Category: Weekly Investment Update

Interest rates moved to new near-term highs last week. The yield on the 10-Year Treasury ended the week at 3.23%, a level not seen since 2011. The backdrop for this move was statements by Federal Reserve Board Chairman, Jerome Powell, which included, “The really extremely accommodative low interest rates that we needed when the economy […]

Stocks were off a tad for the week, but finished the quarter with a gain of 7.7%, as measured by the S&P 500. This pretty much closed the window on the seasonal correction many expected over the summer. Anticipated double digit third quarter earnings growth along with movement toward resolution of trade disputes seemed to […]

Value stocks outpaced growth stocks last week. The S&P 500 moved to new all-time highs, finishing the week up 0.85%, while the NASDAQ Composite remained below its late August highs, closing at 0.28% for the week. Further evidence of the relative strength of value stocks was evident in the 1.51% gain in the S&P 500 […]

Treasury prices declined modestly last week leaving the 10-Year Treasury yield just shy of 3.00%. Economic data announcements continued to support the Fed’s anticipated quarter percent increase in its fed funds rate next week. The 10-year yield is likely heading into a 3.00% to 3.10% range in coming weeks. Equities got their feet back under […]

Stocks lost ground for the week, just the second week in the last ten to close lower. Declines in technology stocks and trade fears lead the indexes to lower. Fixed income yields rose on positive economic data. These mildly interesting facts should mean little to investors, who are intent on executing their plans for decades […]

The S&P 500 rose to a new all-time high of 2,914.04 in the middle of the final week of August. The index finished the month 3.03% higher. August was the fifth month in a row during which the index closed higher and, since the end of the first quarter, the price gain is 9.87% higher. […]

How can one manage their retirement assets so as to be confident of not running them dry?  That is a tough challenge faced by all retirees.  Morningstar columnist Christine Benz tackled the problem in the July 2018 issue of AAII Journal (“For Bucket Portfolios, the Devil is in the Details”). Step one is to determine […]

There will be a two-week break in the Weekly Update. We will resume on Tuesday, September 4th. After five straight weekly gains, the S&P 500 took a vacation and closed 0.25% lower last week. Treasury yields drifted lower during the week. The 2-year and 10-year Treasury notes finished the week yielding 2.60% and 2.86% respectively. […]

Stocks were higher again last week, for the 5th straight week in a row. The S&P 500 finished the week just 0.87% under its all-time high while the NASDAQ set new highs. Positive earnings reports have supported the strength in the S&P 500 with 75% of reporting companies in the index beating analysts’ estimates. The […]

The S&P 500 index was up for the fourth week in a row, closing +0.61% for the week and +3.70% for the four weeks combined. The gains have been supported by good earnings and revenue growth even though these have been accompanied by cautious guidance due to the uncertainty over the near-term effects of trade […]