Dr. Paul W. Allen

About Dr. Paul W. Allen

This author has not yet filled in any details.
So far Dr. Paul W. Allen has created 295 blog entries.

Hi Friends

Dear Friends,

It’s been about 6 weeks since my last post. I try to post once a month now. There’s certainly enough news out there to write about. The matter of inflation and what’s next for interest rates reminds me of a squirrel darting back and forth in the road in front of an oncoming vehicle — trying to decide which way to go. […]

May 11th, 2024|God|4 Comments

“O Death, Where is Your Sting?”

Dear Friends,

I hope my post today finds you doing well. It’s been a while since my last post. Life gets hectic at times as you know and such has been the case here. […]

March 30th, 2024|Easter, resurrection, sin|4 Comments

Floating on Proverbial Air

Hey Friends. I hope my post finds you well.

Never since I started investing in stocks has the market been more confusing and convoluted. Our financial foundations seem to be floating on air today. National debt was 122.9% of the nominal GDP for our nation as of September 2023. […]

February 2nd, 2024|Balance Sheet, national debt, Risk|4 Comments

Good News!!

Merry Christmas, friends!!

From Chapter 2 of the Gospel of Luke, we read in verses 10-11:

10 And the angel said to them (the shepherds), “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” (ESV, Bible) […]

December 22nd, 2023|Christmas, gospel, Jesus Christ|6 Comments

From Investing to the Southwest Frontier

Hey friends. I hope my post today finds you doing well and that you had a blessed Thanksgiving with those you love. Today, I’ll really go off the beaten path of investing talk onto other paths, namely hiking trails and the like. […]

December 2nd, 2023|Grand Canyon, great Southwest, Sedona|2 Comments

Accounting for Bond Investments

Hey Friends. Today, I’ll post with regard to a specific account found on many balance sheets, especially on the balance sheets of financial companies. The account is Investment (in Marketable Securities).

Specifically, today’s post considers accounting for Investments in Debt Securities (e.g. Bonds). It seems a fitting topic, given the present highly-charged interest rate environment. Bond prices bear an inverse relationship to interest rates. As rates rise, bond values decrease. A company that has a large portfolio of investments in bonds has likely seen steep declines in the market value of its portfolio. […]

Be Careful Out There

Hello friends! I hope this post today finds you doing well.

My wife and I have been traveling and my post is brief today, yet salient. This market is very much on edge in my view. The CBOE Volatility Index (VIX) doesn’t indicate fear among investors at this time. Yet, there are so many uncertain and significant macro variables lurking that could change things quickly and adversely with regard to the continued (surprising) relative resilience of the current stock market. […]

October 8th, 2023|Balance Sheet, debt, VIX|0 Comments

Revisiting the Basics of Stock Investing

Hey Friends. In 2013, my book, “Choose Stocks Wisely,” was published. Its emphasis is on the balance sheet as the starting point for stock investment analysis. Why this emphasis? […]

September 2nd, 2023|assets, Balance Sheet, earnings, Equity, Stock investment|4 Comments

A Ding to America’s Credit Rating: “It is What it Is”

Hello, friends. I hope you are doing well.

Today’s post will offer little commentary beyond a link to a CNBC article about Fitch’s downgrade late yesterday (Tuesday) of the U.S. long-term credit rating from AAA to AA+. The following is an excerpt from the article:

“Fitch Ratings downgraded the United States’ long-term foreign currency issuer default rating to AA+ from AAA on Tuesday, pointing to “expected fiscal deterioration over the next three years,” an erosion of governance and a growing general debt burden.” […]

August 2nd, 2023|Fitch, national debt, U.S. credit rating|2 Comments

What a Weird Market!

Hey Friends. I hope your summer is off to a great start. Here in the deep south, we have recently seen unusual rains and electrical storms but it has all calmed down now and it’s the typical summer weather again (hot and humid with isolated showers once in a while).

While the weather has been unusual lately, the market is more unusual, in my view. Feelings can steer you off course, but this market feels very “weird” to me. The uncertainties of runaway debt levels coupled with inflation where the jury is still out on the Fed’s future course of adjusting interest rates just don’t seem to correlate at all with the confidence shown toward stocks. […]

June 23rd, 2023|Balance Sheet, debt, inflation, interest rates|0 Comments