Jim Pearce

Here’s an easy question: Which country has the biggest stock market based on the total value of all the equities traded on its exchanges? The answer, of course, is the United States. At the start of this year, its exchanges accounted for roughly 60% of the global equity markets.

With the Fed on the verge of cutting its policy rate in September, Wall Street is on the lookout for high-dividend stocks. Bond yields are coming down, which means less income for bond buyers. That’s a big reason why cigarette and smokeless tobacco marketer Altria Group (NYSE: MO) is up 28% so far this year.

I like to revisit articles I wrote in the past to see how accurate (or not) my expectations for the future proved to be. Especially those written prior to the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020.

A lot of people have been asking me lately if it is too late to get into the stock market. I can’t blame them. The S&P 500 Index is at an all-time high, as are most of the other major stock market indexes.

Editor’s Note: My wife’s sister from Ohio is visiting us this week. She brings a Midwesterner’s sensibility to our laid-back beach vibe here on the Carolina coast.

Editor’s Note: Early in my career, I worked for a manager who told me that he preferred to hire people that drove fast cars. To his way of thinking, the type of cars people choose to drive reflects their personalities.

Editor’s Note: I’ve been known to frequent convenience stores, usually to pick up a cold soda after exercising. While standing in line to check out, I’m almost always behind someone buying a so-called “energy drink” that contains loads of caffeine and other stimulants.

Editor’s Note: Tomorrow marks the unofficial beginning of the holiday shopping season. Black Friday – the day after Thanksgiving – has become the penultimate act of consumer frenzy.

Editor’s Note: I spent last weekend visiting my kids for Thanksgiving. For the first time in weeks, I did not spend any time thinking about the stock market.

Editor’s Note: Over Thanksgiving weekend, my wife and I visited our former next-door neighbors while we were back in the DC area. We raised our kids together and have remained good friends ever since.