July 20, 2020 During WWII, the U.S. government aggressively sold war bonds to individual citizens, urging them to buy bonds to help support the war, and it proved to be a very successful campaign. Today, we are fighting a different kind of “war”, but we are not exactly being enticed by the government to save … Continued
July 20, 2020 Pondering the year 2020 so far is exhausting, and probably a little disorienting too. Many adjectives could apply given the mixed and ever-changing messages with regard to just about everything, coming from everywhere. Financial markets have only added to this heightened level of confusion for most people as the stock market initially … Continued
January 31, 2020 Odds are the average person does not spend a lot of time thinking about monetary policy, but what central banks have done over the last decade should not be overlooked or taken for granted. Economically speaking, this past decade will go down in history as being the decade of central bank intervention … Continued
Perhaps nothing reminds us more of summer than a family road trip where children, and often adults, become impatient after many hours on the road and begin to wonder, or loudly whine, “Are we there yet?” This summer we have another reason to ask ourselves a version of this classic question. As of the end … Continued
Following the market’s swoon last year, many investors became convinced that a recession was lurking right around the corner. After all, the stock market has proven to be a fairly reliable leading indicator before – and a steep sell-off is rarely just noise. Yet, the Federal Reserve quickly reversed course, stock markets responded with their … Continued
Being upside-down, or inverted, can be disorienting as it defies gravity, and the sudden shift in balance can be dizzying and uncomfortable. In late March, the bond market encountered its own unsettling inversion when the yield on the 10-year Treasury dipped below the yield on the 3-month Treasury for the first time in over a … Continued
The last six months have been a turbulent time in the financial market as we endured the two most extreme return quarters for the S&P 500 since the financial crisis. If you are asking yourself, “What happened?!”, you’re not alone. Few experts predicted a year of negative stock market returns in 2018 given the favorable … Continued
Watch Sand Hill’s Chief Investment Officer, Brenda Vingiello, CFA, during her return visit to CNBC’s Halftime Report on Thursday, December 20th. Her commentary begins at the 5:42 mark. In her role as a regular CNBC contributor, Brenda will make her next appearance on CNBC’s Halftime Report tomorrow, December 21, 2018, at 9 AM PST / … Continued
In the decade since the severe credit crisis of 2008, the Federal Reserve Bank has pumped over three trillion dollars of liquidity into the markets by purchasing Treasuries, mortgage bonds and other assets. The Fed has also kept interest rates relatively low, despite its recent short-term rate hikes and its initial efforts to gradually shrink … Continued
Following very strong third quarter stock market returns, volatility in October has picked up significantly, culminating this week with a correction that caused the S&P 500 to move into negative territory for the year. Given the severity of the sell-off, (down 10% since late September) as well as the significant daily volatility, we thought you … Continued