Slope of Hope Blog Posts

Slope initially began as a blog, so this is where most of the website’s content resides. Here we have tens of thousands of posts dating back over a decade. These are listed in reverse chronological order. Click on any category icon below to see posts tagged with that particular subject, or click on a word in the category cloud on the right side of the screen for more specific choices.

Money Mistakes Costing Investors

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Money Mistakes Costing Investors Their Retirement. Is There Time to Rectify?

The American workforce is experiencing a “silver tsunami” as a record 4.1 million Americans are predicted to turn 65 years old this year, and every year from now until 2027, according to a report by the Alliance for Lifetime Income. In the same report, data suggests that an average of 11,000 65th birthday celebrations will be held every day from now through to December 2024. 

America has reached peak retirement age, and with millions of workers soon stepping out of the workforce and claiming their spot on the retirement bench it’s time to start taking stock of how older individuals have been investing their nest eggs over the years, and how the next generation of savers can rectify these mistakes before they end in the same position. 

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Americans Spending Their Money

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American consumers remain among the biggest, and perhaps strongest spenders on essential and non-essential goods, however rising prices and sticky inflation are seeing overall optimism sink as their savings accounts are being drained and credit card debts start to pile up. 

Though consumer optimism may be reaching levels last witnessed in the 1980s, broader consumer inflation continues to decline with May seeing a 0.1% decline in the consumer price index (CPI), and with year-over-year inflation ending the month at 3.3%, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. 

While prices of goods and services may be cooling, many Americans aren’t leaving the grocery store with more in their shopping carts. In fact, many consumers now feel less positive about the current state of the economy compared to the last quarter of 2023. 

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Move Over America! 

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China’s Luxury Goods Market Is Making A Comeback

While nearly 78 percent of Americans are living paycheck to paycheck, an increase of 6 percent between 2022 and 2023 according to a recent survey, Chinese consumers are showing up and dishing out luxury goods and services as the market is set for a strong recovery in the year ahead. 

In the latest China Luxury Report by Bain & Company, analysts predict that China’s luxury goods market experienced a comfortable 12% year-on-year increase in 2023. The rebound has seen China’s domestic luxury goods market recover from previous declines during the pandemic years, however, is still slightly below the record level of 2021. 

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Move Over America

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China’s Luxury Goods Market Is Making A Comeback 

While nearly 78 percent of Americans are living paycheck to paycheck, an increase of 6 percent between 2022 and 2023 according to a recent survey, Chinese consumers are showing up and dishing out luxury goods and services as the market is set for a strong recovery in the year ahead. 

In the latest China Luxury Report by Bain & Company, analysts predict that China’s luxury goods market experienced a comfortable 12% year-on-year increase in 2023. The rebound has seen China’s domestic luxury goods market recover from previous declines during the pandemic years, however, is still slightly below the record level of 2021. 

The same Bain & Company report estimates that by the end of the decade, Chinese consumers will represent between 35% and 40% of spenders in the luxury goods market. 

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What’s Happening At The Blackline?

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Against all odds, stock markets have managed to roar through the first quarter of the year, seeing all major indexes closing off the final trading week of the quarter on new highs despite high levels of uncertainty, inflationary pressure, and the high-interest rate environment. 

On Wednesday, March 27, the benchmark S&P 500 rose 0.53%, pushing total quarterly gains to roughly 10% for the first quarter of 2024. Since late January, the benchmark index has been setting new records and hasn’t looked back ever since. The index is now on track to clock in its biggest first-quarter gain since 2019. 

Similarly, both the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite reported similar gains, with the Dow Jones rising 0.40% and the Nasdaq up 0.40% during late Wednesday afternoon trading. 

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