Some Caution is Warranted

U.S. equities closed lower last week as the S&P 500 (-1.1%) fell for the first time in three weeks and Nasdaq (-2.4%) in six weeks. WTI crude was up 8.6%, the best week since early October. Treasuries turned into a headwind due to a repricing of the Fed rate path. The only positive sector was energy (+5.0%); the worst sector was communication services (-6.6%) due in part to Google (-9.7%).   Source: Bob Doll, Crossmark Investments   Chart reflects price changes, not total return. B… View More

Staying Cautious but It's Getting Tougher

We first became cautious on future market returns last March and have remained so ever since. Despite some countertrend rallies after the market peaked at 4,797 on January 3, 2022, we continue to believe that the inversion of the yield curve, aggressive Fed tightening, and the likelihood of a decline in corporate profits renders the chances of recession by the end of 2024 at about 3 in 4. Having said that, the tape and the economic data over the past month suggest that a recession is unlikely t… View More

Fed Raises Interest Rates Again. Slowing, Not Stopping.

The Fed downshifted to a smaller rate hike to start 2023, but the job is far from done. As expected, the Fed raised rates by 25 basis points (bp) today, slowing from the 50bp hike in December, and the 75bp hikes at the four meetings before that. However, the Fed continued to reiterate that ongoing tightening is warranted and repeated the view that the risk to doing too little is greater than the risk of doing too much. While we have to wait for March to get updated forecasts from the Fed (the d… View More

Inflation and Earnings Estimates Continue to Decline

U.S. equities finished higher last week (S&P 500 +2.5%), closing above the 4000 level for the first time since early December. The path of least resistance remains higher even though earnings season continued to undershoot expectations. Best sectors were consumer discretionary (+6.4%) and technology (+4.1%); worst sectors were healthcare (-0.9%) and utilities (-0.5%).   4Q Reporting Season Continues To Underwhelm The 4Q reporting season continues to underwhelm with earnings growth expec… View More

Last Year's Worst Stocks Performing the Best So Far this Year

Source: Bob Doll Crossmark Global Investments   Sincerely, Fortem Financial(760) 206-8500team@fortemfin.com     Latest News   Market Recovery Hinges on Quick Drop in Inflation Rate Stocks and bonds have been buoyed by expectations that price increases will cool quickly. The Wall Street Journal Read Story   Activist Takes Big Stake in Salesforce Elliott Management has a multibillion-dollar stake in the business-software provider. The Wall Street Journal Read Story   Earn… View More

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