Weekly Market Commentary
The Federal Reserve and European Central Bank both pledged to do what they could to underpin their respective economies. The United Kingdom gave Boris Johnson’s Conservative ...
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Dec 16 -
Dec 9
Weekly Market Commentary
On Friday, the unemployment report flashed its numbers like a hair model in a shampoo commercial. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported 266,000 new jobs were created in November. ...
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Dec 2
Weekly Market Commentary
Sometime, probably not so long ago, comedian Dave Barry wrote, “Once again, we come to the Holiday Season, a deeply religious time that each of us observes, ...
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Nov 25Weekly Market Commentary
Year-to-date, the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index, Dow Jones Industrial Average, and Nasdaq Composite have all gained more than 20 percent with dividends reinvested. The MSCI World Index also ...
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Nov 20Don’t Expect Interest Rates to “Normalize” Anytime Soon
JP Morgan produces a fine market summary every quarter, and this chart on the path of interest rates caught our attention1:
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Nov 18Weekly Market Commentary
U.S. stock markets climbed higher for the sixth week straight – the longest rally in U.S. markets in two years – and the Dow Jones Industrial ...
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Nov 11
Weekly Market Commentary
According to a source cited by Barron’s, U.S. stock markets are responsible for creating $6 trillion in paper wealth this year. ‘Paper’ wealth is ...
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Nov 4
Weekly Market Commentary
The Federal Reserve lowered interest rates last week, as expected. There were no enthusiastic fans singing the Baby Shark song, but the Federal Open Market Committee’s ...
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Oct 28
Weekly Market Commentary
So far, 2019 has been a tremendous year for U.S. stocks. Through the end of last week, the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index had gained more than 20 ...
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Oct 21
Weekly Market Commentary
Last week was like an overstuffed suitcase that busts open on the baggage carousel. A lot was unpacked in a surprising and disorderly fashion.
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Oct 18Quarterly Market Commentary
Third Quarter 2019 Key Takeaways The third quarter of 2019 was a choppy one for financial markets as investors continued to weigh the overall health of the global economy against ...
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Oct 14Weekly Market Commentary
Financial Times reported the United States agreed to not increase tariffs from 25 percent to 30 percent on $250 billion of Chinese imports next week. (Current tariffs remain in place, and ...
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Oct 7
Weekly Market Commentary
From trade wars to impeachment inquiries, investors had a lot to ponder during the third quarter. Toward the end of September, they appeared to become more cautious, although ...
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Sep 30Weekly Market Commentary
A bull market isn’t a peaceful place. When times are good, investors are constantly tense, wondering how long they will keep rolling, fretting about when a seemingly ...
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Sep 23Weekly Market Commentary
Renowned economist Robert Shiller’s new book suggests investors may be able to predict and prepare for economic events by tracking popular stories.
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Sep 19This Economy is as Clear as Mud
With markets on a record bull run and the US economy at over 10 years without a recession, it is not surprising that pessimists are reading various economic tea ...
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Sep 16
Weekly Market Commentary
If you enjoy searching for Waldo, the visual nemesis in a red-striped sweater and cap, you may appreciate the quandary of central bankers in many wealthy nations. For ...
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Sep 9
Weekly Market Commentary
Bill Murray’s character is a crotchety newsman who lives the same day over and over again. After exhausting other options, he chooses self-improvement and eventually escapes ...
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Sep 2
Weekly Market Commentary
About this time last year, Time Magazine reported on anxiety in America. Almost 40 percent of Americans reported being more anxious than they were the previous year.
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Aug 26
Weekly Market Commentary
Have you ever watched a lake in a thunderstorm? Heavy rain pummels the surface. Dark clouds drop the sky closer to the water. Gusty winds crash waves ashore. ...
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Aug 22Yield Curve Inversion
Does the Yield Curve Inversion Mean a Recession is on the Way? Maybe, but while the yield curve inversion has historically been a harbinger of a recession, the ...
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Aug 19
Weekly Market Commentary
Last week was the 40th anniversary of BusinessWeek’s infamous cover headline: ‘The Death of Equities: How inflation is destroying the stock market.’ The publication’s current ...
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Aug 5Weekly Market Commentary
The Federal Open Market Committee completed what it called ‘a mid-cycle adjustment’ with a quarter-point rate cut last week. Some investors were unhappy when Fed officials ...
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Jul 29
Weekly Market Commentary
It has been said there are two sides to every story. Just look at world financial markets. Stock markets and bond markets are telling very different stories. In ...
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Jul 22Weekly Market Commentary
The U.S. Federal Reserve has a reputation for providing little transparency about the timing and direction of potential rate changes. That reputation was challenged last week.
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Jul 17Quarterly Market Commentary
Second Quarter 2019 Key Takeaways The first half of 2019 saw robust gains across most asset classes, but it certainly wasn’t a smooth ride. Global stock markets got ...
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Jul 15
Weekly Market Commentary
Last week, the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index set a new record, closing above 3,000 for the first time. Other major U.S. stock indices also finished at ...
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Jul 8
Weekly Market Commentary
What will the Federal Reserve do now? There was unexpected economic news last week. On Friday, the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced 224,000 new jobs were added in June, ...
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Jul 1
Weekly Market Commentary
In the infamous words of Mortimer Snerd, “Who’d a thunk it?” After U.S. stocks dropped sharply during the last weeks of December 2018, investors were not optimistic ...
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Jun 26US-China Trade War Update
On May 30th, New York Magazine published a chat between business writer Josh Barro and Benjamin Hart1. In discussing recession questions and trade wars Barro argued, with respect ...
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Jun 24
Weekly Market Commentary
Everything went up – and that’s unusual. Randall Forsyth of Barron’s explained, “Like our major political parties, the stock and bond markets seem to live in two ...
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Apr 15First Quarter 2019 Key Takeaways
After posting their worst December since 1931, U.S. stocks surged to their best January since 1987, followed by further gains in February and March. Once again, the markets ...
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Mar 27Slouching Towards Brexit
With the original March 29th deadline about to pass, we still don’t know how, or even if, the United Kingdom will leave the European Union. Like a ...
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Mar 20How Will Rising Healthcare Costs Affect Your Retirement?
It’s no secret healthcare costs are going up. Medical expenses have been steadily increasing for years. In 2007, costs were up almost 12 percent. However, the rate of increase ...
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Jan 16Quarterly Market Commentary
Fourth Quarter 2018 Key Takeaways What stands out about 2018 is the breadth of negative returns across almost every asset class and financial market. It was a very challenging year ...
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Dec 31Four Pressing Questions
Volatility has been on the rise in financial markets this year, and December seems to be unfolding as potentially the worst month of 2018 for stock market volatility.
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Dec 4U.S. – China Trade War Update
The recurring drama of U.S.-China trade relations reached a temporary truce this weekend, albeit with the promise of additional acts to come in jU.S.t ...
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Nov 122018 Election Aftermath
The 2018 Midterm elections have come and gone, this time with a minimum of surprises. Republicans gained a little more in the Senate than expected, while Democrats gained a ...
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Oct 31What To Expect When You’re Electing
Thousands of congressional, state, and local elections will take place on November 6th, less than a week from now. There will be plenty of time afterwards to discuss ...
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Oct 10Quarterly Market Commentary-October
Third Quarter 2018 Key Takeaways Larger-cap US stocks hit new highs in late September and gained 7.7% for the quarter, while smaller-cap US stocks gained 3.6%. S&P 500 operating earnings ...
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Oct 3Women and the Retirement Crisis
Here’s a number that will knock your socks off: $400 trillion.1 By 2050, the retirement savings shortfall in eight of the world’s largest economies is expected to reach $400 ...
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Sep 5Is Inflation Making a Comeback?
Last year there was a steady stream of articles wondering whatever happened to inflation. Then, in January, one month of 0.5% CPI inflation brought the inflation seers out of ...
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Aug 29Knowledge is Power, Especially When It Comes to Money
Understanding family attitudes towards money may improve financial decisions and reduce financial stress. People inherit more from their parents and grandparents than big feet, eye color, self-discipline, a ...
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Aug 16Private Equity Investing Considerations
Investor demand for private investments continues to grow. According to Preqin, a global leader in alternative assets data, 921 private equity funds that closed during 2017 raised a total of $453 ...
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Jul 13Quarterly Market Commentary
Second Quarter 2018 Key Takeaways US stocks rose to the top of asset class performance charts with solid returns in the second quarter. Larger-cap US stocks gained 3.4%, but were ...
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Apr 12Quarterly Market Commentary
First Quarter 2018 Key Takeaways Volatility returned to the financial markets in the first quarter, for the first time in a while. Stocks surged out of the gates in ...
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Mar 23Could we win a trade war?
When President Trump announced he would be placing tariffs on steel and aluminum for national security purposes, there was great dismay among many economists. In terms of protecting ...
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Feb 8Keep Calm & Stay the Course
You may have heard that markets have had an eventful couple weeks. As of this writing, the Dow Jones Industrial Average has dropped over 2,500 points from its record ...
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Feb 1Generating Retirement Income
Here’s a million dollar question: How will you transform your savings into income that will last throughout your retirement?1 There are probably as many answers to that ...
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Jan 12Q4 2017 Market Commentary
Year-End 2017 Key Takeaways The fourth quarter capped yet another stellar year for U.S. stocks. Larger-cap U.S. stocks gained 6.6% for the quarter and ended the year with ...
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Dec 21Tax Bill & Charitable Donations - Act Now!
The Republican tax legislation has just passed. The bill makes sweeping changes to the US tax code, beginning on January 1, 2018. This very brief period before implementation means that ...
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Nov 9Meet New Fed Chair Jerome Powell
President Trump has chosen Fed board member Jerome Powell as the next Fed chief. Though we wrote briefly about him last month1, we thought that it would be ...
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Oct 19College is Coming - Have You Started Saving Yet?
How times change! In 1940, half of Americans finished their education in eighth grade. College degrees were relatively rare. Just 6 percent of men and 4 percent of women had one. 1 ...
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Oct 13Q3 2017 Market Commentary
Third Quarter 2017 Key Takeaways Despite its reputation as the worst seasonal period for stocks, global stock markets rallied again. Emerging‐market stocks were strongest, surging 8%, followed by ...
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Oct 12The Next Fed Head
President Trump recently stated his intention to choose the next Federal Reserve Chief in the near future, reportedly before he leaves Nov. 3rd for an overseas trip to ...
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Sep 13Let's Get Trendy!
People inherently participate in trends whether they know it or not. You’ve inevitably moved to buy the latest and greatest technology like a wearable fitness tracker or ...
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Aug 9To Retire With Confidence, Have a Plan
If you want to retire with confidence, have a plan. “As you near retirement age or even within a decade or so, it is time to ...
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Aug 2Why is the Federal Reserve so Controversial?
The world’s first central bank offered unprecedented convenience. It gave 17th century Swedes the option to pay with paper notes rather than 40-pound copper plates, which were ...
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Jul 27Stock Buybacks
How Do You Make Money in Stocks? Have you ever watched Family Feud? Perhaps you were a child when Richard Dawson hosted the game show or maybe ...
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Jul 13Q2 2017 Market Commentary
Second Quarter 2017 Key Takeaways The second quarter proved to be another very strong period for global stock markets. Larger‐cap U.S. stocks gained 3.1%, developed international stocks ...
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Jun 26The Basics of Tax Loss Harvesting
You may have heard of tax loss harvesting. Some people harvest losses every year, while others do so only when they have taken significant capital gains or have ...
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Jun 12Managing Multiple Accounts - a Taxing Endeavor
At JMS Capital Group Wealth Services, many of our clients have multiple accounts. Our bulging file cabinets attest to this fact while making a mockery of the ...
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Jun 57 Reasons a Roth IRA May Be a Good Idea
With tax season in the rearview mirror, now is a good time to start thinking about how you can minimize future tax bills. Many people take advantage of ...
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May 23Medicare Premiums and Copayments
More than one‐half of working Americans know little or nothing about Medicare costs.1 Not knowing can be expensive. On average, people who haven’t ...
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May 4Global Politics: Present State of Affairs
United States We just eclip sed the milestone of Pre sident Trump’s 100th day in office. Whether it is prudent o judge a g overnment le ...
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Apr 26The Promise of Good Stewardship: Dan Rooney & ESG Investing
Dan Rooney, the Master Builder Earlier this month, Pittsburgh lost one of its civic icons with the passing of Steelers owner Dan Rooney. Rooney reached the pinnacle of ...
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Apr 12Q1 2017 Market Commentary
First Quarter 2017 Key Takeaways Global equities greeted the new year with the same degree of élan with which they closed 2016. Emerging‐market stocks led the ...
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Mar 27In an Era of Low Returns, Investors Need to Save More
It’s well documented that most Americans have not saved enough for retirement. Consequently, there have been considerable efforts made to persuade workers to maximize their participation ...
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Feb 7Investors Need to Understand Their Risk
Investors Need to Understand Their Risk Understanding your risk tolerance is complex, and the standard questionnaire provided by financial planners may not capture an accurate picture. ...
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Jan 24Q4 2016 Market Commentary
2016 Year-End Key Takeaways Global stocks performed well both in absolute terms and relative to core bonds this year, with U.S. stocks again taking ...
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Jan 18When Should You Claim Social Security?
Of all the questions our clients face, this is certainly one of the most perplexing. Timing when to claim social security benefits has a significant and permanent ...
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Dec 7Alternative Investment Strategies Meet Traditional Goals
After a 30‐year bull market for bonds an d a strong, multiyear recovery for equities, many investors are wondering w hat lies ahead. One thing is for certain : ...
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Oct 13Q3 2016 Market Commentary
Key Takeaways Despite numerous uncertainties, including a U.S. pesidential campaign that continues to unfold as the most unconventioal in recent memory, the S&P 500 Index rose ...
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