Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, Facebook, and Google make up more than 20% of the S&P 500. These “one-decision” or “buy and hold” stocks that seemingly only go up — are responsible for most of this year’s markets gains. The S&P 500 is up 5.5% through the first three quarters of this year; excluding these five stocks,… Read more »
In our first blog post on the election, we showed that the market may be predicting a Trump loss based on the fact that stocks have been trading down since the end of the second presidential convention (historically a bad sign for the incumbent). In our second blog post, we showed that, while the… Read more »
We are now 34 days away from the election and the first debate is on the books. While we aren’t sure which way the election will go (Biden is ahead in the polls, but so was Clinton in 2016), the outcome will almost certainly move the markets. How do we prepare for this uncertainty?… Read more »
Over the past couple of decades we have witnessed fragmentation of the media. Today you can dial up your version of the truth on any number of media outlets. Narrowcasting cable and radio shows can create a negative emotional response that can drive your investment returns off a cliff, especially if most of your time… Read more »
There is no doubt that President Trump faces an uphill election battle. For starters, the President lost the popular vote by nearly three million votes in 2016, and carried the electoral college only with wins in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan, which he won by a combined margin smaller than the capacity of a college… Read more »
With national elections just weeks away, we are getting more inquiries from clients, as well as others, about who we think will win the presidential election, and what that may mean for the markets and the economy. A common misconception, promulgated by the current resident of 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., is that the stock market… Read more »
It is human nature to want to be in control. When you think of it, probably the most uncomfortable times in your life are when you have felt out of control. Just think of the last time markets took a dive. You held quality investments, but it didn’t matter – the market was marking down… Read more »
In response to the pandemic, the Federal Reserve has forced interest rates to their lowest level in history. 10-Year Treasury bonds currently pay just 0.60%. Money market accounts pay next to nothing. With yields so anemic, investors (and savers) have looked elsewhere for better returns, and instead, pushed money into high-growth stocks such as Amazon… Read more »
It should come as no surprise to most readers that the U.S. Government has been on a multidecade debt binge. The fact that Congress has had to provide massive stimulus programs during the Financial Crisis of 2008, as well as the Covid-19 pandemic, may obscure the fact that the road to deficit spending began decades… Read more »
