Affinity "Mark" et Minute - April 17, 2018

Affinity “Mark” et Minute – April 17, 2018

Investment Commentary – April 17th, 2018

Year to Date Market Indices as of Market Close April 17th, 2018
Dow 24,573 (0.27%)
S&P 2,706 (1.23%)
NASDAQ 7,281 (5.47%)
Gold $1,350 (1.54%)
OIL $66.46 (5.99%)
US 10Y Treasury 2.77 (41.06%)
Barclay Bond Aggregate (-1.66%)

Stocks end higher as tech and consumer shares rally

U.S. equity markets closed solidly higher on Tuesday, led by a rally in technology and consumer discretionary stocks. Investors welcomed a round of better-than-expected earnings reports and solid economic data releases. The Dow Jones Industrial Average DJIA, +0.87% gained 213.59 points, or 0.9%, to 24,786.63, closing in positive territory for the year. The S&P 500 index SPX, +1.07% advanced 28.54 points, or 1.1% to 2,706.38. Meanwhile the Nasdaq Composite COMP, +1.74% was up 124.81 points, or 1.7% to 7,281.10. Among the best performers on the S&P 500, Netflix Inc. NFLX, -0.02% jumped 9% following earnings results that came in above expectations

Around the Web:

Tech rebound: Information technology stocks were among the biggest gainers of the week, as concerns about data privacy eased and the stocks recovered some of their recent losses. Tech’s comeback was reflected in the nearly 3% weekly gain for the NASDAQ, which is weighted more heavily in tech than other major indexes.

Volatility dissipates: Although stocks made some big daily moves during the latest week, investors’ expectations of near-term volatility decreased markedly, as measured by the Cboe Volatility Index. The VIX dropped about 17% from its close of the prior week to a level that was in line with its historical average.

Bank earnings: Some of the nation’s biggest banks reported first-quarter results in the kickoff to an earnings season that’s expected to be a strong one for the financials sector. Analysts expect the sector to report a 20% overall increase in earnings compared with last year’s first quarter, according to FactSet. That exceeds expectations of 17% earnings growth for companies across all sectors of the S&P 500.

Upcoming events: Thursday

The Conference Board Leading Economic Index for the U.S.

Other Notable Indices (YTD)

Russell 2000 (small caps) 2.14
EAFE International 0.50
EAFE Emerging Markets 0.50

The views presented are not intended to be relied on as a forecast, research or investment advice and are the opinions of the sources cited and are subject to change based on subsequent developments. They are not a recommendation, offer or solicitation to buy or sell any securities or to adopt any investments.

https://www.marketwatch.com/story/stocks-end-higher-as-tech-and-consumer-shares-rally-2018-04-17

About the Author: Mark Roberts

In addition to managing clients’ money and giving investment and diversification advice, Mark offers something that “the other guys” don’t - a unique approach to Retirement Tax Strategies and distribution. Time and time again, Mark meets with new clients who tell him they have a great relationship with their financial advisor but have never been offered information on this kind of approach to securing their financial futures. Mark has taken this feedback to heart and works tirelessly to ensure that his strategies focus on taxes and distribution. Mark started selling insurance for a major insurance company right out of high school to help put himself through college. After graduating with a degree in finance, he dove into estate planning on the financial side to set himself apart from other financial advisors. However, as changes were made to estate tax laws over time, Mark shifted his focus to income tax strategies. Mark’s philosophy is “the blue prints are more important than the wall paper or carpet.” The wall paper and carpet represent products like investments and insurance policies, whereas the blue prints represent the strategies. Once strategies that truly fit the client’s needs are put in place, our focus can shift to providing you with the right products. According to Mark, “It doesn’t matter what carpet we use if the walls are not in the right place.” Our approach to money management is designed to generate the largest alpha (quality) with the lowest standard deviation and beta (risk). By doing this, we help provide clients with the highest return on the lowest risk. Generating income for our retirees is also very important. Because withdrawing money from your portfolio hurts the account rather than helping it, our goal is to design income strategies to harm the portfolio the least making the money last longer.

Affinity “Mark” et Minute – April 17, 2018

Affinity “Mark” et Minute – April 17, 2018

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About the Author: Mark Roberts