It feels like surprises no longer have the same impact they did - its like being told Santa Claus is not real, it doesn't have the same element of magic. In today's chart we look at the yield on the US 10 year bond. The chart goes back to 1962 and shows us the yield peaking 15.41% in 1981 - the good old days when you could ear double digit returns for letting your money sit in the bank....good times, ey - and the constant decline to where we are today.

It's tough to make predictions, especially about the future. - Yogi Berra Who would have that all those Tesla bulls would be right. What is happening in markets right now is absolutely mind boggling - especially when it comes to the likes of Facebook, Amazon, Netflix, Google, Tesla - it really is a sign of the times.

When grey clouds fill the skies ahead, consumers tighten up their purse string. And the current economic climate is no exception. Unfortunately for economic growth, the consumer is one of the most important factors. To date, we have seen unemployment soar around the world, and at the same time fiscal interventions has caused personal savings to soar.

“The investor who says, ‘This time is different,’ when in fact it’s virtually a repeat of an earlier situation, has uttered among the four most costly words in the annals of investing.” - John Templeton

It was over 10 years ago when the GFC ran havoc through global markets. A man made crisis crushed financial markets, economies, and lives. Today, we're faced with a very different crisis. Notwithstanding the crisis, the impact on peoples' financial lives is generally the same.

When we think about recessions, we generally don't think about a rise in personal income. But thanks to the support of governments all around the world, we might just be able to say, this time is different.