March 1, 2023 In other contexts, a string of positive economic data, including reports on jobs and retail sales, would provide a tailwind for equities. In these inflationary times, however, the specter of the Federal Reserve’s (the Fed) commitment to cooling the economy via higher interest rates has made any good news suspect. The major…

February 1, 2023 The wave of negativity that engulfed the markets last year was met with a ray of optimism in January as inflation decelerated, interest rates fell, China reopened, and earnings came in better than feared. The result: global equity markets rebounded strongly to start the year, highlighted by the S&P 500 having its second-best…

January 4, 2023 December did not bring the good tidings investors wished for – and typically see in the final month of the year – as most major asset classes struggled at the end of an especially volatile year for the capital markets. December is historically the third-strongest month for the S&P 500 Index, but…

The year-end fiscal 2023 government funding bill contained legislation that makes the most significant changes to the U.S. retirement savings system in decades. The SECURE Act 2.0 legislation builds on retirement savings changes passed in 2019 and contains new provisions that further raise the required minimum distribution (RMD) age, shift to automatic plan enrollment and…

December 1, 2022 November gave investors reason to be thankful, including a bucket of good-enough economic news that contributed to a second consecutive month of gains. Better-than-expected inflationary data and signals from the Federal Reserve (the Fed) that its interest rate hikes may soon slow – even as they continue – likely played a role.…

November 1, 2022 The nature of the market can at times lead us toward strange metaphors to explain its movements, but to spare you the one about a cart pulled by two competing horses, let’s describe October’s result directly: Despite the Federal Reserve’s higher-for-longer interest rate strategy and persistently high inflation, strong corporate earnings helped…

The year-end holiday season is full of important financial deadlines. Mark your calendar accordingly. Fall 2022 market closures Nov. 24: Thanksgiving Day Dec. 26: Christmas Day (observed) Dates to remember For deadlines that fall on a weekend, action may need to be taken by the preceding weekday. Oct. 1: Last day to establish a SIMPLE IRA plan or…

October 3, 2022 Inflation remains persistent. To fight it, the Federal Reserve (the Fed) indicated it would need to raise rates higher than originally expected for longer, sending shocks through the market. As in previous months, these events drove the market’s major currents in September as investors concluded that a deeper recession in 2023 may…

September 1, 2022 The Federal Reserve’s (Fed’s) resolve, the end of a rally, trouble overseas and a strong jobs growth report were some of the ingredients of August’s strange brew of market news and events. We entered August in the midst of an upswing for stocks that had provided consistent, broad gains since mid-June, likely…