News & Insights
Nuveen: A Flattening Yield Curve Doesn’t Mean A Recession Is Imminent
KEY POINTS: WHAT DOES A FLATTER YIELD CURVE MEAN? The slope of the Treasury yield curve is normally positive, meaning that it consistently slopes upward from left to right. Longer-term bonds like the 10-year U.S. Treasury typically yield more than shorter-term bonds like the 2-year Treasury. The positive slope is generally construed as a sign […]
Charles Schwab: The Coming Sector Shakeup
The Coming Sector Shakeup: What Does It Mean for Your Portfolio? Big changes are coming later this month to the way the financial world categorizes some of the country’s biggest companies. The telecommunications sector—currently home to just three stocks—is being expanded to accommodate some of the biggest names in the technology and media worlds: […]
Alliance Bernstein: Three Reasons To Invest Now
US stocks continue to pose big questions for investors. After nine years of strong gains, concerns about market conditions are rife. But we think US stocks are more attractive than perceived for three main reasons. The skepticism is understandable. From April 2009 through June 2018, the S&P 500 Index rose by an annualized 16.6%, the […]
John Hancock: Weekly Market Recap Week Ended September 7th
Wage momentum With 201,000 U.S. jobs added in August, Friday’s labor report exceeded most economists’ expectations. The biggest surprise was the 2.9% increase in wages—the fastest annual growth rate since 2009 and a sign that the tight labor market is increasing pressure on employers to lift wages. Slight pullback U.S. stock indexes fell […]
LPL: Worst Month of the Year
Well, here it comes—September. It’s widely considered the worst month of the year for equities for good reason, since it has historically performed the worst. Per Ryan Detrick, senior market strategist, “September is the banana peel month, as some of the largest slips tend to take place during this month. Although the economy is still […]
Charles Schwab: Stocks Laboring to Move Higher
Schwab Market Perspective: Stocks Laboring to Move Higher Key Points “Of all the American educational system’s problems, none is more severe than the academic year beginning before Labor Day.” – P.J. O’Rourke Short…but only partially sweet With the unofficial end of summer staring us in the face, we thought this week’s report would […]
TD Ameritrade: September’s Market Outlook
September’s Market Outlook: A Blend of Potentially Higher Rates and Politics As earnings season wound down, geopolitical headlines flared up again due in part to an event that was arguably not on most investors’ radar: Turkey’s potential debt crisis. And with that, the roller coaster ride of 2018 extended into August. Though investors appeared […]
John Hancock: Weekly Market Recap Week Ended August 31st
August temperature check With their gains in August, the S&P 500 and the NASDAQ have now risen for five months in a row, while the Dow has climbed for three straight months. The NASDAQ was the strongest performer last month, adding nearly 6%, while the S&P 500 climbed 3% and the Dow gained more […]
LPL: Finally
It took nearly seven months, but the S&P 500 Index finally closed at a new all-time high on Friday. Many clues along the way suggested new highs could eventually come, like strong overall market breadth and excellent earnings growth. Still, the big question now is, what happens next? “Investors have been patiently waiting for new […]
Alliance Bernstein: Reading the Signs
Reading the Signs: Investment-Grade Bonds Present Warning and Opportunity US investment-grade corporate bonds look cheaper today than their lower-quality counterparts in the high-yield market. Is this the buying opportunity of a lifetime? Not exactly. A closer look reveals there’s actually method to the madness. Both investment-grade and high-yield corporate bond valuations have declined somewhat […]