It’s the final countdown…to the election
As the 2020 Presidential election draws near, our attention instinctively turns to Europe – the Swedish pop-metal band, not the continent – and their mid-80s chart-topper, The Final Countdown. Now that summer is over, the final countdown to election day has begun. In this spirit,…
Show me the money
You can count us among the world’s cinephiles, with a particular and deep appreciation for the cinematic work of the late, great Burt Reynolds. When it comes to remarkable movies, they all seem to have a few things going for them, including a first-rate cast,…
The bear market goes on…until it doesn’t
When trying to put in perspective the shortest bear market in US history—at least a bear market that saw the S&P 500 Index (S&P 500) sell off 30%+—there are any number of directions one can go. However, I decided to go with the children’s book…
Why planes, trains, and automobiles are worth watching – the index, not the movie
We are big fans of the late director John Hughes. In fact, this is the second Weekly Wire where we have leaned on one of his films – this time it is “Planes, Trains, and Automobiles” – as a means of hopefully making our market…
The market as a leading indicator…for the market
We frequently write about the stock market as a leading indicator of the real economy. The idea being the market will anticipate the economic environment to come, rallying in the face of awful economic news and selling off in the face of constructive economic news….
Getting back to even
US equities have rallied sharply the past few weeks, with the S&P 500 Index (S&P 500) now 27% above its March 23 intra-day low of 2,189. We believe the March 23 low will— in hindsight—prove to be the low for this market cycle. What we…
Markets are often volatile to the upside!
Think about what we’ve come to grips with over the past few weeks: the US economy faces an unprecedented, pandemic driven demand shock; the US Federal Reserve is engaged in a level of monetary policy support and liquidity creation unlike anything in its history; the…
What might H.E.L.P. now
Clearly, the markets could use some help right now, and fortunately, we do think help is on its way. Until then, if we want an easy way to recall what we see as four meaningful pillars of support for the markets going forward, we simply…
A 30 year perspective, and a bit more perspective on the 30-year mortgage
Adopting a long-term view on investing and the markets is needed most when it is difficult to do—like right now, when stocks are extremely volatile and under pressure as investors try to determine how COVID-19 and this year’s election will ultimately impact corporate and consumer…
One thing we shouldn’t be stressed about
Last week was an exceptionally difficult week for risk assets, emphasized by Thursday’s record 1,192 point drop in the Dow Jones Industrial Average – a selloff sparked by growing concern that the Coronavirus could prove to carry a greater weight on global growth than originally…