Joe Pitzl
Oil Wars, Covid-19 and Markets…continued
As the coronavirus “Covid-19” makes its way around the globe, people are scrambling to wrap their arms around the latest epidemic and what it means. Thus far, it has reached 109 countries and appears to be headed for more. The overwhelming majority of cases to date have taken place in China, the country of origin, […]
Coronavirus Update & Today’s Market
Headlines today are centered on the sharp market drop around the globe, which is being tied to the increase in reported Coronavirus (COVID-19) cases outside of mainland China. Over the weekend, South Korea, Japan, Iran and Italy all saw a surge in cases. As we wrote last week, this epidemic is not something for the […]
Coronavirus, Past Epidemics, and Markets
The current coronavirus breakout seems to be on everyone’s minds, and rightfully so. As the number of infected people continues to grow, so might some of our anxiety about the spread and potential impact of the virus. While we don’t know how many people the virus will infect and the length of this viral cycle, […]
Feeling SECURE Heading into 2020
Just like that, the 2018 tax changes that were supposed to be mostly permanent have been altered. In the following paragraphs, our associate financial planner, Justin Gabriel, breaks down the pertinent details of the new law that may be applicable in the years ahead. On Friday, December 20th, the President approved a new $1.4 trillion […]
Stuck in Neutral
Often as investors, we are forced to endure prolonged periods where it feels like our investments are stuck in neutral. These stretches of time can test our patience and resolve every bit as much as when markets are plummeting. The natural instinct is to believe that something must be broken, so we are tempted to […]
The Toll of New Trade Tensions and Your Portfolio
It was hard to miss the headlines about escalating trade tensions between the U.S. and China last week—and hard not to notice the up-and-down market activity that went along with it. But what, if any, long-term impact does trade policy have on the economy and, by extension, our portfolios? The commentary below comes from our […]
The Fed, Government Shutdowns & the Winter Solstice
The end of this week marks the winter solstice. There is not a lot about that specific day to be excited about. On one hand, it is the darkest and shortest day of the year. On the other, it is the middle of winter, so it’s cold! As an added kicker, this year we even […]
Additional Comments on the Market Drawdown
Over the course of this year, we have spoken and written numerous times about how rare of a year 2017 was in terms of market volatility. With US markets rising around 20% and foreign markets rising nearly 30%, investing seemed risk free and easy. While us saying this is one thing, we wanted to offer […]
October Market Volatility
As you arise this morning, you likely know already that the global stock market fell very sharply yesterday. It was the worst day for markets since this past February. The selloff continued overnight in foreign markets, pushing them downward toward their 20-month lows. Predictably, the news media has a wide variety of things to blame […]
Musings on Trade Wars
(Edited from commentary by Larry Swedroe, Director of Research for The BAM Alliance) For some time now, investors have been very concerned about the potential for a global trade war – a war in which there are not any real winners. That, of course, worries investors, especially those who were taught that the Smoot Hawley […]