Weekly Market Insights 04.22.24
Markets in Retreat Equity Markets United States equity markets struggled this past week, with the S&P 500 falling for the third week in a row and suffering its worst week since March of 2023. Unlike the week before, markets did not try to make a comeback on the final trading day of the week. The…
Read MoreWeekly Market Insights 04.15.24
Inflation, the Fed, and Interest Rates Financial Markets United States equity markets were hit hard this past week, driven by fears that persistent inflation remains a very real threat. Leading into the weekend, there were also concerns about Iran entering the fray in the Middle East which turned out to be correct. The S&P 500…
Read MoreWeekly Market Insights 04.08.24
An Odd Week! Financial Markets Both equity and fixed income markets were quite volatile this past week, each reacting to the same economic releases. The Dow ended the week down 2.27%, the S&P 500 down 0.95%, and the NASDAQ down 0.80%. The ending results don’t adequately portray the daily volatility that occurred throughout the week. …
Read MoreInvestment Review & Outlook – April 2024
Key Takeaways US economic growth has proved remarkably resilient during the first quarter of the year, primarily due to low unemployment giving consumers the confidence to keep spending. The strength in the economy has moderated the decline in the inflation rate, keeping the Fed on hold so far this year, and dampening investor expectations for…
Read MoreWeekly Market Insights 03.25.24
Momentum Ruled the Week Financial Markets Momentum players ruled the roost this past week. That is, those stocks that have been the big gainers were again the star players. U.S. markets had their best week in three months. The S&P 500 gained 2.29%, the Dow gained 1.97%, while the NASDAQ gained 2.85%. A remarkable week…
Read MoreWeekly Market Insights 03.11.24
Are We Seeing the Long-Awaited Rotation? Financial Markets United States equity markets took a pause from their remarkable run this past week. The Dow Industrials closed the week down 0.93%, the S&P 500 closed down 0.26%, while the NASDAQ ended the week down 1.17%. Last week’s pause makes sense given some of the comments we…
Read MoreWeekly Market Insights 03.04.24
All Appears Fine, Except Doubts Remain Financial Markets Having just returned from two weeks of vacation, it was a pleasant surprise to see how well the markets did. Over the past two weeks, the Dow rose 1.19%, the S&P gained 2.63%, and the NASDAQ gained 3.16%. Despite the much publicized consumer pessimism, United States equity…
Read More2024 Tax Update
Tax Changes Could Be on the Horizon – Managing Tax Risks in 2024’s Uncertain Environment A Brief Summary Many of the tax benefits enacted by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act are scheduled to disappear on January 1, 2026. Anyone seeking to take advantage of the current tax rules should start speaking to their financial…
Read MoreInvestment Review & Outlook – January 2024
Key Takeaways Investors have priced in an optimistic soft-landing scenario, but our expectation is for a slowdown or mild recession in early 2024 as the economy continues to feel the effects of two years of sharp Fed tightening. Despite slowing economic growth, lower short-term interest rates and an acceleration in corporate profit growth have the…
Read MoreWeekly Market Insights 01.02.24
An Amazing Year and a Brave New World Financial Markets Both the economy and financial markets showed utter disregard for forecasters’ initial 2023 predictions and had very good years. Of course, the strong equity performance was driven by a very narrow part of the market, but, still, it was a very good year, indeed. The…
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