The Malaysian Ringgit began strengthening significantly against the US Dollar from around mid-July this year. It went from RM 4.67 for 1 US Dollar then to RM 4.33 for 1 US Dollar today. This means if you hold Malaysian assets, the asset value has increased by 7% in about 90 days when it is valued… Continue reading Currency Exchange Rates
Tag: USA
Looking back at 2023
2023 has been a welcoming year for the world of investments, particular for equities. Strong 2023 for the US The S&P 500 index is up more than 20% this year, erasing almost all the losses from 2022. What started as a rally mainly with the big tech stocks early in the first half of the… Continue reading Looking back at 2023
Should I Buy or Rent?
Back in 2018 I wrote about owning a home as part of one's asset allocation strategy. A home is a unique asset because you can simultaneously enjoy staying in it while watch its value go up over time if it is in a good location. When you have retired, an unencumbered home with a paid… Continue reading Should I Buy or Rent?
Is the Share Price Cheap or Expensive?
It depends on who you ask. What is Share Price? Firstly, let's clarify what the share price is. One of the two ways a company gets money for its business is by selling pieces of itself to investors. Each piece is called a share or a stock in the company. The company decides by itself,… Continue reading Is the Share Price Cheap or Expensive?
Slowing of the US Fed Funds Rate Hike
The US Fed has been increasing the funds rate since March 2022 at a blistering pace. Within a year, the rates raised from zero to over 4.5%. Right now, in April 2023, it is around to 4.8%. However, there now seems to be an end in sight for the rate hikes. Since February 2023, the… Continue reading Slowing of the US Fed Funds Rate Hike
2022, It’s A Wrap
Today is the last day of 2022, a year that most in the investing community would treat with humility. After years of runaway gains and heady valuations in stocks, bonds, properties and digital coin prices, we've now been brought back to reality. As Warren Buffet famously said, "it's when the tide goes out that you… Continue reading 2022, It’s A Wrap
Strategy for Slow Decline in Stock Prices
When facing recessions, stock prices can take a long a long time to decline to its lowest point. When the dot-com bubble burst in mid 2000, it took about 2 and a half years before the S&P 500 bottomed out. Similarly when the housing bubble burst at the end of 2007, it took a year… Continue reading Strategy for Slow Decline in Stock Prices
2020 Stocks Review
Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash 2020 proved that you can never really predict what's going to happen in the stock market or the economy. As we all remember, there was a flash of panic in March due to the Covid-19 pandemic but things quickly recovered as central banks around the world printed trillions in… Continue reading 2020 Stocks Review
The Illusionary US Market Recovery
A lot has been written about the disconnect between Main Street (the economy and businesses) and Wall Street (the stock market) in the US. With record unemployment in the US, reduction in consumer spending and closures of businesses, it was surprising to see the S&P 500 and Dow Jones indices record a 'V' shaped recovery… Continue reading The Illusionary US Market Recovery
Recession Fear and the Bond Yield Curve
Since December 2018, something rare has been happening to the US treasury bond yields and the trend is still continuing to today. The yield on bonds with durations longer than 1 year have been gradually dropping while the yield on bonds shorter than 6 months have slightly nudged upwards. This has finally resulted last Friday… Continue reading Recession Fear and the Bond Yield Curve
The Finance Durian 