Mar 15, 2021
By Bill Hornbarger, Chief Investment Officer
Three Things to Know
- Young people are looking to spend half of their stimulus checks on stocks. (Source: CNBC, Deutsche Bank)
- American employers have hired back 67% of the 25.4 million jobs that were lost last year during the two months of March and April 2020. (SOURCE: MFS, DOL)
- The NCAA basketball tournament begins this week after a one-year hiatus.
Read More
Mar 9, 2021
By Theresa Fry, Senior Vice President and Manager, IRA’s and Retirement Planning
The coronavirus we now refer to as COVID-19 has changed so many things. We have learned how to live, work, educate, and socialize in a way nobody would have imagined just a year or so ago. Last March, the CARES Act was passed to provide some welcome relief for individuals who needed access to their retirement savings accounts as the pandemic swept across the world.
Read More
Mar 8, 2021
By Bill Hornbarger, Chief Investment Officer
Three things to know
- At the lows last week, the S&P 500 was down over 5% from its mid-February highs. That is the 28th correction greater than 5% since the March 2009 lows. (Source: Compound Capital Advisors)
- The momentum factor has significantly underperformed the broader market since the market peak in February. ETFs that track the momentum factor are down 2x-4x the S&P 500 since then as tech stocks,
Read More
Mar 8, 2021
By Pete Biebel, Senior Vice President
The events of 2020 will leave a mental timestamp in the memories of many people. Years from now, looking back at something that happened in 2020 will likely dredge up a recollection like, “Oh yeah, it happened in THAT year.” Certainly the year produced several indelible memories in the stock market: a steep and vicious bear market, a record recovery and many subsequent new record highs.
Read More
Mar 2, 2021
By Theresa Fry, Senior Vice President and Manager, IRA’s and Retirement Planning
If you own mutual funds in your taxable investment account, you may have been surprised to find capital gains reported even though you did not buy or sell any shares. Mutual Funds must distribute dividends and any realized capital gains earned in the prior 12 months. They are considered taxable unless you hold the shares in a tax-deferred account such as an IRA or 401(k) plan.
Read More
Mar 1, 2021
By Pete Biebel, Senior Vice President
I should have kept my mouth shut. I shouldn’t have complained about the dull activity in the stock market in the previous week. I called it a “meh” week, although I did acknowledge the interest rate and commodities markets were much more volatile. That all changed for the stock market last week. Stocks could no longer ignore the size and the steepness of rising interest rates.
Read More
Mar 1, 2021
By Bill Hornbarger, Chief Investment Officer
Three things to know
- The Bloomberg Barclays Aggregate Bond Index has posted four years of negative returns (inclusive of YTD 2021) since 1977. If the year ended today, it would be the worst year on record (-3.0%). (Source: Compound Capital Advisors)
- After raising a record $83 billion in 2020, SPACs (Special Purpose Acquisition Companies) have raised $60 billion to date in 2021,
Read More
Feb 23, 2021
By Chris Whiting, CFP®, Executive Vice President, Director of Sales and Marketing
For many people, preparing and filing their tax return can be a complex and frustrating process – and unfortunately, things do not seem to be getting any easier. The 2020 tax year includes changes that could have an impact on your tax situation. Many people’s finances have been impacted due to the pandemic from a loss or reduction of income,
Read More
Feb 22, 2021
By Pete Biebel, Senior Vice President
The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) eked out a not-so- inspiring 0.11% gain for the week. That was the good news. The S&P 500 Index (SPX) had a net loss of 0.71% over the course of the week and the NASDAQ Composite Index (COMP) fell a little more than twice as much. I don’t mean to kvetch, but compared to the price action during January,
Read More
Feb 22, 2021
By Bill Hornbarger, Chief Investment Officer
Three things to know
- With a market cap of one trillion dollars, Bitcoin would have a weight of 0.6% in ‘The Global Multi-Asset Market Portfolio’ of major asset classes. The next smallest asset class is high yield bonds with $2.4 trillion representing 1.5%. (Source: The Market Ear)
- The MOVE Index (BofA/Merrill Lynch Option Volatility Expectations), which measures volatility in the bond market has increased 31% over the past two weeks as many investors fear higher rates.
Read More