December 7, 2024 The S&P 500 rose 1.0% this week. Gold fell 1.1%, while the Bloomberg Aggregate Bond Index and Bitcoin rose 0.5% and 4.7%, respectively. The BLS for November reported 227K new jobs, a slight upside surprise and an increase from the previous month’s disappointing figure. The December reading of Consumer Sentiment from the University of Michigan was up...
November 16, 2024 The S&P 500 fell 2.1% this week as post-election euphoria faded. Bonds also sold off and gold fell 4.6%. Bitcoin outperformed after rallying 19.3%. After a spate of sticky inflation data, traders trimmed rate cut expectations to a 56% chance the Fed will deliver a quarter-point cut at the December meeting. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) came...
November 9, 2024 The S&P 500 rallied 4.7% this week for the biggest gain of the year. Investor sentiment was boosted by Donald Trump's decisive victory in the Presidential election, which alleviated concerns about a protracted period of uncertainty that could have accompanied a narrow result. Meanwhile, the US Aggregate Bond index rose 0.8%, gold declined 1.8%, and Bitcoin surged...
November 2, 2024 The S&P 500 fell 1.4% this week as investors de-risked ahead of next week's Presidential election. The US Aggregate Bond index fell 0.6% and gold declined 0.3%. Bitcoin outperformed by rallying 3.6%. The most important economic news was Friday's non-farm payrolls, which rose by only 12k in October—well short of the 113k projection. However, the data was...
October 26, 2024 The S&P 500 fell 1.0% this week as bonds sold off and commodities rallied. The US Aggregate Bond index lost 0.9%, gold rose 0.8%, and Bitcoin lost 2.7%. The Bloomberg Commodity Index jumped 2.0%. Economic data remains fairly strong. Jobless claims, durable goods orders, and consumer sentiment all point to a resilient US economy. The Citi Economic...
October 12, 2024 The S&P 500 rose 1.1% this week, shrugging off a stubborn inflation report. The index is up 21% for the year. Meanwhile, the US Aggregate Bond index lost 0.5%, gold rose 0.2%, and Bitcoin rallied 1.2%. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) came in hotter than expected at 2.4%. Core CPI (ex food and energy) was 3.3%. Shelter...
October 5, 2024 The S&P 500 rose 0.3% this week. Meanwhile, the US Aggregate Bond Index fell 1.2%, gold was flat, and Bitcoin shed 5.0%. The most important news items this week involved escalating geopolitical conflict in the Middle East. President Biden has warned Israel not to strike Iran's oil fields, but the threat of supply disruptions caused crude oil...
September 28, 2024 The S&P 500 rose 0.6% as US stocks gained for a third consecutive week. The S&P 500 is heading for its best first nine months of a year since 1997. Treasury bonds rallied while the dollar declined for a fourth straight week. Gold rose 1.2% and Bitcoin jumped 4.4%. The most important news this week was a...
September 21, 2024 The S&P 500 rose 1.4% this week after the Federal Reserve announced a 0.50% interest rate cut. The Fed's first rate cut in in over four years weakened the dollar, helping drive gold and bitcoin up 1.7% and 5.2%, respectively. The iShares Core US Aggregate Bond ETF lost -0.3%. One reason why the Fed cut rates is...
September 14, 2024 The S&P 500 rose 4.1% this week, which was the best showing since last November. US stocks reside near their year-to-date high reached in July. Gold prices also rose sharply this week, finishing at an all-time high. 10-year treasury yields fell to a 15-month low. The main economic news this week concerned inflation. The Consumer Price Index...
Maria Branyas died on August 19, 2024. She was 117 and the oldest person in the world. She was once asked the secret to her longevity. The answer wasn’t about eating plenty of yogurt, getting enough sleep, or building wealth. She said, “Never, ever, become a bitter person no matter what.” It’s sage advice, but not always easy to follow...
The RIA Podcast is a financial services marketing podcast for every financial service from insurance to investment advising. Host Sethe Greene is a nationally recognized financial services marketing expert. Michael Cannivet recently guested on the show to talk about how his investing philosophy was impacted by working for Ken Fisher, the four key elements of retirement planning, and why risk...