Insights

Stocks were relatively flat last week in the face of weak economic data. Services, manufacturing, and job openings all were weak, but the monthly jobs data (more below) was a bright spot. Still, in the face of slowing economic reports, we were impressed stocks were able to hold onto some gains.

In the end, stocks had a solid gain in the first quarter. The S&P 500 Index climbed 7.5%, including dividends. But it sure wasn’t easy. After being up more than 8% for the year in mid-February, stocks pulled back sharply, due in part to the banking crisis that took place the second week …

In the midst of a banking crisis that has seen some of the largest U.S. banks collapse nearly overnight and 100-year-old European banks verging on failure, not to mention a volatile bond market and a plunge in crude oil — the Federal Reserve raised rates. While we’d expect stocks to tumble …

On the heels of the first three bank failures in years, issues spread across the pond last week as Credit Suisse Group AG became the latest banking institution to make headlines over solvency concerns. Let’s be clear: This Swiss bank was a three-dollar stock two weeks ago and has long been …

Founded in 1983, Silicon Valley Bank’s parent company, SVB Financial, announced on Wednesday it had sold $21 billion in assets to raise cash and was taking a $1.8 billion loss while also trying to raise capital. Due to dwindling deposits and losses in its holdings, the bank was forced to se …

After the 11th best start to a year for the S&P 500 as of Valentine’s Day, stocks have pulled back during the second part of February in what we would classify as perfectly normal price action. The best three months of the year for stocks are November, December, and January. That means …

The past few weeks we’ve advised readers to be on the lookout for seasonal late February/early March weakness. After the 11th best start to a year ever as of Valentine’s Day, some sluggishness was expected. Well, stocks had their worst week of the year last week and are now down three weeks …

Last week, we noted the potential was high for a well-deserved break for stocks after a red-hot start to the year. That seasonal weakness may have begun. The S&P 500 is typically down in February, which joins September as the only other month to average in the red. But as we shared last …

It has been a great start to 2023 for stocks. We continue to expect higher prices this year, but we don’t anticipate they’ll happen in a straight line. February is sometimes known as a hangover month, and we wouldn’t be too surprised if stocks had a small break during this historically trou …

As poor as last year was for investors, 2023 has fortunately been a near mirror image. Stocks and bonds have both made solid gains to kick off the new year. The economy is in better shape than most expected, and overall inflation is also coming down, making a very nice combo.