Category: Market Commentary

Oil, the Fed and Jobs are Surprising Markets

There is an old saying that happiness equals reality minus expectations. This is particularly relevant when it comes to financial planning and investing during times of great uncertainty.

What Exactly Is Systemic Risk?

We’re hearing the term “systemic risk” all the time again from the financial media as we battle another (much smaller) banking crisis.

1st Quarter 2023 Market Review and Commentary

Markets started 2023 with strong gains in January, which were primarily driven by a continued decline in widely followed inflation indicators.

Week in Review: Strong Quarter-End [Mar. 31-23]

It was a strong week, and first quarter, for the stock market. And a nice change from the recent market dips.

Why Did The Fed Raise Rates Amid A Banking Crisis?

In this market environment, investors have had no choice but to balance a number of difficult issues related to the tightening of financial conditions.

FDIC | SIPC – And How Your Accounts Are Protected

With all the recent chaos and uncertainty in the banking world, I thought it would be good to review the topics of FDIC and SIPC coverage, and how your accounts are protected.

Week in Review: Ends on a positive [March 24-23]

This week started, and then ended, on a pretty firm note for the stock market. In between, however, there was a bit of volatility as investors weighed ongoing concerns about the bank industry along with the latest policy move from the Fed.

Banking Turmoil And Market Pullbacks

The banking crisis that began in the U.S. has now spread to Europe. Recent concerns over the solvency of Credit Suisse, Switzerland’s second largest “global systemically important bank” (G-SIB), was due in no small part to the runs on U.S. banks.

Bank Failures, Fed Rate Hikes, and Risks to the Financial System

That’s a scary title, I know. But, the good news is that this has not spread to the broader markets thus far. This is just an analysis of what’s happened and where we go from here.

Week in Review: Silicon Valley Bank Collapse

I want to preface this Week in Review post with a note about the Silicon Valley Bank Collapse, the second-biggest bank failure in US history.

Fear Strikes the Market

In my opinion, we need a little more consistency of message coming from the Fed. What we sometimes get is very extreme pendulum swings from positive to negative commentary.

How Our Aging Population Affects Long-Term Investing

According to the latest Census figures, a major shift occurred over the past two decades in which the share of the population under 50 declined, especially among those who are considered to be of prime working age.

Week in Review: Breaking the Losing Streak [Mar. 3-23]

The stock market was able to break its losing streak this week despite ongoing concerns about inflation and the Fed raising rates for longer.

Slowing US Manufacturing and Growth

We’re in a period of slowing US manufacturing and growth, which is not necessarily a bad thing as the Fed tries to tame inflation.

5 Tips for Completing Your 2022 Tax Return

Tax filing always feels a bit tedious, but here are 5 tips for completing your 2022 tax return more efficiently.