- Trade News Moves the Market
Down sharply, then up mildly... as tensions continue
Stocks fell sharply at the start of last week over trade tensions, then recovered with help from strong earnings and indications that U.S.-China trade talks would continue. Even so, the major indices had a down week. The S&P 500 lost 0.76%, while the Nasdaq Composite fell 1.27%, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average declined 0.69%.
read more - Self-Directed 401(k) Investor Balances Rebound in Q1 Following Strong Market Performance
Balances leap an average of 8.7% from Q4 2019
According to Charles Schwab’s SDBA Indicators Report™, an industry-leading benchmark on retirement plan participant investment activity within self-directed brokerage accounts (SDBAs), the average SDBA balance jumped to $267,609 at the end of Q1 2019, an increase of 8.7 percent from Q4 2018, as the markets bounced back from the sharp losses experienced at the end…
read more - Retirement Income Investing: A Much Saner Approach
What if you could trade bonds more safely, more effectively, and less expensively than Wall Street's "masters of the universe"? ...You can
by Steve Selengut
There are three main reasons mere mortals invest in fixed income securities (government and corporate bonds, notes, loans, and preferred stock) and in variable income vehicles like mortgages, royalty trusts, real estate, etc:
read more - Many Americans Leaving Money on the Table When It Comes to Fixed Income Investments
Fidelity Survey: Lack of clarity exists around rate of return and maturity dates
What happens when a fixed income investment -- such as a certificate of deposit (CD) or a deferred fixed annuity -- reaches its maturity date? The answer: if left unattended, the investment will likely generate a much lower rate of return than other options available in today’s interest rate environment.
read more - Millennials and Sophisticated Investors Driving ETF Adoption
New Vanguard research examines demographic and behavioral trends
New Vanguard research identified distinctive behavioral trends amongst exchange-traded fund (ETF) investors, concluding that age and investment experience are the foremost drivers of ETF usage.
read more - Investors Anticipate a Turbulent Market and Look to ETFs to Ride Out the Storm
Two-thirds expect to increase allocation to ETFs in 2019
The majority of ETF investors (61%) expect market volatility to increase in the next six months, and close to half (44%) say they will put more money into ETFs as a result, according to the ninth annual ETF Investor Study by Charles Schwab & Co., Inc., a survey of 1,500 investors who have bought or…
read more - Retirement Account Balances Rebound from Dip in Q4, While Savings Rates Hit Record Levels
Staying the course results in significant increases in retirement balances on 10-Year anniversary of stock market low
Fidelity Investments®, a broadly diversified financial services company with more than $7.4 trillion in client assets, today released its quarterly analysis of retirement savings trends, including account balances, contributions and savings behaviors, across more than 30 million retirement accounts.
read more - Major Indices Have a Mixed Week
Patience, says the Fed
Stocks were up and down last week, and the three major benchmarks ended up little changed after five trading days. The S&P 500 rose 0.20% for the week; the Nasdaq Composite, 0.22%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average declined 0.14%.
read more - Golf and Investing: Working The Ball
Above par investing just takes practice
by Steve Selengut
I think it was the immortal Ben Hogan who quipped: I can put "left" on the ball and I can put "right" on the ball; But "straight" is essentially an accident. Most amateur golfers would make a slightly different observation.
read more - RIAs and Fee-Based Advisors Less Bullish about Pace of RIA Industry M&A Activity Compared to Prior Years
Yet Majority of RIAs and Fee-Based Advisors Still Believe M&A Activity Will Increase and Positively Impact their Business
Merger and acquisition (M&A) activity in the Registered Investment Advisor (RIA) industry hit a new record for the fifth consecutive year in 2018, with transactions increasing 20 percent over the prior year’s high water mark.
read more - How Market Concentration is Affecting the US Economy
Study provides deeper insights into the relationship between concentration and market power.
Barclays today released a new Impact Series study, entitled Increased corporate concentration and the influence of market power, which analyzes whether decreased competition is threatening the US economy or whether competitive pressures remain sufficiently strong to benefit industries, investors and consumers.
read more - S&P 500 Reaches a New Peak
Trade takes a back seat to earnings...
Stocks returned to record territory, with both the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq Composite closing at historic highs. The S&P gained 1.20% for the week; the Nasdaq, 1.85%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average lagged, losing 0.06%.
read more - Facebook Reports First Quarter 2019 Results
Zuckerberg: Focused on building out our privacy-focused vision for the future of social networking
Facebook, Inc. today reported financial results for the quarter ended March 31, 2019. "We had a good quarter and our business and community continue to grow," said Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook founder and CEO.
read more
