Sound and Fury Family reunions. Company picnics. Grade school field day - if you can remember back that far. Usually, these are fun gatherings. Usually. And sometimes you find yourself pulled into a friendly match of tug-of-war, whether you wanted to participate or not. You’ve got a bunch of people on one end of the
When diversification fails, have an exit strategy.
February 18, 2016 By
Investing has changed in recent years. Long gone are the good ole days of the '80s and '90s when stocks seemed to go up every day and all you had to do was buy one ... any stock. Or buy a share of the latest and greatest mutual fund. These products gained wide popularity during
January 2016 Recap
February 5, 2016 By
January has to be the odds-on favorite for the longest month of the year. It’s the coldest month of the year. It inevitably starts off with a “let down” for most of us as it comes right on the heels of the bustling holiday season. And as one of seven months on our calendars with
December 2015 Recap
January 6, 2016 By
What a difference a year makes. Well, usually … but not last year. 2015 was a year rife with divergence and volatility. The U.S. dollar soared relative to most other major currencies, and oil continued to plunge; the Fed finally raised rates in the U.S., while the European Central Bank (ECB) reduced rates there; the
November 2015 Recap
December 3, 2015 By
Contrast We celebrate and give thanks each year in November, but this November was a month riddled with somber events all over the world. Friday, November 13th was an especially dark day for those affected by the horrific terrorist attacks in Paris, and Europe as a whole continues to struggle to handle the inflow of
What Will The Fed Do?
November 15, 2015 By
Since we are constantly being bombarded with what the Fed may do this month or next, I thought it might be a good idea to look at some history on how we got to this place with a specific eye on the Fed’s 2% target inflation rate. Arguing in favor of a hike is the
October 2015 Recap
November 5, 2015 By
October is always a month of change. For those of us living in the Northern hemisphere, it’s when summer finally gives way to autumn. The colors change. The days get shorter and cooler. It becomes “football weather”. And for sports fans in the U.S., the final week of October is just about as good as it gets: the NFL and college football seasons are in full swing, the World Series is underway, and the NBA and NHL regular seasons are just starting up. The end of October also means Halloween is upon us and the holiday seasons of Thanksgiving and Christmas are right around the corner. For many, this is the beginning of the best stretch of the year. Interesting, Halloween is the second most expensive holiday, after Christmas. According to the National Retail Federation, Americans will spend about $6.9 billion on Halloween this year. That breaks down to $74.34 per person. Americans will spend $350 million alone on costumes ... for our pets! Amazing.
September 2015 Recap
October 6, 2015 By
Selenology
Both a lunar eclipse and a super-moon made for a dramatic celestial show on the evening of the final Sunday of September. A super-moon occurs when the moon’s orbit brings it closest to Earth, and a lunar eclipse leaves the moon with a rusty, reddish color.
Photography by Dan Drummond
It’s interesting that only theories explain the creation of the moon. The most commonly accepted theory is that another planetary mass that orbited our sun collided with Earth long ago, and the collision sent pieces of Earth and the other planetary mass into orbit around the Earth, eventually forming the moon. There are obvious ways the moon affects the earth, such as how its gravitational pull causes our ocean tides. There are subtle effects from that ancient collision, like how it caused the Earth to slightly tilt on its axis. Regardless of the moon’s origin, there is no arguing that there is a distinct relationship between the planet we call home and that pale white, barren body orbiting us day after day.
August 2015 Recap
September 4, 2015 By
Clarity
Investors are looking for clarity in the face of multiple uncertainties, more uncertainties than most typical investors can bear. What is going on with China? Exactly how strong is the U.S. economy? When will the Fed increase interest rates? And when will oil prices stop sliding? These are all tough questions to answer. In this newsletter, we will start in the East and move West to reflect on market activity in August and our outlook going forward.
March 2016 Recap
March is usually a month of change. Winter’s cold gives way to the first hints of spring, and we make the rounds in our homes changing the time on the clocks and our watches by one hour as we “spring forward” in observance of Daylight Savings Time. However, the one thing in March that never