In Plus episode 505, we review the investment thesis and performance of the WisdomTree Japan Small Cap Dividend ETF (DFJ). We look at U.S. stock market performance when investing at all-time highs. Finally, we explore how exchange funds work for diversifying out of low cost basis individual stock positions. … [Read more...]
504: Indexing Bubble and Asset Class Returns Still Revert to the Mean
How asset class returns move in cycles with periods of above-average returns followed by periods of lower returns. How has the rise of passive indexing led to higher stock valuations, and what does that mean for markets? Show Notes The Equity Risk Premium: Nine Myths (JPM Series) by Rob Arnott—Research Affiliates The Greatest Scourge in Factorland: Revaluation Alpha = Fake Alpha (JPM Series) by Rob Arnott—Research Affiliates PASSIVE INVESTING AND THE RISE OF MEGA-FIRMS by Hao … [Read more...]
503: U.S. Stocks Have Never Been This Overhyped or Expensive
What are the tangible and intangible factors that have contributed to long-term U.S. stock market outperformance compared to the rest of the world? Despite these advantages, why might we still want to continue to be globally diversified? Show Notes American productivity still leads the world—The Economist The Outlook for Long-Term Economic Growth by Charles I. Jones—Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City How Much Will Global Warming Cool Global Growth? by Ishan B. Nath, Valerie … [Read more...]
421: Beware of Survivorship Bias When Investing
Why long-term U.S. stock market outperformance could be because it has avoided major catastrophes. Does an over-reliance on historical U.S. stock returns when modeling retirement outcomes lead to spending rates that are too high? Topics covered include: Why you might consider earthquake insurance What is survivorship bias and what are some examples Why the U.S. is an outlier when it comes to stock market performance Why the 4% retirement spending rule might be too … [Read more...]
298: The Stock Market Is Not the Economy
How the stock market differs from and can perform differently than the economy while remaining highly dependent on the economy for its success. Topics covered include: Why the stock markets in countries with lower economic growth performed better than the stock markets in countries with higher economic growth.How the top 5 stocks in the S&P 500 Index have the largest weighting in 30 years and what will it takes for these stocks to outperform the market.What are the largest … [Read more...]
280 Plus: Will the U.S. Stock Market Continue to Outperform Next Decade?
In Plus episode 280 for the week of December 14, 2019, we review the performance of the global stock market over the past decade and consider the factors that led the U.S. to significantly outperform the rest of the world. Then we consider what has to happen for that outperformance to continue. We also review the recent announcement by UBS to exchange a number of its exchange-traded notes for a new series. This includes the ETRACS Alerian MLP Index ETN (AMU). We consider the ramifications of … [Read more...]
