As we write our quarterly recap the U.S. Labor Department has released its monthly report of inflation, and it’s a doozy. The consumer price index jumped 1.2% in a month and is up 8.5% from a year ago, the largest increase since 1981. Gasoline accounted...
If the 1920s were the “Roaring 20s” we should expect a particularly brash moniker to emerge for the young, boisterous 2020s. A global pandemic, an insurrection in the capitol of the world’s oldest democracy, these crises apparently weren’t enough for this decade to hang its...
A year ago our market recap covered, unavoidably, year one of the global pandemic. As dismal as the year had been for people overall, it actually ended up being quite prosperous for investors. More importantly, the development of COVID-19 vaccines offered hope that the new...
Stocks continued to post gains in the second quarter as the global economy took tentative, uneven steps toward recovery. The S&P 500 index’s fifth consecutive quarterly gain was not without its anxious moments. In mid-May stocks sold off as higher than expected inflation led investors...
A sense of rebirth accompanies every spring, and rarely has that been so welcome as this year. Following a winter scarred by record numbers of coronavirus cases, a contested election, and a pro-Trump riot at our nation’s capital, the mood of the country has shifted....
Much has been written about the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad 2020. And so it was – for humans. For investments, on the other hand, 2020 was a fine year. After the financial shock of the pandemic wore off, stock markets skyrocketed. The S&P...
Stocks continued to rally with the S&P 500 finishing 9% higher in the third quarter and up 4% year-to-date. Despite a relatively high prevalence of COVID-19, U.S. markets outperformed those in Europe and Japan. Low interest rates, massive fiscal stimulus and Federal Reserve intervention have...
In the face of a grim economic reality, stocks around the globe rose strongly during the second quarter. The Dow Jones Industrial Index surged 18%, its best quarter in 33 years. Consumer discretionary (e.g., Amazon.com) and technology shares (e.g., Microsoft & Apple) again led the...
Just weeks into the new decade, the financial prosperity and tranquility that had prevailed for most of the previous decade was shattered. The culprit was none of the risks pondered so often and by so many; not military conflict nor a trade war, not too...