Economic Not much real news, but one thing we did notice was a report from Moody’s on global default rates in the high-yield sector. While default rates are a lagging indicator, high-yield tends to lead equities, so it is still worth watching for signs of a trend change.  Moody’s reported that the global rate stood at 2.8% in July, and sees this rate declining to 2.0% in

One of the biggest challenges for investors who hold large, long-term positions is how to effectively manage exposure through different cycles – both market based and company specific.  We have previously written about some of the risks of holding concentrated positions, and it is worth repeating a few key points.  The most critical point to make is that a single

The calendar turned to August and “the most wonderful time of the year” for parents (back to school) is on the horizon.  The US market is singing the same song, especially in relation to other markets around the world.  Over the past two weeks the correlations of US equities have materially broken down against German and Chinese equities, commodities and high

The Economy The big story last week was that the U.S. economic growth surged in the second quarter with preliminary data showing 4.1% GDP growth on an annualized basis. The increase was driven by the consumer as the health of the job market has spurred spending. This is Economics 101 - when people are working and feel like they have