October 9, 2019
The Stock and Bond Markets This year continues to be a rewarding one for stock and bond investors alike. Despite the uncertainty introduced by an unresolved trade war, large-cap U.S. stocks closed the month slightly positive. Other types of equities …Read More
September 4, 2019
In last month’s client letter, our president Forrest Bell, CFP® wrote about Fed Chairman Powell’s five favorable U.S. economic conditions: strong job growth, increasing wages, low interest rates, low inflation, and healthy consumer spending. As we …Read More
August 2, 2019
After beginning its interest rate tightening cycle in December 2015, on July 31st the Federal Reserve voted to reduce its policy interest rate by 0.25% to a range of 2-2.25%. This is the first time the Fed has cut the policy rate since late 2008. While a …Read More
July 3, 2019
The U.S. stock market completed the best first-half performance since 1997. All major indices, whether foreign or domestic, ended June in double digits year-to-date. All stock funds, both foreign and domestic, used in our client portfolios ended the …Read More
June 5, 2019
Interest Rates Down; Bond Investments Up; Stock Market Whipsawed May brought the first month of stock market losses in 2019. Fortunately for our clients, every stock fund position is still nicely positive for 2019, despite the pull back in May. The same …Read More
May 2, 2019
The first print of 2019 U.S. domestic product growth (GDP) for Q1 ending March 31 came in at 3.2%! This is the best surprise from April because market estimates were only looking for 2.0%. In an April 18 interview with the Wall Street Journal, Dallas Fed …Read More
April 5, 2019
The breadth of the U.S. stock market gain in the first quarter of 2019 caused all sectors of the S&P 500 to end higher for the first time since 2014. The headline article in the April 2nd Wall Street Journal reports manufacturing activity in the U.S. …Read More
March 5, 2019
The U.S. stock market is celebrating its best start to a new year since 1987. One big factor that drives this rally is the flexibility coming from the White House to delay the March 1 deadline to raise tariffs on $200 Billion of Chinese exports from 10% …Read More
January 18, 2019
2018 brought a remarkable divergence between U.S. economic data and U.S. stock market performance. The economy and the forward-looking stock market have always existed as separate disciplines, and in the short-run they often go their separate ways. In …Read More
December 5, 2018
The above is a quote from Jeff Sommers as the title of his 11/18/2018 “Strategies” column in the New York Times. He keeps buying stocks even when they are falling because he has “faith in the future.” What is the basis of his faith? It might be …Read More
November 2, 2018
You are not going to like your October statements. The U.S. and international stock markets have entered correction territory — as defined by a 10% decline or more from prior peak. History shows that markets average one 14% annual …Read More
October 3, 2018
Despite all the news that could be so distracting, investors are focusing on U.S. economic strength to rise above the breakdowns in global trade and Washington politics. Read about this and …Read More
September 12, 2018
Brian Cornell, age 60, Target CEO, asserts that we are in the best consumer environment that he has seen in his 35-year career. Target reported the best quarterly results in more than a decade as shares gained 33% this year. With the strongest same-store …Read More
August 24, 2018
One of the biggest changes resulting from the new tax law signed in December 2017 is a severe limit imposed by the Republican-controlled Congress on state and local tax (SALT) deductions. Under the previous law, these deductions were unlimited for …Read More
August 2, 2018
For the second quarter (Q2) of 2018, U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) grew by an annualized rate of 4.1%. This is an encouraging increase from Q1 growth of 2.2%. 2018 is on track to grow by 3% or more, which has not happened since 2005. This achievement …Read More
July 25, 2018
Under the new tax law effective in 2018, can you claim your home mortgage interest as a deduction? Would you save more money taking the standard …Read More
July 3, 2018
The Dow Jones Industrial Average and the S&P 500 reached the end of the second quarter well below their all-time highs from January 2018. The Trump tariff activity did not start until after January, and it remains the dominant impediment to U.S. stock …Read More
June 4, 2018
Imagine if President Trump would have adopted a period of reflection and silence after he signed the tax cut bill in December. This is what Rick Newman, columnist for Yahoo Finance, considers if Trump would just get out of the way of our strong economy: …Read More
