13 Jul Budget Basics that could Benefit Individuals and Governments Alike
With U.S. government debt at record levels and a large tax cut recently announced while
Economy
29 Jun Why Stock Buybacks are Significant and What to Make of Recent Trends
Company stock buybacks recently surpassed 2007’s prior record of $172 billion. As of the first quarter 2018, buybacks from the S&P 500 Index constituents reached $178 billion
11 May Stocks on Sale
U.S. stocks have already seen two pullbacks greater than 5% so far in 2018, as measured by the S&P 500 Index. That compares to only one pullback over 5% in the last 2 years. To say that recent stock swings have been jarring would ...
17 Apr Bear Market Anniversary Reflections
March 9th marked the 9 year anniversary of the most recent bear market bottom. It passed quietly with no bands playing and no flags flying. For those who endured the decline, it was a stressful experience that tested the mettle of all ...
30 Mar What a Rising Rate Environment Could Mean for Bond Funds
After the yield on the 10-year U.S. Treasury Bond – a widely used economic bell weather – bottomed in July 2016, interest
23 Mar Why Don’t We Trade in Round Lots (or at least round off the shares)?
Over the last two years, you may have noticed that some of your individual stock holdings have gone from neatly-rounded share amounts, to odd-numbered share amounts. Why did this happen? First, a little history. In the days before ...
15 Mar 34th Annual Crystal Ball Seminar
We are excited again to co-sponsor the 34th Annual Crystal Ball with the University of North Carolina at Asheville. This has been a long-standing tradition that we look forward to every year. On May 3, economists David W. Berson and ...
02 Mar Are We Heading Towards a Recession?
The stock market is considered one of several leading economic indicators. Since 1949 markets have turned lower on average seven months prior to recessions, with a median pullback of about 9%. However, this includes a wide range of ...
22 Dec What Do You Need to Know About the Tax Cut and Jobs Act?
Major tax legislation generally only happens around once a decade. The last time we had a major re-write of the tax code was in 2003. Just like that round of legislation, most of the individual provisions in the Tax Cut and Jobs Act of ...
01 Dec Why Trying to Time the Market is a Losing Game
The U.S. stock market has returned 282% since bottoming in March 2009, following the Financial Crisis. Since that time, the S&P 500 Index has delivered positive returns in seven out of the last eight years and appears poised to ...