Earnings growth was largely absent in 2019, but we expect it to pick up in 2020. With stock valuations elevated, we think earnings hold the key to pushing stocks higher this year. We preview fourth quarter earnings season and share our thoughts on the outlook for...
Stocks Rise, Bonds Fall Amid Trade Optimism, Fed Pause Average economic growth, more mixed signals. Third-quarter data showed the U.S. economy grew at an average pace for the economic expansion, with signs of weakening in manufacturing. Gross domestic product (GDP)...
The United States’ airstrike January 3, 2020, near Baghdad, Iraq, that killed a top Iranian military general was a major escalation in Mideast tensions. Iran’s retaliatory strike January 8 sent a message, but additional responses can’t be ruled out. We discuss what...
ECONOMY: U.S. ECONOMY’S PROMISING END TO 2019 The U.S. economy wrapped up 2019 with a batch of generally promising data as U.S.-China trade tensions died down. The Conference Board’s Leading Economic Index (LEI) rose 0.1% year over year in November, its slowest pace...
As we begin 2020, we’ve had a chance to reflect on what was an unprecedented decade for financial markets. The 2010s taught long-term investors two important lessons: to ignore short-term market noise and to be prepared for volatility. It was a curious time, but many...
