ECONOMICS & INVESTING
Is the Federal Reserve Behind the Curve?
The Federal funds rate is currently targeted between 0.75 to 1.00%, with an additional 50 to 75 basis points on the table this week. The two-year treasury yield has been 40 basis points above the Federal…
Has the Market Been as Choppy this Year as it Feels?
It has been feeling all year as if the market is on a teeter totter. One day euphoria, the next day fear. I analyzed daily S&P 500® Index returns to see if there had been more pairs of big up and down index…
Series I Savings Bonds: An Obscure Opportunity for a High Inflation World
With inflation soaring to 8.5% in the most recent CPI report, some attention has been garnered to a relatively obscure government-backed investment known as iBonds or Series I Savings Bonds. These bonds…
The End of the “Meme” Investors?
GameStop is the largest video game retailer worldwide. At its 4,816 stores, customers can purchase new or used video games, gaming consoles and accessories or trade in their old items for cash or credit…
Directionally Correct but Precisely Wrong: How Behavioral Biases Often Lead to Suboptimal Outcomes
Behavioral finance plays a big role in the way that we think about investing. The idea that investors have consistent biases, many of which lead to suboptimal investment outcomes, is commonly accepted by…
Direct Impacts of Higher Oil Prices
Following the Russian Federation’s invasion of Ukraine, Brent Crude Oil futures climbed over $100 a barrel for the first time since 2014. On March 4th, the benchmark price rose by $7.96 to $112.93—the…
VIDEO: What is Machine Learning and Why Should Advisors Care?
From Siri and Alexa’s ever-increasing sophistication to the frightening accuracy of Facebook’s “people you may know” feature and Google Search’s predictive text, some of the world’s largest companies…
With Markets Charging Towards New Highs, Should Investors Wait for a “Better Deal”?
With the relatively unprecedented strength we have seen in global equity markets over the past ~2.5 years (with one rather extreme hiccup in between), some investors may be apprehensive about…
Debunking Some Bunk: Is September Really That Bad a Month?
Sometimes our industry grabs on to a concept and cannot let it go. Is September the worst month from a performance standpoint? Does it almost always go down? Should one avoid the markets in September? Let’s take a quick look.
How Should Investors Think About the Upcoming Election’s Impact on the Stock Market?
The top question we are being asked from advisors right now: “is there data that can help me anticipate stock market returns in an election year?” While we have outlined some key data worth examining, our takeaway is we would caution against making any significant investment decisions based on these trends.