Perspectives

a pair of man's hands looking through shirts on a sales rack, Sheaff Brock investment advisors blog, retail consumers

How Are Americans Feeling About the Economy Post-Election?

The election is over, and people’s attention can shift back to daily life and the upcoming holidays. But how are Americans feeling across different segments of society? The University of Michigan has been conducting a Consumer Sentiment Survey monthly since 1978. This survey captures views on current and future economic...

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Have Market Anxiety? Try This Perspective Shift

In 2020, Morgan Housel published the New York Times best-selling book titled The Psychology of Money: Timeless Lessons on Wealth, Greed, and Happiness. He has also published Same as Ever and regularly writes a blog post. On October 14, 2024, he released a post called “A Message From the Past...

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The Fed Cut Interest Rates—Now What?

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...

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multiple hot air balloons in the sky, some large and up close and many of them smaller and farther away, Sheaff Brock investment advisors blog, retail consumers

The Economy Appears On Track for a “Soft Landing”

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....

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Are REITs Turning the Corner?

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...

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AI and the S&P 500

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%...

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What’s Ahead for the Rest of 2024?

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...

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This Month, the Stock Market Took a Breath

S​​tock 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...

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The S&P 500: Some Say It’s Overvalued, We Say Otherwise

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...

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Spotlight on the S&P 500 Index

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...

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