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Weekly Market Commentary | Week of February 5, 2018
KEY TAKEAWAYS Friday’s sharp stock market decline might have led us to forget that just a few days ago many claimed the stock market was melting up. Now concerns have turned to whether last week’s sell-off is the start of something much bigger. We discuss whether stocks have melted up or if they are about…
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Weekly Market Commentary | Week of January 29, 2018
KEY TAKEAWAYS The recent lack of volatility in the U.S. stock market has been historic on many levels. The long absence of market volatility greatly increases the odds that 2018 may see multiple pullbacks. We believe strong global fundamentals may offer an opportunity to use potential pullbacks as a chance to add to portfolio positions.…
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Weekly Market Commentary | January 16, 2018
KEY TAKEAWAYS 2017 was an excellent year for international equities, particularly EM. We favor the United States and EM equities for tactical global asset allocations based on our outlooks for economic growth, earnings, and political stability. We expect strong economic growth and attractive valuations to help EM offset tighter global monetary policy in 2018. GLOBAL…
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Independent Investor | January 2018
Thinking of Retiring Early? Mind the Gap! According to a recent Gallup poll, the average American retires at age 62.1 That’s at least four years away from collecting full Social Security retirement benefits, not to mention pensions, which typically begin at age 65, when available. Collectively, these programs can account for a significant share of…
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Weekly Market Commentary | Week of January 8, 2018
KEY TAKEAWAYS 2017 was a remarkable record-breaking year for stocks. 2018 is off to a very strong start, with stocks up all four trading days and the S&P 500 already 2.6% higher year to date. Given clarity on the new tax law, we summarize our equity views for 2018. WILL A STRONG 2017 CARRY OVER…
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Weekly Market Commentary | Week of December 11, 2017
KEY TAKEAWAYS The LPL Research Corporate Beige Book Barometer continues to exhibit upbeat sentiment from companies during the third quarter of 2017. About 60% of S&P 500 companies mentioned hurricanes during their conference calls, highlighting the broad impact. The positive tone from management teams appears to support a positive near-term earnings outlook even without factoring…