After a long absence from blogging, it’s time for me to return to writing more frequently. Between the upcoming election and the turmoil in the stock market, there is plenty to write about. So let’s get to it.
To start things off, I’d like to comment briefly on the election. I will certainly be writing at greater length and frequency in the coming months.(Disclaimer: I am a registered Democrat with fiscally conservative leanings, so nobody is speaking for me in this process.)
On the Republican side, I must admit that I’m surprised that The Donald has made it this far. I completely discounted, and underestimated, the appeal of this loudmouthed buffoon. That being said, it looks like he’ll stick around for a while. I’m also surprised by the appeal of the religious zealot, Ted Cruz. There is very little hope for a centrist candidate in this field of “how far right can we lean” candidates. Iowa and New Hampshire managed to winnow away almost all of the pretenders; Ben Carson remains the only Walking Dead remaining in the Republican Field. I imagine he will be gone by the end of the month. That will leave Trump, Cruz, Rubio, Kasich and maybe Bush to wage battle into March. My intuition says the Bush will be the next one to go, leaving the Final Four to duke it out over the remaining few months until the nomination.
The picture on the Democratic side isn’t much better. All of the pretenders have already dropped out of the race, leaving the equally unappealing Hillary and Bernie. Notwithstanding his big win in New Hampshire, I still don’t think Bernie has any chance of getting the nomination. Which means a very flawed Hillary Clinton will likely oppose an equally flawed (and potentially very scary) Donald Trump or Ted Cruz in the general election. The prospect of having to choose between either one, knowing that the winner will become President of the United States has me rethinking my citizenship.
So what is a fiscally conservative, socially liberal voter to do? Well, outside of the slim possibility that Michael Bloomberg will run, I honestly don’t know. I’m not optimistic. And I believe that collectively, the stock market feels like I do. I think a lot of the poor stock market action can be attributed to the uncertainty surrounding a presidential election with no good candidates. And if that’s true, we could be faced with months of market turmoil ahead. Add to that the slowing growth in China, the plunging price of oil, currency devaluation around the globe and a relatively weak domestic economy and you have a recipe for stock market disaster.
That being said, I want to be clear about something. It is not time to panic. Things are not nearly as dire as they were leading up to the crash in 2008. Outside of the negative consequences of a too-strong dollar, corporate revenues, profits and balance sheets are in very good shape. It is part of the normal and natural part of the stock market cycle that after a prolonged period of gains that we must experience a year or two of negative returns. Then, when the gloom and despair have peaked, it will be time for the next rally to begin.
So stick with your plan. In the world of virtually zero interest rates, owning a diverse basket of blue-chip, dividend-paying stocks, returning an average yield of at least 2%, is your best way to secure your financial future. So buckle up and prepare for a bumpy ride. I’ll try my best to guide you along the way.