Weekly Market Commentary May 2, 2022

The Markets Correction and contraction…. Investing during 2022 has been like running a forest trail and having unexpected obstacles appear every so often – a fallen tree, a swarm of biting flies, a bear with cubs – you get the idea. To-date, economic, coronavirus-related, and geopolitical events have taken a toll from stock and bond… Read more »

Weekly Market Commentary April 25, 2022

The Markets The Federal Reserve’s Ice Bucket Challenge… Remember a few years ago when people raised money for charity by challenging others to pour buckets of icy water over their heads? Last week, the Federal Reserve poured a bucket of ice water over the United States stock market. Randall W. Forsyth of Barron’s explained: “In… Read more »

Weekly Market Commentary April 11, 2022

The Markets The first quarter of 2022 was jam-packed with volatility-inducing events: rising inflation, war in Ukraine, rising interest rates, sanctions on Russia, and a new COVID-19 outbreak in China. Here’s a brief review of what happened during: Inflation continued to rise. At the start of the year, consumers and investors were primarily concerned about… Read more »

Weekly Market Commentary April 4, 2022

The Markets Checking in on the Federal Reserve. Among other things, Congress asks the Federal Reserve to use its tools to promote price stability and  maximum employment. Last week, economic data provided information about both. Inflation continued to increase Price stability means ensuring the prices of goods and services increase at a slow and stable… Read more »

Weekly Market Commentary March 28, 2022

The Markets Be careful what you ask for, you just might get it. In early March, almost two-thirds of Americans who participated in a Nationwide Retirement Institute survey said the Federal Reserve (Fed) should take more aggressive action on inflation. The next week, the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) did just that. It increased the… Read more »

Weekly Market Commentary March 21, 2022

The Markets Markets were reassured by the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC)’s actions last week. The FOMC met on March 16 and did exactly what most people expected them to do. They raised the federal funds target rate by a quarter point. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said the Fed expects to continue to raise… Read more »

Weekly Market Commentary March 14, 2022

The Markets Investor optimism is quite low. In just two weeks, the war in Ukraine has changed the status of 1.3 million people – approximately the number of people who live in Philadelphia or Phoenix – from citizen to refugee, reported Rachel Pannett and colleagues at The Washington Post. Investors have been sharply focused on… Read more »

Weekly Market Commentary March 7, 2022

The Markets The world is adapting to a changing reality. As the war in Ukraine intensified last week, financial markets grappled with uncertainty. “After watching financial markets gyrate from hour to hour as Russia attacked Ukraine, I was getting dizzy myself,” reported Jeff Sommer of The New York Times. “People in Ukraine were dying. The… Read more »

Weekly Market Commentary February 28, 2022

The Markets Last week, Russia invaded Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decision ignited the biggest military conflict in Europe since World War II. The war is already exacting a terrible human toll. It has also disrupted global markets and raised questions about the potential economic impact on Russia, Ukraine and the rest of the world. … Read more »