Affinity "Mark" et Minute

Affinity “Mark” et Minute – March 6, 2018

Investment Commentary –March 6th, 2018

Year to Date Market Indices as of Market Close March 6th, 2018
Dow 24,884 (0.67%)
S&P 2,728 (2.04%)
NASDAQ 7,372 (6.79%)
Gold $1,335 (1.92%)
OIL $62.47 (3.96%)
US 10Y Treasury 2.882 (47.16%)
Barclay Bond Aggregate (-2.21%)

Stocks end slightly higher as trade uncertainty persists

U.S. stock indexes closed slightly higher on Tuesday, with the tech-heavy Nasdaq leading the pack. The S&P 500 SPX, +0.26% added 7 points, or 0.3%, to 2,728. The Nasdaq Composite Index COMP, +0.56% advanced 41 points, or 0.6%, to 7,372. The Dow Jones Industrial Average DJIA, +0.04% picked up 9 points to 24,884. Equities struggled for direction throughout the day as investors questioned whether the White House would implement the steel and aluminum import tariffs discussed on Thursday. House Speaker Paul Ryan and other congressional Republicans have attempted to convince President Donald Trump to water down his tariff plans.

Around the web

Choppy February

Stocks fell sharply at the opening of the month, sending the market into a correction on February 8. They later regained some of their losses, but the S&P 500 fell 3.9% for the month, and there were 12 trading days with moves of at least 1% up or down—the most since January 2016.

Policy worries

Statements from Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell and President Donald Trump triggered at least some of the week’s market sell-off. Powell’s congressional testimony raised alarm about the pace of interest-rate increases, while the president’s threat to impose tariffs on steel and aluminum imports stoked global trade tensions.

Upcoming events:

Wednesday
ADP National Employment Report, ADP
U.S. Federal Reserve

Friday
Monthly jobs and unemployment, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Other Notable Indices (YTD)
Russell 2000 (small caps) 0.85
EAFE International -1.65
EAFE Emerging Markets 1.52
Shiller Cape Annuity Index 3.25

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-slightly-higher-as-trade-uncertainty-persists-2018-03-06

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 – March 6, 2018

Affinity “Mark” et Minute – March 6, 2018

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About the Author: Mark Roberts