09-21-2017, 01:35 PM
One more reason to marvel: The Netherlands is a small, densely populated country, with more than 1,300 inhabitants per square mile. It’s bereft of almost every resource long thought to be necessary for large-scale agriculture. Yet it’s the globe’s number two exporter of food as measured by value, second only to the United States, which has 270 times its landmass. How on Earth have the Dutch done it?
This Tiny Country Feeds the World
Despite many claims to the contrary, North Korea tensions aren't actually what's driving the rally in gold, Goldman Sachs said in a Tuesday note. Instead, the bank said, uncertainty inspired by President Donald Trump has boosted the yellow metal — but that's set to fade. Spot gold has certainly rallied of late, climbing from levels under $1,212 an ounce in July to as high as $1,342.90 this week, touching its highest levels in around a year, according to Reuters data.
Goldman Sachs: North Korea tensions aren't pushing up gold prices — Trump is
Aside from the occasional wobble, investors continue to take the threat of military conflict, including potentially the nuclear kind, and other threats in stride. While the market’s ability to hold its own is perplexing to some observers, others argue that it makes sense given what remains a backdrop of bullish fundamentals. At the same time, the same analysts argue that investors might want to take a little money off the table. Despite earnings growth, an improving global economy, and continued low interest rates in the developed world, “some people seem to think it a bad thing that the stock market hasn’t capitulated and sold off by now this year,” said Andrew Adams, analyst at Raymond James, in a Wednesday note. “They seem to want an investor reaction to each new narrative that gets thrown at us despite the overall story not really changing much and despite individual investors being notoriously bad at trying to time the markets.”
Why investors are so chill about North Korea, hurricanes, and everything else - MarketWatch
Shares of Eaton Corporation (ETN - Get Report) just keep rising, climbing from sub-$74.50 levels on Thursday's open, to nearly $77 in early Friday trading. Many investors may be scratching their heads at the recent rally, but not TheStreet's Jim Cramer. Many may have missed Eaton management's recent comments at a Morgan Stanley conference in Laguna Beach, CA., he pointed out. During the conference, they said, "our markets are benefiting from the return of growth around the world in industrial activity." The growth is very strong in China and very strong in Europe, Cramer said, noting that it's less so in the U.S. but there are signs of acceleration. The 1% to 3% organic growth is quite promising, particularly after seeing very little growth before, he reasoned.
The Industrial Renaissance Is Upon Us -- Jim Cramer Reveals How to Play It - TheStreet
From October, America’s central bank will stop reinvesting all of the money it receives when its assets start to mature. As a result, its $4.5trn balance-sheet will gradually shrink. However, the Fed did not give any clues as to what the endpoint for the balance-sheet should be. This is an important question. There are strong arguments for keeping the balance-sheet large. In fact, it might be better were the Fed not shedding any assets at all.