com/2545/low-interest-rates-could-be-bad-news-for-retirees

USC Professor, Arieh Warshel, was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry on Wednesday October 9, 2013 along with two (2) other recipients.  I’ve attached a link to the LA Times article below.

Congrats Professor Warshel and Fight On!

http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-nobel-prize-in-chemistry-karplus-levitt-warshel-20131009,0,4073802.story

The U.S. Census published income and poverty data for 2012 earlier today.  The following link shows net gains and losses in U.S. median incomes since 2000.

Here are a few excerpts from the article:

“From the 2000 American Community Survey to the 2012 American Community, real U.S. median household income decreased 6.6 percent. The U.S. median household income decreased from $55,030 in 2000 to $51,371 in 2012.”

“There appeared  to be stability in the beginning of the decade. By mid-decade, the nation had reached a peak in real median household income.”

“The U.S. ACS median household income in 2007 was $56,048.”

“U.S. median household income decreased -8.7 percent from the 2007 ACS to the 2011 ACS.”

http://www.census.gov/prod/2013pubs/acsbr12-02.pdf?utm_source=Triggermail&utm_medium=email&utm_term=Money%20Game%20Chart%20Of%20The%20Day&utm_campaign=Post%20Blast%20%28moneygame%29%3A%20CHART%20OF%20THE%20DAY%3A%20Median%20Incomes%20Have%20Increased%20In%20Just%20Two%20Of%20The%20Last%2011%20Years