4th Quarter 2022 Market Overview GOODBYE 2022 The fourth quarter brought a welcomed respite from the bumpy downtrend that plagued the markets, all year long. After the brutal month of September, in which the S&P 500 fell 9.3%, the index held on for a 7% gain for the fourth quarter, reversing three consecutive negative quarters. […]

3rd Quarter 2022 Market Overview PAIN BEFORE PROSPERITY It was a dismal quarter. We just have to know that things will get better. After a terrible first half of the year, it looked as if the markets established some footing and a gradual return to normality in the economy would usher a stock market recovery.  […]

2nd Quarter 2022 Market Overview “DON’T OVERSTEER!” When Covid 19 first broke out in 2020, no one could have imagined what transpired over the next two and a half years. Initially, the economy shut down. Then, trillions of dollars were created and injected into the financial system. Rather than fortifying the economy, as was originally […]

1st Quarter 2022 Market Overview WHAT TO DO WITH A WAR, INFLATION, AND HIGHER INTEREST RATES Investment accounts need resilience, as economic conditions worsen in 2022.  Resilience from inflation.  Resilience from rising interest rates.  Resilience from the fallout of the Ukraine invasion.  The Federal Reserve is signaling six rate hikes this year, possibly totaling 2.50%.  […]

4th Quarter 2021 Market Overview THE DOWNSIDE OF UP There is a downside to a rapidly rising stock market. The age-old idiom of investing, “buy low, sell high” is rendered unattainable in so many circumstances. Valuations become inflated and investors are herded into assets at nose bleed levels. As stock prices approach their zenith, the […]

2nd Quarter 2021 Market Overview The Next Big Thing My son, Jack, is a new investor and he recently asked me, “Dad, what is going to be the next big thing?” This is a meaningful question to address as we move to the second half of 2021. Over the past year, many candidates emerged as […]

3rd Quarter 2021 Market Overview Abundance of Shortages These days, it seems like everything is in short supply. There are not enough workers. Not enough houses. Not enough flights. Not enough cars. Not enough semiconductor chips. Not enough materials. Not enough health care. There is even chatter that toilet paper and paper towels are in […]

1st Quarter 2021 Market Overview The Focus Turns to Inflation The stock market shrugged off the specter of rising interest rates and posted gains for the first quarter. Investors are mainly encouraged by growing prospects for an economic boom. During the quarter, the government finally paid out $1.9 trillion in stimulus checks. Another $2t is […]

4th Quarter 2020 Market Overview Not a Typical Bull Market It was ironic that the harshest living conditions in our lifetimes fostered a bull market for Wall Street. Initially, when the pandemic outbreak sent the S&P 500 down 35% back in March, it seemed 2020 would be a bad year for the market. Little did […]

3rd Quarter 2020 Market Overview The best thing about 2020… Defying conventional wisdom with dizzying volatility, the stock market seems to be immune from the travails of life in 2020. Why is this? The pandemic caused a 35% decline in the S&P 500 but even more astounding, has been the rapid rebound. In just over […]