Democrats are down three seats temporarily due to deaths.
Sunday, July 6, 2025
Saturday, July 5, 2025
Performance of some older Vanguard funds since inception, through June 30, 2025
In chronological order:
Wellington Fund, VWELX, inception July 1, 1929: 8.35%
Windsor Fund, VWNDX, inception October 23, 1958: 11.24%
U. S. Growth Fund, VWUSX, inception January 6, 1959: 11.04%
Explorer Fund, VEXPX, inception December 11, 1967: 9.34%
Wellesley Income Fund, VWINX, inception July 1, 1970: 9.19%
Long Term Investment Grade Fund, VWESX, inception July 9, 1973: 7.30%
500 Index Fund, VFINX, inception August 31, 1976: 11.50%
Long-Term Tax-Exempt Fund, VWLTX, inception September 1, 1977: 5.26%
High-Yield Tax-Exempt Fund, VWAHX, inception December 27, 1978: 5.87%
High-Yield Corporate Fund, VWEHX, inception December 27, 1978: 7.8%
GNMA Fund, VFIIX, inception June 27, 1980: 6.18%
International Growth Fund, VWIGX, inception September 30, 1981: 10.38%
Short-Term Investment-Grade Fund, VFSTX, inception October 29, 1982: 5.43%
International Value Fund, VTRIX, inception May 16, 1983: 8.36%
Global Capital Cycles Fund, VGPMX, inception May 23, 1984/September 26, 2018: 5.15%
Energy Fund, VGENX, inception May 23, 1984: 9.53%
Health Care Fund, VGHCX, inception May 23, 1984: 14.57%
PRIMECAP Fund, VPMCX, inception November 1, 1984: 13.53%
Star Fund, VGSTX, inception March 29, 1985: 9.23%
Windsor II Fund, VWNFX, inception June 24, 1985: 10.91%
Long-Term Treasury Fund, VUSTX, inception May 19, 1986: 5.82%
Growth and Income Fund, VQNPX, inception December 10, 1986: 10.93%
Total Bond Market Index Fund, VBMFX, inception December 11, 1986: 5.03%
Extended Market Index Fund, VEXMX, inception December 21, 1987: 10.53%
Equity Income Fund, VEIPX, inception March 21, 1988: 10.32%
Total Stock Market Index Fund, VTSMX, inception April 27, 1992: 10.47%
Dividend Growth Fund, VDIGX, inception May 15, 1992: 9.01%
Growth Index Fund, VIGRX, inception November 2, 1992: 11.31%
SPX since August 2000 continues to underperform the pre-Reagan era by almost 20% in real terms, the Reagan bull market era by almost 68%
SPX 8/2000-5/2025: 7.62% per annum nominal, 4.95% per annum real (inflation rate 2.54% per annum)
SPX 1/1871-7/1982: 8.15% per annum nominal, 6.18% per annum real (inflation 1.86%)
SPX 7/1982-8/2000: 18.99% per annum nominal, 15.28% per annum real (inflation 3.22%)
We'll get the June 2025 Consumer Price Index report on Tuesday July 15th. The previous read was 2.4% yoy overall, and 2.8% yoy for the core.
SPX vs. gold since 1913
Gold 1913-2025 ($20.67-$3500.05 peak on April 22, 2025): 4.689% compound annual growth rate, nominal.
The S&P 500 did better than that in nominal terms. SPX 4/1913-4/2025 (8.79-5369.50, monthly average prices): 5.895% compound annual growth rate, which does not include dividends reinvested; the nominal per annum plus dividends reinvested produced 10.14% total nominal per annum.
In real terms the $20.67 price of gold in April 1913 is only $676.62 in April 2025, or 3.164% CAGR inflation over the period. So in real terms gold is up just 1.478% per annum over the period (from $676.62 to $3500.05).
Again in real terms SPX is up more, 2.65% per annum without dividends reinvested over the period, and even more with dividends reinvested, 6.76% per annum.
Spot gold on July 4th was lower than in April, at $3329.67.
SPX made a new high for the Fourth of July.
US Treasury yields were down modestly in June 2025 on an average basis
Long bets continue to demand higher compensation both relatively speaking and relative to January 2024.
Friday, July 4, 2025
Thursday, July 3, 2025
The GOP House bowed down and worshipped before the GOP Senate and voted for its reconciliation bill lock, stock, and barrel today at 2:30pm, including all the clowns of the House Freedom Caucus
The roll call vote is here.
The $36 trillion national debt will soar.
The interest payments on that debt were $639 billion fiscal year to date at the end of May, and they will soar, too.
The so-called fiscal conservatives of the House Freedom Caucus could have stopped this monstrosity, but they all backed down save for Massie and Fitzpatrick, and they aren't even members.
The entire House Freedom Caucus voted for it.
Pressure on the House GOP reconciliation bill holdouts got them all, save one, to flip at 03:23 this morning, finally allowing the bill to come to the floor for debate
Thomas Massie was originally for bringing the bill to the floor for debate, then switched to against that after Trump got testy with him lol, and then switched back to for again after getting Trump to stop criticizing him, at least temporarily.
He'll still vote against this damn thing, and will probably be the only one.
The debate phase started at 03:30 and is still ongoing.
Hakeem Jeffries is trying to outdo Kevin McCarthy with a marathon floor speech in opposition longer than eight hours and thirty-two minutes.
Full time employment in June 2025 rises to 49.83%, first half of 2025 falls to 49.30%, as bad as 2021 or 2017
Wednesday, July 2, 2025
House GOP can't agree to proceed to debating Senate reconciliation bill, vote stands at 206 Yea, 216 Nay (4 GOP against), with 10 GOP not voting
Yikes.
Even if all not voting GOP vote Yea, there's a tie. Not good enough.
And moments ago Thomas Massie changed his Yea to Nay lol.
Trump’s megabill is in real trouble; House GOP leaders need to flip a ‘no’ vote to a yes