Monthly Newsletters 2021

December 2021 – 2022 Market Forecast; a Bumpy Road to More Growth

Volatility returned to the stock market in late November and is likely to remain in place the rest of the year. A variety of issues have made investors nervous as 2021 winds down. What will it mean for the markets and your portfolio in the New Year? Before I answer that, let’s take a quick …

December 2021 – 2022 Market Forecast; a Bumpy Road to More Growth Read More »

November 2021 – Resolve to Review Your Strategy Before New Year’s

So much for “The October Effect”. The idea that stock market crashes are common in October was not only rejected by Wall Street last month, but it was also completely reversed. After falling by about 5% in September, the market rebounded strongly in October, with all three major indexes hitting new peak highs. What fueled …

November 2021 – Resolve to Review Your Strategy Before New Year’s Read More »

October 2021- What’s Driving Wall Street’s New Nervousness? Lots!

Last month, I identified several issues that could shake up the markets this fall, and they’ve been shaking them. However, new issues have also emerged. Entering September, the stock market was on a seven-month winning streak and had achieved new record highs as recently as mid-August. Then volatility began to spike around Labor Day, and …

October 2021- What’s Driving Wall Street’s New Nervousness? Lots! Read More »

September 2021- Skeletons are Piling Up in the World’s Closet as Fall Arrives

The Summer that began with so much optimism is coming to an end. While Wall Street is still clinging to optimism, its grip may be severely tested this Fall. A host of issues have emerged that could impact all the financial markets just as we head into a season already known for market turmoil. Are …

September 2021- Skeletons are Piling Up in the World’s Closet as Fall Arrives Read More »

August 2021 – Optimism Holds as Summer Fades, But Can it Continue?

Through much of July, the financial markets seemed as confused about the future of the economy as the rest of us were about the coronavirus. Investors seemed giddy with optimism one week, wary the next week, then giddy again. That’s how most of us are feeling about the pandemic as Covid-19 variant cases spike, and …

August 2021 – Optimism Holds as Summer Fades, But Can it Continue? Read More »

July 2021 – Will the Second Half of 2021 be ‘Better’ in Every Way?

We’re halfway through the year already, and in some ways the second half of 2021 is poised to be dramatically different than the first. That’s because the “return to normal” that began at the start of this year is now well underway and will continue to expand in the next six months. Most mask-wearing mandates …

July 2021 – Will the Second Half of 2021 be ‘Better’ in Every Way? Read More »

June 2021 – Inflation Fears Rise Higher but No One’s Panicking… Yet

In last month’s newsletter I talked a bit about brewing inflation fears. Those fears increased in May as prices continued to do the same. That triggered some stock market volatility and a lot of debate about whether inflation might start to impede our economic recovery in the coming months—or even reverse it. According to the …

June 2021 – Inflation Fears Rise Higher but No One’s Panicking… Yet Read More »

May 2021 – As Markets Pause to ‘Take Stock,’ So Should You

What a difference a year makes. At the start of May 2020, the stock market was struggling to crawl out of a deep crater triggered by the onset of the Covid-19 crisis. By May 1st it was only halfway back. Meanwhile, the economy was about to experience its worst quarter of economic shrinkage ever. Businesses …

May 2021 – As Markets Pause to ‘Take Stock,’ So Should You Read More »

April 2021 – Credit Spreads & Other Factors Continue to Help Income Investors

Last month, I explained how something called credit spread compression helped dramatically minimize the negative impact of rising interest rates for income investors in February. As long-term rates rose higher in March, income investors continued to benefit from the natural “softening” effect of credit spread compression. In addition, some income portfolios benefitted further from other …

April 2021 – Credit Spreads & Other Factors Continue to Help Income Investors Read More »

March 2021 – Credit Spread Compression ‘Softens’ the Impact of Rising Rates

For much of the past year, we’ve seen long-term interest rates go down and Covid-19 numbers go up. That trend reversed itself dramatically in February, with coronavirus infection rates continuing to decline from their January peak, and interest rates finally topping their pre-pandemic high. The first trend is obviously great news. The second trend might …

March 2021 – Credit Spread Compression ‘Softens’ the Impact of Rising Rates Read More »