It was perhaps the slowest week in the equity markets all year, as stocks basically flatlined through Wednesday trade. Then on Thursday, stocks sold off hard. Maybe the selling was due to the lack of buyers out there, and maybe it was a move toward safety in front of Friday’s speech by Fed chief […]

Tags: migrated

The S&P 500 reached its highest value of the year by hitting $1,418.13 on Aug. 20. Despite the climb, economic uncertainty that includes continuing high unemployment and a looming “fiscal cliff” for the debt-plagued U.S. government could drive the index down in the coming weeks and months. If you think that the S&P 500’s best

Tags: migrated

For the past two week’s in my Monday Morning Market Outlook audio broadcast, I’ve embarked on a new series on wealth advice for listeners in all age groups. The first week was dedicated to strategies for investors who are in their 80s, and the second was devoted to investors currently in their 70s. Thanks to

Tags: migrated

“The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather in a lack of will.”    –Vince Lombardi   Perhaps the greatest of all football coaches, Vince Lombardi knew that what separates the truly successful from everyone else is the will to win. This

Tags: migrated

  It’s the tail end of what has been a hot and dry summer throughout most of the country. In the equity markets, we’ve seen the dog days play out in a lazy nap on the front porch, with stocks basically stuck in a holding pattern until events take off again after the Labor Day

Tags: migrated

  The equity markets showed signs of a top this week, as the major market indices finished in the red for the week for the first time since mid-July. When Friday’s final bell rang, the Dow was down 0.88% on the week while the S&P 500 slid 0.50%. The NASDAQ Composite was down just slightly, […]

Tags: migrated

 “Blind faith in your leaders, or in anything, will get you killed.” –Bruce Springsteen   The iconic rock musician reminds us that when you trust someone or something without question and without judgment, it can lead to destruction. This is certainly the case when it comes to money, as blind faith in a manager or

Tags: migrated

If you are like me, the low interest rates that banks are paying on federally insured deposits are causing you to look elsewhere to put your money. In fact, German government bonds have begun to pay negative interest rates. One alternative that I see on the immediate horizon is the high-yield SPDR S&P500 Dividend ETF

Tags: migrated

For the past six weeks, stocks have managed to mount what I call a “stealth rally,” meaning that there hasn’t been widespread participation from either individual investors or professional money. True, there is a bid on stocks here due to optimism over the possibility of more QE from the Fed, as well as a resolution

Tags: migrated

  For the sixth week in a row, stocks have managed to finish the week higher. Although the trade this week was very thin, with stocks in an extremely tight trading range on low volume, the bullish bias in the market keeps fueling this stealth rally.   I call it a stealth rally, because there […]

Tags: migrated