The difficult start to the year for the markets continued into the second quarter with high inflation, global growth fears, geopolitical concerns, rising interest rates and worries that a recession may be looming. Stocks entered a bear market (a decline of at least 20%) in June. The S&P 500 (US large cap stocks) is down …
Quarterly News
2nd Quarter 2022 SWMG Newsletter
Economic Update (Jason Guenther) High inflation, global uncertainty, rising interest rates, supply chain issues and the war in Ukraine have all contributed to this year’s market downturn and negative sentiment. Faster growing, growth-oriented companies have been especially hard hit this year. This has investors more focused on steady cash distributions as compared to the promise …
1st Quarter Capital Market Review
Volatility returned in the first quarter of 2022 after a historically calm 2021 amid war, rising inflation, oil prices and higher bond yields. The markets started the year with a downturn in January and ultimately suffered their first correction in nearly two years. The S&P 500 was down at one point about 12% from its …
1st Quarter 2022 SWMG Newsletter
We have had a much different market experience in 2022 compared to last year. Through the end of the first quarter, the S&P 500 is down 4.6% after ending 2021 near all-time highs. The COVID situation has improved but the markets have been on edge due to the devastation in Ukraine. Also, the markets have …
Young Women are Investing Earlier
Women are making money moves where it counts. According to a recent study from Fidelity, young women are beginning to invest almost a decade sooner than those from previous generations, and are investing their excess savings outside of just retirement accounts. The average age for a woman to open her first brokerage account is now …
Market Update – February 2022
Market Update: Russia Invades Ukraine The recent market volatility due to the Federal Reserve’s communication of raising interest rates due to inflation has been amplified by recent geopolitical events in the Ukraine. Markets do not like uncertainty, and volatility, while normal, is not comfortable for most investors.
4th Quarter Capital Market Review
Stocks had another strong year in 2021 with rising consumer demand driven by the reopening of the global economy and record corporate profits. The S&P 500 (US large cap stocks) was up 28.7% led by the energy, real estate, financials and information technology sectors (see page 14). The S&P was up about 11% in the …
4th Quarter 2021 SWMG Newsletter
This past year served as a continuation of the bull market, which began in mid-2020. Stimulus packages from Congress and efforts by the Federal Reserve to provide liquidity boosted the markets. Once COVID vaccines became available, the economy experienced a surge in growth, a strong job market, increased wages, and pent-up demand for everything from …
3rd Quarter Capital Market Review
Volatility returned to the markets in the third quarter after strong performance in the first half of this year. Stocks finished the third quarter generally lower amid surging COVID cases with the Delta variant, supply chain disruptions, concerns about slowing economic growth and rising inflation. The S&P 500 (US large cap stocks) was able to …
3rd Quarter 2021 SWMG Newsletter
For the first time in several months, September has brought more volatility in the U.S. markets. We had the first 5% pullback we have seen in many months. Normally we would experience a few pullbacks of 10% or more in any given year. After participating in the fastest economic growth since 1984, strong earnings growth, …