Economic and Investment News Bits
- After a seven-year weak expansion, there is a major policy shift that will take pressure off the Fed and put pro-growth fiscal policy and regulatory reform in the driver’s seat. “It will take months and perhaps years for the full policy implications of the “Trump turn” to be implemented. The revitalized expansion may not hit its stride until 2018”, (Source: Guild Investment Management).
- “Vanguard’s outlook for global stocks remains the most guarded in ten years, given fairly high U.S. equity valuations and the low global interest rate environment. Our outlook for stocks remains guarded in the 5% to 7% range,” (Source: Vanguard Research).
- “We believe it is prudent to focus on short-duration bonds to shield from interest rate risk,” (Source: BlackRock).
- In January 2007 (prior to the recession), the Congressional Budget Office forecasted budget surpluses for 5 consecutive years beginning in fiscal year 2012 (2012-2016) totaling $914 billion. Instead the actual deficits over those years were a combined $3.3 trillion. (Source: CBO)
- “Tax reform most definitely will pass within ten months, and it will not be modest. It will be the most sweeping reform bill in our lifetimes. We doubt the legislation will be retroactive, most likely October, 2017. The Obamacare surcharge will definitely be killed. The standard deduction could surge to $25,000 or more for couples. The AMT tax will probably get killed. This could cost as much a $3 trillion over ten years. Fiscal hawks in Congress could generate serious push back”, (Source: Greg Valliere).
- In-state tuition for Ohio’s four-year public colleges (main campuses) ranges from Central State’s $6,246 and Shawnee State’s $7,364 to Miami’s high of $14,287. Franklin University has the state’s lowest private college tuition at $11,641, while Oberlin breaks the bank at $50,586.
Thought for the week
“Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness.”
Desmond Tutu, South African religious leader (b. 1931)
Chart For December
This chart from visualcapitalist.com ranks retail brand popularity among American millenials (born 1980 through 1995), now the largest demographic group in the country.
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