These days, it seems as if triple-digit market moves are the new norm. Although it was only a few short weeks ago when the media trumpeted news of the single biggest point drop in market history. All of which amounts to so much rubbish since points on the Dow by themselves rarely mean all that […]
It’s times like these when most investors are wondering what’s going on and what to make of it. As most of us are well aware, when attempting to explain the latest developments, the seers on Wall Street are often tempted to use terms that are either vacuous, silly or just plain pretentious. So here goes […]
Much like pullbacks of the past, the market turmoil we’re now seeing is a dramatic break from the seemingly nonstop advance of the latest five quarters. Indeed, the steadiness and almost dependable gains enjoyed on most recent days were certainly enough to lull the naïve investor into a state of hopeful expectation. The reality, of […]
After more than a year of unprecedented stability and gains after which valuations ended up at levels that could only be described as priced for perfection, investors have finally awakened to the reality that there is no such thing as a nonstop advance unburdened by the traditional range of valuation. It has been nearly two […]
Lest anyone be lulled into a sense that the steady and stable market advance that we enjoyed over the last year was a precursor of a new normal, I strongly suggest that it’s time to get real. Although there are substantial reasons to look forward to a further rise this year, hopes that it will […]
Not only is the U.S. economy moving ahead at an impressive rate, but so are most of the major economies around the world. So it’s no surprise that there’s been a global advance in most of the world’s stock markets. Still, it’s important to keep in mind that the U.S. economy has been a leader […]
It’s safe to say that the U.S. economy has more than enough momentum to stay on a roll straight through the year. The prospect of reduced corporate taxes raises the probability even higher. Yet, as we all know, trees do not grow to the sky and economic growth is not perfectly linear.
Although substantial fiscal stimulus […]
One of the well-known Wall Street tales is that whatever happens in January is likely to be a good indication of how the rest of the year will be. In the interest of getting a better understanding of the probabilities, I studied the returns of the Standard & Poor’s 500 for the last 50 years. […]
In the wake of the unusual market performance of 2017, one can be certain that what lies ahead will not be more of the same. For one thing, the most recent 12 months was exceptional both in terms of the rate of gain and the absence of volatility. The advance of about 18% already registered […]
The current year has been most unusual from an investment perspective. Whether it’s viewed as a Goldilocks environment or a confluence of favorable factors, stock market advances, both in the U.S. and abroad, have been well above average. Even more interesting, however, is that the fact that the gains have been almost nonstop.
In the past, […]