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May 29, 2020 Financial Perspectives

Category: Investing » Equity / Stocks
By Kent Kramer
05/29/2020
0:55 - This Week's News
2:39 - This Week's Financial Highlights
4:36 - Why Is the Stock Market Up When the Economy Is Down?
5:12 - Stock Prices Are Forward Looking
8:06 - Average Returns After Downturns Have Been Positive

A Conversation with Award-Winning Portfolio Manager Mary Ellen Stanek | Financial Perspectives

Category: Investing » Equity / Stocks
By Kent Kramer
04/08/2024

In this week's special edition of Financial Perspectives, Kent Kramer has a conversation with 2022 Morningstar Outstanding Portfolio Manager award winner, Mary Ellen Stanek, who is managing director and co-chief investment officer of Baird. In this conversation, Kent and Mary Ellen cover everything from market history and trends to surprising interviews.

October 11, 2021 Financial Perspectives

Category: Investing » Equity / Stocks
By Kent Kramer
10/11/2021
Friction can slow can down any machine. What was humming along only minutes or weeks ago, can labor under the strain of too little oil, a little sand in the gears, you name it. The US economy and markets have been seeing an increase in perceived frictions over the past month. Can we get back to smoother operations?

Thinking About Stock Market Volatility

Category: Investing » Equity / Stocks
By Kent Kramer
07/11/2022

What caused the stock market to rise by over 20% in the second quarter of 2020 even as the COVID pandemic was out of control? How about the over 11% rise in the fourth quarter of 2021 as inflation ticked up and the Fed was warning of rate increases? It seems a little more obvious why the US stock market has fallen in the first 6 months of 2022, but should it have fallen more…or less?

Q1 Wrap Up: Ukraine, Inflation, Interest Rates | Financial Perspectives

Category: Investing » Equity / Stocks
By Kent Kramer
04/11/2022
The first quarter of 2022 is in the books and once again, surprising events dominated the news. Russia invading Ukraine and the continued climb in inflation were the focus of attention and for good reason. In this week's Financial Perspectives, we'll take a look at what is happening in markets and the global economy and what investors may want to know.

Meta Does Not Equal Value | Financial Perspectives

Category: Investing » Equity / Stocks
By Kent Kramer
02/07/2022
The headlines last week included “Faceplant”, and “Metaflop” following Meta’s disappointing earnings and new users numbers. As interesting as the metaverse may be, it turns out investors still want real world results when it comes to their investments.

Are You Afraid of (Market) Heights?

Category: Investing » Equity / Stocks
By Kent Kramer
07/26/2021

Investors have been experiencing some fear of heights recently. Many stocks and stock markets are at or near all-time highs. So, here’s the question investors need to ask themselves today, ”Do you think that stock markets 26 years from now will be higher or lower than they are currently, even if today is an all-time high?”

June 7, 2021 Financial Perspectives

Category: Investing » Equity / Stocks
By Kent Kramer
06/07/2021
It’s summertime and we have two summer’s worth of movies to look forward to after 2020’s reduced calendar. AMC, a company that runs movie theaters has seen their stock value go way up in the past few weeks. Is this about great movies or something else? This week Kent Kramer talks about two different valuation theories: Firm Foundation Theory and Castle-in-the-air Theory.

Happy New Year? | Financial Perspectives

Category: Investing » Equity / Stocks
By Kent Kramer
01/25/2022
Market returns for the first three weeks of 2022 have not been full of happy reports. US stocks, especially some of the biggest names and winners of 2020 and 2021 have fallen into what is called “correction” territory. Is inflation and the concern with rising interest rates the whole story?

April 26, 2021 Financial Perspectives

Category: Investing » Equity / Stocks
By Kent Kramer
04/26/2021
Markets have been reaching some all-time highs recently. US stock markets, foreign stock markets, even newer assets like bitcoin, SPACs, and NFTs have been soaring much of the past six months. At these relatively high values more than a few skeptics are predicting a fall. Some say correction – a temporary minor adjustment; some say crash – major problem ahead. Is there a reason to be acrophobic – fearful about markets at record heights?

Barbell Portfolios Can Be Hard To Hold On To

Category: Investing » Equity / Stocks
By Marcus Iwig
11/03/2021

Barbells work great at the gym because they put weight on a bar in such a way that it’s balanced, leaving room in the middle for someone to use it to workout. We often see portfolios that are designed like a barbell at the gym: lots of risk in one account and lots of cash or very short-term securities in another. In aggregate, it might produce some balance, but the reality is that it can create some real challenges.

Timing Isn’t Everything

Category: Investing » Equity / Stocks
By Foster Group
08/01/2019
Attempting to buy individual stocks or make tactical asset allocation changes at exactly the “right” time presents investors with substantial challenges.

Six Key Ideas for Navigating Markets for the Rest of 2022

Category: Investing » Equity / Stocks
By Foster Group
10/27/2022

Over the next few months, both leading up to and immediately following the election, the winners and losers are going to seem omnipresent on the news, social media, even in the “entertainment” industry. So, here are six key ideas to keep in mind as you navigate the remaining months of 2022.