Affinity "Mark" et Minute

Affinity “Mark” et Minute – May 15, 2018

Investment Commentary –May 15th, 2018

Year to Date Market Indices as of Market Close May 15th, 2018
Dow 24,706 (-0.05%)
S&P 2,711 (1.42%)
NASDAQ 7,351 (6.49%)
Gold $1,292 (-1.70%)
OIL $71.61 (19.09%)
US 10Y Treasury 3.071 (66.04%)
Barclay Bond Aggregate (-2.34%)
Fed Funds Rate 1.75

Dow breaks 8-day winning streak

U.S. equity markets closed solidly lower on Tuesday with the Dow industrials halting their eight-day advance. The selling on Wall Street was accompanied by a rise in bond yields, with the 10-year Treasury yield topping 3.07%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average DJIA, -0.78% lost 193.07 points, or 0.8%, to 24,706.34, putting an end to a 8-day rally, the longest since last September. The S&P 500 index SPX, -0.68% fell 18.69 points, or 0.7% to 2,711.44. Meanwhile the Nasdaq Composite COMP, -0.81% declined 59.69 points, or 0.8% to 7,351.63. Among the worst performers on the S&P 500, Agilent Technologies A, -9.70% shares dropped nearly 10% after the maker of medical instruments and other equipment posted quarterly earnings that matched forecasts late Monday.

Around the Web:

Oil recovery: U.S. crude oil prices rose for the second week in a row, climbing above $71 a barrel to the highest level since November 2014. One catalyst was President Trump’s announcement on Tuesday that the U.S. will pull out of a 2015 agreement limiting Iran’s nuclear activities; Iran is a major oil producer.

Modest inflation: A government report showed that the recent acceleration in inflation may be moderating. Core prices—which exclude typically volatile food and energy costs—rose just 0.1% in April from the prior month, less than most economists had expected.

Finding traction: After alternating between small gains and losses over the preceding six weeks, U.S. stocks finally managed to sustain positive momentum as quarterly earnings season began to wind down. The major indexes returned around 2.5% for the week, and the Dow joined the S&P 500 and the NASDAQ in positive territory year to date.

Upcoming events:

Other Notable Indices (YTD)
Russell 2000 (small caps) 4.22
EAFE International 2.16
EAFE Emerging Markets 2.36
Shiller Annuity Index 5.28

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/dow-breaks-8-day-winning-streak-2018-05-15

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 – May 15, 2018

Affinity “Mark” et Minute – May 15, 2018

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About the Author: Mark Roberts