Watching Blue Origin’s launch Captain James T. Kirk into space was quite a sight. As a fan of Star Trek (mainly the original and the Next Generation), I fell for Blue Origin’s public relations ploy. Launching people into space isn’t really for the technological breakthrough. We’ve been sending people into space
October baseball is in full swing. With two post-season wildcard games settled, the first few rounds of the division series have begun. Baseball fans refer to this time of the year as October baseball, a signal that baseball season, and the year, are coming to a close. By November, the championship
My wife, Wendy, and I are huge fans of California’s central coast. She grew up in a small coastal town called Cayucos. We’ve always had a fondness to the small towns dotting California’s scenic coast. We recently took a drive up the coast to visit Big Sur. Usually, my wife and
This past weekend the city of Long Beach hosted the annual Grand Prix of Long Beach. The Grand Prix is an IndyCar Series race event that takes place in the streets of downtown Long Beach, forming a roughly two-mile track. The event typically occurs in the month of April. But, due
The end of the third quarter is quickly approaching. But after a relatively quiet summer where equity markets hit record highs, markets now seem to be hobbling to the finish line. American stocks (S&P 500) are currently off about 4% from the record. To put that into perspective, we haven’t had
Recently, the Federal Reserve has been in the headlines due to talks of a reduction in its monthly asset purchases. In essence, the tapering of those purchases reduces its quantitative easing measures that helped stimulate the economy from the effects of the pandemic. The central bank's monthly purchases of $120 billion
The hype and excitement have been building for the potential launch of America’s first Bitcoin ETF. Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies have been a quagmire for investors, financial advisors and regulators. Is this a digital currency like Euros and Yens? Is it like Gold? Regulators like the SEC have yet to make
As of last Friday, over 475 of the companies in the S&P 500 have reported earnings. According to data from Refinitiv, revenue growth for companies in the S&P 500 in the second quarter of 2021 is expected to be 24.6% year over year. What is impressive about this figure is that
The Apriem team and I review a trove of research reports, decks, and white papers from various Wall Street firms. One of the best reports we get is J.P. Morgan’s Quarterly Guide to the Markets[1] (GTM). It is absolutely stacked full of interesting charts and graphs. Some are there to make a
The Fed may be on the diving board, but taking the plunge is a whole other question. Last Wednesday, we heard that the Federal Reserve is getting closer and closer to easing off of its monthly bond purchases with the possibility of scaling back to begin later this year. How members
