The year 2023 has started much differently than 2022 as both the stock and bond markets have rebounded from the lows that we saw last October. Despite elevated inflation, rising interest rates, and continued geopolitical disruptions, the U.S. economy has remained resilient, and a recession does not appear imminent. Despite this positive beginning, we are still likely to see slower growth and potentially a recession within the next year as the Fed is expected to possibly raise interest rates two more times and credit conditions continue to tighten. Read More

Another tumultuous quarter is behind us after a banking crisis was added to the mix of worries that still include persistent inflation, continued rising rates, the war in Ukraine, tensions with China, and of course, the looming recession. Overall, performance across most major asset classes was positive during the first quarter, led by large cap growth companies. In our last quarterly update, we said we expected the choppy environment to stay with us through at least the first half of 2023, and we expect that will continue to be the case as investors look for more clarity around the issues mentioned above. Read More

After three consecutive quarters of only mostly negative returns to report, the fourth quarter finally provided positive returns across most asset classes, but not without continued volatility. The downward volatility that marked the second half of the third quarter, continued into the fourth as the S&P 500 Index fell to its low for the year on October 13th. Read More

The third quarter started out well, with stocks rising and interest rates slightly declining. Even in the face of interest rate hikes by the European Central Bank (ECB), the Federal Reserve (Fed), and the Bank of England (BoE), the markets continued a steady march higher towards recovery. But by the middle of August, markets did an about face, reversing all those gains and more. Read More

By Ryan Bouchard with Cliff Aque Markets have been in a brutal tug-of-war since the end of 2021 due largely to the aftershocks of the COVID pandemic. When the pandemic first hit, the global economy came to a standstill. At the time, governments and central banks did a lot (too much, in hindsight) to try… Read More