SELECT AN ARTICLE TOPIC
Top Categories
Are Revocable Trusts the New Estate Planning Craze?
In my previous life, as a practicing estate planning attorney, I would often joke with clients who brought me their documents for review. When this review included a revocable trust, I would often ask the age (or retirement date) of their previous planner. As was the...
Latest
Fixed Income Update – January 2024
4th Quarter 2023 and Annual Fixed Income Review • With “tactical” changes in the Treasury Department’s quarterly refunding operations, and a “pivot” from the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) at their December meeting, although volatile, fixed income sectors...
Market Update -February 2024
The Month At-A-Glance The calendar year changed, but momentum for U.S. large-cap growth stocks continued into January. Developed international markets posted a modest gain despite a strengthening U.S. dollar. Emerging-market equities fell during January as concerns...
Post-FOMC Thoughts
Today’s Decision The first FOMC meeting of 2024 came and went in a much less dramatic fashion than the last FOMC meeting of 2023. In a unanimous decision, the Fed Funds Rate was held steady at the range of 5.25 – 5.50%. The last 25bp rate hike took place in July of...
Market Update -January 2024
Fourth Quarter 2023 Investment Commentary What a difference a year makes. In 2022, high inflation and the Fed’s commitment to tame it led to sharply rising interest rates and negative returns for virtually all traditional asset classes. In 2023, much to the surprise...
The Morning View: January 5, 2024
Announced this morning, the economy added 216,000 jobs in December, higher than expected but last month’s figure was revised lower by 26,000. The Health Care and Social Assistance industry, Leisure and Hospitality industry, and Government jobs were all relatively...
Investment Outlook – January 2024
Should Auld Misgivings Be Forgot and Never Brought to Mind…? As we close the door on 2023, the mood in the markets seems to be one of optimism and good cheer. The S&P 500 is up for the year and long-term interest rates appear to be on the decline. This is in sharp...
The Morning View: December 28, 2023
Announced this morning, Initial Jobless Claims were 218,000 for the week ending December 23rd, higher than expected and 12,000 higher than the revised figure from the previous week. In addition, Continuing Claims were 1,875,000 for the week ending December 16th, as...
The Morning View: December 22, 2023
In this morning’s data, the PCE Deflator decreased -0.1% in November, less than expected and was up 2.6% on an annual basis. The Core PCE Deflator, which excludes food and energy prices and is closely monitored by the Federal Reserve, increased just 0.1% in November,...
Post-FOMC Thoughts
The Interim From October 31st (just before the prior FOMC meeting) to today, there has been a tremendous rally in U.S. Treasuries. The yield on the 2-year note fell from 5.08% to 4.54% (earlier this month), and this morning it sat at 4.69%. The 10-year yield fell from...