By Steven Smith | Newsletters
The stock market actually achieved a sizable gain in the fourth quarter. But it sure didn’t feel like it. Going in to the quarter the S & P 500 (Total Return) Index had been down 5.29% for the year. So the 7.04% fourth quarter gain resulted in a small 1.38% increase for the year; almost […]
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The extreme volatility during the last week of August virtually ordained the market’s performance for the quarter. Stocks were weighed down by China’s slowing economy and the continuing pressure on commodity prices (especially oil.) China has accounted for approximately half the world’s demand for industrial commodities. The Fed continues to waver on raising interest rates; […]
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There was plenty of noisy global economic and financial news in the second quarter. The Commonwealth of Puerto Rico is teetering on the verge bankruptcy. The Chinese stock market looks like a monopoly game. And the debt negotiations between Greece and the European Central Bank simmer on. With that backdrop the S & P 500 […]
Continue readingBy Steven Smith | Financial News , Investment Management , Money , Newsletters
Amidst continued slow global growth, particularly in Europe, the Federal Reserve is remaining cryptic as to when it will begin to raise interest rates. Foreign central banks are keeping their interest rates extremely low as well. US economic growth remains sluggish, but is still better than most of the rest of the world. The Fed […]
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Unquestionably the biggest economic story of 2014 was the price of a barrel of oil dropping over 50% since June –from over $100/barrel to $50/barrel. This was the result of three phenomena: 1) the enormous increase in US production over the last few years, 2) falling demand due to the increased use of alternatives and […]
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What goes up must come down. I always attributed that idiom to Blood, Sweat & Tears and their 1969 hit song, Spinning Wheel (which peaked at No. 2 before it came down.) But apparently the real author is Sir Isaac Newton back in the 17th Century. Go figure. But with the post 2008 bull market going […]
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The stock market continued its extraordinary rally off the 2009 Great Recession lows, shaking off an actual 2.9% fall in GDP and a sharp increase in sectarian violence in Iraq. Stocks, bonds and commodities all rose in the first half of 2014; the first time that has happened since 1993. The S & P 500 […]
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Stocks picked up – not quite where they left off in 2013 – with a respectable gain. Following a remarkable 32.39% gain in 2013, the S & P 500 Index increased 1.81% in the quarter; but not without a little bit of excitement and the re-emergence of volatility. The news was ever changing: Congress passed […]
Continue readingBy Steven Smith | Financial News , Investment Management , News , Newsletters , Risk Management , Wealth Management
It seems like only yesterday that we were peering over the abyss of the fiscal cliff. Last New Year’s Eve, even after the 2012 elections were over, the political standoff appeared to be continuing. Taxes were set to rise, sequestration was about to kick in and the debt ceiling was once again about to be […]
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Dimensional Funds Advisors’ Quarterly Market Review provides an in depth, but accessible, view of the performance of the global capital markets. Also included is a brief tip on how to ride the “emerging markets tiger” in your portfolio.
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