Protecting Retirement Savings Against Losses August 5, 2022 Investing bear market, interest rates, Jeff DeMaso, recession, The Fed, webinar Investors approaching retirement or already there are understandably concerned about the impact of a bear market on their hard-earned assets. What can they do to protect their retirement savings? Manager of Financial Planning Andrew Busa and Interim Director of Research Jeff DeMaso discussed some options in our recent webinar,* Bear … Listen Nowkeyboard_arrow_right
What’s the Difference Between a ‘Hard’ and ‘Soft’ Landing? August 4, 2022 Investing bear market, interest rates, Jeff DeMaso, recession, The Fed, webinar If, like so many of our clients, you’re a regular consumer of financial news, you’ve surely heard Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell discussing the central bank’s aim for a “soft landing” resulting from its interest-rate hike policy. Interim Chief Investment Officer and Director of Research Jeff DeMaso parsed the difference between a … Listen Nowkeyboard_arrow_right
Chart of the Week: Why Home Prices Are So High July 5, 2022 Economy and the Markets Chart of the Week, home prices, housing market, interest rates, Jeff DeMaso, mortgage rates, real estate, supply and demand We often get asked when home prices will stop rising. The short answer: When more houses come onto the market. This week’s chart was inspired by Bill McBride’s Calculated Risk blog—my go-to resource on the housing market. The chart neatly shows the Econ 101 relationship between supply and demand. When supply (the inventory of … Read Morekeyboard_arrow_right
All About I-Bonds April 18, 2022 Bonds bond yields, bonds, i bonds, inflation, interest rates, rising rates All About I-Bonds What are I-Bonds? Well, they won’t cure high inflation or reduce volatility in the stock market, but they have become a popular portfolio component of late. You just have to keep their limitations in mind. Here’s a quick primer: Like plain-vanilla Treasury bonds, Series I U.S. Savings Bonds (I-Bonds) … Read Morekeyboard_arrow_right
Are Your Bonds Broken? March 29, 2022 Bonds bond yields, bonds, inflation, interest rates, rising rates There’s nothing wrong with your high-quality bonds, though I can’t blame you for thinking otherwise. Your eyes are not deceiving you—there’s red on the screen and market values have declined this month, which is frustrating to witness. Here’s my perspective on what it means and what it doesn’t. To begin with, I … Read Morekeyboard_arrow_right
Stocks Rise, Bonds Falter as Fed Shows Talons March 28, 2022 Weekly Update bonds, federal reserve, inflation, interest rates, Market volatility, stocks, Weekly Update Please note: This update was prepared on Friday, March 25, 2022, prior to the market’s close. After last week’s relief rally produced the best run of returns since November 2020, stocks were all over the map in anticipation of, then relief over, then fear of the Federal Reserve’s interest-rate policy. Fed Chair … Read Morekeyboard_arrow_right
Stocks Rise, Bonds Falter as Fed Shows Talons March 25, 2022 Weekly Update bonds, federal reserve, inflation, interest rates, Market volatility, stocks, Weekly Update After last week’s relief rally produced the best run of returns since November 2020, stocks were all over the map in anticipation of, then relief over, then fear of the Federal Reserve’s interest-rate policy. Fed Chair Jerome Powell’s hawkish remarks Monday afternoon sent indexes sliding again, leaving some to fret that policymakers … Read Morekeyboard_arrow_right
Markets See Green Again March 21, 2022 Weekly Update federal reserve, inflation, interest rates, Market volatility, stocks, Weekly Update Please note: This update was prepared on Friday, March 18, 2022, prior to the market’s close. Despite widespread concern over the deepening humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, traders saw green again this week, just in time for St. Patrick’s Day. On Wall Street, U.S. stocks mounted a powerful rally through Thursday, with the … Read Morekeyboard_arrow_right
Markets See Green Again March 18, 2022 Weekly Update federal reserve, inflation, interest rates, Market volatility, stocks, Weekly Update Despite widespread concern over the deepening humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, traders saw green again this week, just in time for St. Patrick’s Day. On Wall Street, U.S. stocks mounted a powerful rally through Thursday, with the S&P 500 up almost 5%—on pace for its strongest weekly performance since November 2020. Not to … Read Morekeyboard_arrow_right
Dump Your Bonds? Not So Fast! February 16, 2022 Bonds bond alternatives, bond yields, bonds, Cash, inflation, interest rates I can’t blame anyone for raising their eyebrows and asking about their bond investments right now. A recent CNBC segment on bonds featured a market strategist who said he would “short the whole lot of them.” While he’s not alone in that sentiment, I wholeheartedly disagree. In fact, anytime someone tells you … Read Morekeyboard_arrow_right
GDP Up and Stocks Down as January Jitters Jangle Markets January 31, 2022 Weekly Update bonds, financial planning, inflation, interest rates, Market volatility, stocks, Weekly Update Please note: This update was prepared on Friday, January 28, 2022, prior to the market’s close. Stock and bond markets are particularly jumpy right now—in some cases hitting records for intraday volatility. On both Wednesday and Thursday, the S&P 500 was up around 2% intraday only to give up those gains and … Read Morekeyboard_arrow_right
GDP Up and Stocks Down as January Jitters Jangle Markets January 28, 2022 Weekly Update bonds, financial planning, inflation, interest rates, Market volatility, stocks, Weekly Update Stock and bond markets are particularly jumpy right now—in some cases hitting records for intraday volatility. On both Wednesday and Thursday, the S&P 500 was up around 2% intraday only to give up those gains and finish in negative territory. We haven’t seen two back-to-back round trips of that size since the … Read Morekeyboard_arrow_right