Embracing Uncertainty
Educated optimism is an antidote for anxious uncertainty, and it can be of great help in enabling investors to embrace the uncertainty that is with us all the time.
Educated optimism is an antidote for anxious uncertainty, and it can be of great help in enabling investors to embrace the uncertainty that is with us all the time.
Since we were unable to answer all of the questions asked during the live webinar, we'd like to share some of the questions and answers in written form.
For 12 seconds, consider what a company knows about you and their own profitability if they are willing to offer you a $500 risk-free bet to get started. That’s what DraftKings just promised me in a commercial. Sounds awesome, doesn’t it? OK, the 12 seconds are up. What did you come up with?
I recently listened to a podcast called, “Invest Like the Best, with Patrick O’Shaughnessy”. The podcast is based on an article written by Michael Lewis in the New York Times Magazine back in 2009, about Shane Battier, a professional basketball player who was the ultimate teammate.
In the three months since Joe Biden was elected President of the United States, small company stocks have risen more than 30%. Four years ago, Donald Trump was elected President of the United States and small company stocks went up almost 20% in the twenty-six days surrounding the election, from November 3rd to December 9th. Do small company stock investors just like new Presidents?
In recent weeks, China has been a part of US financial headlines for a number of reasons. At Foster Group, we believe in globally diversified model portfolios. We invest our equity portfolios across domestic markets, international markets, and emerging markets. Our models have equity exposure to over 51 countries.
Market declines are never enjoyable in the moment. But these kinds of intra-year pull backs are normal when looking at market history.
This year, we have seen a runup in several large names, mostly in the technology space. They have been dubbed the “Magnificent Seven” by financial news publications. Why might this matter to an investor?
Those of you who keep up with the financial news are likely familiar with the three most quoted indices, the S&P 500, Dow Jones Industrial Average, and the NASDAQ. Sometimes, the returns for all of them are similar, but sometimes they are not.
Increasing interest rates have many effects, not only on the economy, but also on stocks. Given the recent rally, we wanted to highlight that rising rates do not always mean that stocks will go down. While the stock market is not making new all-time highs just yet, the market has been resilient to a regime thought to be a drag on the markets.
The housing market has been hot since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Prices have soared and the interest rate to borrow money for those homes has been at historically low levels. But what is happening now?
Trying to time the market and choosing to sell in reaction to headlines tends to be a predictable mistake. There always seems to be a reason to sell.
"Why would anyone buy a 5-year bond at 3.5% when you could get a 1-year bond at 4%?"
"Why don't I put all my money in a 4-month T-bill and make 4.9%?"
Housing affordability is trending in the wrong direction. Take a look at our chart of the month showing housing affordability over the last 50 years.
In our family, we have a tradition in which, the night before our kids’ birthdays, we pause for a moment to recap the last year by reminiscing about their successes and failures. It dawned on me that these are the same feelings investors experience and learn from on their financial journeys.