Market Commentary

After the 11th best start to a year for the S&P 500 as of Valentine’s Day, stocks have pulled back during the second part of February in what we would classify as perfectly normal price action. The best three months of the year for stocks are November, December, and January. That means …

The past few weeks we’ve advised readers to be on the lookout for seasonal late February/early March weakness. After the 11th best start to a year ever as of Valentine’s Day, some sluggishness was expected. Well, stocks had their worst week of the year last week and are now down three weeks …

Last week, we noted the potential was high for a well-deserved break for stocks after a red-hot start to the year. That seasonal weakness may have begun. The S&P 500 is typically down in February, which joins September as the only other month to average in the red. But as we shared last …

It has been a great start to 2023 for stocks. We continue to expect higher prices this year, but we don’t anticipate they’ll happen in a straight line. February is sometimes known as a hangover month, and we wouldn’t be too surprised if stocks had a small break during this historically trou …

As poor as last year was for investors, 2023 has fortunately been a near mirror image. Stocks and bonds have both made solid gains to kick off the new year. The economy is in better shape than most expected, and overall inflation is also coming down, making a very nice combo.

Last week the stock market rally continued, with various sectors showing renewed strength. This time a year ago, defensive areas, such as utilities, consumer staples, and health care, were leading. That was a warning sign, and it sure turned out something was wrong. Today small-caps, cyclic …