Weekly Market Commentary September 13, 2021 The Markets The Delta variant could take a toll on economic growth. There was some good news last week. The 7-day moving average of COVID-19 cases in the United States declined. The bad news...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary September 7, 2021 The Markets Stagflation isn’t trending, but it was mentioned in quite a few headlines last week. Stagflation is a portmanteau of ‘stagnation’ and ‘inflation.’ It...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary August 23, 2021 The Markets Markets were shaken last week by a potent cocktail of central bank tapering and economic growth concerns mixed with coronavirus and a splash of the new Chinese privacy law. On...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary August 9, 2021 The Markets Are we there yet? For months, investors have wondered when the Federal Reserve (Fed) might begin to “normalize” its policies, a process that will eventually lead to...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary August 9, 2021 The Markets Are we there yet? For months, investors have wondered when the Federal Reserve (Fed) might begin to “normalize” its policies, a process that will eventually lead to higher...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary August 2, 2021 The Markets The Chinese dragon cast a shadow over free trade and foreign investment last week. For decades, investors have recognized the investment potential of China. Since the country opened...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary July 26, 2021 The Markets Shortest ever. Last week, the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) finally announced the official dates for the recession that occurred in 2020. Economic activity peaked in...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary July 12, 2021 The Markets There was a gapers’ block in financial markets last week as equity investors slowed to see what the United States Treasury bond market was up to. U.S. Treasury bonds rallied...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary June 28, 2021 The Markets What begins with the letter “I”? Infrastructure is essential and sometimes taken for granted. Pipes carry drinking water to our homes, offices, and healthcare facilities,...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary June 21, 2021 The Markets Is that a hawk? The Federal Reserve Open Market Committee (FOMC) met last week. They get together eight times a year to review current economic and financial conditions, assess risks...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary June 14, 2021 The Markets It’s transitory. It’s not transitory. It’s transitory. It’s not transitory. Media analysts were plucking the inflation daisy petals last week. On Thursday, the...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary June 7, 2021 The Markets Pulling the economy out of the shed. If you’ve ever stored tools or machinery in a shed or garage for an extended period of time, you know they often need some care and repair to...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary June 1, 2021 The Markets Are we at a tipping point? One side effect of the pandemic was a collapse in demand for oil, which led to “the largest revision to the value of the oil industry’s assets in...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary May 24, 2021 The Markets What do markets hate? They hate uncertainty, and recently there has been plenty of it. Some of the questions plaguing economists and pundits include: Why aren’t people returning...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary May 17, 2021 The Markets Uncle Inflation is here. Will he overstay his welcome? Ever since the financial crisis, central banks have pursued expansionary monetary policies to encourage reflation and avoid...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary May 10, 2021 The Markets Like a gender reveal gone wrong, last week’s employment report delivered an unexpected surprise. Economists estimated 975,000 new jobs would be created in April. The United States...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary May 3, 2021 The Markets It’s Spring and economic recovery is in the air. Last week, the Bureau of Economic Analysis reported the U.S. economy grew at a 6.4 percent annualized rate for the first three...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary April 26, 2021 The Markets It wasn’t just the price of pork chops. Last week, as investors weighed the news, strong corporate earnings were offset by higher grocery prices and rising numbers of global...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary April 19, 2021 The Markets Where are Treasury bonds going? The direction of bond yields is influenced by investors’ expectations for economic growth, among other factors. When economic growth is expected...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary April 12, 2021 The Markets Investors didn’t stumble over inflation last week. Why not? Inflation – rising prices of goods and services – can be measured in a variety of ways. For example, the...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary April 5, 2021 The Markets Zoom, zoom, zoom. Big economies tend to recover from recessions about as quickly as semi-trucks accelerate from stop lights. In other words, recovery tends to be slow. That may not be...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary March 29, 2021 The Markets Last week, unemployment claims were looking good and consumers were feeling good. The number of Americans applying for first-time unemployment benefits declined. Just 684,000 people...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary March 22, 2021 The Markets What are professional asset managers thinking? Bank of America recently published the results of its March global asset managers’ survey, which polls 220 professional investors...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary March 15, 2021 The Markets Investors had a lot to be enthusiastic about last week. Major stock indices in the United States soared, finishing the week higher and setting new records along the way, reported Al...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary March 8, 2021 The Markets Neanderthal DNA may make people more – or less – susceptible to COVID-19, reported The Economist. It all depends on whether you have the genes and, if you do, which DNA...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary March 1, 2021 The Markets Students of financial markets may have noted a historically unusual event last week. On Thursday, the yield on 10-year U.S. Treasury notes briefly matched the dividend yield for the...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary February 22, 2021 The Markets It’s a contrarian’s dream come true. Contrarian investors like to buck the trend. They buy when other investors are selling and sell when others are buying. Last week,...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary February 16, 2021 The Markets Way back, when radio disk jockeys played 45-rpm vinyl singles, the A-side of a disk was the song the record company was promoting and the other side – the flip side –...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary February 8, 2021 The Markets It’s not a black diamond ski run yet, but the yield curve for U.S. Treasuries is steeper than it has been in a while. A yield curve is the line on a graph showing yields for...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary February 1, 2021 The Markets They say people watching the same event often see different things. That seems to have been the case last week when share prices of a few companies experienced tremendous volatility...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary January 25, 2021 The Markets Last week, as COVID-19 vaccination efforts continued, there was speculation about stock market corrections and asset bubbles. On Sunday morning, Bloomberg reported 63 million doses...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary January 19, 2021 The Markets Investors were rocked by economic data showing the economy hit the brakes hard in December. Last week, major U.S. stock indices decelerated as investors gaped at the economic damage...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary January 11, 2021 The Markets The event at the United States Capitol building had a resounding impact around the world, but it didn’t deter global stock markets. Last week, investors weighed the violent...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary January 4, 2021 The Markets Last week was the cherry on top of a turbulent year for investors. After the $900 billion fiscal stimulus bill was signed on Sunday, major U.S. stock indices moved higher. The...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary December 28, 2020 The Markets U.S. stock markets remained calm as a fresh chapter opened in the coronavirus stimulus saga last week. Congress managed to cobble together a new stimulus package that was...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary December 21, 2020 The Markets Congress is at $900 billion, will they hear $1.4 trillion, $1.4 trillion, governments at $900 billion, who’ll go $1.4 trillion, $1.4 trillion… The stimulus auction...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary December 14, 2020 The Markets When it comes to beverages, frothy can be delicious. In what may be the least inspiring description of fizzy drinks ever written, a group of food engineers explained,...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary December 7, 2020 The Markets When is bad news good news? Take a look at last week. Major stock indices in the United States hit all-time highs on Friday, despite a lackluster employment report and a surge in...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary November 30, 2020 The Markets Last week, vaccine optimism immunized investors against signs of economic weakness. In previous commentaries we’ve written about narrative economics, which holds that popular...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary November 23, 2020 The Markets The U.S. economy is like a semi-trailer truck. No one likes being stuck behind a semi at a stoplight because big trucks don’t go from zero to 60 in 2.5 seconds. Neither does...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary November 16, 2020 The Markets Vaccine can be a powerful word. It’s worth 14 points in Scrabble (42 on a triple word square) and, last week, it was worth a whole lot more than that to financial markets. On...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary November 9, 2020 The Markets It’s said markets hate uncertainty, but that wasn’t the case last week. Despite tremendous uncertainty about the outcome of the United States election, major domestic...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary November 2, 2020 The Markets Last week, financial markets and economic data told very different stories. Reviewing economic data is a bit like looking in a rearview mirror. Typically, it offers information...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary October 26, 2020 The Markets Stimulus talks led investors in a merry dance last week. So far in 2020, stock markets have been sensitive to fiscal stimulus. Last week, there was optimism a new stimulus package...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary October 19, 2020 The Markets It was a turbulent week for investors. Waves of positive and negative news buffeted financial markets last week: The financial sector delivered upbeat earnings news Currently, many...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary October 12, 2020 The Markets Yes. No. Maybe? Markets were sharply focused on the status of stimulus last week. First, it was on. Then, it was off. Then, it might be on. Then, it was off again. There was a big...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary October 5, 2020 The Markets Last week, the third quarter of 2020 came to an end – and the fourth quarter delivered a doozy of an October surprise. President Trump has the coronavirus On Friday Americans...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary September 28, 2020 The Markets For four weeks, the U.S. stock market has sparked and sputtered like a campfire in light rain. Today, pandemic-driven demand is providing fuel for the investors. The need for...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary September 21, 2020 The Markets Investors weren’t happy with central banks last week. After the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell confirmed the economy is...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary September 14, 2020 The Markets Last week, the Nasdaq Composite Index set another record. So far, 2020 has been memorable for many reasons, not the least of which is the incredible speed at which some events...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary September 8, 2020 The Markets Stock markets in the United States retreated a bit last week. U.S. stocks have been trending higher for months. Last week, they gave back some gains. The Nasdaq Composite dropped 3...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary August 31, 2020 The Markets The stock market rallies like it’s 1986. August has been a good month for stock investors. At the end of last week, the S&P 500 Index was up 6.8 percent for the month. The...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary August 24, 2020 The Markets The shortest bear market in history is over. The Nasdaq Composite and Standard & Poor’s 500 Indices finished at new highs last week. The stock market is considered to be a...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary August 17, 2020 The Markets The Standard & Poor’s (S&P) 500 Index finished the week within a whisker of its February high, reported Randall Forsyth of Barron’s. It’s a remarkable feat. The...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary August 10, 2020 The Markets There was good news and bad news in last week’s employment report. The good news was the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics delivered better-than-expected data about employment....
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary August 3, 2020 The Markets Last week delivered a mixed bag of financial and economic news. As many expected, the U.S. economy did not fare well during the second quarter. COVID-19 lockdowns and business...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary July 27, 2020 The Markets Where are we on vaccines and treatments? During 2020, the United States government has spent more than $13 billion on Operation Warp Speed (OWS), which is focused on accelerating the...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary July 20, 2020 The Markets Is the United States economy recovering or faltering? It depends on who you ask and which data you consider. For example, last week, the Department of Labor reported fewer people...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary July 13, 2020 The Markets Please don’t scream inside your heart. Last week, a reopened Japanese theme park asked patrons to wear masks to help reduce the spread of coronavirus. It also asked them not to...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary July 6, 2020 The Markets What a quarter! Who could have guessed a global pandemic would produce outsized stock market returns? Near the end of last quarter (March 23), the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index was...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary June 29, 2020 The Markets Blame it on the coronavirus. Stock markets in the United States and Europe retreated last week as the number of new COVID-19 cases increased steadily in America. On Thursday, there...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary June 22, 2020 The Markets Could it be the upside surprises? U.S. stock markets have marched higher despite a pandemic, an economic downturn, and social justice protests – and a lot of people have wondered...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary June 15, 2020 The Markets The Nasdaq Composite dipped its toes into record territory last week before retreating. Stock indices in the United States rallied early last week on optimism about the reopening of...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary June 8, 2020 The Markets The employment report electrified U.S. stock markets last week. American stock markets responded enthusiastically to the news U.S. unemployment was 13.3 percent in May. If it seems...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary June 1, 2020 The Markets Are those green shoots? In economic terms, green shoots are signs of improvement. If you were paying close attention, you might have seen some in economic data released last week. They...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary May 26, 2020 The Markets It was a good week for stock markets in the United States, but there was trouble in Asia. U.S. stock markets rallied last week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average, Standard & Poor’s...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary May 18, 2020 The Markets America is reopening, state by state. That’s welcome news for many businesses, but we’re far from business as usual. Last week’s economic news included unemployment...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary May 11, 2020 The Markets The stock market is not the economy. It’s an important point to remember when headlines marvel that U.S. stock markets are moving higher while the U.S. economy is contracting....
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary May 4, 2020 The Markets There are signs COVID-19 may be in retreat. Last week, the Centers for Disease Control reported, overall in the United States, for the week ending April 25 (officially week 17 of the...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary April 27, 2020 The Markets We live in interesting times. There is discussion about whether the saying, “May you live in interesting times,” is a blessing or a curse. At this point in 2020, we all...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary April 20, 2020 The Markets Last week’s economic data was about what you might expect in the midst of a virus crisis that has shut down businesses and forced people to stay home: Retail sales were down 8.7...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary April 13, 2020 The Markets Why is the stock market doing so well when the COVID-19 pandemic has yet to peak? At the end of last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported the United States...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary April 6, 2020 The Markets In the Wizard of Oz, Dorothy says to her little dog, “Toto, I've a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore.” Today, many of us understand Dorothy’s trepidation and...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary March 30, 2020 The Markets The United States set some records last week. First, we became the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic. Popular Science explained: “An increase of 15,000 known cases in just one...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary March 23, 2020 The Markets The coronavirus (COVID-19) continued to spread across the United States last week. On Friday, March 13, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reported there were 1,629 confirmed and...
Read MoreWe at Titus Wealth hope you are staying healthy. We know it’s hard, but try to take a deep breath as we work together to get through this. You should know, we have a plan and are working diligently to execute on your behalf. We...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary March 16, 2020 The Markets Last week was one for the history books. Mid-week, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared coronavirus a global pandemic. At the time, there were more than 118,000 cases in 114...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary March 9, 2020 The Markets Last week, market volatility reached levels that make many investors uncomfortable. On Monday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average surged higher, delivering its biggest one-day point gain...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary March 2, 2020 The Markets Take a deep breath. We have experienced downturns before. Think back to 2018. During the last quarter of the year, major stock indices in the Unites States suffered double-digit losses...
Read MoreAfter several months of relative calm in the markets volatility has returned via COVID-19, aka Coronavirus. Every virus outbreak is different, but looking back at other major global outbreaks over the last three decades (SARS, bird flu...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary February 24, 2020 The Markets Risk on or risk off? The coronavirus appears to have inspired two distinct schools of thought among investors. Some investors currently favor opportunities that are considered...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary February 18, 2020 The Markets Many stock markets around the world moved higher last week. Investors’ optimism in the face of economic headwinds has confounded some in the financial services industry....
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary February 10, 2020 The Markets Last week, major U.S. indices posted strong gains. That’s welcome news, but the drivers behind share price appreciation appear to have little to do with company fundamentals....
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary February 3, 2020 The Markets Prepare yourself. There is a good chance markets will be volatile in the coming weeks. Precautions designed to slow the spread of the coronavirus may also slow Chinese economic...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary January 27, 2020 The Markets Markets hunkered down last week. News of the coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan, China unsettled investors around the world. The respiratory infection is related to severe acute...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary January 13, 2020 The Markets It was a nerve-wracking week. Iran fired 22 ballistic missiles at the Ain Al Asad air base near western Iraq and a second base in northern Iraq following last week’s U.S....
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary January 6, 2020 The Markets About face! 2019 was a remarkable year for investors with many asset classes delivering positive performance. Both the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index, a gauge of U.S. stock market...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary December 30, 2019 The Markets 2019 will be a hard act to follow. Investors may find themselves reluctant to ring out the old and ring in the new this week. During 2019, stock and bond markets delivered...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary December 23, 2019 The Markets Let’s hear it for 2019! Major stock indices in the United States and overseas are poised to deliver double-digit gains for the year. Even with uncertainty about...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary December 16, 2019 The Markets So, what comes next? Last week was a good week for investors. Ben Levisohn of Barron’s explained: “The Federal Reserve and European Central Bank both pledged to do what...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary December 9, 2019 The Markets Ahh, the power of distraction. On Friday, the unemployment report flashed its numbers like a hair model in a shampoo commercial. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported 266,000 new...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary December 2, 2019 The Markets It’s a shopping revolution! Sometime, probably not so long ago, comedian Dave Barry wrote, “Once again, we come to the Holiday Season, a deeply religious time that each...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary November 25, 2019 The Markets Thanksgiving is in the air! On Thursday, U.S. investors may find themselves giving thanks for the bull market. Year-to-date, the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index, Dow Jones...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary November 11, 2019 The Markets Last week, major United States stock indices finished at historic highs. According to a source cited by Barron’s, U.S. stock markets are responsible for creating $6 trillion...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary November 4, 2019 The Markets They did it. The Federal Reserve lowered interest rates last week, as expected. There were no enthusiastic fans singing the Baby Shark song, but the Federal Open Market...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary October 28, 2019 The Markets More money managers are feeling less bullish, but you sure couldn’t tell by the performance of U.S. stock markets last week. So far, 2019 has been a tremendous year for U.S....
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary October 21, 2019 The Markets Last week was like an overstuffed suitcase that busts open on the baggage carousel. A lot was unpacked in a surprising and disorderly fashion. There was some positive news for...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary October 14, 2019 The Markets The world breathed a sigh of relief last week when the United States and China took a step toward a trade-war truce. Financial Times reported the United States agreed to not...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary October 7, 2019 The Markets From trade wars to impeachment inquiries, investors had a lot to ponder during the third quarter. Toward the end of September, they appeared to become more cautious, although...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary September 30, 2019 The Markets They say bull markets climb a wall of worry. Investopedia’s Will Kenton explained the idea like this: “…a bull market isn’t a peaceful place. When times...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary September 23, 2019 The Markets There’s a new theory in town. Renowned economist Robert Shiller’s new book suggests investors may be able to predict and prepare for economic events by tracking...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary September 16, 2019 The Markets Where’s inflation? If you enjoy searching for Waldo, the visual nemesis in a red-striped sweater and cap, you may appreciate the quandary of central bankers in many wealthy...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary September 9, 2019 The Markets Remember the movie Groundhog Day? Bill Murray’s character is a crotchety newsman who lives the same day over and over again. After exhausting other options, he chooses...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary September 3, 2019 The Markets What, me worry? About this time last year, Time Magazine reported on anxiety in America. Almost 40 percent of Americans reported being more anxious than they were the previous year...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary August 26, 2019 The Markets Have you ever watched a lake in a thunderstorm? Heavy rain pummels the surface. Dark clouds drop the sky closer to the water. Gusty winds crash waves ashore. Up top, on land, damage...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary August 19, 2019 The Markets Don’t let volatility get you down. Last week was the 40th anniversary of BusinessWeek’s infamous cover headline: ‘The Death of Equities: How inflation is destroying...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary August 12, 2019 The Markets Global selloff. Quick comeback. Investors boomeranged from stocks to safe havens and back as trade tensions between the United States and China intensified last week. The Economist...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary August 5, 2019 The Markets Tariffs strike again. The Federal Open Market Committee completed what it called ‘a mid-cycle adjustment’ with a quarter-point rate cut last week. Some investors were...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary July 22, 2019 The Markets Did last week mark the start of a new policy for the Federal Reserve? The U.S. Federal Reserve has a reputation for providing little transparency about the timing and direction of...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary July 15, 2019 The Markets The bulls are running. Last week, the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index set a new record, closing above 3,000 for the first time. Other major U.S. stock indices also finished at record...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary July 1, 2019 The Markets In the infamous words of Mortimer Snerd, “Who’d a thunk it?” After U.S. stocks dropped sharply during the last weeks of December 2018, investors were not optimistic...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary June 24, 2019 The Markets Everything went up – and that’s unusual. Randall Forsyth of Barron’s explained, “Like our major political parties, the stock and bond markets seem to live in...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary June 17, 2019 The Markets Are we on the cusp of change? The United States is doing quite well. Randall Forsyth of Barron’s reported: “…the U.S. economy and stock market both seem to be doing...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary June 3, 2019 The Markets Tariff trouble. Just two weeks ago, the U.S. government lifted tariffs on Mexico and Canada. So, it was a surprise last week when President Trump tweeted the United States would impose...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary May 28, 2019 The Markets U.S. stocks have had a great run. During the past decade, the profitability of U.S. companies increased rapidly. Strong corporate earnings helped the U.S. stock market outperform...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary May 20, 2019 The Markets Trade war trade-off. There was some good news on trade, last week. The United States took steps to reduce trade friction with the European Union, Canada, Mexico, and Japan. “The...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary May 13, 2019 The Markets Trade talk trouble took a toll last week. Major U.S. stock indices moved lower when trade talks between the United States and China broke down. The Standard & Poor’s (S&P) 500...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary May 6, 2019 The Markets The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index is off to its best start in 20 years. Despite the exceptional performance of U.S. stock markets year-to-date, and data that suggest economic growth...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary April 29, 2019 The Markets It wasn’t an ‘Avengers End Game’ spoiler, but there was big news last week. Economic growth in the United States was strong during the first quarter. The Bureau Of...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary April 22, 2019 The Markets And the answer is… A Jeopardy! contestant captured the nation’s attention last week by setting multiple records for the most money earned in a single episode. The...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary April 15, 2019 The Markets Investors took an intermission. The curtain appeared to close on the first act of 2019 last week – and what an impressive act it was. The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary April 8, 2019 The Markets The first quarter of 2019 brought a welcome reversal. Last year, Barron’s published a group of market strategists’ expectations for 2019 performance. The article came out...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary April 1, 2019 The Markets “Fascinatingly counterintuitive…” That’s how Michael Arone, an investment strategist, described the U.S. market environment to Avi Salzman of Barron’s:...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary March 25, 2019 The Markets Wonder what the Federal Reserve’s 40-yard dash time is? On Wednesday, the Fed juked like an NFL running back and left investors wondering whether they should buy or sell....
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary March 18, 2019 The Markets Stock and bond markets rallied. Last week, major U.S. stock indices finished higher for the 10th time in 12 weeks. Bond markets moved higher, too, with the yield on 10-year Treasuries...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary March 11, 2019 The Markets Markets were rattled last week. The market hates surprises, especially when the surprise comes from a central bank. Last week, the European Central Bank (ECB) unexpectedly reversed...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary February 25, 2019 The Markets Investors were pleased with the Federal Reserve’s (Fed) new approach to its balance sheet. The Fed delivered its semi-annual Monetary Policy Report to Congress last week. The...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary February 19, 2019 The Markets Why did the stock market do that? The great mystery of stock markets reared its head last week. With no clear driver, the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained more than 3 percent,...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary February 11, 2019 The Markets Central banks take a turn. At its first policy meeting of 2019, the U.S. Federal Reserve changed direction. After four rate increases in 2018, Chair Jerome Powell announced...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary February 4, 2019 The Markets And, U.S. stock markets celebrated. Last week, the Federal Reserve put itself on hold. The Federal Open Market Committee met on Wednesday, January 30, 2019, to discuss the state of...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary January 22, 2019 The Markets We’re off to a good start. Investors who remained steady during December’s wild ride are probably pleased with their decision as stocks have gotten off to a strong start...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary January 14, 2019 The Markets People love rules of thumb. Sometimes, mental shortcuts are helpful. Other times they are not. When it comes to investing, seasonal shortcuts are not uncommon. In fact, January...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary January 7, 2019 The Markets Investors will think of the last quarter of 2018 for years to come, but they won’t remember it fondly. The Economist described it like this, “After a rotten October and...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary December 31, 2018 The Markets Investing during the month of December was like traversing an icy mountain stream. It delivered a staggering shock to the senses that triggered the instinct to, “Get...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary December 17, 2018 The Markets Ouch! It never feels good when the stock market heads south, and that’s what happened last week. The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index (S&P 500), Dow Jones Industrial Average...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary December 10, 2018 The Markets We’re off to a slow start. December is usually the best month of the year for the stock market. It has been since 1950, according to Randall Forsyth of Barron’s, but...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary December 3, 2018 The Markets Hold on to your hats! Recently, stocks have delivered a wild ride. During Thanksgiving week, U.S. stock markets took investor uncertainty on the chin, suffering a 3.8 percent drop,...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary November 26, 2018 The Markets It was a turkey of a week. The United States and China continued to spar over trade and other issues. An expert from Moody’s told Frank Tang of the South China Morning Post...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary November 19, 2018 The Markets Keep your eyes on the horizon. Motion sickness happens when your body receives conflicting signals from your eyes, ears, and other body parts. One way to manage the anxiety and...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary November 12, 2018 The Markets How are you feeling about financial markets? Some votes are still being counted but investors appear to be happy with the outcome of mid-term elections. Major U.S. stock indices in...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary November 5, 2018 The Markets Stocks recovered some ground last week and then stumbled over unemployment. Major U.S. stock indices faltered Friday after the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported on a popular...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary October 22, 2018 The Markets The world remains full of opportunities and challenges. Although we’ve seen global markets moving in tandem in recent years, Sara Potter of FactSet pointed out,...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary October 15, 2018 The Markets Like an unexpected gust of wind that blows the hat off your head or flips your umbrella inside out, last week’s stock market performance startled investors. Looking back,...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary October 8, 2018 The Markets The stock market tends to be a leading economic indicator. Last week offered some insight to economics and stock market behavior. The U.S. unemployment rate reached its lowest level...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary October 1, 2018 The Markets It wasn’t headline news… But, if newsprint was still popular, last week’s key economic news would have appeared below the fold. The Federal Reserve raised rates...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary September 24, 2018 The Markets Did you hear the news? A tech company introduced a microwave you can turn on using Wi-Fi – as long as you have one of the company’s voice assistants at home, reported...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary September 17, 2018 The Markets All investors are consumers, but not all consumers are investors. The September installment of University of Michigan’s Consumer Sentiment Survey reported Americans are...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary September 10, 2018 The Markets Remember: Volatility is normal. Major U.S. stock market indices climbed into record territory during August. They gave back some gains last week. Peter Wells of Financial Times...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary September 4, 2018 The Markets Where is our country’s biggest export market? Markets were fired up last week after the United States and Mexico agreed on new trade rules. The Standard & Poor’s 500...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary August 27, 2018 The Markets Tick, Tock. Not everybody loves meetings and even fewer enjoy reading the minutes, but investors make an exception with the Federal Reserve. This week the Fed published the minutes...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary August 20, 2018 The Markets As Maxwell Smart used to say… Missed it by THAT much! After a rocky start, the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index came within 1 percent of an all-time high last week, reported...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary August 13, 2018 The Markets Let’s talk Turkey! So, how did a country that represents just about 1.4 percent of the world’s economy spark a global selloff? Turkey was once a rising star. The...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary August 6, 2018 The Markets Capital gains tax reform comes with a big price tag: $100 billion over 10 years. A capital gain is any increase in the value of an asset, such as an investment, a home, land, etc.,...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary July 30, 2018 The Markets Is it a sugar rush or something more sustainable? Economic growth in the United States was strong during the second quarter. Gross domestic product (GDP), which is the value of all...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary July 16, 2018 The Markets Investors are becoming more discriminating. Trade tensions escalated as the U.S. administration expanded tariffs on Chinese goods last week. You wouldn’t have known by watching...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary July 9, 2018 The Markets What a rollercoaster of a quarter! When it comes to the American Association of Individual Investors (AAII) Sentiment Survey, respondents tend to be more bullish than bearish about U.S....
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary July 2, 2018 The Markets There’s a bear in China – and it’s not a panda. The Shanghai Stock Exchange (SSE) Composite Index, which reflects the performance of all shares that trade on the...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary June 25, 2018 The Markets What time is it? The yield curve may be the pocket watch of economic indicators. It’s been around for a long time and it’s often right, but not always. The yield curve is...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary June 11, 2018 The Markets G whiz! Never before could the Group of 7 (G7) Summit have been mistaken for reality TV. The generally dignified annual meeting of leaders from the United States, Canada, France,...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary June 4, 2018 The Markets If the countries were instruments, last week sounded like a fifth grade garage band. World markets were buffeted by a clamor of good, bad, and unexpected news last week. Events that...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary May 29, 2018 The Markets Geopolitical uncertainty didn’t dent U.S. stocks last week. Geopolitics is the intersection of geography, economics, and politics. Last week, there were some fine examples of...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary May 21, 2018 The Markets Too much? Too little? Or just right? U.S. stock markets were relatively calm, although they finished the week lower. U.S. Treasury yields hit a 7-year high and finished the week above 3...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary May 7, 2018 The Markets What in the world? A lot happened last week. Some of the notable events included: Trade talks between the United States and China. The talks were described as “frank, efficient,...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary April 16, 2018 The Markets What do you think? Are you bullish, bearish, or neutral about the U.S. stock market? Are U.S. stocks undervalued, overvalued, or fairly valued? What is the biggest threat the U.S...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary April 9, 2018 The Markets You could almost hear the spurs jingling. Trade tensions ratcheted higher last week as the United States and China staked new positions on the not-so-dusty main street of trade....
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary April 2, 2018 The Markets In like a lion… Investors roared into 2018. During the first week of the first quarter of the New Year, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose above 25,000 for the first time...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary March 26, 2018 The Markets Why am I saving and investing? After a week like last week, it’s an important question. There are many reasons people save and invest, including to: Live the life they want...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary March 19, 2018 The Markets It’s a good time for a gut check. Last week, after sliding lower for four days, the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index recouped some of its losses on Friday. The reasons behind...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary March 12, 2018 The Markets It’s a bird…It’s a plane…It’s a labor shortage! There is little doubt the Millennial generation has been reshaping our world. One of the most...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary March 5, 2018 The Markets As Yogi Berra once said: It’s déjà vu all over again. Last week, global stock markets took a bit of a dip after President Trump announced a 25 percent tariff on...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary February 19, 2018 The Markets As New York Fashion Week ended, inflation strutted its stuff. Ever since the Federal Reserve began raising the Fed funds rate in 2015, analysts have been anticipating higher...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary February 12, 2018 The Markets Back to reality... After months of eerie calm, stock market volatility has returned. The CBOE Volatility Index (VIX) – a measure of how turbulent investors expect stock...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary February 5, 2018 The Markets It was not a good week for stocks. Last week, stock markets around the world lost value. In the United States, the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index (S&P 500), Dow Jones Industrial...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary January 29, 2018 The Markets The numbers are coming in. Publicly-traded companies report their earnings and sales numbers for the previous quarter in the current quarter. For example, fourth quarter’s...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary January 22, 2018 The Markets Last week, the United States government might as well have hung a sign on the front door of the Capitol that read, “Gone negotiating. We’ll be back in…however...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary January 16, 2018 The Markets Inflation, inflation, where’s the inflation? The U.S. Federal Reserve has been raising interest rates in anticipation of higher inflation. In its 2018 forecast, Goldman Sachs...
Read More Weekly Market Commentary January 8, 2018 The Markets Whoosh! Bang! Flash! Fizz! Whistle! U.S. stock markets delivered their own version of fireworks to celebrate the New Year. During the first week of 2018, the Dow Jones...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary January 2, 2018 The Markets How good was 2017? It was so good, the Standard & Poor’s (S&P) 500 Index finished in positive territory every month for the first time ever (on a total return basis),...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary December 26, 2017 The Markets It’s time to turn your mind to taxes. Last week, President Trump signed tax reform, officially titled ‘An Act to provide for reconciliation pursuant to titles II and V...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary December 18, 2017 The Markets Here we come a tax-reforming… The reconciliation of Congressional tax reform bills proceeded apace last week, and Congress is expected to vote on the measure early this...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary December 11, 2017 The Markets “It's the hap- happiest season of all.” While holidays don’t make everyone happy, investors should be feeling festive. The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary December 4, 2017 The Markets What will it take to shake investors’ confidence? From the perspective of unsettling events, last week was jam-packed. North Korea claimed to have the capability to strike the...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary November 27, 2017 The Markets There was a lot to be thankful for last week. Stock markets around the world may have ripened to full-slip sweetness this year. Emerging markets have delivered the most attractive...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary November 20, 2017 The Markets Are investors more like tigers or African wild dogs? It appears investors – retail and institutional – have become rather like predators. They patiently stalk shares,...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary November 13, 2017 The Markets Selling it overseas. Most of the companies in the Standard & Poor’s 500 (S&P 500) Index have reported third quarter earnings per share (EPS), which is the profit earned per...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary November 6, 2017 The Markets “Taxes are what we pay for a civilized society.” U.S. Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes’s statement is engraved on the front of the Internal Revenue...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary October 30, 2017 The Markets The last full week of October was a box full of surprises. First, U.S. economic growth exceeded expectations. The devastation wrought by Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria was...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary October 23, 2017 The Markets And the hits just keep on coming. Last week was the anniversary of Black Monday. On October 19, 1987, the Dow Jones Industrial Average (Dow) lost 508 points, or more than 20...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary October 16, 2017 The Markets There’s a new kid in town: narrative economics. Last week, Richard Thaler was awarded the Nobel Prize in economics. His work in behavioral economics and finance recognizes not...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary October 9, 2017 The Markets Slow and steady... It has been 332 days since the Standard & Poor’s 500 (S&P 500) Index experienced a 5 percent drop, reported Barron’s. If there isn’t a selloff on...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary October 2, 2017 The Markets A lot happened during the third quarter of 2017, but not much changed. The bull market in U.S. stocks continued to charge ahead. Traditional measures of valuation continued to...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary September 25, 2017 The Markets Geopolitics, what is it good for? Absolutely nothin'! In January, Robert Kahn of the Council on Foreign Relations wrote in Global Economics Monthly: “Markets showed...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary September 18, 2017 The Markets “In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice, in practice there is.” Yogi Berra was talking about baseball, but the concept also applies to...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary September 11, 2017 The Markets Last week, the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey and potency of Hurricane Irma dominated hearts and minds, but there were some diversions and some welcome news, too. The NFL kicked...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary September 5, 2017 The Markets When it comes to economic growth, the government doesn’t measure twice. It measures three times. Last week, the Bureau of Economic Analysis revised its initial estimate that...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary August 28, 2017 The Markets Hope floats. Optimism about possible pro-growth economic policies, including tax reform and deregulation, helped U.S. stock indices finish higher last week, reported Barron’s....
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary August 21, 2017 The Markets Here, there, and everywhere… Markets around the world appear to be benefitting from global economic recovery. After pointing out the United States’ economy is the heart...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary August 14, 2017 The Markets North Korea may be a little country, but it can churn up big trouble. The possibility that verbal hostilities between the United States and North Korea could trigger...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary July 31, 2017 The Markets There was some good news and some bad news last week. First, the good news: Thanks to consumer spending and an upturn in federal government spending, the U.S. economy grew faster from...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary July 24, 2017 The Markets Do we have central banks to thank? Low interest rates, accommodative monetary policy, and improving economic growth have helped stock markets around the world reach record highs,...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary July 17, 2017 The Markets It was a good week for a lot of stocks but not bank stocks. The Standard & Poor’s 500 (S&P 500) Index and the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) both finished at record highs...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary July 10, 2017 The Markets Things you may want to know… Last Friday, Financial Times (FT) published, ‘Five markets charts that matter for investors.’ Among the issues addressed in the charts...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary July 3, 2017 The Markets This is the way the quarter ends – with a central bank scare. Central bankers are stodgy. They speak carefully. For many, reading the words ‘Federal Reserve’ is enough...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary June 26, 2017 The Markets It has been a very good year, so far. Through the end of last week, the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index posted 24 record highs and delivered returns in the high single digits. The...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary June 12, 2017 The Markets Stock market historians may dub 2017 the Xanax year. Traditional historians will probably choose a different moniker. Stock markets in many advanced economies have been unusually calm...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary June 5, 2017 The Markets The bull market in U.S. stocks is getting really old! In fact, this bull has been charging, standing, or sitting for more than eight years. In April, it became the second longest bull...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary May 30, 2017 The Markets Is preparing for the future more important than enjoying the present? There is a lot to enjoy today. Last week, Financial Times wrote: “Wall Street ended an impressive week on a...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary May 22, 2017 The Markets How much is too much? There has been no shortage of drama since the new administration took office – legislative setbacks, controversial hiring and firing, and fiery tweets on...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary May 15, 2017 The Markets Does performance tell the whole story? American stock markets have delivered some exceptional performance in recent years. Just look at the Standard & Poor’s 500 (S&P 500) Index....
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary May 8, 2017 The Markets Is it complacency? Exuberance? Uncertainty? Exhaustion? Insight? Intuition? Last week, all three major U.S. stock markets gained value and two reached new record highs. On the face...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary May 1, 2017 The Markets It was a good week to own stocks. Not all financial news was good news last week, but that didn’t prevent U.S. stock markets from moving higher. Barron’s reported on the...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary April 24, 2017 The Markets Last week, investors multi-tasked, pushing both U.S. bond and stock markets higher. In March, the Federal Reserve raised the Fed funds rates for the second time in three months....
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary April 17, 2017 The Markets And the survey said... In late 2016, Natixis Global surveyed 500 institutional decision makers representing corporate pension plans, public pension plans, sovereign wealth funds,...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary April 10, 2017 The Markets U.S. stock markets are sending mixed signals. If you look at the performance of the CBOE Volatility Index (a.k.a. the VIX or fear gauge), which is a measure of market...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary April 3, 2017 The Markets Happy birthday! Toward the end of the first quarter, the bull market celebrated its eighth birthday. David Kelly, Chief Global Strategist at J.P. Morgan Asset Management wrote:...
Read MoreWeekly Market Commentary March 27, 2017 The Markets You’ve read it before – and it’s true. Markets hate uncertainty. Failure to pass the American Healthcare Act, which was supported by Republican leaders in Congress...
Read More... Weekly Market Commentary March 20, 2017 The Markets Three steps and no stumble… Technical analyst Edson Gould developed a market rule of thumb known as ‘three steps and a stumble.’ It states stock prices may...
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