Measuring the Economy

It is very difficult to get a true gauge of the economy, the media is full of pundits and economists who create a dizzying amount of idle speculation. Getting down to brass tax is critical. When evaluating a business as a potential investment I often find myself in similar circumstances- too much information. To get past the noise I find the best thing to do is to focus on the fundamentals. In looking at the overall economy I think a similar approach can be taken.

The Vancouver port is one of the largest on the western sea board.  If you are exporting odds are the product went through this port. If you are importing odds are it came through. If we want to evaluate the overall health of the economy looking how the inbound and how outbound shipments have varied is at the very least an interesting prospect and perhaps can also provide some insight into the overall health of the economy.
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Interesting Links

For your reading pleasure a few interesting articles from around the globe about dividends, stocks, the market and other just plain interesting finance or economic oriented articles- enjoy!

• Great Chart Showing how the recession has impacted workers with differing education levels
• A dangerous omen looms for bonds
• Sony Sets Aggressive 3D goals- good investment of bust?
• Cisco oversells the hype and it costs them
• 10 Key Charts to See before you buy a home

2008 Recession and the Great Depression

Chiefly for the purposes of comical perspective if this was the second coming of the great depression this is where we would be as of this month.

Data points show change in % from previous months market close on the DOW.

Buy What you Know: A Recipe for Investing in Tough Markets

“Buy what you know”, this quote first coined by Peter Lynch has been interpreted a number of different ways throughout the years. I am going to add to that list and suggest there is a way to interpret it in this economy and secure your investments.

During the stock market crash of 1929 almost all companies plummeted, but some investors still profited by picking companies that could make money in the economy of the day. If some of the dire predication about how long the current recession will continue are correct we may be entering a similar phase. So what companies are setup to make money when times are tough? Companies that serve our core human needs.
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