Inflation is down, but US central bankers are still on high alert. ...read the rest of this article»

Rising speculation in crypto and meme stocks didn’t seem to alarm investors even though it could mean the Fed is going to keep burning money a bit longer. ...read the rest of this article»

In April 2024 the financial markets experienced heightened volatility due to an increase in interest rates, which impacted bond prices. Our Conservative portfolio declined by 3.86%, while our Aggressive portfolio fell 3.06%. ...read the rest of this article»

March deviated from the norm with the S&P 500 index not beating 90% of fund returns — it was more in the middle of all stock fund categories with a still respectable 3.22% gain. It seems the longstanding outperformance of the top growth stocks may be waning. ...read the rest of this article»

The market booked another strong month for U.S. stocks. The only foreign market that outperformed the U.S. in February was China which rebounded nearly 10%. ...read the rest of this article»

December's significant returns for stocks and bonds largely fizzled out in January, at least for non-US stocks. ...read the rest of this article»

Falling inflation, a surprisingly robust economy, and expectations of reduced short-term rates led to a dramatic decrease in long-term rates and a significant stock market rally, especially in speculative sectors that suffered in 2022. ...read the rest of this article»

November was a month for the record books. The bond market abruptly reversed course as investors collectively decided that 5% on a ten-year government bond was about as high as we're going to see. ...read the rest of this article»

With the strength in early November, The S&P 500 index is only about 5% away from all-time highs hit at the end of 2021. The bond market is still down about 20% from the highs, with longer-term government bonds down around 40% — the biggest drop ever. ...read the rest of this article»

The hot US stock market couldn't handle the renewed slide in bonds, leading to a decline of over 4% for a balanced portfolio of stocks and bonds for the month. Despite this, the economy remains strong, even as 30-year fixed rate mortgages approach 7%, reminiscent of the worst of the bond market hit in 2022.  ...read the rest of this article»