Commentary – Page 283 – Beacon Wealth Advisors, LLC

03 Jul

2017 So Far

What a year it has been—so far! While anxieties mount, global equity prices remain at or near all-time highs. Per Ryan Detrick, “2017 has so far been one of the least volatile years we’ve seen in decades. However, boring isn’t … Continue reading →

03 Jul

Market Update: Monday, July 3, 2017

Last Week’s Market Activity Stocks end first half with down week. Nasdaq lost ~2% on tech weakness, Dow -0.2%, S&P 500 Index -0.6%; Russell 2000 ended flat. Market weakness partly attributed to hawkish global central bank comments, which pushed yield … Continue reading →

30 Jun

ECB Spooks the Market

We all know the expression “a picture is worth 1,000 words,” but sometimes a handful of words can paint a picture, even if it wasn’t the artist’s intended one. That was the case with a speech by European Central Bank … Continue reading →

30 Jun

Market Update: Friday, June 30, 2017

Yesterday’s Market Activity Volatility continued as Dow 30, at its worst, was down 250 points before paring losses into the close, finishing down 167 points (-0.8%); S&P 500 -0.8%, Nasdaq -1.8%. Global investors increasingly concerned about potential removal of monetary … Continue reading →

29 Jun

Does a Flattening Yield Curve Mean We’re Headed for Recession?

The flattening of the yield curve has gained a lot of attention recently, but why does it matter? The Treasury yield curve, shown below, is a graphical representation of yields on Treasury securities across a range of maturities. The difference … Continue reading →

29 Jun

Market Update: Thursday, June 29, 2017

Yesterday’s Market Activity U.S. equity markets rebounded strongly from previous session’s weakness, which was the worst day in >1 month. Investors bid up tech sector, which is down 1.0% in June. Technology climbed 1.3%. Financials +1.6%, largest U.S. banks up … Continue reading →

28 Jun

Productivity 101 – What Is It, and Why Does It Matter?

Declining productivity growth has been a widely discussed concern in recent years, and we’ve recently discussed it from several angles on this blog (here, here, here). But we thought it might be helpful to take a step back to better … Continue reading →

28 Jun

Market Update: Wednesday, June 28, 2017

Yesterday’s Market Activity U.S. equity markets post worst day in a month on broad selling pressure, Senate delay on ACA vote. 10 of 11 sectors down. Yields rose, supporting financials (+0.5%). S&P 500 -0.8%, Dow 30 -0.5%, Nasdaq -1.5%. Technology, … Continue reading →

27 Jun

The Nasdaq Biotechnology Index: Longer-Term Technicals Are Beginning to Look Attractive

After approximately two years of underperformance relative to the S&P 500 Index, the NASDAQ Biotechnology Total Return Index’s (XNBI) longer-term technical indicators are once again beginning to look attractive. On June 20, 2017, the XNBI’s monthly relative strength price chart … Continue reading →

27 Jun

Market Update: Tuesday, June 27, 2017

Yesterday’s Market Activity Major U.S. indexes little changed. S&P 500 Index flat, Dow 30 +0.1%, Nasdaq -0.3%. Durable goods orders in May (-1.2%) below expectations, highlighting concerns about slowing demand, pricing power in U.S. economy. Defensives gained as utilities (+0.8%) … Continue reading →

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