Life is full of tipping points, and change isn’t always smooth and linear. Response to certain crises can take much longer to develop than expected, and when it does coalesce, change can occur faster than anticipated. Rapid change may be coming for the oil industry.
The national employment headline numbers don’t tell the full story of a fraught employment landscape, with ‘help wanted’ signs outpacing job applications in recent weeks.
The economy has recovered substantially from the lows of last year, but this week offered reminders that there are risks to market resiliency beyond the pandemic.
A successful transition to retirement must express your values. Understanding the motivation behind your decision, and being prepared for how you will spend your time post-retirement, are key steps to achieving a fulfilling retirement.
Tax rates and mortgage rates are both on the rise. For some investors, these shifts may indicate negative trends for market prices and economic growth. If we zoom out for perspective, history tells us that these increases may not be such a bad thing.
Many industries have been unprepared for rapid surges in demand caused by the pandemic. Notably, the lumber and microprocessor industries find themselves rationing scarce quantities through higher prices.
One method of gaining perspective when faced with overwhelming data is to zoom out and understand how recent activity fits into a larger pattern. By doing this, we can gain a better understanding of the ‘relative progress’ during the pandemic versus the ‘absolute progress’ over a longer timeframe.
Cryptocurrency is an evolution of money that currently hinges on its ability to solidify widespread trust in its functionality as a store of value and a medium of exchange. Trading platforms like Coinbase may add legitimacy and security to ownership of cryptocurrency.
Q1 2021 Market Commentary
In the current pattern of growth, interest rates are likely to be volatile while both production and employment are recovering, and equity prices are likely to behave in kind.
Traffic on the Suez Canal is fully halted in both directions after the Ever Given became lodged in the embankment. Fascinating as it is, the bottleneck and the slowdown that it’s caused will ultimately be a short-term detour in the long-term trajectory of global trade.
We are now probably getting into the second act of the pandemic, and can’t yet see clearly the possible twists in the plot that will set us down in an entirely new landscape. Like a Shakespearean character, though, we continue to accommodate to circumstance.
The potential for blockchain as a technology is easy to recognize. Much harder to know at this point is how that potential will be applied.
Rising interest rates are a natural process in the re-opening of the economy and show that the market relationship between stocks and bonds is normalizing.
Inflation and the upward trajectory for interest rates are a healthy sign for our shared economy and the long-term investor.
Complex systems like energy grids or financial markets aren’t perfect, but they are designed to be resilient. When catastrophes happen, resiliency matters more than perfection.
Covid-19 could shift from a pandemic disease to an endemic one. Businesses understand this shift and new and potentially lucrative Covid-19 business lines are quickly emerging.
Optimism in the markets is being driven by innovation, ultra-low interest rates, and the promise of financial and public health support from the government. Are we running ahead of reality?
The market gyrations caused by the bizarre and meteoric rise of GameStop stock illustrates the sharp contrast between short-term trading and long-term investing.
The arc of change bends towards justice but it isn't guaranteed. It requires hard work and tireless effort stretching across generations.
Q4 2020 Market Commentary
As we enter 2021, we expect to encounter potholes as well as progress, with an uneven path to global economic recovery over at least another year or two.