A review of Q2 2016 THE QUARTER IN BRIEF As the first half of 2016 ended, the economy seemed to be repeating the pattern seen in 2014 and 2015 – a poor first quarter giving way to a better second quarter. Monthly indicators showed improvements in consumer spending, retail sales, and manufacturing. Consumer confidence also […]

A review of 4Q 2015 THE QUARTER IN BRIEF Thanks to a great October offsetting a flat November and a down December, U.S. stock indices posted sizable gains during the fourth quarter. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 7.00% in Q4, but even so, the blue chips lost 2.23% for the year. In the last […]

QUOTE OF THE QUARTER “There are some things you learn best in calm, and some in storm.”– Willa Cather QUARTERLY TIP If you have not yet contributed the maximum to your IRA or workplace retirement plan for 2015, now is a good time to do so. Holiday season spending may affect your ability to max out […]

A review of 2Q 2015 THE QUARTER IN BRIEF A 2.10% June retreat left the S&P 500 down 0.23% for Q2 2015, putting an end to its 9-quarter winning streak. The quarter’s biggest economic events occurred in late June – Greece defaulted on its debt, the commonwealth of Puerto Rico said a default was imminent, […]

THE QUARTER IN BRIEF The last quarter of 2014 brought more volatility to the stock and commodities markets. The S&P 500 and Dow both gained more than 4%, outperforming quite a few of the major foreign indices. Oil prices took a dive, along with prices of other key energy futures. The pace of home sales slowed and year-over-year home price gains grew smaller. Tumbling energy shares and a pandemic exerted more strain on equities than[…]

DOMESTIC ECONOMIC HEALTH The quarter ended with a major jump in consumer confidence. The Conference Board’s index reached 82.3 in March, up 4.0 points in a month. Consumer spending improved too, rising 0.2% in January and 0.3% in February. (In a contrasting note, the University of Michigan’s consumer sentiment index slipped 2.5 points across the quarter to a final March mark of 80.0.)2,3 Manufacturing and service sectors continued to expand, according to the Institute for Supply[…]

THE QUARTER IN BRIEF Bulls didn’t quite trample bears in the opening quarter of 2014. The S&P 500 slid 3.56% in January, advanced 4.31% in February and gained another 0.69% in March. Still, Q1 ended with the Dow in the red YTD and only minor YTD gains for the Nasdaq, S&P and Russell 2000; the […]

2013 Q3 Economic Update Presented by Marc Aarons at Money Managers Inc.

2012: A Fourth Quarter Review A quick summary of economies & markets for you. While the S&P 500 had its first negative fourth quarter in four years, it didn’t stop the index from having a great 2012. The NASDAQ and Dow also lost ground for the quarter, but the losses could have been worse – Europe was for once relatively free of alarm, Wall Street seemed to take fiscal cliff fears in stride, and key indicators[…]

THE QUARTER IN BRIEF While fundamentals may not have supported a powerful rally in Q3 2012, the policy decisions of central banks certainly did. The Federal Reserve launched its third round of easing in the past four years during the quarter and the European Central Bank also embarked on a new stimulus effort. Wall Street seemed to put concerns about Europe and China and job growth on the back burner – the Dow gained 4.32%[…]