The government officially shut down yesterday as Congress failed to pass—and the President failed to sign—appropriations bills (or a stopgap “continuing resolution”) to fund government operations for the start of the new fiscal year on October 1st.
Read MoreHousing in America is becoming increasingly out of reach. Home prices have surged far faster than household incomes, mortgage rates remain stuck in the mid-6% range—roughly double what buyers faced before 2022—and the ongoing costs of ownership keep rising. Higher property-tax bills added yet another burden in 2024, tacking on hundreds of dollars a year for the typical owner.
Read MoreLast week, the Social Security Trustees released their annual report, forecasting the program’s financial outlook over the next 75 years. In this week’s “Three on Thursday,” we delve into the state of Social Security.
Read MoreAs trade tensions have escalated in recent weeks, some fear that Japan and China are “dumping” U.S. Treasuries in an effort to pressure the U.S. by driving up interest rates. We believe that concern is overstated. In this week’s edition of Three on Thursday, we dig into the details of U.S. federal debt ownership. As of the end of March, total federal debt stood at $36.2 trillion—an increase of 4.7% from a year ago. But who actually owns all this debt? Many assume it’s mostly foreign governments, but is that the case? To provide a more comprehensive understanding, we have included three charts below.
Read MoreWhen Doug Turner, a Haddonfield Financial Planning client, hand-delivered about twenty-five invitations to his Celebration of Winter Party, slated to go “until the cops arrive,” social media lit up with well over two million views of a video capturing one of Doug’s personal deliveries!
Read MoreDespite tariff concerns and an AI scare driving the bid for safe haven assets towards the end of the month, strong earnings and consumer spending drove another positive month of equity returns in January.
Read MoreDespite still stubborn inflation, a brief growth scare, less than expected interest rate cuts, and a pullback in December, US equities were up notably in 2024 on the back of a strong economy, accelerating earnings growth, US election results, and AI/megacap-related strength.
Read MoreAmid the results of the US presidential election and resilient economic data, equities were up in November. Both the Dow Jones Industrial Average and S&P 500 indices produced their best monthly returns of 2024, gaining 7.7% and 5.9%, respectively. US small-caps (+10.9%) were among the best performers, followed by US mid-caps (+9.0%) and US growth (+6.1%).
Read MoreAmid underwhelming Big Tech earnings, concerns regarding the path for Fed interest rate cuts, election uncertainty, and geopolitical conflict, equities were down in October as the S&P 500 Index and Nasdaq 100 Index fell 0.9% and 0.8%, respectively. International developed equities (-5.0%) were among the worst performers, followed by US small-caps (-2.6%) and emerging market equities (-2.6%). Bonds also struggled as 7-10 year US Treasuries decreased 3.4%, the US Aggregate Bond Index declined 2.6%, and investment grade corporates were down 2.5%. Aside from broad based commodities (-1.3%), silver, crude oil, and gold all produced positive returns, gaining 4.9%, 4.5%, and 4.3%, respectively.
Read MoreAdvancements in space travel technology have dramatically reduced the cost of launching payloads into space. From the iconic Apollo missions of the 1960s to today’s cutting-edge innovations, breakthroughs in materials science and propulsion—driven largely by private companies like SpaceX—have brought down what were once astronomical costs. For more insights, click the link above.
Read MoreDespite pullbacks and acute periods of elevated volatility, major equity indices were up in Q3 amid decelerating inflation, initial Fed rate cuts, increased probabilities of a soft landing, and China’s stimulus measures.
Read MoreDespite pullbacks and elevated volatility in the earlier days of the month, major equity indices were up in August amid easing inflation, a dovish change in monetary policy, and increased probabilities of a soft landing.
Read MoreAmid easing inflation, underwhelming technology related earnings, and increased probabilities of Fed interest rate cuts, equity markets witnessed a meaningful rotation in July in which smaller, value oriented stocks outperformed large-cap growth.
Read MoreThe election year is in full swing, bringing with it the usual drama. We all have that one family member who insists they’ll sell everything and go to cash if a certain candidate wins the election. The truth is, letting politics drive our investment decisions can be detrimental. That’s why we believe having a financial professional is crucial they can help remove emotion from investment decisions. In today’s Three on Thursday, we examine past presidential cycles and their implications for investing.
Read MoreThe equity market capitalization of the S&P 500 Index is $44 trillion dollars as of 5/31/24. The forecasted earnings of the index for 2024 is expected to surpass $2.0 trillion dollars. That would be the best ever earnings for the index. It would also be the 4th year in a row where earnings have been significantly higher than the $1.3 trillion earned in 2019, which at the time was the highest ever.
Read MoreIn a market that has been driven significantly by momentum and speculation this year, investors still have an eye on what matters in the end. Earnings! And if that focus continues, future earnings forecasts suggest a further broadening of the market is in order.
Read MoreThe key points you should know.
The economy continued to grow at a solid pace through the first quarter.
The job market remains tight, but perhaps with some signs of slowing.
Inflation, while down substantially from a couple of years ago, remains too high.
The Federal Reserve still expects to start easing this year, but not yet.
How fast the world can change. Not long ago, in a world of extremely low and even negative interest rates around the globe, stocks flourished as investors claimed “there is no alternative” (the “TINA” acronym) to equities.
Read MoreBy almost any account, the S&P 500 Index year-to-date performance has been incredibly narrow and concentrated. Just seven companies account for the entire 10% return. The other 493 companies combined are delivering a slightly negative return. Stunning.
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