The Federal Reserve has announced the expected half percentage point increase in its benchmark lending rate.  The increase was the biggest bump since 2000.  But that only brings the interest rate to .75%.  Compare that to an inflation rate near 10%.  The Federal Reserve is indicating a greater interest in protecting the stock market than.. read more →

Ouch! First quarter 2022 is going to leave a mark.  The 5th worst start to the year since 1929.  So, what caused the pullback across the major market indices? I will say Covid because it was still hanging around. But the real culprits were the worst inflation in 40 years, rising interest rates that reflected.. read more →

This commentary is meant to be a reflection on the past quarter and expectations for the coming quarter and year.  But in thinking back on the past year I am reflecting on the sudden loss of a very good friend and client.   There was also good news just received that a client was winning her.. read more →

 The market faced the start of the third quarter with high expectations and ended with a flip from growth to value.  The good news that drove the market through the first half of 2021 simply stopped coming, replaced by concern over the $3.5 trillion dollar tax and spend plan the democrats proposed, supply chain issues,.. read more →

The 2nd quarter market performance reflected a mixed bag of investor concerns.  Most US states reopened as covid vaccinations were made available across all age groups.  While the push was still on to vaccinate more of the US population a far fewer number of vaccinations were being administered everywhere else in the world.  The appearance.. read more →

We would all like to forget 2020 and move on.  But.  A friend sent me this text on January 8th of this year.  “I’d like to cancel my subscription to 2021.  I’ve experienced the free 7-day trial and I’m not interested.” 4th quarter was even more fun, simply different, from the first 3 quarters of.. read more →

2020 may go down as the longest year ever.  The 3rd quarter started as a break from the 1st half of the year.  July and August rolled along with the market rally following the March market drop.  But then came September.  That is where we’ll spend our time. The driving force for the US market.. read more →

One aspect of a Black Swan market is you don’t see it coming until it lands on your shoulder.  The first quarter of 2020 will be one for the financial history books.  The market dropped from all-time highs to drops not seen since the stock market crash of 1938.  Another perspective is the market dropped.. read more →

2019 came and went as did the issues which buffeted the stock market since early 2018.  The stock market dropped off a cliff in early 2018 when President Trump began to challenge China over trade policies, currency manipulation and theft of US intellectual property.  The close of 2019 saw agreement between the US and Chinese.. read more →

Congratulations!  We just survived another volatile quarter.  The S&P, the broad index of US stocks, barely eked out a positive return for the quarter.  The ups and downs were driven by the usual suspects, the FED, China trade, a short-lived inverted yield curve and efforts by the media to talk up recession and a contraction.. read more →