In this weekly blog we try to keep our comments narrowly focused on our dividend investment strategy. As we were composing our most recent quarterly letter we admitted to our readers that at times we sound like a one trick pony: our solution for every challenge and every opportunity is always -- buy and hold quality rising dividend stocks. In the long run we know that will work.
Yet the matters we discuss and decide at our weekly investment policy meetings cover the waterfront of issues. In this regard, heaven help us, we are like politicians because we have to have a basic understanding and a few talking points on just about everything that is going on in the world.
We thought our readers would appreciate our short takes on a long list of issues facing our nation and the world. Normally, when we write these blogs or our client letters, we try to offer solid proofs for our positions. In this piece, we are not going to do that. We are just going to give our views, without supporting arguments. This way we can cover a wide range of issues that you may have questions about. It is our plan to periodically offer an update to what we are calling 12 Random Ramblings from the Investment Policy Committee.
- Stocks are undervalued by about 25%. Energy, Industrial, and Consumer Cyclical stocks are very cheap.
- US Government bond yields are at historic lows, but will not rise much over the next year.
- Inflation will fall.
- US Corporate profits will continue to surprise to the upside, driven by business in developing nations.
- Greece is already bankrupt, but the European Union will keep the country on life support for an extended time.
- The market has already priced in a Greek default.
- The US economy will not fall into recession and may surprise to the upside in the fourth quarter of this year.
- The worldwide economy will grow by at least 3%, after inflation, this year.
- Dr. Doom, Nouriel Roubini, has signaled better times may be on the horizon for the US and the world by putting his investment advisory firm up for sale.
- The average dividend payout ratio for the S&P 500, which is now, under 40%, will move back toward its 80-year average of 50% over the next five years.
- There is still a chance that Hillary Clinton will run against President Obama if his polling numbers don't improve by December. She would likely beat any Republican, and the stock markets would rally, not because her views are so much different than Obama's, but because the economy and the markets did so well under Bill Clinton.
- If Roubini is selling his company, the price of gold may have already seen its highs.
Greg Donaldson, Chairman of the Investment Policy Committee
Donaldson Capital Management, LLC
