Category Archives: Markets

New Highs. Now What?

Market Minute

February 2024 – By Bob Veres

We’re all reading headlines telling us that the stock market has reached all-time highs, something that never happened in 2023.  Many investors who have a worrisome mindset will think that means that there’s a high likelihood that we’ll see a downturn in the near future.  The markets have nowhere to go but down from here, right?

Continue reading

What’s Going on with the Housing Market?

Market Memo – Planning Article

July 2023 – By Tom Rueger, J.D., CFP®

After a run that saw mortgage rates drop to all-time lows and home prices soar to new highs, the U.S. housing market finally started slowing in late 2022. Real estate professionals worried about a housing recession and home prices seemed poised for a correction as mortgage rates moved higher. For the week ending July 6, mortgage rates hit 6.81%, the highest level for the year so far, Freddie Mac reported (CNN). In theory, when mortgage rates go up, home prices should fall since it raises the cost of homeownership, thereby reducing demand.

Continue reading

Buying International

Market Memo

July 2023 – By Bob Veres

In investing, the most normal inclination in the world is to question why an underperforming investment was included in the portfolio.  Recently, those questions have surrounded international stocks, which, since January 2008, have consistently underperformed the U.S. S&P 500 index to the tune of 6.5 percentage points a year.  Why not go ahead and ditch those foreign stocks and buy American?

Continue reading