March 2021 Market Recap
The gradual economic growth discussed last month showed signs of accelerating in March. Employers hired more, with January and February’s employment gains of +545k being revised up by 156k more jobs. March’s non-farm payroll employment shot up by another 916k jobs to move the unemployment rate down by 6%. In addition, the “participation rate” (those …
Read moreFebruary 2021 Market Recap: Continuing Trends
February was a quiet month in the markets, continuing trends that have been in place since December. Economic expansion seems to be continuing, with positive news on the coronavirus front, unemployment being lower with 50k new jobs created last month, and a Q4 GDP advance estimate of 4.1%. Further stimulus seems likely with the $1.9T …
Read moreTurbulent Times: Bear Markets Come and Go
The longest bull market in history lasted almost 11 years before coronavirus fears and the realities of a seriously disrupted U.S. economy brought it to an end.1 Bear markets are typically defined as declines of 20% or more from the most recent high, and bull markets are sustained increases of 20% or more from the …
Read moreCovid-19’s Impact on Main Street and Wall Street
Impact on the Market Covid-19’s impact on the financial markets and the real economy has been severe and historically fast. In our March newsletter, we mentioned the market had experienced its “fastest 10% drop from an all-time high” and that “you can quickly daisy-chain a set of scenarios that begins to impact corporate profits significantly.” …
Read moreMutual Funds: Wading into the Passive vs. Active Debate
It’s fairly difficult — even for professional investors — to consistently “beat the market.” This realization led to the creation of index mutual funds, which are passively managed investment vehicles designed to match the performance of a particular market index by owning the same securities included in the index. Today there are hundreds of indexes …
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