The incredible shrinking market of publicly-traded companies

An interesting summary of a secret meeting between corporate giants (Berkshire, Blackrock, GM, GE, etc), arranged by Jamie Dimon of JPMorgan Chase, to discuss the state of public companies, board compensation, and corporate governance. From 1996 to 2012 the number of US-based public companies fell 50% from 8,025 to 4,101. At this secret meeting, participants tried to discuss the potential causes and effects from the phenomenon.

https://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/21/business/dealbook/ceos-meet-in-secret-over-sorry-state-of-public-companies.html

Passive vs active investment

What are the differences between passive and active money management? Should I invest my spare dollars in a mutual fund or one a of myriad of ETFs? A good article mainly promoting the good things of active management, but also has solid info on pros and cons of both investment types.

http://www.businessinsider.com/heres-why-money-managers-still-have-an-edge-2016-9

Brexit and property funds

Investors put money into various types of funds, usually to get exposure to additional asset classes or to some markets that are expected to have decent growth potential. The London property market has been HOT for years now, but with Brexit, the thesis of certain demand underpinned by Russian oligarchs to mainland European CEOs has been thrown into uncertainty. Essentially, a bank run has occurred in property funds, with too many investors simultaneously wanting their money back.

https://www.marketwatch.com/story/3-uk-property-funds-are-frozen-what-you-need-to-know-2016-07-05

2015 had some good news

While deep issues remain that need to be proactively addressed and resolved, it's good to remember that beyond the negative headlines is VERY good news on the progress the world has made over the last several decades, let alone the last 100 years- progress in the fight against famine, disease, crime, and much, much more.

http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2015/12/good-news-in-2015/421200/

Emerging markets have been performing well

Generally speaking, the market is like a ship buffeted by waves; sometimes there are periods of rough seas, and other times when its smooth sailing. A brief hiccup in the markets from an unexpected geopolitical move like Brexit generally shouldn't be enough to move a investor away from his long-term thesis. However, it's always good to look around from time-to-time to see what's been working well for people. For the first half of 2016, Emerging Markets have been crushing the competition!

https://www.marketwatch.com/story/these-stock-markets-left-the-rest-of-the-world-in-their-wake-so-far-this-year-2016-07-01