By Steven Smith | Uncategorized , Waypoints
When writing my client note at this time last year, we were in the vortex of the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic. Cases were exploding around the world. Hospitals were overwhelmed – or nearly so. And deaths were mounting. Social distancing had been imposed. Businesses were shuttered. There were massive layoffs, particularly in the […]
Continue readingBy Steven Smith | Waypoints
If you would have told me in April when I was writing my 1st quarter client note, reporting 19.6% loss, that the S & P 500 would be up by 18.40% for the year; I would have asked what you were smoking. At that moment, we were at the beginning of the pandemic and its […]
Continue readingBy Steven Smith | Financial News , Waypoints
Welcome to whiplash land. The S&P 500 (Total Return) Index gained 8.93% in the quarter and 5.57% year-to-date. On August 18, the index reached a record high for the first time since the COVID-19 bear market began on February 19. In just 126 trading days, the fastest bear market recovery on record, the market erased […]
Continue readingBy Steven Smith | Waypoints
The US stock market just had its best quarter in more than 20 years. (Yes, you heard that right.) Of course, that was on the heels of one of the scariest quarters in history, fueled by the Coronavirus pandemic reaching US shores in February. At its worst, on March 23, the S&P 500 was down […]
Continue readingBy Steven Smith | Waypoints
There are decades when nothing happens; and there are weeks when decades happen. I’m pretty sure that’s the first time I have quoted Vladimir Lenin in a client note. And probably the last. A great deal has indeed happened since my first post on the coronavirus pandemic, when the implications were just beginning to emerge. The public health implications […]
Continue readingBy Steven Smith | Waypoints
While it may seem morbid, now, during the Covid-19 outbreak, is the time to make sure the estate and disability plans for you and other members of your family are in order. Especially if you or your parents are over 60. These documents typically include: Wills, Living Trusts, Financial and Medical Powers of Attorney and […]
Continue readingBy Steven Smith | Waypoints
The S&P 500 (Total Return) Index gained 9.07% in 2019’s final quarter. Bringing the advance for the year to 31.49% — and for the decade, to an average annual 13.56%. (And yet, all anybody wants to talk about is how poorly their bonds are performing. The Bloomberg Barclays US Aggregate Bond Index eked out a […]
Continue readingBy Steven Smith | Financial News , Waypoints
After a fitful bout of volatility during the month of August, including an 800 point one-day drop in the Dow Jones Industrial Average, the S&P 500 (Total Return) Index turned in a respectable 1.70% gain for the quarter. That brought the year-to-date return to an extraordinary 20.55%. (For context, the most recent 12-month return, which […]
Continue readingBy Steven Smith | Financial News , Money , Uncategorized , Waypoints
By almost any measure, the past decade has been one of the best 10-year periods in history for the US stock market. Quarter after quarter, with just a few hiccups, the market has climbed steadily since the market bottomed in March of 2009. This past quarter was no exception, with the S&P 500 (total return) […]
Continue readingBy Steven Smith | Uncategorized , Waypoints
There is a saying about the weather here in Colorado: If you don’t like it, just wait a minute. When it comes to the stock market, one quarter is the equivalent of about a minute’s worth of weather. The S&P 500 (total return) Index rose 13.65% in the first quarter; the largest first quarter gain […]
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