The first quarter of 2024 was very positive for the stock market with new highs being posted across most major indices. This resulted in the best first quarter returns of the year since 2019. Stocks: S&P 500: 10% Nasdaq: 9.5% Russell 2000: 4% Bonds have been trading flat to down mostly with interest rate cuts …
Markets and Tax Reminders
February just notched the best returns for the S&P 500 and Nasdaq since 2015, while the Dow had its best February since 2021. Thus far in 2024 there has been more market breadth with more than 71% of the stocks included in the S&P posting positive returns. That said, the median return of these is …
The Start of 2024
The start to 2024 has been full of excitement with the main stock indices reaching new all time highs (something that hasn't happened since 2021). As we enter the beginning of February, many folks are wondering what to do in this circumstance along with a divisive presidential election and potential rate cuts that are forecasted …
The Magnificent 7
As we close out 2023 there were many unexpected twists along the way, but the biggest surprise was the majority of the returns for the major stock indices (Nasdaq, S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial) all were heavily dependent on the performance of seven stocks, coined The Magnificent Seven by Jim Cramer, earlier in the …
Are Bonds Dead?
Dear clients and friends, October marked the third straight monthly drop for U.S. stocks where the Nasdaq and S&P 500 entered correction territory (down more than 10% from the most recent 52-week high). We mentioned last month that these corrections happen about every 16 months on average so this was not terribly unexpected. What is …
A Little History on Bull and Bear
Dear clients and friends, As we enter the last quarter of the year, volatility is picking up in both the stock and bond markets, primarily due to rising treasury yields and renewed concern about higher for longer rates of inflation and soaring national debt. Historically, September is a difficult month for the stock market and …
Direct Indexing
Dear clients and friends, We hope each of you is enjoying the summer months and a more stable market environment. As we progress further into the second half of the year we wanted to provide a quick update on the markets as well as introduce a concept called "Direct Indexing" which is becoming a bigger …
The U.S. Federal Reserve, Russia/Ukraine conflict, and Inflation
We often speak to each of you about the dual mandate we have at Bauer Wealth, to protect assets to the best of our ability but also to position portfolios for growth and income.
The Importance of Stress Testing
When we help people construct their retirement plans, we highlight the importance of stress testing different factors that could have a negative impact on financial estimates
The Importance of Tailwinds
We have a tendency to focus only on the headwinds that are pushing against us but forget all of the tailwinds that work in our favor every single day