On Tuesday this week, the ratings agency Fitch downgraded the United States’ credit rating one notch from its highest rating, AAA, down to AA+. This was the first time the U.S. has seen a downgrade since almost 12 years ago to the day, when S&P downgraded it after Congress voted to raise the federal debt ceiling on August 5th of that year. Read More

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

2022 was a volatile year for capital markets. As we turn the page to a new year, what should investors expect in 2023? And will the themes that drove the market in 2022 continue to be the key drivers in 2023?  In the webinar, Phil Daniels and Cliff Aque discussed the key market and financial… 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