The record-setting heat wave that recently took hold over large swaths of the United States has left millions of Americans feeling a little worn out and lethargic. During the second quarter of 2012, despite periodic episodes of both up and down volatility, global markets can be described in an overall similar fashion. Over the last few months, clouds of uncertainty trapped and… Read More

While our role as your trusted advisor calls for delivery of an “expert” opinion, we’ve used this venue in the past to highlight the fallacy of near-term market prognostication. Entering 2012, many prominent industry professionals and investors alike had settled on a “muddle through” scenario, in which a multitude of macro concerns were being weighed against a backdrop of fairly attractive valuations…. Read More

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…” Opening line, Charles Dickens 1859 novel Tale of Two Cities. Investors can’t be blamed if they felt the same way about financial markets in 2011. Indeed, even seasoned industry professionals have grown frustrated with the recent experience, which includes a heavy dose of uncertainty and sparse gains. Thankfully, in reviewing the statements that follow, you’ll… Read More

The first known use of the word “gridlock” occurred in the early 1970’s, and is generally attributed to officials within the New York City Department of Transportation. In its original context, the noun refers to a traffic jam in which a grid of intersecting streets is so completely congested that no vehicular movement is possible. By extension, the term has since… Read More

Like many that have come before it, the second quarter of 2011 offered a full palette of potentially grave scenarios. Media headlines and expert commentators alike focused our attention on the “soft patch” being felt throughout the global economy (growth rates below 2% in most developed countries), the fact that domestic unemployment remains challenging (1-in-6 Americans lack the work they desire), inflation that’s… Read More