by Lori Eason | May 24, 2024 | Quarterly Commentary
Except for a brief pullback in the early part of January, the stock market rally that started in late October continued to roll through the first three months of this year. The S&P 500, as well as most of the major averages, has gained roughly 10% this year. All...
by Charles Webb | Jan 30, 2024 | Quarterly Commentary
As we bid farewell to 2023, it’s time to reflect on a year that defied expectations. Despite initial reservations fueled by the double-digit declines in 2022 and the Federal Reserve’s ongoing rate increases, 2023 turned out to be a stellar year for...
by Charles Webb | Oct 17, 2023 | Market Related, Quarterly Commentary
Earlier this week, the House of Representatives voted to remove Kevin McCarthy as speaker of the House. While there has been no shortage of opinion and commentary in the media about this, one thing is clear, the revolt by a handful of Republican congressmen was...
by Charles Webb | Oct 17, 2023 | Market Related, Quarterly Commentary
2023 is shaping up to be a mirror image of last year. The 2022 stock market rout was principally led by four sectors: Communications (-40%), Consumer Discretionary (-38%), Technology (-29%) and Real Estate (-28%). Three of those four sectors now have a commanding...
by Charles Webb | Apr 8, 2023 | Market Related, Quarterly Commentary
Last year’s market selloff was almost entirely driven by the change in monetary policy by the Federal Reserve. Last year saw an unprecedented 7 rate increases totaling 4.25%. Those increases comprised the bulk of what the Fed needed to do to get inflation under...
by Charles Webb | Jan 17, 2023 | Quarterly Commentary
For most of the 2000’s, to varying degrees, the Federal Reserve has actively pushed interest rates down in the U.S. economy. These policies always started off as a response to some crisis at the time. Whether it be the tech bubble bursting, 9/11, the financial crisis...