Chart of the Month – Apr 2022
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.
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.
"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%?"
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.
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?
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.
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.
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?
Market declines are never enjoyable in the moment. But these kinds of intra-year pull backs are normal when looking at market history.
Recently, a client asked me about sectors. What are they? And how do they fit into a portfolio?
Many people are apprehensive about the markets, whether we’re in a bear market or a bull market. The fear of a market correction is always present.
Since the beginning of 2020, checkable deposits have quadrupled, giving consumers the ability to continue spending and withstand increased prices. What does this mean for inflation and prices in the future?
In investing, a key consideration is the time horizon. There is a general perception that investing is a risky proposition, but this risk can be mitigated by holding investments for longer periods.
The past fifteen years have been phenomenal for U.S. stocks. They've outperformed international stocks by close to 200%. Unfortunately, no one can predict when international stocks will outperform U.S. stocks, or vice-versa.
How Do Treasuries Lose Money? US Treasury bonds are generally regarded as safe. Sometimes they’re referred to as “risk-free” assets. This is a bit of a misnomer.
As an investor, perspective is important. At the end of the day, a diversified, low cost, properly allocated portfolio based on your financial plan is what matters.
Have you ever said to yourself “If I would have just bought that stock, I would be set!” Or “How did I not see this coming? I was watching this stock years ago!” Or maybe “I should have never sold that stock!”
Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, gas prices spiked to a nationwide peak of $5.02/gallon on June 13, 2022. Since then, the price of gas has been coming down, but the discussions about it have not slowed at all.
The current state of the housing market has left many puzzled. In a scenario where interest rates are soaring, one would naturally anticipate a decline in housing prices. Surprisingly, this anticipated correction has yet to occur.
With the biggest tech companies regaining stock market leadership, it’s understandable why investors and the media are attracted to these stocks. However, it’s tempting to forget how these same companies’ stock prices performed in 2022. This week, Kent Kramer shares some investment lessons to be learned from this AI/big tech story.