Recently a few clients asked about what a soft landing for the economy would look like and how it might show up in the various metrics watched by market prognosticators. Soft landings don’t happen very ...
... poor performance from bonds may have created some opportunities in your portfolio. You’re probably in good shape in terms of broad market stock funds, but let’s review performance at a high level.
Here’s ...
For this shortened Thanksgiving week let’s look at where the markets are now, sort of a mid-quarter update. You’ve likely noticed that stocks have done well over the past few weeks and bonds have perked ...
The stock market just had its best week of the year last week and bonds also performed well. I call your attention to that because it seems like it’s been a while since the markets had a good week. That ...
... spree has confounded economists and resulted in a surging U.S. economy. What’s keeping their feet off the brakes?
A strong labor market, resilient savings stockpiles and rising values of their homes ...
... by Bankrate.com. My system and the Wall Street Journal show it at 7.6%, but Bankrate tends to be a little better at determining loan terms actually available in the marketplace. In the grand scheme of ...
With news of war in the Middle East this past weekend it’s natural for US investors to wonder, and even worry, about potential harm to our financial markets. Setting aside the human toll of violence and ...
The third quarter (Q3) of 2023 was negative for the markets and, with the exception of returns through July, there were few bright spots. Core inflation continued to decline during the quarter while the ...
... I consider what my 2015 lump-sum would have grown to had I invested it in the stock market, it is hard not to feel regret. Since Jan. 1, 2016, the S&P 500 has earned a 12.25% annualized return.
To find ...
... or not is largely academic. It’s important to know but not especially relevant for most Americans. The stock and bond markets work well ahead of the economists at NBER and households, all of us, live it ...
... at Bespoke Investment Group about mortgage rates and the real estate market. This gets to the suggestion that the Fed has “killed” the housing market with higher interest rates. They haven’t killed it ...
... mostly be business as usual. Like I mentioned some weeks ago when talking about custodians, their core functionality is pretty much the same and is becoming more commoditized in the marketplace. Trading ...
... that have an active secondary market that helps them to be easy and cheap to buy and sell. You buy I Bonds directly from the US Treasury on its website and, while not a horrible experience at any stretch, ...
... way back in 2019. They got the required regulatory approval and planned to start absorbing TD the following year. Then the pandemic hit. Markets and investors went crazy for a while and that blended with ...
... that ended well, all things considered.
Here’s a roundup of how major markets performed during the quarter and year-to-date, respectively:
US Large Cap Stocks: up 8.7%, up 16.8%
US Small Cap Stocks: ...
... in China –
Andy Rothman is a strategist at Matthews Asia, a mutual fund company based in SF and known for specializing in financial markets of the Pacific Rim. Andy has been working in and on China for ...
... follows.
On Wednesday, the Fed should provide more clarity on the trajectory of rates after vacillation in market expectations over the past month, which we illustrate in this week’s chart. As of Friday, ...
... on federal borrowing until January 2025. We can debate if not having a debt ceiling is fiscally responsible but it’s a big win for the markets and the broader economy at least in the short-term.
I was ...
... at current rates and have done some market research on your house, you’ll want to talk with perhaps two different mortgage providers. You can start with your bank or credit union, or even your current ...
... bonds when things get tough in the markets. I’m not suggesting that you put all your money into Treasurys, by the way, just that what you may already hold should act as ballast during potentially rough ...