Tighter Lending? Alliance Is Well Positioned
Financial May 25, 2023/Financial Lending standards are tightening across the banking sector, and particularly among banks with so-so balance sheets. After years of cheap…
Banking Industry Woes? Alliance Isn’t Worried
Financial April 11, 2023/Financial The news recently has been full of stories about banks in turmoil. Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) went bust, First Republic has…
What Will the Fed Do About Inflation?
Financial June 2, 2022/Financial The Fed is walking a razor’s edge between rising inflation and a potential recession. So-called fedologists have been working overtime trying…
The more things change, the more they stay the same.
Financial March 15, 2022/Financial The more things change, the more they stay the same. The pandemic has accelerated companies’ shift into the digital…
Government Strings Attached
Financial December 17, 2021/Financial Recently I noticed an interesting policy innovation in the news. Some countries in Asia are experimenting with stimulus payments that…
Is Inflation on the Horizon?
Financial December 17, 2021/Financial Recent reports show that inflation has ticked up to some of the highest levels we’ve seen in a long time. While…
Are You Missing the Boat on SPACs?
Financial December 17, 2021/Financial There’s a hot new trend on Wall Street right now. People have been asking me whether they’re missing the boat if…
Is Bitcoin a Bubble?
Financial December 17, 2021/Financial The price of bitcoin is soaring and so-called cryptocurrencies are getting more attention than ever. Many people have been asking me…
Nuance not Pitchforks
Financial December 17, 2021/Financial When prices rise, people tend to get upset. That gets magnified in these hard times, especially for essential items like hand…
Ant Group is Driving Very Interesting Financial Innovations
Financial December 17, 2021/Financial The fintech giant Ant Group is headed for one of the biggest IPOs of all time. This isn’t just a big…
What Do You Mean By “The Economy”?
Financial December 16, 2021/Financial There’s a lot of doom and gloom in today’s headlines. Sensationalized business reporting is leading many people to overly simplistic…
How Healthy is Our Economy Really?
Financial December 16, 2021/Financial Are we heading towards a great depression or a great recovery? Your views are probably influenced by where you live…
The Pandemic Is Pushing Business Schools To The Ledge
Financial December 16, 2021/Financial Warren Buffet once said that only when the tide goes out do you find out who has been swimming naked….
No Free Lunches, Beware Moral Hazard
Financial December 16, 2021/Financial The federal government is dishing out trillions in stimulus dollars. So much money is practically impossible to imagine. But these debts…
Any Treatment Must Address the Disease in Our Economy
Financial December 16, 2021/Financial Most of us had never heard of a cytokine storm before a few weeks ago. For those unfamiliar, many patients with…
“S**t Happens” Isn’t How To Manage Risk
Financial December 13, 2021/Financial Many people had never heard of force majeure before a few weeks ago. It’s often buried towards the back of…
Does Secular Stagnation Matter?
Financial December 13, 2021/Financial Sometimes investors ask me whether secular stagnation is bad for Alliance’s investments. In short, the answer is no. The longer…
The Economy Still Looks Strong
Financial December 8, 2021/Financial If you take the financial news media too seriously, you might think we were on the edge of economic catastrophe. With…
How Clearly Can You See Your Business Risks?
Financial December 8, 2021/Financial Jack Welch once said that whichever team sees the world more clearly, wins. In today’s rapidly changing environment, our broad, nuanced,…
Does “Woke” Marketing Make Sense?
Financial December 8, 2021/Financial The recent controversy over Nike’s Betsy Ross-flag sneaker surprised me. Not very long ago, it would have been pretty strange…
A Rising Tide Lifts All Boats
Financial December 8, 2021/Financial Like pretty much everything these days, views on the economy are polarized. Are we living in an unprecedented economic boom, or…
Our Kids Need Financial Education
Financial December 7, 2021/Financial It’s not easy to raise and educate a kid these days. The world is getting more complex, and we all have…
One Size Does Not Fit All
Financial December 7, 2021/Financial Too many people believe in one-size-fits-all solutions to complex problems. With another election cycle spinning up, leaders and pundits are trying…
Have the Regulators Been Captured?
Financial December 7, 2021/Financial I would never want to work as a ‘Regulator’. You oversee companies that you do not work for. Getting only…
Is America Ready for Retirement?
Financial December 7, 2021/Financial I’m concerned that whole generations of Americans aren’t preparing for retirement. Defined contribution plans like 401ks and IRAs provide tax incentives…