The stock market rally has briefly paused as investors weigh the timing of the first Fed rate cut this cycle. So far this year, the S&P 500 has achieved 16 new all-time highs amid steady economic growth, improving inflation, and the ongoing rally in tech stocks. Many other asset classes have also contributed to portfolio gains in […]
With the presidential election season heating up, there will no doubt be a flurry of daily headlines between now and election day on November 5. A rematch between Joe Biden and Donald Trump seems inevitable with Trump currently leading many presidential polls among registered voters while Biden is raising and spending more campaign funds. Although a lot […]
The stock market continues to reach new heights, driven by a stronger-than-expected economy and the largest technology stocks. In particular, Nvidia, a maker of graphics chips used in artificial intelligence applications, recently helped to push markets higher after it beat Wall Street earnings expectations. This has added to the gains made by the group known […]
The S&P 500 index recently closed above 5,000 and set a new all-time high, less than three years after it first crossed the 4,000 mark. While some are understandably nervous any time the market is near record levels, investors also tend to grow more bullish as the momentum continues. Across market cycles, fear often turns […]
When it comes to markets, day-to-day price swings are often more about what investors expect than the underlying facts. This is because markets are designed to anticipate future events and assign them a price today. This gap between reality and expectations has driven stock and bond market volatility in recent days due to the Fed’s latest announcement and […]
The author Fyodor Dostoevsky once wrote that “man only likes to count his troubles; he doesn’t calculate his happiness.” The idea that the glass is always half empty perfectly captures how many investors feel about the economy and financial markets, especially over the past few years. During recessions and bear markets, investors worry that the situation will never […]
The S&P 500 has reached a new all-time high, coming full circle in just two years, despite growing uncertainty around the economy, the path of Fed rate cuts, and rising interest rates. Outside of traditional asset classes, Bitcoin also reached its highest level in two years recently following last year’s run up. This has been fueled […]
Stock and bond markets struggled during the first trading week of 2024 as investors questioned the probability of a “soft landing” and what it may mean for the timing and size of Fed rate cuts later this year. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq fell 1.5% and 3.2%, respectively, driven by a decline in large cap tech stocks, while the […]
The bond market has had a better year in 2023 despite ongoing swings in interest rates. The U.S. Aggregate bond index has rebounded 2.7% year-to-date after briefly hovering in the red a few months ago. This is because inflation continues to improve and many investors believe the Fed is not only done raising rates but may begin […]
While investing often involves recognizing patterns in economic and market data, not all patterns are equally useful or valid. On the one hand, history shows that economic trends such as the business cycle and factors that drive corporate profitability, for instance, do impact markets. On the other hand, there are countless other patterns that investors follow that may […]