What does history show – and should we value it? As an investor, you know that past performance is no guarantee of future success. Expanding that truth, history has no bearing on the future of Wall Street. That said, stock market historians have repeatedly analyzed market behavior...
The summer of 2012 has defied expectations. On August 21, the S&P 500 hit a 4-year high. It climbed 3% in the first three weeks of the month following a 1.26% July gain. Across the past four weeks, the index’s total return has been just under...
A look at the ripples from the Supreme Court decision. President Obama’s health care law has held up in the Supreme Court. So what impact might this have on the stock market, businesses, and investors in the coming months? How will Wall Street take this? After the...
Another downturn? Or something much less severe? If Greece leaves the eurozone in the coming months, what kind of financial ripples could reach America? Nobody can predict the endgame yet; Greece may even stay in the euro, although that is looking less and less likely. The big...
Will stocks face further headwinds, or sail strongly ahead? Eurozone debt issues aren’t going away – in fact, it may be several years before the crisis ebbs. Here in May, we have a new development: leaders in Greece and France have been voted out of office,...
WEEKLY QUOTE “He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life.” - Muhammad Ali WEEKLY TIP If you and your partner aren’t married, it might be prudent to create a domestic partnership agreement that states how expenses are shared, how assets are owned, and how those...
Does the old stock market cliché have any credibility in 2012? An old stock market dictum says that spring is for profit-taking, or at least a time to reduce your exposure to equities. In the classic market psychology, you “sell in May and go away” with the...
WEEKLY QUOTE “It’s kind of fun to do the impossible.” - Walt Disney WEEKLY TIP If you are a single parent, a will, a power of attorney and disability income insurance are crucial to have – after all, you are the sole provider. WEEKLY RIDDLE About 90% of this country’s land area is made...
The 2011 changes will be followed by more in 2012 and 2013. Have you bought any stocks this year? Before you sell any of them, remember that the IRS implemented new tax basis reporting rules for equities on January 1, 2011. Under the new rules, you...
Can the last quarter of 2011 live up to historical averages? Is a rally ahead? You may have heard that stocks tend to do well in the fourth quarter. History affirms that perception: while past performance is no guarantee of future results, the last quarter of the...