Perhaps nothing reminds us more of summer than a family road trip where children, and often adults, become impatient after many hours on the road and begin to wonder, or loudly whine, “Are we there yet?” This summer we have another reason to ask ourselves a version of this classic question. As of the end … Continued
Following the market’s swoon last year, many investors became convinced that a recession was lurking right around the corner. After all, the stock market has proven to be a fairly reliable leading indicator before – and a steep sell-off is rarely just noise. Yet, the Federal Reserve quickly reversed course, stock markets responded with their … Continued
The last six months have been a turbulent time in the financial market as we endured the two most extreme return quarters for the S&P 500 since the financial crisis. If you are asking yourself, “What happened?!”, you’re not alone. Few experts predicted a year of negative stock market returns in 2018 given the favorable … Continued
Last year was a year many in the investing world would rather forget as investors were tested with two double-digit stock market corrections that felt particularly jarring following 2017, a year when volatility was abnormally low. These significant market pullbacks inevitably test the ability of both professional and amateur investors alike to maintain conviction and … Continued
There really is nothing quite like price to change investor sentiment. Year after year, short-term traders make emotional decisions at the wrong moments, either fearfully selling as markets come under extreme pressure or eagerly buying after markets reflect overly optimistic outcomes. From the stock market melt-up at the start of 2018 to a near melt-down … Continued
Following very strong third quarter stock market returns, volatility in October has picked up significantly, culminating this week with a correction that caused the S&P 500 to move into negative territory for the year. Given the severity of the sell-off, (down 10% since late September) as well as the significant daily volatility, we thought you … Continued
The familiar admonition, “Be careful what you wish for, lest it come true,” is age-old and universal, having been told in many forms throughout history from Greek mythology, to Chinese proverbs, to great works of English literature. Despite this inherent knowledge in our collective memories, it is simply human nature to ignore such advice and … Continued
When the year began, it seemed like the economic landscape was great and only getting better. Congress had just passed a sweeping tax reform package, leading economic indicators suggested acceleration in economic growth, corporate earnings growth was being revised higher, and even tensions in North Korea appeared to be softening. The stock market reacted favorably … Continued
As we reflect on the eventful year just passed, it is a good reminder of how difficult it can be to predict market outcomes. Even in the eighth year of a business cycle, and during a period when domestic policy struggles and geopolitical tensions were probably at their highest level in a decade, capital markets … Continued
With another year in the history books and equity markets off to a strong start in 2017, we can’t help but reflect on the Federal Reserve’s role in this elongated period of appreciation in the stock market. Recently, the improvement in the economic outlook has resulted in the Fed initiating a tightening cycle which has … Continued