The Most Popular Brand in Every Country
Another visual I found intriguing….The Most Popular Brand in Every Country. Some of these popular brands should come as no surprise, but it’s interesting to see how this plays out in other countries.
Move Over FAANG, It’s FANMAG Now
Collectively referred to by the FANMAG acronym, Facebook, Amazon, Netflix, Microsoft, Apple, and Google (now trading as Alphabet) all substantially outperformed the US market in the eight calendar years that they have all been public companies (Facebook went public in May 2012).
Investor Optimism Seems Elusive, Yet Always Rewarded
Investors (and humans in general) often find it more natural to be pessimistic. After all, with one’s hard-earned savings on the line, it’s hard not to focus on what can go wrong. This is made worse by the vast number of negative events and attention-grabbing headlines every day. Also, it just sounds more sophisticated to be pessimistic. Investors that exude optimism are often dismissed as unsophisticated. Yet, this optimism is always rewarded in the long run.
February 5, 2021 Weekly Market Recap
The stock market rebounded swiftly from last week’s decline, with the S&P 500 finishing higher in all five sessions and ending the week with a 4.7% weekly gain. The Russell 2000 gained 7.7%, the Nasdaq Composite gained 6.0%, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 3.9%.
What the Heck is a Stonk?
If you have no idea what a “stonk” is, don’t worry about it. I had no clue until the last couple weeks brought a whole new social media world into the spotlight. The term “stonk” is basically just slang for “stock.”
Market and Economic Update (Feb. 2021)
This is our Global Market and Economic Update for February 2021 featuring recent performance of global stocks and economic data.
Cryptocurrency and Asset Allocation
Benjamin Graham, often considered to be the father of value investing, drew a stark distinction between speculating and investing. He considered speculation to be the buying/selling of securities that is based on price movement alone. Investing, on the other hand, is based on the analysis of factors such as company performance, sector trends, macroeconomic data, etc.
January 29, 2021 Weekly Market Recap
A word about the GameStop (GME) frenzy: Market volatility continued today as the battle between the GME short-sellers and traders raged on. Short-sellers are mostly holding on to their positions or they are being replaced by hedge funds willing to bet against the stock.
Race to $1 Trillion – Car Manufacturers
Starting this month I’m going to attempt to post occasional articles on an interesting topic that may, or may not be investing related. I’ll throw in a graphic to vividly illustrate the topic as well. Just stuff that I find interesting and informative, and hopefully you will too.
The GameStop “Short Squeeze”
If you’ve been tuned into any financial media outlets over the past few weeks, it would’ve been nearly impossible not to have heard about this story. The GameStop “Short Squeeze” has become the stuff of Wall Street Legend, and it’s also a sign of the times.
Worried About a Stock Market Bubble?
As the stock market continues its steep climb after last year’s bear market crash, some investors worry about the possibility of a bubble. Over this period, the S&P 500 has risen 70% with dividends reinvested even as the pandemic rages on, many businesses continue to feel the pinch, and there are concerns over inflation. This is especially the case in technology-led sectors that have significantly outperformed. Should you be concerned?
January 22, 2021 Weekly Market Recap
The Return of the Mega-Caps. The shortened trading week featured renewed strength in the mega-cap stocks, which drove the outperformance of the Nasdaq Composite (+4.2%) and lifted the S&P 500 (+1.9%) and Dow Jones Industrial Average (+0.6%) in the process. Including the Russell 2000 (+2.2%), each index set new record highs.
2020 Annual Market Review
This annual report features world capital markets performance for 2020. You’ll find data for various asset classes, sectors, countries, etc. We hope you find it informative.
The Fallacy of “Avoiding Losses”
For most investors, the pain you feel from losses is greater than the joy you feel from gains in your investment portfolio. Think about it. If you’ve been investing for decades, what are you likely to never forget – years like 2016 where you made a lot of money in the market, or the 2008 financial crisis when stocks cratered and you witnessed your retirement accounts go up in smoke?
January 15, 2021 Weekly Market Recap
The stock market faced some selling pressure during the second full week of January, but not before the Dow and Nasdaq reached fresh record highs. The two indices surrendered a respective 0.9% and 1.5% for the week while the S&P 500 also lost 1.5%. Small caps outperformed notably, allowing the Russell 2000 (+1.5%) to finish the week with a gain.
