10 years ago last week, on September 15, 2008, Lehman Brothers filed for bankruptcy. At the time, few investors, analysts, or investment professionals fully understood the extent of damage the Lehman event would ultimately cause. The S&P 500 fell by -28% in just 22 days, and the index ended up losing more than half its […]
The next big market crisis will be caused by…. The short answer, unfortunately, is that no one can say for sure. But, we do have insight and a strong opinion about what will not cause the next crisis: toxic subprime loans and over-leveraged banks, whose downfall ultimately brought global financial system to its knees in […]
Stocks are generally not influenced by a single factor. It is usually a multitude of factors pushing and pulling prices at any given time. Earnings may serve as tailwinds breathing positive momentum into stocks, while tariffs could do the opposite and serve as headwinds. Leading economic indicators may boost investor sentiment and the relative attractiveness […]
It may feel strange reading this, but it’s been nearly a decade since the United States has endured a recession.(1) Economic growth rates have notably been modest throughout this expansion, and corporate earnings endured a whole year (2015) of negative growth.(2) But overall, millions of jobs were added, personal wealth has risen, the economy has […]
Watchful investors may have noticed a trend that has taken shape over the last year and a half or so, as it relates to growth vs. value stocks. Namely, that growth stocks have been stoutly outperforming value stocks since the beginning of last year: Growth Stocks (Red Line) Have Recently Outperformed Value Stocks (Blue Line) […]
For the better part of a century, economists have been wrangling over the most effective and accurate way to measure the U.S. economy’s size and growth. Spoiler alert: they haven’t found it yet.1 To be fair, the task before them is monumental – measuring an economy as diverse, massive, and ever-changing as the U.S. economy […]
You may have heard the phrase “Retail Apocalypse” recently, in reference to the wave of store closures and bankruptcies hitting the U.S. retail sector. The names on this hitlist are familiar ones: Macy’s shuttering 100 stores and laying off 5,000 workers1; Abercrombie and Fitch shuttering 40 stores in 2017; American Apparel filing for bankruptcy and […]
