Market Summary — 15 October

Many forces are at work that could result in a correction for U.S. markets: uncertainty around the trajectory of the pandemic; the worrisome prospect of a contested presidential election; and typical seasonal weakness.  And yet, as we write, the S&P 500 remains near an all-time high.  Why?  The investment backdrop Read more

Market Summary — 8 October

Markets continue with sideways volatility as the election gets closer.  Given the level of uncertainty that surrounds both the election itself and the prospect of a confused and uncertain outcome that lasts for weeks, it isn’t surprising that marginal investment dollars would sit it out, waiting for clarity. We know Read more

July 31, 2015

Herded Into Disaster: Yield Chasing, Liquidity, and ETFs In 2002, addressing Nobel Prize-winning economist Milton Friedman on his 90th birthday, former Fed chair Ben Bernanke acknowledged the role of the Federal Reserve in worsening the financial crisis of the Great Depression rather than helping it. He said, “You’re right, we Read more