Stocks were flat-to-higher last week in relatively quiet trading as investors looked ahead to second quarter earnings season. A rebound in technology stocks drove the NASDAQ to outperform while the energy sector underperformed (more on this in our Market Week commentary). The release of the Senate’s draft version of an Obamacare repeal and replacement bill dominated headlines. Early criticism by Senate Republicans suggests that the proposed legislation may not garner sufficient support to pass… View More
The Federal Reserve did what almost everyone expected today, raising the target range for the federal funds rate by 25 basis points to 1.00% - 1.25%. Here are the key takeaways from today's statement from the Fed, its updated forecasts, its plan on reducing the balance sheet, as well as Fed Chief Yellen's press conference. First, although the market consensus is that the Fed isn't going to raise rates again until 2018, the Fed thinks we still have one more hike in 2017, with the odds of two hi… View More
Markets were flat-to-down this week on mixed economic data and ongoing domestic political turmoil. The technology-heavy NASDAQ trailed the broader S&P 500® Index for the second consecutive week; and, small cap stocks underperformed large caps while consumer-oriented and commodity-related sectors also lagged. On Friday, Amazon announced an agreement to acquire Whole Foods; the news triggered sell-offs among traditional grocers such as Kroger, and non-traditional grocers such as Wal-Mart and … View More
Stocks were mostly unchanged last week as political developments, both at home and abroad, preoccupied investors’ attention. Former FBI Director James Comey’s testimony to the Senate Intelligence Committee provided a back story of the events surrounding his dismissal in May. However, investors seemed to collectively shrug at the latest White House drama. In the U.K., Prime Minister Theresa May’s Conservative party unexpectedly lost its parliamentary majority; for the Tories to remain in po… View More
Traditional investment grade bonds will probably not produce the returns most investors need to reach their retirement goals, however, there are other options available. As many who have read our previous commentaries are aware, we’ve found the risk reward tradeoff in preferred stocks attractive. The year-to-date return for the S&P U.S. Preferred Stock Index is 7.02%, with its 10-year average annualized return equal to 4.97%. Most of this return is attributable to the dividends paid by the… View More