{"id":85944,"date":"2025-01-18T01:00:50","date_gmt":"2025-01-18T09:00:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lenpenzo.com\/blog\/?p=85944"},"modified":"2025-01-25T06:45:19","modified_gmt":"2025-01-25T14:45:19","slug":"black-coffee-18-jan-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lenpenzo.com\/blog\/id85944-black-coffee-18-jan-2025.html","title":{"rendered":"Black Coffee: Sweet and Sour"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"It’s time to sit back, relax and enjoy a little joe<\/em> …<\/p>\n

Welcome to another rousing edition of Black Coffee, your off-beat weekly round-up of what’s been going on in the world of money and personal finance.<\/p>\n

Well … another busy week is behind us. So with that in mind, let’s get this party started!<\/p>\n

Dig a well before you get thirsty.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

– Chinese proverb<\/strong><\/p>\n

Credits and Debits<\/strong><\/p>\n

Credit:<\/strong><\/span> Did you see this? According to the latest Conference Board survey, an astounding 53% of Americans believe stock prices will rise<\/a> over the next 12 months. That is an extremely bullish response that is even higher than during the peak euphoria of the Dot-com bubble. This is backed up by another key indicator known as the \u201cEuphoriameter\u201d – no, really – that confirms investor bullishness has reached unprecedented levels. See for yourself:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

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\n\"\" \"\"Debit:<\/strong><\/span> In other news, a new survey of chief information and technology officers in the banking sector has determined that those institutions could cut as many as 200,000 jobs<\/a> globally during the next three to five years, with back office, middle office, and operations roles being the most vulnerable. On average, Wall Street expects a 3% reduction in their workforce due to the implementation of AI. However, almost 25% of the respondents predict an even steeper decline, with job losses ranging between 5% and 10% of their total headcount. Then again, some people might consider the increased efficiency that would result from such a transition to be good<\/strong><\/em> news …<\/p>\n