By: Mason Wev, CFA®, CMT
4Q 2018 — Fourth Quarter Lows Likely to be Retested, but Long-Term Valuation Picture Improved
January 28, 2019The fourth quarter of 2018 began on a positive note, but few knew what turbulence was to come. Markets reached new…
Read More4Q 2018 — Playing Defense
January 22, 2019Investors and asset managers alike are happy to turn the page from 2018 to 2019. Last year was a tough year…
Read More3Q 2018 — Is the Economic Growth Cycle Too Slow and Steady to Become Imbalanced?
October 19, 2018The third quarter was a positive one for U.S. equity investors, as a surging U.S. economy and labor market, in which…
Read More3Q 2018 — Stocks Lead Gains, High Yield Bonds Remain Strong
October 16, 2018The third quarter was positive for U.S. equity investors, as a surging U.S. economy and labor market, in which consumer confidence…
Read More2Q 2018 — Cyclical Bull Market Trends Continue, Despite Worries It Is Long in the Tooth
July 20, 2018The second quarter of 2018 was much more quiet than the first, at least in U.S. markets. We began the quarter…
Read More2Q 2018 — Global Growing Pains
July 20, 2018The consensus thinking in early 2018 was that we had achieved “synchronized global growth,” but only the U.S. has delivered so…
Read More1Q 2018 — Single Digit Returns, Double Digit Volatility
April 30, 2018The first quarter of 2018 finally delivered a long-awaited correction in equities. As usual, the trigger was unanticipated. To our eyes,…
Read More1Q 2018 — The First Quarter Was Back to Normal
April 18, 2018The first quarter of 2018 proved a stark contrast to 2017’s steady and smooth ride up. To begin the year, markets…
Read More4Q 2017 — Bears’ Fears Are Only Imagined
January 25, 2018The Roman philosopher Seneca said that “We are often more frightened than hurt; and we suffer more from imagination than reality.”…
Read More4Q 2017 — The Ride Was Smooth and Up
January 25, 2018The year 2017 was very profitable for both U.S. stock markets and the U.S. high yield bond markets. The ride was…
Read MoreAdding to the Benefits of Diversification
November 15, 2017Diversification is said to be one of the only free benefits that you can get while investing. It costs nothing, except…
Read More3Q 2017 — Markets Are Telling Bears: Resistance Is Futile
October 23, 2017The third quarter of 2017 continued a slow grind higher for U.S. equity markets, while international markets continued to provide leadership…
Read More3Q 2017 — The “Slow Grind” Continues
October 16, 2017The third quarter of 2017 continued a slow grind higher for U.S. equity markets, while international markets continued to provide leadership…
Read More2Q 2017 — A Reversal of Fortunes
August 29, 2017Markets have continued their strength from 2016 into 2017, as the S&P 500 ETF (SPY) is up 9.17% through June 30th….
Read More2Q 2017 — It’s the Classic Slow Grind
July 20, 2017News regarding the economy during the second quarter of 2017 was quiet, and that resulted in a classic slow grind higher…
Read MoreReturns of Active Bond Funds Stand Above Active Equity Funds
April 7, 2017This year’s results of Morningstar’s Active/Passive Barometer study presented some interesting but not-too-well-recognized facts. Actively managed bond funds proved their worth…
Read More4Q 2016 — 2016 Defined By Turn in Interest Rates
January 23, 2017Populism, the Brexit vote, and the election of Donald Trump dominated the news in 2016. While these events dominated the headlines,…
Read MoreDid the Trump Rally Move Value Stocks and Small Caps Too Far Too Fast?
December 15, 2016Recent market movements offer possible evidence of a major, long-term trend change favoring value stocks. Prior to 2016, for a number…
Read More3Q 2016 — A (Comparatively) Quiet Time for the Markets
October 19, 2016Compared to the Brexit-related fireworks at the end of the second quarter, the third quarter was a quiet time for the…
Read More2Q 2016 — Plenty of Fireworks
July 5, 2016While all of that activity was volatile and dramatic, we did not see much change in underlying market trends, which can…
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