Published November 13, 2020
Markets this week delivered another burst of buying to the long-lagging value sectors of the market, notably the finance and energy sectors. The buying came on positive test results from a coronavirus vaccine. (more…)
coronavirus
Markets Reflect the Coronavirus Impact
Published October 30, 2020
Stock markets this week gave up their October rally effort, sinking back to roughly where they began the month. The lack of a government stimulus package took away some of the wind in the market’s sails. European economic restrictions, seeking to limit a resurgence of the coronavirus, took away the rest of that wind. Investors chose to reduce risk. (more…)
New Hurdles Emerge for Stocks
Published September 25, 2020
After a summer spent surging higher on economy re-openings and optimism for growth, stocks have entered a typical September slump. While we could just chalk it up to typical pre-election caution, there are fundamental factors that have emerged to challenge the market perhaps more seriously than usual. (more…)
A Case for International Markets
Published August 28, 2020
The article below from Delta Investment points to the gathering economic and market strength internationally. As noted before, a broader market is a stronger market. The more sectors and markets participate in the market’s rise, the better. For now, our favored Nasdaq index (QQQ) continues to lead the way, powered by the FANGMA trade. (more…)
Seasonality of Returns in Presidential Election Years
Published August 21, 2020
As we head toward September and October, it’s worthwhile to remind ourselves that these months can be dangerous for stock investors. That’s particularly true in an election year. (more…)
The Stock Market Adds New Fuel to the Rally
Published July 24, 2020
We have mentioned recently the need for the stock market to expand its participation if the rally was to continue. Over the past couple of weeks this appears to be happening. See below a variety of sectors outside the usual FANGMA* tech/consumer complex that have been showing strength. This rotation is what fuels longer-term stock market rallies.
The Fed gets bigger
Published April 20, 2020
Today’s front page of the Wall Street Journal carries the following stories: Jobless claims top an “unprecedented” 17 million, Fed unleashes its broadest ever array of programs, Coronavirus creates a “mountain of debt”, Saudis and Russia agree to oil production cut. Those four topics encapsulate what markets have been wrestling with over the past month, and going forward. We will undoubtedly spend more time in coming weeks on most of those. This week, we are focused on the dramatically expanded role of the Federal Reserve.
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The Coming Recession
Published March 13, 2020
This week the stock market made it crystal clear that it is fully expecting a recession in the coming months. Markets have delivered the second fastest decline in history, second only to a drop during the Great Depression. (more…)
The Market’s Narrative Goes ‘Pop’
Published March 6, 2020
The stock market runs on narratives. The story of the 4th quarter was one of a Fed on hold while corporate earnings recovered and the trade tiff with China was mostly cleared up. Stocks pushed higher on that story until mid-January. The coronavirus upended the notion of a global economic recovery but initially had little impact on U.S. markets. (more…)
The Fear Trade
Published February 28, 2020
The old market adage that stocks take the stairs up and an elevator down was on full display this week. After months of marching ever-higher, with investors becoming more and more complacent about ANY risk, stocks finally found something to be truly concerned about. (more…)
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