Stocks added to monthly gains, except in Europe where stocks lost ground. US Treasury yields were higher, as bonds lost ground. Oil prices increased double digits again, as the US-Iran conflict seems no closer to resolution.

This article is the third update of an article I originally penned in March 2022, examining the long-term return of US stocks. The short answer to the question "do stocks always go up" is a resounding "yes", so long as the holding period is long.

Stocks are in a severe recovery stage, boosted further by the announcement on Friday that the Strait of Hormuz was being reopened to commercial traffic. Oil prices plunged, stocks took another leg up, and yields fell across the curve. Let the good times roll.....or are things really this good?

This is an update of my 1Q2026 portfolio performance. My all-in return was nil, which was not disappointing (to me at least) given the performance of assets prices in March, following the beginning of the US-Israel war against Iran.

The SAVE Act is currently front and centre in the US Senate, second perhaps only to the unfortunate conflict in the Middle East. This article looks at the SAVE Act and voter fraud in the US, and how other countries deal with the issue of vetting citizens to vote in their federal elections.

President Trump has shown his populist colours by jumping on board a liberal proposal to cap credit card interest rates at 10% for one year. This makes no sense! And it looks to be going nowhere fast.

This article is an update of my personal portfolio at year-end 2025. My blended full-year return for 2025 across my portfolio (excluding alternative assets) was 17.1%.   It helped being in the right names, a combination of a bit of skill and experience, and a lot of luck.

This is a short article about the K-shaped economy, driven by persistently high inflation and exacerbated by the errant "One, Big Beautiful Bill".

US Treasury yields are stuck, with the 10y UST yielding just north of 4%, What might be coming next? This article presents the factors that will influence the next gap up or down in UST yields.

I am not expert in artificial intelligence, although I do have a basic grasp of its expected benefits balanced by the possible social implications. However, this article focuses on A.I. from an investor's perspective, since the stocks of companies that can attach themselves even loosely to the A.I. narrative have taken off like a rocket.

As risk markets surge, especially US stocks (but also corporate bonds), it's hard not to scratch your head and ask how long this can carry on? I have no idea, but I think the end might be near. In the meantime, I stick to my standard investment approach.

This article contains tables and commentary regarding the rather volatile but ultimately positive first half of 2025.

NATO was front and centre last week as the annual NATO Summit was held in The Hague on Tuesday and Wednesday, making it an opportune time...

Inspired by Mr Trump's false claims that he inherited the "worst economy ever", this article looks at administrations' economic performance.

This article summarises two articles and one podcast that are topical,: US/EU automotive tariffs, social security "fraud", and steel tariffs

The week started with the Trump Administration announcing tariffs on Mexico, Canada and China, the first two of which were quickly rescinded

Better late than never, in that this article is about my views on American exceptionalism, both economically and as far as US stocks.

This article contains a summary of full-year 2024 performance of the indices and assets tracked by EMC, plus historical data, too.