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Market Outlooks
Weekly Wire: Was that big market drop really so big? Why context is key.
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Context is key to analyzing and understanding the economy and markets and making informed decisions that lead to successful investment outcomes. Nowhere is context more important than near-term stock market moves, particularly when it comes to the Dow Jones Industrial Average (the Dow).
Market Outlooks
Weekly Wire: Don’t get down if the markets aren’t dancing in September
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It’s been a positive – if somewhat bumpy – year for US equities, with the S&P 500 Index (S&P 500) up about 17% in 2019, despite pullbacks of about 7% in May and August. The robust performance of the US stock market isn’t surprising given the US economy has grown about 2.5% year-to-date, corporate profits are up year over year (albeit modestly), unemployment is low, consumer confidence is high, and inflation is muted.
Market Outlooks
Weekly Wire: One thing we are NOT worried about today
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There are many issues that have investors concerned as we are set to say goodbye to summer, including a flat to partially inverted yield curve, deteriorating US/ China relations, and a slowdown in manufacturing activity in the US and around the world. As we previously wrote, we don’t believe the yield curve is indicating a recession is imminent and we do believe the US and China will eventually solve for trade, an outcome which should prove to be a positive catalyst for manufacturing globally.
Market Outlooks
Weekly Wire: It feels like Groundhog Day… Bill Murray, trade, tariffs, and the markets
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In the film Groundhog Day, Bill Murray plays TV weatherman Phil Connors who, against his wishes, is sent to report on the annual Groundhog Day event in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania and, while there, relives Groundhog Day again, and again and again with an eye toward his having the perspective and the time to become a better person, which he eventually does.
Market Outlooks
Weekly Wire: Bizarro bonds – guaranteed to lose you money, and not just in a comic strip
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Fans of Superman – or Seinfeld – may be familiar with Bizarro World, a cubed planet far out in space that is inhabited by imperfect duplicates of Superman, Lois Lane, and their friends. In a nutshell, on Bizarro – relative to earth – up is down, hot is cold, good is bad, and beautiful is ugly.
Market Outlooks
Weekly Wire: What did the Fed just do? Why? What comes next?
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Last week, the Federal Open Market Committee, the monetary policymaking body of the US Federal Reserve (Fed), met and announced it was lowering the Federal Funds rate by 25 bps (the first interest rate cut in more than 10 years) to a range of 2.0% to 2.25% and ending the runoff of its $3.8 trillion asset portfolio. Before we examine why the Fed took these two very important steps to support the US economy, a bit of background.
Leveraging Technology & Data
Protecting what’s yours
We’ve all seen security breaches covered in the news: Equifax – at a cost of nearly $243M, Uber – resulting in $148M in combined fines, and just last year, Facebook – at a potential cost of $1.63B.
Market Outlooks
Baby boom – Great for economic growth, but there isn’t one in sight
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At a high level, two factors drive economic growth: 1. growth in a labor force (e.g. more people working this year versus last year) 2. growth in productivity (e.g. people producing more this year versus last year). So, the basic formula for growing an economy is people + productivity = economic growth.
Market Outlooks
It seems the jobs market has been drinking a bit of JOLT
Every month, the Bureau of Labor Statistics compiles the Jobs Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (i.e. JOLTS). The JOLTS program queries 16,000 private nonfarm businesses and government entities in the 50 states and the District of Columbia on timely employment topics, including job openings, hires, and layoffs.
Market Outlooks
Welcome back, welcome back, welcome back!
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A hallmark of the Great Recession was a decline in the prime age labor force participation rate from 83% to 80%, see the chart below. While a three-point drop might not seem significant, it reflects millions of Americans walking away from the economy, giving up on ever finding gainful employment.
Market Outlooks
It’s a big birthday for the bull market, and we see a successful quest for greater gains
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Happy birthday bull market! The longest running bull market in United States history hit a major milestone last week, turning 10 on March 9. It sure has been an interesting and exciting 10 years.
Market Outlooks
Equity and fixed income return volatility
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People need no help picturing equity return volatility. Anyone invested in the equity market in the middle 2000s still likely feels the scars from the subprime mortgage crisis. Prior to that, there was the dot com burst of the early 2000s.