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@theMarket: The Trump Tariff Pause
By Bill Schmick,
02:08PM / Friday, April 11, 2025
This week, the stock markets had one of their largest single-day rallies since 2012, after President Trump suddenly put some of his tariffs on hold for 90 days. He then gave back half of it the following day. Investors wonder if this was a bear market bounce or if it could mean something more.   Media sources are crediting the market melt-up to various factors. Some believe Trump decided to soften his stance on tariffs after spending the weekend huddled with his U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. Bessent, who the business community believes is a voice of reason in a room full of tariff advocates, had urged the president to pause his reciprocal tariff deadline. He

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The Retired Investor: Bull and Bear Case for U.S. Economy
By Bill Schmick,
04:38PM / Thursday, April 10, 2025
Are we on the verge of an American economic and social revival as Donald Trump promises, or on the eve of destruction as his critics claim? That sounds extreme, but in this partisan world we live in binary events are all we care about.    If all unfolds according to the Trump policy playbook, inflation will be lower, the country more substantial, and we will be able to grow our way out of this debt crisis through higher tax revenues from a booming economy. This land of plenty will take time to achieve, they warn, so for now, you must have faith in the narrative.   The bull case continues with tax cuts, government spending reductions, and tariffs that will

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@theMarket: 'Demolition Day' in global markets
By Bill Schmick,
02:21PM / Friday, April 04, 2025
Stocks fell to kick off the second quarter following the worst quarterly performance for equities in the past three years. The culprit was Wednesday evening's "Liberation Day" announcement of tariffs far worse than the markets expected.   By now, most readers know that the president not only levied a 10 percent tariff on all nations across the board, but he also added reciprocal tariffs to that total on individual nations. China was signaled out for the harshest treatment with a combined 54 percent total round of tariffs. In response, China announced 34 percent tariffs on U.S. goods.   As I warned readers last week, these tariffs would be

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The Retired Investor: Trump's Plan to Boost the Economy
By Bill Schmick,
03:48PM / Thursday, April 03, 2025
Transforming a government-heavy economy into one where the private sector leads not only takes time but also requires a period of detoxification, according to U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. The idea that pain may need to come before any gains has caught the nation and the stock market by surprise.    Last week, I explained that "the administration's first objective, is to slow demand in the real economy. Keynesian demand-side economics says the best way to do that is to reduce spending. Doing so, they believe, will also slow inflation. How do they do that? By distributing less money to the greatest number of people possible. That means slowing wage

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@theMarket: The Tariff War Begins
By Bill Schmick,
01:50PM / Friday, March 28, 2025
On April 2, Donald Trump has threatened to levy tariffs on several nations. This is in addition to the tariffs he has already imposed on China, Mexico, Canada, and now global auto producers. The question is whether the "if" in tariffs is still possible.   No, it isn't. The president is making good on his campaign promises to create an even playing field between the U.S. and our trading partners. Steel, aluminum, and the global auto tariffs he announced Wednesday evening are only the beginning.   Unlike his first term, this time around his tariff initiatives will be "extensive, explicit and enforced," as one hedge fund manager told me.

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