Rising Treasury Yields Cause Stocks & Bonds to Trade Lower   For your convenience, we’ve also provided a PDF copy of the Monthly Market Update: Rising Treasury Yields Cause Stocks & Bonds to Trade Lower. Monthly Market Summary The S&P 500 Index returned -4.0%, outperforming the Russell 2000 Index’s -6.8% return. Ten of the eleven S&P 500 sectors traded lower in April, led by Real Estate. Corporate investment-grade bonds produced a -3.2% total return as Treasury yields rose, while corporate high-yield bonds produced a -1.3% total return. International stocks outperformed U ..read more

Markets have been very volatile lately. What’s going on? Let’s take a quick look at the factors that are influencing markets right now.   1. The bull market narrative has shifted For months, investors have been told a “Goldilocks” story of a strong economy, tamed inflation, and interest rates that were soon to drop. However, stronger-than-expected economic data and sticky inflation have now complicated the story, and investors have become wary.1   There are still plenty of reasons to be optimistic, but investors are being careful and taking in earnings data to gauge the upside pote ..read more

Last Week on Wall Street Stocks staged a choppy comeback last week as investors cheered positive earnings, led by mega-cap tech stocks. The rally came to pass despite fresh data showing a slowing economy and increasing inflationary pressures.   If you’d rather digest this market recap in video format, here you go. The article continues below video. ? If you would like to have immediate access to videos when we post them, subscribe to our ▶️YouTube Channel: @FinsynWealthAdvisors.   Stocks Bounce Back. Twice. Last week opened with a rebound rally as investors breathed a sigh of relief ..read more

Last Week on Wall Street Stocks fell for a third straight week, as Fed Chair Jerome Powell’s mixed but upbeat message could not offset the anxiety caused by the Middle East conflict.   If you’d rather digest this market recap in video format, here you go. The article continues below video. ? If you would like to have immediate access to videos when we post them, subscribe to our ▶️YouTube Channel: @FinsynWealthAdvisors.   Stocks Retreat Markets began the week rattled by further escalation in the Middle East over the weekend. A bit of good news punctuated an otherwise sour Monday, as ..read more

Some recent research has found a new “magic” retirement savings number. (I explain how inflation factors in below.) I say “magic” (tongue in cheek) because if you put 10 people in a room, you’ll get 10 different opinions about how much you should save for retirement. And this estimate is no different. Northwestern Mutual surveyed 4,588 adults and found: The new “magic” number for a comfortable retirement is $1.46 million.1 It’s up 15% from last year’s $1.27 million number and is also an eye-popping 53% higher than the 2020 estimate.2 Broken down by generation, the numbers get even bigger. Ge ..read more

That’s a scary title, I know: The Market Pullback, Geopolitical Risks, Inflation, and More. But if history is any guide, we shouldn’t fret too much about any of these issues in the long run. After a historically strong start to the year, markets have now pulled back 2.5% to begin the second quarter. Concerns around geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, inflation, corporate earnings, and other issues have led to a market decline, pushing the VIX index of stock market volatility to its highest level in six months. In times of market stress, it’s important for investors to maintain perspecti ..read more

Last Week on Wall Street Stocks fell last week as investors sorted through conflicting inflation reports and assessed geopolitical tensions overseas.   If you’d rather digest this market recap in video format, here you go. The article continues below video. ? If you would like to have immediate access to videos when we post them, subscribe to our ▶️YouTube Channel: @FinsynWealthAdvisors.   Inflation Spooks Markets On Wednesday, the March Consumer Price Index (CPI) report rattled markets, revealing that inflation accelerated slightly more than expected. Bond yields rose, and stocks r ..read more

Everyone’s favorite day is right around the corner – tax day! ? As Benjamin Franklin famously said, “in this world, nothing is certain except death and taxes.” Taxes are no one’s favorite topic but their importance cannot be overstated. Tax policy affects every aspect of our financial lives including how much of our paychecks, investment gains, and dividends we keep, in addition to directing our choices of retirement vehicles, estate planning considerations, and much more. This is why tax planning with the help of a financial advisor is important to best achieve your financial goals. Naturall ..read more

Markets Have Great 1st Quarter Global equity markets had a terrific first quarter – and the gains were generally across the board as the tech-names, large-caps, mega-caps and small caps all advanced handsomely. If you would prefer to download a PDF copy of this report, one is provided here: 1st Quarter 2024 Market Review PDF   1st Quarter 2024 Market Review By all accounts, U.S. and global equities are off to a fast start in 2024, building on the terrific performance from the final quarter of 2023. And while there were a lot of milestones to celebrate, with the DJIA, S&P 500 and NASD ..read more

3 Market Insights for Investors in Q2 2024 2024 began with debates over a “soft” versus “hard” landing as the Fed attempted to stabilize the economy as well as over the sustainability of last year’s market rally. Only three months later, those concerns have given way to a calmer environment centered around fading inflation and the Fed’s plans for reducing interest rates. This has resulted in a strong market rally with the S&P 500 index, Dow Jones Industrial Average, and Nasdaq gaining 10.2%, 5.6%, and 9.1% year-to-date, respectively. The economic environment has surprised many investors a ..read more