Processing Investment Advice, Predictions, and Risks

How seriously do you take market voices? By that, I mean advice, predictions, and risks not always grounded in common sense? This newsletter explores this conundrum. Market Commentators Have No Accountability for Advice, Predictions and Risks Realize that there’s an important disconnect between the “advice”, “predictions” and “risks” people hear from market commentators and actual…

Fundamentals of Investing in Banks

Have you considered banks for your investment portfolio? If not, you may want to reconsider. You see, banks become an attractive sector for finding investment ideas when the yield curve steepens, making banks more profitable. That’s the scenario we’ll likely be facing if the Federal Reserve begins to taper and lets longer-term rates rise. In…

Cash and Unemployment Report Reactions

What does the latest unemployment report say about the economy? This article explores reactions from the Federal Reserve, and the Stock Market. It also examines how much cash investors should hold in their portfolios. >> To subscribe to this monthly newsletter, click on Subscribe! The 9/3/21 Unemployment Report The Employment Report issued on Friday, September 3rd…

Stocks Are Up, While Bond Rates Are Down?

Stocks are up, and bond rates are low, making volatility front and center for investors. The market seems to have no memory from one day to the next.  On Thursday, July 8 stocks dropped on fears of the Delta COVID variant only to rally on Friday.  >> To subscribe to this monthly newsletter, click on Subscribe!…

Stock Market Reacts Inconsistently

Inflation talk has been featured in the business news as well as in this newsletter for a few months now, and most recently in Market Volatility, Expectations & the Global Markets. Despite all the inflation talk, you’ll notice as you read this article that the stock market reacts inconsistently. >> To subscribe to this monthly…

How to Commit Financially to Sustainability

What comes to mind when you think of sustainability? What about sustainable investing? Earth Day and Sustainability Perhaps you’re thinking of the kind of activities that are often brought up in articles about the yearly Earth Day celebration. What about Earth Day? Did you know that the first Earth Day took place in 1972? That’s…

Market Volatility, Expectations & the Global Markets

This newsletter explores market volatility including stock ‘air pockets’, market expectations, inflation, and GDP with perspective from global markets. Increased Volatility in the Markets Markets saw increased volatility following first a disappointing jobs report and then a higher than expected level of inflation in the CPI release.  During the week of May 10-14, the S&P500…

Concerned About Inflation?

With COVID-19 vaccinations underway and a new stimulus/relief package in the works, investors have begun to worry about inflation. The concern has manifested itself in a recent rise in longer-dated bond yields.  Higher Rates Reduce Asset Value There is some math involved but the simple short of it is that higher rates reduce the value of…

The Lonely Life of a Contrarian Investor

Contrarian investors lead lonely lives. There are many flavors of investors.  Some follow momentum.  Some are broad asset allocators.  Some are short-term traders.  There are a lot of ways to make money in the market.  There is no one answer. Even further, different strategies can be effective at different times. Contrarians Take Positions Against Prevailing Conventional…

Goodbye 2020 With Markets Resilient Beyond People’s Imagination

As we say good-bye to 2020, despite all the turmoil and pain, the markets proved to be resilient beyond most people’s imagination. Below, you’ll find the January 2021 BrokerageSelect Newsletter which summarizes current market trends while highlighting the kind of innovative out-of-the-box thinking that Pendragon Capital Management specializes in.