The fourth quarter of 2018 did not usher in the typical year-end rally that investors have come to expect in recent years. Global equity markets got off to a weak start, failed to recover, and ultimately plummeted, as weak business indicators collided with perceived governmental policy risks with respect to the Federal Reserve. Commodity markets…
The third quarter saw mixed performances across the major asset classes. Large cap U.S. stocks surged, developed international equities and U.S. bonds were flat, while emerging market equities and commodities experienced modest losses. The clear winner for the quarter and year to date has been the U.S., as domestic investors have been rewarded with sizable gains at a time when international markets have suffered losses. The current temptation for investors is to keep piling into the U.S. since it’s worked the best, but astute observers realize that past performance is not indicative of future returns.
Looking into the fourth quarter, investors are left to contemplate the inconsistency that has formed between performance in the U.S. and the rest of the world, and decide whether they should position for a continuation of the current trend or play for a change that begins to close the performance gap.
In the second quarter volatility waned and performance decoupled as divergent backdrops created variances in returns for assets classes and markets across the globe. The winning trades for the second quarter were in the U.S. energy sector, U.S. small companies, and a select group of technology and consumer discretionary stocks. Energy thrived on a rising…
The beginning of the first quarter was serene and pleasurable, as equity markets levitated on the back of increasing earnings expectations and solid world economic underpinnings. But the market euphoria didn’t last long. February saw volatility awaken from its slumber with a jolt, kicking off a long-anticipated correction that reminded investors there is never a free lunch in the world of investing. As the quarter progressed and the correction intensified, investors were forced to endure an emotional roller coaster as markets swung wildly. By the end of the quarter, most developed markets had chewed through early year gains and returns fell mildly into the red.
On Saturday, March 17, 2018, Pinnacle Advisory Group’s investment team offered their thoughts on the market, outlined upcoming investment trends and wealth preservation strategies, and explained our approach to risk management. Here’s what they covered: 0:00 – Ken Solow: Volatility and Risk 20:56 – Rick Vollaro: A Time of Gradual Transition 39:08 – Sauro Locatelli:…
After a solid third quarter, investors began to wonder just how long the market could run without a healthy pullback. But those bracing for a market correction got caught flat footed as markets found a way to keep powering ahead in the fourth quarter. Domestic equity markets surged in anticipation of tax relief, emerging markets…
The third quarter of 2017 was highlighted by unfavorable seasonal effects and a steady stream of nerve wracking geopolitical developments, but despite a challenging environment world equity markets persistently fought off short-term jitters and closed out the quarter solidly in the green. Commodities markets also bounced back in the third quarter, and fixed income found a way to post positive returns as investors continued to demonstrate an appetite for both credit related yield and safe-haven plays to hedge portfolio risks.
Those who stayed invested during the third quarter were amply rewarded for doing so, but as markets climbed higher the risks of an overvalued market rose in tandem. With the fourth quarter looming, investors must decide if they should remain fully invested, or start to pull back after the unusually strong run this year.
The first quarter picked up where the fourth quarter left off, with equity markets celebrating the surprise of a new U.S. administration that global investors perceived to be more business friendly than the previous one. During the quarter, stocks rallied around the world and along with a pullback in the U.S. dollar and signs that global growth was slowly reviving, many international stocks enjoyed gains in excess of the U.S. While the stock market roared, the bond and commodity markets were less enthused, as bonds bounced and commodities gave back some of the gains that accrued towards the end of the year. By the end of the quarter the equity markets were mostly calm, but with tensions that were beginning to build and signal that some of the election-driven luster was beginning to wear off.
We are pleased to present a recording of “Roadmaps and Hangovers,” our 2017 Inside the Investment Committee event, which gave attendees an inside look at the thoughts, views, and strategies of our investment team.
2016 began with a thud and ended with a bang. After one of the worst-ever starts to a year, U.S. stocks managed to rebound and ultimately finish the year with solid gains. Much of the rise came in the final few weeks of the year, following the surprising results of the U.S. presidential election. Indeed, there has been an abrupt change in market sentiment, and asset prices have largely taken their cues from a recalibration of economic expectations in the wake of the surprising Trump victory and Republican sweep of Congress.
