We’ve all seen the headlines in the news in recent years — “Data Breach at XYZ Company.” Big-name companies such as Yahoo, Google, CVS, U.S Olympic Committee, Capital One, and an uncomfortably long list of others have been named in those headlines. Nearly 1,000 data breaches in 2016 put the personal information of more than [...]
After opening 2016 with the worst week on record, the remainder of the 1st quarter made it one of the most volatile since 2008, dominated by four large up & down moves of over 7%. When the dust settled, a late stock market bounce has, at least temporarily, pushed the major market indexes back towards [...]
Key Takeaways Major equity indices did very little in the second quarter, finishing the three month period ±1%. After achieving modest new highs in mid-May, stocks declined 3-4% into quarter-end as a worsening of the ongoing Greek debt drama dominated headlines. U.S. economic data was mixed as the latest quarterly estimate of Gross Domestic Product [...]
Just three months into the year, the stock market has experienced quite a few ups and downs. Heightened volatility due to central bank actions, the re-emergence of Greek debt concerns, and a strong dollar made for an uneven ride. After all was said and done, the major indices finished the quarter about where they began, [...]
The 4th quarter got off to a precarious start with major equity indices declining roughly 7-8% in the first two weeks of October. Fears of an Ebola outbreak, global growth worries, and disappointing U.S. economic reports contributed to the sell-off with the S&P 500 at one point turning negative for the year. However the market [...]
The old stock market cliché “a rising tide lifts all boats” describes how all stocks tend to climb when the market makes a strong upward move. Such was not the case during this year’s third quarter which had several hidden “riptides.” Despite positive quarterly returns in the major indices (DJIA +1.87% and S&P 500 +1.13%), [...]
After spending much of April and May range bound and chopping sideways, U.S. equity markets got back on track and resumed their uptrend in June. Investors shrugged off lower corporate earnings (blamed on poor weather), a less accommodating Federal Reserve, and geopolitical tensions in Ukraine/Russia and the Middle East, propelling major averages to all-time highs [...]
The 4th quarter began on a sour note as the recurring impasse in Congress over the debt ceiling and budget deficit ultimately lead to a government shutdown on October. However, it was short-lived as an interim solution was reached mid-month to end the shutdown and to suspend application of the Federal debt ceiling until February [...]
With investors still celebrating an exceptional 2013, January snowed and sleeted on the parade as equity markets dropped roughly 6% to start the new year. The pullback was brief, however, as stocks bounced back in February, pushing most indices to minor new highs. As the calendar turned to March, fears of an economic slowdown in [...]
Even in the face of concerns over U.S. job growth, the health of the global economy, heightened Middle East tensions, and unresolved monetary and fiscal policies, the Dow and S&P 500 yo-yoed through three 5%+ moves during the third quarter, ending with 2.12% and 5.24% respective gains. The quarter began strongly, with most of the [...]
