Richest 85 = Same Wealth as 1/2 of Population

According to a new report by Oxfam, the richest 85 people in the world control as much wealth as about one-half of the world's population.

That is 85 people compared with 3.5 billion.

A new report from Oxfam has been published in time for the World Economic Forum in Davos this week.

It shows the world's ultra-wealthy have not only recovered from the global financial crisis, they have positively blossomed.

The report shows the wealth of the 1 per cent richest people in the world is worth about $110 trillion, 65 times the total wealth of the bottom half of the world's population.

It also shows the world's richest 85 people control about $1.7 trillion in wealth, equivalent to the bottom half of the world's population.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/world/richest-85-boast-same-wealth-as-half-the-world-20140120-314vk.html#ixzz2qxADr8d1

Caution on Stocks 9/9/13 at 4:45 PM

Our stock market indicators are flashing a warning signal so investors and traders should take note and be careful.  Our last stock market signal was on June 6, 2013, when our indicators were bullish.  At the time, the S&P stood at 1609.  The S&P is currently at 1672.

• Long-term indicators are bullish.
• Intermediate-term indicators are moderately bearish.
• Overall, we remain slightly bullish, but we will be watching the short-term trends and indicators.

Investors should be cautious and should look for sell-offs to add to equity positions.  Traders may look to the short side if the market accelerates to the downside.  It is often difficult to predict turning points, but our intermediate-term model has had a good track record as documented by our blog.  

As always, we will keep readers apprised of changes to our stock market indicators.