Historically, December is the best-performing month for the S&P 500. However this year, it looks like December is playing the role of the Grinch and leaving us all with a big lump of coal in our stockings!  In addition, this year (2018) is shaping up to be a down year for the markets and not [...]

A persistent comment/question I hear from clients and others relates to the market’s recent volatility….up 300…down 200…up 175…and so forth. You may remember that following the 2016 election and for much of 2017 there was very little volatility. During that time, I tried to remind people that volatility was not dead…that it would come back. [...]

The market’s recent volatility has many wondering whether the moves higher we enjoyed over the past couple of years can be maintained. Common questions include: “What happens when the benefits of the tax cuts go away?” “What happens if earnings growth slows?”  As I did in my last email, I’d like to share a short article from [...]

Last week was another one of those weeks when downward moves in the market brought back those lingering thoughts of Is this the start of 2008 all over again? I think the answer is no. One of the market analysts that I follow particularly closely (because he is right so much of the time) is Richard Bernstein [...]

As you may have noticed over the last week, interest rates are moving higher. It began with the Federal Reserve raising the level for its target benchmark to 2.00%-2.25%. This is the third rate hike by the Fed this year. They also signaled rates may rise again in December. Then over the last few days, [...]

I thought you might like to see some interesting longer-term perspectives from Dorsey Wright and Associates (DWA) on interest rates and their connection to the equity markets in which we are fully participating. Earlier this week, the Federal Reserve raised the level for its target benchmark to 2.00%-2.25%. This is the third rate hike by [...]

I hope everyone is having an enjoyable summer! Asheville’s summer this year reminds me of those growing up – not too hot and enough rain to keep things lush and green. In my last post following this year’s market correction, I cautioned that corrections are a process and on average take four months for markets [...]

The markets took a turn lower this past week and we are now approaching the lows of mid-February. The Dow is actually several percentage points lower than the S&P and Nasdaq, primarily because of the price action of Boeing. And while the market may be down 10%+/- from the January highs, most portfolios are down [...]

A bit over a month ago, I posted an article about market volatility. In it I reminded you that periods of low volatility won’t last forever and that a 5% pullback, or even a 10% correction, would not surprise me. Well, welcome to some newfound volatility and an 8% pullback (perhaps more to come). Markets [...]

Happy New Year!! I hope each of you had a wonderful holiday season and that 2018 is off to a great start (albeit a very cold one here in NC). As we begin the new year, it seems like a good time to share some thoughts about the market in 2017 and what we may [...]