With heightened inflation and interest rate policy being a focal point for society, our team recently gave a presentation focused on the Federal Reserve (“the Fed”) – a key institution playing a significant role in the response to both challenges. Our discussion focused on the history and purpose of the Fed and the potential implications… Read More
As the summer heats up unseasonably early this year, the Federal Reserve has stepped up its efforts to cool down inflation by raising the Fed Funds rate another 75 basis points on Wednesday, June 15th. The stock market (as measured by the S&P 500 Index), which entered bear market territory at the start of this week, at first reacted positively, but then sold off again on Thursday as investors are concerned about the risks surrounding economic growth… or slowing thereof. Read More
With the S&P 500 down 20% from recent highs, we have officially passed into Bear Market territory. In the video below, Todd Brand shares some color and historical context for the volatility seen in the equity markets. As always, we invite you to connect with your team if you’d like to discuss the markets, your… Read More
Have you glanced at world markets in the last few months? It can be hard to avoid, particularly with daily headlines touting the volatility on any given day. Let’s take a look at a few definitions that will help give some context to what we’re seeing and how to respond. Read More
By Kevin York, CFP® Henry Shaw. If you’re not particularly interested in botany, that name might not mean very much to you. But for myself and many other St. Louisans, Shaw’s legacy is deeply significant and dearly treasured. Generosity, excellence, and tranquility are just a few of words that come to mind when I think… Read More
The month of April proved to be a particularly stormy continuation of market volatility, bringing with it negative returns in both the stock and bond markets all around the world. In the United States, the S&P 500 declined over 8.7% and the Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index was down almost 3.8%, while the tech-heavy NASDAQ 100 Index was down over 13.3%, its worst single month since October 2008. Read More
Last Friday, Vanguard and other fund companies announced they would be selling all holdings related to Russian stocks or bonds over the weekend, pursuant to international sanctions. Read More
By Phil Daniels, CFP®, AIF® When most people think of investing, they think of public markets – the stock and bond markets we all see discussed on television. However, there is another way to invest that has been around for a much longer time, but only more recently has become more accessible to investors –… Read More
Overnight, Russia officially attacked Ukraine, and global markets are responding negatively. All of this comes on the heels of what has already been a challenging start to the new year, especially for US stocks. International stocks had fared better year-to-date, which was largely the result of a more hawkish US Federal Reserve relative to other… Read More
To be clear, the title of this article isn’t a prediction that a bear market is imminent. In fact, there are a lot of reasons to think it may be a while before the next full blown bear market which would be marked by a 20% or greater decline. The US economy is still growing… Read More