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Chart Watch
Countries Impacted Most by Tariffs With all the recent volatility concerning tariffs, we believe it is useful to separate what is known and what is unknown. After all, we can’t predict the future. There is a great deal of uncertainty as to what a final tariff structure would look like and more importantly what the…
2024 Q4 Review and Outlook – The Stopped Clocks Start Chiming
Markets recorded a fabulous 2024 as stocks (as measured by the S&P 500 SPDR ETF – SPY) gained 24.5%. The U.S. bond market (as measured by the US Aggregate Bond ETF – AGG) gained 0.7%, and a 60% stock/40% bond portfolio recorded a 15% total return. The last decade was equally impressive as stocks earned…
2024 Q3 Review and Outlook – The Fed Cuts, the Election Looms
Markets continued to rise in the third quarter as stocks (as measured by the S&P 500 SPDR ETF – SPY) gained 5.8%. The U.S. bond market (as measured by the US Aggregate Bond ETF – AGG) gained 5.3%, and a 60% stock/40% bond portfolio recorded a 5.6% total return. Year to date, stocks returned 21.9%,…
The Fed Finally Cuts
By Doug Mewhirter Senior Vice President – Portfolio Manager On September 19th the Federal Reserve Open Market Committee (FOMC) voted to reduce the target interest rate by 50 basis points (a half of a percentage point). Although a rate cut was almost guaranteed, there was a lot of discussion and debate on the financial news…
2024 Q2 Review and Outlook – A Market of (One) Stock
Markets continued to rise in the second quarter as stocks (as measured by the S&P 500 SPDR ETF – SPY) gained 4.4%. The U.S. bond market (as measured by the US Aggregate Bond ETF – AGG) was flat, and a 60% stock/40% bond portfolio recorded a 2.6% total return. Year to date, stocks returned 15.2%,…
Your Asset Allocation Depends On Your Financial Plan (and not the other way around)
~ Douglas R. Mewhirter, CFA, Senior Vice President – Portfolio Manager One of the most common questions an investor will ask an advisor is “how much of my money should I have in stocks vs. bonds?” From an investing point of view, that is one of the most important questions you need to ask. Stocks have earned the…
2024 Q1 Review and Outlook – To Cut or Not to Cut
Markets continued rising in the first quarter as stocks (as measured by the S&P 500 SPDR ETF – SPY) gained 10.4%. The U.S. bond market (as measured by the US Aggregate Bond ETF – AGG) declined 0.7%, and a 60% stock/40% bond portfolio recorded a 5.9% total return. Not too shabby considering that the 10%…
2024 Tax Facts
Here is your quick reference guide to 2024 tax rates, college savings incentives, IRA and 401(k) contributions and more. Click on a link in the table below to jump to that section. Click here to download .pdf print-friendly version. Marrieds Filing Jointly or a Qualifying Widow(er) Alternative Minimum Tax Investments Heads of Households AMT Tax…
How We Measure Inflation in the United States
By Thomas N. Jamerson Vice President – Client Administration Inflation in the United States of America can be measured in a number of ways. Day to day, a consumer might measure it with his eyes and memory – grabbing a box of cereal at the grocery store and thinking to himself that “it cost half…
2023 Q4 Review and Outlook – The Dog That Didn’t Bark
Markets finished the year with a powerful surge as stocks (as measured by the S&P 500 SPDR ETF – SPY) gained 11.6% during the fourth quarter. The U.S. bond market (as measured by the US Aggregate Bond ETF – AGG) increased 6.8%, and a 60% stock/40% bond portfolio booked a 9.7% total return. For the…