Katheryn Nogueira
How much is too much? Whether it’s pizza or stock concentration in an investment portfolio, read all about it in the latest edition of the Plimoth Investment Advisors monthly newsletter.
Despite the holiday-shortened week, the S&P 500 extended its rally, notching a ninth consecutive weekly gain as the bull market remains firmly intact. Key barometers of the AI trade such as Micron and Dell continue to fuel the advance, helping drive broader market momentum.
Despite the holiday-shortened week, the S&P 500 extended its rally, notching a ninth consecutive weekly gain as the bull market remains firmly intact. Key barometers of the AI trade such as Micron and Dell continue to fuel the advance, helping drive broader market momentum.
The AI trade is accelerating at an unprecedented pace, driving markets to fresh highs. Dell, Micron, and AMD were among the 11 S&P 500 companies that posted gains of over 20% for the week. While Wall Street embraces the AI boom, Main Street is growing increasingly uneasy as rising gas prices and tariffs push consumer sentiment to a new low.
The AI trade is accelerating at an unprecedented pace, driving markets to fresh highs. Dell, Micron, and AMD were among the 11 S&P 500 companies that posted gains of over 20% for the week. While Wall Street embraces the AI boom, Main Street is growing increasingly uneasy as rising gas prices and tariffs push consumer sentiment to a new low.
Jerome Powell stepped down from his position as Chair of the Federal Open Market Committee following the April 29 meeting but, in a surprise announcement, stated that he will be staying on as an active voting Governor. The last time a Fed Chair made that particular move, the music industry was “revolutionized” by the introduction of the long-playing (LP) record.
There was plenty to keep investors tuned into financial market news over the week. Fed Chair Jerome Powell communicated on the FOMC rate outlook in his final meeting as Chair, with a surprise indication that he’s not ready to depart the committee just yet. After a strong start to the season, first‑quarter earnings are tracking toward 27% growth, marking the strongest quarter since 2021.
Markets were little changed as investors looked past tensions in the Middle East and turned their focus to first-quarter earnings. Wednesday looms large, with the Federal Reserve set to announce its interest-rate decision alongside earnings reports from four mega-cap technology companies.
Beware the first of April and don’t fool around with questionable news sources. Find out the key points you need to know on financial markets results in March, gasoline prices and making sound investment choices.
A shutdown of economic data agencies in October muted the flow of some critical inflation, employment and economic growth statistics, leading to headlines of a Fed “flying blind.” Despite the rhetoric, there was plenty to digest in financial markets during the month.
As investors ponder valuations of the closely followed S&P 500 Index, which has hit 28 new record highs in the first three quarters of the year, they would be wise to consider its concentration.
While the July jobs report surprised to the downside, with Nonfarm Payrolls reported at 73k when 104k was expected, the major shock of the report was the dramatic revision of the prior two month’s reported readings.
Equity markets skyrocketed to new highs through mid-year and the latest employment report sparked economic optimism. Read about all the fireworks and more here.
Tariffs and trade war concerns weighed on markets in March and have only gotten more heated since then. Read all about it and the latest buzzword “stagflation” in the latest edition of the Plimoth Investment Advisors monthly newsletter.
Market volatility came in like a lamb and out like a lion last month, driven by financial markets’ bothersome nemesis… uncertainty. Read all about this watershed shift in sentiment and much more in the latest Plimoth Investment Advisors monthly newsletter.
Want to gain valuable insights on investing for the future? Hoping to learn more about estate planning and trusts? The experts at Plimoth Investment Advisors are here to help you.
A change in market leadership, tariffs, economic growth and more… the highlights of what you need to know about the first trading month of the year are right here in the latest Plimoth Investment Advisors Monthly Newsletter.
You have to look all the way back to 1997 to find a period of stock market returns in the first three quarters of a calendar year that top the stellar returns we have seen thus far in 2024.
Be sure to take time out to enjoy the sunset from time to time on these warm summer nights.
Much like the lyrics of George Harrison’s last number one hit “Got My Mind Set on You” (a cover of the 1962 James Ray song released by the former member of The Beatles in 1987) investors need to embrace the idea that prudent investing is going to take time, a whole lot of precious time. It’s going to take patience and time… to do it right.
The following (quite logical) question tends to arise every four years, and this year is no exception. “What does this historic presidential election mean for the U.S. stock market?”
The last time markets exhibited such strength in an 18-week period was 53 years ago, just as young families were first able to interact with their favorite characters on Main Street USA at Disney’s Magic Kingdom flagship Florida property.
This New Year, resolve to do something… the same. New Year’s Resolutions can be great, particularly when focused on a habit or area that could use some added effort or a tune up. Let’s try to be cautious, however, of not disrupting tried and true habits that work to our advantage over time.
As a follow-up to our last monthly newsletter and based on (always highly valued) feedback, (we state for the record that) it is certainly the case that there are many types of pumpkin spice enthusiasts and by no means are all “giddy,” as referenced in our last letter. Rather, it is the U.S. stock market to be reported on, having entered a “correction” in one of the final trading sessions in the month of October.
Spend baby spend! That was the message from the U.S. government to its constituent consumers during the three-year pandemic recovery, with multiple rounds of helicopter stimulus checks and economic relief programs dropped in their laps. And spend they did, creating a hard-to-break habit in the process.
September means back to school for many families, whether it be children or grandchildren at various points in their primary or secondary educations or for some, a time to face the soaring costs of a college education. With even the best laid plans, education costs have continued to skyrocket at higher than anticipated levels over the past several years and can be daunting when their impact on personal budgets is realized.
There have been an inordinate number of reported black bear sightings in Massachusetts this year. While unusual, the rationale seems to be that bears are known to be a hungry lot and, although they live in the woods, will venture to wherever they have a chance of finding an easy food score. If you happen to see one of our recently popular local black bears, the best advice seems to be to leave it to go about its business, as it should eventually move along. Long-term investors would be well served to heed similar advice. Bear market periods are an occasional occurrence that have historically run their course and been dominated by periods of longer-term bull runs.
In an episode of The Twilight Zone that initially aired in the 1960s, Rod Serling narrates the story of an elderly resident at a home for the aged who falls on challenging times and longs for the days when all worries and problems would disappear by participating in a childhood game of “Kick the Can”. In the real world, however, such games merely push difficult situations off and postpone tough decisions. No amount of wishing or believing will solve problematic issues like the U.S. debt ceiling.
April showers may have created a few mud puddles for investors to navigate, but in the end, most should maintain a sunny disposition when reviewing portfolio balances from the end of the month.
The Federal Open Market Committee raised short-term rates by 25 basis points last month in the latest move in their fight against sticky inflation. The magnitude of the eighth hike since March, 2022 was less than previous increases in the current monetary tightening cycle.