Not Worth the Cost: A 17-Month Case Study of Congestion Pricing in the SF Bay Area

{And now for something different! This piece was produced for my “Thought Blog” at Ahan Analytics, LLC} On March 20, 2012, the Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) implemented congestion (or dynamic) pricing on a critical San Francisco Bay Area thoroughfare called Highway 237 that primarily connects commuters from the East Bay to the South Bay. This … Read more

Fresh Buying Entry for IBM As NASDAQ Flips On Overdrive

A week ago, I wrote “Simple Reasons to Like IBM Despite the Headwinds.” As I feared/suspected at the time, sellers stepped in at an important resistance level. In four quick days, International Business Machines (IBM) dropped like a rock and retested presumed support from the announced expansion of the buyback. I thought I would have … Read more

The Coming Upward Pressure On Mortgage Rates In 2014

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on November 26, 2013. Click here to read the entire piece.) On Monday (November 25, 2013) the National Association of Realtors (NAR) reported a fifth straight month of declining pending home sales. NAR chief economist Lawrence Yun projects that 2013 will end … Read more

The Housing Market Index: Strong Trends, Correlated Components, and A Weak Northeast

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on November 19, 2013. Click here to read the entire piece.) The National Association of Homebuilders (NAHB) just released its November, 2013 report on builder confidence: the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI). It showed no change from … Read more

Cambpell’s Soup Still Not Cheap Enough to Risk Playing A Post-Earnings Recovery

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on November 21, 2013. Click here to read the entire piece.) You know it must be a good year in the stock market when a soup and food products company can deliver 11% gains year-to-date. Unfortunately for Campbell Soup (CPB), its 11% … Read more