Insight & Commentaries
Global stocks continue to gain ground compared to bonds (chart, below). Headlines on trade, the budget, and Brexit are recent market movers. The resolution of these issues, yet unknown, could shape how the rest of the year plays out. A bullish scenario envisions growth returning to the globe as nations reach compromises. An intensification of these issues, or if left unresolved, could further darken the outlook. Slowing growth in China, softening sales of homes and automobiles, weak retail sales, and a sharp decline in European industrial production are the latest signs of stress. The adoption of a “wait and see”…
Data supports market momentum into the new year: Portfolio manager from CNBC.
Jim Lowell, Adviser Investments, and Kevin Caron, Washington Crossing Advisors, provide their outlook on the markets and economy in 2018. The only question for us is at some point valuations are beginning to look a little rich, says Caron.
When Patience is a Virtue Patience is a virtue when it leads to good judgement. Last week, this kind of patience was on full display as Federal Reserve Chairman, Jerome Powell, delivered a dovish outlook on monetary policy. The more hawkish message of last summer and early fall is now gone, and rightly so given trends in the data since then. Specifically, a sharp spike in market volatility last fall, and clear signs of slowing global growth, has led to this moment. Ongoing Chinese trade and Brexit negotiations also compelled the change in attitude. We are happy to see the…
Global Trends Remain Negative The contrast in performance between the U.S. economy and the rest of the world is a major theme these days. Since the beginning of 2018, a marked worsening of foreign conditions is obvious, and we expect our WCA Fundamental Conditions Barometer to register weakness when it is updated next week. Globally, we see energy and industrial metals trending lower. In Asia, we see financial conditions tightening as Chinese manufacturing fades. Brazilian industrial production has slid. European growth is slowing as financial conditions and the business sentiment turn down. The foreign piece of the global outlook is…
Some Start of Year Housekeeping At the start of each year, we take some time to lay out the expectations that drive tactical decisions in the CONQUEST portfolios. We also engage in a few “housekeeping” activities to keep portfolios properly aligned with their respective benchmarks. The 2019 Viewpoint is now available and is a great resource to accompany the CONQUEST Tactical ETF portfolios. To order hard copies of the report, please drop us an email with the number of reports you want sent to you. CONQUEST 2019 Housekeeping Increasing Allocation to “Satellite”: As we discuss in our 2019 Viewpoint, we…
Against a backdrop of worry over trade and rising interest rates, the United States economy continues to perform well. While equity markets generally declined in 2018, investors in the United States generally fared better than overseas. Moreover, most companies saw revenue, profits, and dividends grow in 2018, and we expect more to come in 2019. This annual Viewpoint, along with quarterly updates, provides an organized way of looking at the economy, financial markets, and your portfolio. The full report is available by clicking the link below.
Quarterly Report
Principles
Dividend Investing
