Election Uncertainty Lingers
The third quarter of 2020 was another positive quarter for most financial assets. Mega cap stocks led the way once again, which helped the market cap-weighted S&P 500 Index pull into positive territory for the year. But most of the other stock indexes remained in negative territory year to date, despite seeing large gains in Q3. That just […]
What The Potential Election Outcomes Could Mean for Investors
First, we would be remiss if we didn’t remined investors that markets have enjoyed positive returns under most presidents – regardless of which party. The reason is that generally speaking, markets go up over time. Corporate earnings grow along with businesses, the economy expands, and dividends and inflation provide a boost. As such, markets tend to go up […]
“Unprecedented”
In the first quarter of this year, the stock market saw an unprecedented decline – in terms of the speed and magnitude with which it took place. In the aftermath and ensuing months, the market then staged an unprecedented rebound from the lows. This was accompanied by an unprecedented amount of stimulus, from both the Fed and […]
The Great Lockdown
To say that investors just witnessed an historic quarter would be a huge understatement. In mid-February, the stock market hit an all-time record high. Just one month later people were asking if the U.S. was going to experience a repeat of the 1930s depression. Its hard to fathom how there could have been such an abrupt change of […]
Navigating the COVID-19 Crisis Webinar – Recording Now Available
Last week our Chief Investment Officer, Jordan Kahn, CFA®, provided an in-depth look at the market, as well as an overview of our investment management strategy during the current crisis. Click here to listen to the full webinar recording on our YouTube channel. Key Topics Included: Data points to keep in mind Are we in a bear market? […]
COVID-19 Update: Time to Sell or Buying Opportunity?
We have been receiving a lot of calls from clients wondering if we have a plan to deal with the current market environment. One of the difficulties of sending out these missives is how to write something that addresses the varying concerns of our broad client base. Some folks are fearful of the recent market […]
The Wall of Worry (Redux)
In more than a few client meetings, we have found ourselves saying that if you only looked at the headlines and what was going on in the media/politics/geopolitical front, you would probably conclude that the stock market is doing horrible. But in fact, the market has continued to do quite well amidst a broader backdrop […]
A Tale of Two Markets
While there is always a bull vs. bear debate in any market environment, the cross-currents in today’s financial markets are fairly stark. Recent stock market action is painting a rosy forward-looking picture, while the action in bond yields is singing a less cheerful tune. So which one is right? That remains one of the difficulties […]
The Central Bank Effect
As 2018 ended, it appeared as if the Federal Reserve was intent on further interest rate hikes (after 4 in 2018). In addition to interest rate hikes, the Fed had hinted that the reduction in its balance sheet would continue, and was basically on “auto-pilot”. Both of these policies made investors fearful that the Fed […]
From QE to QT
Investors will be glad to say goodbye to 2018, and especially the final month of last year, which turned out to be the worst December for the stock market since 1931. December is usually a solid month for the market historically, which is probably why so many investment managers were caught off balance by the […]