Despite some inflation worries, markets soared in Q1, driven by optimism about growth and future interest rate cuts.1 Will stocks continue to rise? Is that predicted recession still coming? Let’s take a look at what happened in Q1 and what might happen next.How… Read More
Last week, gold prices broke above $2,300 per ounce for the first time ever. Gold prices have been climbing for anumber of reasons, among which may be more hope for a soft landing and upcoming rate cuts in the U.S. This isbecause the opportunity cost of investing in gold, which is not an income-producing asset, decreases when interestrates fall.… Read More
Fear, that unpleasant emotion caused by a belief that something is going to happen to cause pain, is ever present in the investment world. The key words here are ’emotion’ and ‘belief,’ and they lead to ill-timed investment decisions.
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On-The-Mark-Fear-of-Markets-April-2024
In 2023, stocks and bonds both rallied. The first quarter of 2024, however, saw stocks reaching new heights, whilebonds experienced a modest downturn, as the market scaled back its rate cut expectations following surprisinglystrong economic data.
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weekly_market_recap-04-01-2024
U.S. 10-year Treasury yields have increased 34 basis points year-to-date and have remained above 4% since earlyFebruary. Yet over the same period, stocks have rallied 10%. At first glance, this dynamic may seem counterintuitive,because high and rising interest rates are typically associated with weaker equity market performance.… Read More
The Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement (Secure) Act of 2019 upended the withdrawal and taxation rules for inherited individual retirement accounts for most non-spousal beneficiaries.
Most dramatically, the Secure Act established a 10-year rule for withdrawing from inherited IRAs that eliminated the popular, but at times controversial, ability to “stretch” inherited IRAs for these beneficiaries.… Read More
After the U.S. economy’s impressive 4% annualized growth in the second half of 2023, investors are searching for cluesas to whether this strong momentum will persist into 2024. For much of this quarter, the closely watched Atlanta FedGDPNow model has forecasted growth of at or above 3%.… Read More
The U.S. economy has seen a significant normalization in labor demand since the pandemic. Last week’s JOLTSreport showed 8.9M job openings in January 2024, a 27% fall from the peak of 12.2M openings in March 2022. With theeconomy expected to soften further this year, labor demand in most sectors will continue to moderate.… Read More
The Federal Reserve has been in the headlines a lot lately as analysts try to figure out when policymakers will cut interest rates.
Why does the Fed matter so much?Let’s discuss.(Not interested in a quick econ lesson? I’ve got you covered.… Read More
Curious how the 2024 election will affect the stock market?How are you feeling about this year’s elections?If the thought of it makes your heart beat faster––you’re not alone.Most United States residents across party lines experience major stress around presidential elections.1And recently, that stress has skyrocketed.In… Read More