Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria wreaked havoc within a few weeks of each other. Houston was hit with historic rainfall from Harvey, and much of Florida was ravaged by wind damage from Irma. But Puerto Rico suffered the most out of the Caribbean islands with Maria making landfall in September. The U.S. territory was already
August 2017 Recap
It’s hard to stay focused on a lot of things, including the markets, in the face of the human tragedy like what we’ve witnessed from Hurricane Harvey and its aftermath over the last few weeks in South Texas, in the greater Houston area, and into Louisiana. For the people who lived through it, the storm
July 2017 Recap
It’s becoming more common to hear the Bears calling for a big drop. Why do they say that? Well, first they hope to be right, which earns a lot of street cred. It’s an easier call to make because risk increases as asset prices move higher. Stocks have come a long way from the first
March 2017 Recap
What a difference a year makes. Do you recall how 2016 started? The United States’ Federal Reserve announced the first interest rate hike in years in December of 2015, and the S&P 500 would then plummet almost 11% over the following 8 weeks. At the same time, Japan and a number of European countries initiated
August 2015 Recap
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.
Then and Now: The Crash of 1987
It wasn’t quite the Kennedy assassination, “9/11”, or the O.J. verdict, events where time seemed to stand still for a few moments. But don’t tell that to the Wall Street traders and advisers who lived through “Black Monday,” the bloodiest day in stock market history, October 19, 1987. On that day, the Dow Jones Industrial