The Federal Reserve has finally cut interest rates, a move that the market had eagerly anticipated for some time. Over the past year, investors consistently speculated that rate cuts would happen sooner and be larger than what ultimately transpired. The Fed reduced the Federal Funds Rate, or the overnight lending...
Economic conditions and data points continue to evolve, sending mixed signals. While growth appears to be slowing, the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta's GDPNow model is projecting Q3 GDP growth at a healthy 2.0% as of August 26, 2024. Unemployment has risen to 4.3%, the highest level since October 2021....
The real estate sector is starting to turn the corner after being unloved for the last few years. The Dow Jones U.S. Select REIT Index (the benchmark for our Real Estate Income & Growth portfolio) peaked at the end of 2021. Once interest rates started increasing in early 2022, the...
Jubilant emotions related to the Artificial Intelligence (AI) revolution are likely clouding investors' perceptions. Investors can’t seem to get enough. A handful of stocks are altering the perception of the stock market and likely the demand of non-AI companies. Through June 14 YTD, the S&P 500 Index was up 14.6%...
Equities continue to look pretty appealing as the Q1 earnings season is wrapping up. The cumulative effects of inflation and interest rates are having some impacts on certain areas of the economy, but the overall resiliency continues to be the major takeaway. The two charts below were published by Strategas...
Stock Market corrections are a healthy part of investing - they give everyone a chance to lock in some gains and take a breath. From October 31, 2023, through the end of March 2024, the S&P 500 rose steadily and returned a whopping 25.3%. April 2024 has brought a bit...
A great number of pundits are calling the S&P 500 overvalued based on the PE Ratio (current price divided by earnings-per-share) when compared to historical levels. We, however, think it looks reasonably valued. This comparison could be made based on the trailing earnings or based on analyst expectations for next...
Now that is a way to start the year off! In January 2024, the S&P 500 reached a new record high for the first time in two years. As of February 15, the S&P 500 Index has set new record highs 11 times and risen 5.45% since year-end. Not the...
A new record! It took just over two years, but on January 19, 2024, the S&P 500 reached a new high. Truist Bank analyzed the performance of the S&P 500 after each instance in which it set a record high for the first time in at least a year. There...
Nobody has a crystal ball; Wall Street certainly doesn’t. At the end of last year, most economists were predicting a recession in 2023. The average prediction for the S&P 500 for 2023 was 4,029; a 5% increase from year-end. Flash forward to almost year-end - we certainly aren’t in a...
