By most indications, the U.S. economy is recovering fairly well for the time being. But across the Pond in Europe, another story is unfolding that has the stock market worried -- and it should have your attention, too.
Americans are unhappy. Consumer confidence is at lowest level in over 2 years, and the "misery index" is at a 28-year high. But there's a lot more to our distress than the numbers. The real source of our current unhappiness lies in a set of deeper emotional triggers -- triggers that we can change.
Too scared to spend amid today's economic uncertainty, homeowners are just saying no to remodeling. The number of homeowners who say the economy has them shying away from renovations jumped from 69% in the spring to 80% now, and remodeling contractors report their business is down 3.81% over the last 12 months.
Exxon Mobil, Chevron and ConocoPhillips are all trading near multi-year highs, and even BP shares have done well recently. Still, while the high oil prices that have been pinching consumers have been great for the industry, there are good reasons not to count on those high stock values lasting.
Two years after the markets hit bottom on March 9, 2009, stock prices have rebounded significantly. But will the bull market keep rolling, or is a bear around the corner? Truth is, there's just as much uncertainty now as there was then.
There's a frenzy of stock buying going on now, because no one wants to be left out of the stock market recovery. But all those who are betting on short-term gains are engaged in what I call "wrong ball investing." Here's how to keep your eye on the right ball.
CNBC's Larry Kudlow blogged Tuesday that the a GOP win in November's elections would create an explosion of U.S. job creation. One of his guests that day on The Kudlow Report was DailyFinance's Peter Cohan, who breaks down precisely why that rhetoric doesn't match reality.
Some hedge-fund managers are having a tough year. After suffering unusual losses, two well-known managers, Stanley Druckenmiller of Duquesne Capital and Paolo Pellegrini of PSQR, are leaving the business.
The government today is often blamed for causing economic uncertainty, which some point to as the source of all the economy's woes. But there's a deeper issue in play than the fact that we have to guess what's coming next: The problem is the bias in our guesses.