The field of finance is among the most successful branches of economics thanks largely to rapid advances in computer technology that began in the early 1960s. In particular the Fama-French three factor model, which has been tested exhaustively over many time periods and throughout global markets, has emerged as the pre-eminent standard for evaluating alternative […]

The MSCI Emerging Markets Index lost 9.9 percent of its value year-to-date as of August 31. The so-called BRICs (Brazil, Russia, India and China) have led the way down, as the MSCI BRIC Index lost 12.2 percent. The year thus far has been marked by social unrest in Brazil, chronic political corruption in Russia, a

The investment industry is quick to tout investment products based on the latest research. Firms are under intense pressure to quickly bring compelling new products to market. Eye-catching results that appear to break new ground tend to get attention, while less spectacular but often very important findings get ignored. These distorted incentives exist not only

Headlines are proclaiming a rebound in the residential housing market, but investors and homeowners should be cautious. In March home prices rose on a national average by 10.9 percent from a year earlier, as measured by the Standard & Poor’s Case Shiller index, marking three straight months of year-over-year growth. Prices are still off the

We have completed an extensive review of data pertaining to gold and our recommended gold mining stocks. In light of alternative investment vehicles that are available we have concluded that these shares no longer provide the optimal means of ensuring exposure to the gold price. Investors should sell their gold mining shares and reinvest the

Five years ago this month the Federal Reserve embarked upon a quantitative easing (QE) policy in an effort to bolster an economy that was on the ropes. Though it is difficult to measure QE’s contribution to growth it is clear that QE has created winners and losers among investors. QE is a technique distinct from

With April 15 fast approaching, we would like to point to several observations regarding federal income taxes that might be of interest to our readers. According to IRS data, 143,399,737 individual tax returns were filed for calendar year 2011. Of this total 1,481,966, or roughly one percent, were subjected to an IRS examination (audited) during

As 2013 draws to a close most of our recommended asset classes are poised to deliver full-year returns worth celebrating. At the risk of spoiling the party, however, we’ll take a more constructive approach and instead address head-on those concerns that might nevertheless be on the minds of our readers. Gold in particular is worth

Investors who heeded our simple, timeless principles and followed our recommended allocations would have generated respectable returns during 2012. This is also true for longer time periods (see page 2 for hypothetical returns on our recommended portfolios). • I will understand my own circumstances and formulate an investment plan based on my needs, not in

Eugene Fama, whose groundbreaking work on asset pricing and capital markets has been at the core of our investment strategy since the late 1990s, has been awarded the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics along with Robert Shiller and Lars Peter Hansen. Widely recognized as the father of modern finance, Professor Fama is perhaps best known