Inflation’s First Phase

By Chris Mayer  

The year 2011 is the year when inflation will play the role of wrecking ball. It seems to threaten everything from emerging markets to the pretty earnings narrative of the market as a whole.

I use the term "inflation" here as the man on the street does. It is when prices for most everything go up. It is not the best definition, because it obscures the reason why prices for most everything go up in the first place. The reason is continued…..

Trading for beginners: Struggling to Achieve Profitability in Your Trading? Stock Market Prowess

World Market Valuation Heat Map

Great blog post on Seeking Delta, ranks 71 countries according to P/B, P/E. Well worth a look.

According to this valuation method Japan and developed Europe appear to be the cheapest markets (no big surprise) with Asia and the big commodity players (Australia and Canada) being the most expensive. The US comes out in about the middle; 36^th out of 71 countries ranked. See map.

Trading for beginners: Struggling to Achieve Profitability in Your Trading? Stock Market Prowess

IMF: Global rebound ‘not the recovery we wanted

By Annalyn Censky  NEW YORK (CNNMoney)

Growing economic imbalances on a global scale and greater income inequality could fuel the next crisis, the head of the International Monetary Fund warned Tuesday.

"While the recovery is underway, it is not the recovery we wanted. It is a recovery beset by tensions and strains — which could even sow the seeds of the next crisis,"  Read more….

Trading for beginners: Struggling to Achieve Profitability in Your Trading? Stock Market Prowess

Don’t Bet on the Super Bowl Indicator

By Mark Hulbert, MarketWatch 

The Super Bowl Indicator, of course, holds that stocks will rise over the coming year if the winning team can trace its roots back to the original National Football League — and will fall if that team’s roots are in the old American Football League. Followers claim that the Indicator has close to an 80% success rate, far better than most other popular stock market timing systems. Continued…..

Trading for beginners: Struggling to Achieve Profitability in Your Trading? Stock Market Prowess