While I was running at the gym this morning, CNBC was on the TV in front of me.  The headlines read “S&P 500 now recovered 85% of losses from this year”.  This headline was DRASTICALLY different from the headlines a few weeks ago.  After the Dow Jones was dropping 300-400+ points a day a few weeks ago, the headlines were terribly pessimistic.  If you weren’t in the industry, it definitely could have stirred up some emotions, and made you make some hasty decisions.  Similarly, today the pundits are praising this “recovery” and how quick and strong it was making it seem as though everything is back to sunshine and daisies.  The point I’m trying to make is that the headlines are usually the EXTREMES of what is actually happening.  They’re job is to get you to watch the show, and the headline “Everything is probably going to be fine, but we can’t be certain”, isn’t something that will grab eyes to the screen.  Keep that in mind the next time you have the news on.

Here’s what I’ve been reading this morning:

‘Factor Investing with Corey Hoffstein’ – Justin Castelli – All About Your Benjamins (PODCAST)

‘Monopolies Don’t Explain Why Stocks Soar’ – Barry Ritholtz – Bloomberg

‘How the Four Laws of Ecology Help You Solve Problems’ – Shane Parrish – Farnam Street

‘A Margin of Safety’ – Nick Maggiulli – Of Dollars and Data

‘The Ins and Outs of IRA Conversions’ – Christine Benz – Morningstar

ENJOY!

tim