The Weekly Insight

We’re almost there. Just eight days to go until we can put this election behind us.  But we also have to remember that elections matter in portfolios. This week, we look at one of the big areas where we might see immediate impacts to the market following the election: tax policy. The shape of this election will impact what happens to the soon-to-expire Tax Cut and Jobs Act from 2017.

Read more here: https://insightwealthgroup.com/the-weekly-insight-positioning-for-the-post-election-world/

You’d be forgiven for thinking the only thing happening in the world today is the Presidential election coming up in just over two weeks. It seems that’s all any pundit is talking about. But the truth is, there is a lot happening impacting financial markets that has absolutely nothing to do with who gets sworn into office on January 20, 2025.

Read more here: https://insightwealthgroup.com/the-weekly-insight-theres-more-than-an-election/

As they say, the only thing constant in the world is change. And we’re seeing an interesting change in how the market perceives economic news. You’ll recall many conversations in the pages of the Weekly Insight over the last few years about how “good news” was bad for the market as we battled inflation. That may not be true anymore.

Read more here: https://insightwealthgroup.com/the-weekly-insight-is-good-news-good-news-again/

The world sure seems full of worry today, doesn’t it? It doesn’t help that we have two Presidential candidates fear mongering for votes. But there are things we should worry about in portfolios and things that really don’t move the needle. One that deserves our attention right now is the situation in the Middle East and the potential for a disruption in oil supplies. 

Read more here: https://insightwealthgroup.com/the-weekly-insight-28-miles-of-angst/

It finally happened! The Fed cut rates last week. And not just a 0.25% cut. We got the full 0.50%, which was larger than many anticipated. That brings up many questions, but the biggest is the simplest: what if they’re wrong? What if the Fed has misjudged this moment? What would it mean for the economy and for portfolios?

Read more here: https://insightwealthgroup.com/the-weekly-insight-what-if-theyre-wrong/

As we head into Fed Week (a very important Fed Week!), we thought it might be a good time to step back and look at the economy as a whole. We’re in an interesting moment. Economic growth continues to excel at a time when citizens of our country overwhelmingly say the economy is not succeeding. Where is the disconnect? And what does it mean for the future?

Read more here: https://insightwealthgroup.com/the-weekly-insight-the-k-shaped-recovery/

Did you feel that? That was the market’s worst week in 2024. Down 4.22% in a week. Well worse than we saw even at the beginning of August.

Read more here: https://insightwealthgroup.com/the-weekly-insight-worst-week-ever/

Would it surprise you if we told you the party in power in Washington will use its power to juice the economy prior to an election? It shouldn’t. Both parties have been doing it for years. But the current Administration is taking a novel approach to this task that some are calling “Stealth QE”. It’s impacting the markets today (in a good way), but it may have longer term consequences which would impact your portfolio.
 
Read more here:  https://insightwealthgroup.com/the-weekly-insight-stealth-qe/

The market’s recovery last week continued and – with the exception of Big Tech – has left us back where we started before the downturn started in July. That move was further spurred by Jerome Powell’s comments at Jackson Hole on Friday where he basically announced rate cuts are coming in September. That’s all good news, but how does this change our outlook on risk in portfolios?

Read more here: https://insightwealthgroup.com/the-weekly-insight-one-down-two-to-go/

We’ve all done it before: get so sucked into an idea that we miss the big picture. It happens in the markets time and again. Author and expert in behavioral investing Daniel Crosby has a term for it: Overprecision. He defines it as “excessive certainty in the precision of private beliefs”. 

Read more here: https://insightwealthgroup.com/the-weekly-insight-overprecision/