U.S. equities rebounded from a weak close of 2018 to post significant gains in the first quarter of 2019. Despite a plethora of talk about a global economic slowdown, American investors remained confident as the Federal Reserve confirmed it would adjust planned interest rate hikes and the U.S. government shutdown ended. As a result, the
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The year 2018 was a strange year in market history. Although the indexes all made new highs during the year they ended with the worst December performance since 1930. After nine years of investors making above average returns, they were shocked into the reality that the market doesn’t go straight up. There will always be
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After 9 years of an upward market, with very few corrections along the way, the stock market seems to have hit a brick wall. Are we still in a bull market or has the longest bull market in history ended? The economy and stock market has been good to investors after two major declines caused
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After a negative first quarter, U.S. equities have officially recovered all of their losses from the market correction earlier this year. The S&P 500 Index, representing large-cap stocks, returned a modest 2.65% for the first half of the year. Its small cap counterparts, being the biggest beneficiary of the new tax bill and less susceptible
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Despite an unusually strong start to 2018, the market gave back most of the gains by quarter-end. We experienced more volatility in the past few months than we have seen in the last eleven years although volatility of this magnitude is not unusual if we look back at the past market history. We have had
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It has been a wonderful year for both investment advisors and their clients. For us as your investment advisor, it has been a great year because it has allowed us to continue to help our clients achieve and maintain their goals and objectives. Our focus is not solely the accumulation of wealth; it is also
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The third quarter of 2017 continued to deliver steady growth across the equity markets, consistent with the theme of low inflation and accommodating monetary policies. Quickly overcoming the brief 3% retreat for the major equity indexes in the first half of August, the bull market continued to charge ahead with new all-time highs posted almost
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In its own boisterous but rewarding way the first half of 2017 has flown by; the Federal Reserve became less accommodative, American policymakers remained deeply divided, and the threats to the European Union’s survival were rising and fading. Despite these issues the equity markets kept making new highs. Those who exited the market in the
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The first quarter of 2017 has been a great one, economically and financially. Despite all the worries and turmoil in D.C. and elsewhere in the world, the markets continued to rise and the economy continued to grow. As March 2017 marked the eighth anniversary of the second longest bull market in modern history, the Dow
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The old saying, “All’s well that ends well” is certainly apropos for last year’s stock market. The market started out with modest appreciation throughout the first nine months and ended the last quarter with a bang.  For the first 3 quarters of 2016 the S&P 500 Index was up a modest 7.84%, and then went
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