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It's Go Time for the Federal Reserve

Last summer, Jerome Powell ended his Jackson Hole speech with an intimidating tone — this tone was almost gone at this year’s symposium...

Stock and Bond Market FAQs From the Field

The VIX spike and subsequent collapse. After a historic 65 reading on the CBOE Volatility Index (VIX), a measure of implied volatility for the S&P 500, just a week before the conference, combined with an upcoming presidential election, we would have expected more jittery advisors.

Pullbacks Are Common but Painful

Like a stubbed toe, pullbacks in the market are inevitable, something investors tend to forget during periods of low volatility.

Thoughts On Global Selloff And The Dollar's Path To Decompressing

Before the jobs report was released on Friday, we wrote a commentary on the U.S. dollar. In light of the events over the weekend and Monday, we start with some comments on the global stock market selloff.

Key Themes For The Macroeconomic Landscape In The Second Half Of 2024

As we prepare for what’s ahead, the domestic economy looks to be late cycle, and recent data suggests the consumer is becoming a bit more selective on how and where to spend.

Key Themes For Bonds In The Second Half Of 2024

Market pricing for Fed rate cuts has been volatile this year, which has meant bond prices have been volatile as well. We expect the Fed to cut rates this year once or possibly twice, with more rate cuts likely coming in 2025.

Key Themes For Stocks In The Second Half Of 2024

Market cycles suggest upside may be limited. When assessing how much this stock rally may have left in it for the next six months, it's helpful to refer to historical performance cycles.

Double-Digit Earnings Growth On Tap

With stock valuations elevated after such a strong first half, earnings growth will be key to holding, or potentially building on these gains.

Artificial Intelligence: The Antidote To Fed Policy?

While some are drawing parallels between the current period and the late-1990s tech bubble and concluding that a crash may be coming, that’s not our view at all.

Keep Calm And Clip Bond Coupons

Fed meetings have been important drivers of market performance, especially in the Treasury market. Moreover, Fed meetings in which economic and interest rate projections are updated have been, at least historically, even more important meetings.

India At The Crossroads

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent victory in the national elections was muted at best. While he secured a rare third term in the nation’s highest office, his decisive legislative supermajority failed to materialize.

Adjusting The Sector Sails

Despite the S&P 500 capping off the month by ending its five-week winning streak, the index still added around 5% in May and posted its 24th record high this year. The advance was largely driven by a handful of mega cap stocks that rallied on strong earnings.

Earnings Are Doing Their Part

The first quarter earnings season is largely in the books, and it was excellent. In fact, S&P 500 earnings per share (EPS) would have been up double digits in the quarter if not for a big loss Bristol Myers Squibb (BMY) absorbed in an acquisition.

Earnings Are Doing Their Part

The first quarter earnings season is largely in the books, and it was excellent. In fact, S&P 500 earnings per share (EPS) would have been up double digits in the quarter if not for a big loss Bristol Myers Squibb (BMY) absorbed in an acquisition.

How's it Going? Depends on Who You Ask

One of the Federal Reserve’s (Fed) tools involves setting the federal funds rate, an interest rate that influences other market rates such as bank loans, CD rates, and mortgage rates.

Preferred Securities: Still Our Preferred Non-Core Bond Sector

Preferred securities (preferreds) are often referred to as “hybrid” securities as they have both bond and equity characteristics. This hybrid nature results in preferred securities being senior to common stock but subordinated, or junior to bonds within a company’s capital stack.

That Was Quite A Week - Weekly Market Commentary - LPL Financial, Office of James Rockwell & Zach Carothers

That Was Quite A Week

The overall domestic economy grew 1.6% annualized in the first quarter, dragged down by inventories and trade. Consumer spending continued to hold up well with an annualized increase for the quarter of 2.5%, though that was shy of expectations near 3%.

The Ever-Changing Market Narrative - Thumbnail - LPL Financial, Office of James Rockwell & Zach Carothers

The Ever-Changing Market Narrative

Wall Street narratives can change relatively quickly as investors translate new information into speculation over future events. One of the widely publicized narratives at the beginning of the year was the ‘Goldilocks’ economy.

Revisiting Energy - Weekly Market Commentary Thumbnail -  LPL Financial, Office of James Rockwell & Zach Carothers

Revisiting Energy

Certainly, geopolitical concerns have added to higher prices, with focus squarely on the Israel-Hamas conflict and worries hovering over markets regarding the potential for the war to broaden into the oil-producing region.

What To Watch This Earnings Season - Weekly Market Commentary - LPL Financial, Office of James Rockwell & Zach Carothers

What To Watch This Earnings Season

Heading into the last reporting period, the consensus earnings estimate for the fourth quarter came down quite a bit, falling 6.8% between October and December.

IPOs As A Market Tell - Weekly Market Commentary - Thumbnail - LPL Financial, Office of James Rockwell & Zach Carothers

IPOs As A Market Tell

Monitoring how an IPO trades over a period of time initially, and three months on, offers an important indication of the strength and reliability of the initial pricing for the company...

Navigating the Strategic Investing Landscape - Weekly Market Commentary - LPL Financial, Office of James Rockwell & Zach Carothers

Navigating The Strategic Investing Landscape

Just as the tides follow a predetermined cycle, strategic asset allocations adhere more closely to a specific asset allocation objective over longer periods of time, aiming to maintain balance and alignment to investment views that may take three-to-five years to play out.

Fasten Your Seatbelt - Surviving Market Turbulence - Weekly Market Commentary - LPL Financial, Office of James Rockwell & Zach Carothers

Fasten Your Seatbelt - Surviving Market Turbulence

Economic downturns and turbulent investment markets can make people nervous. Recognize these events as a normal, although undesirable, part of the economic and investment cycles.

A Busy (And Perhaps Historic) Week For Central Banks

Central bankers from the U.S. to Australia and seemingly everywhere in between will be meeting this week to discuss monetary policy. A total of 15 meetings will take place this week, highlighted by the Fed, the Bank of England (BOE) and the BOJ.

Gold Shines Brighter Than Ever - Featured Blog Image - Weekly Commentary - LPL Financial, Office of James Rockwell & Zach Carothers

Gold Shines Brighter Than Ever

In a market enthralled by mega cap performance and artificial intelligence, the ancient-old gold trade managed to steal some of the spotlight last week as the yellow metal rallied to new highs.

Super Six Drives Solid Earnings Season - Featured Blog Image - Weekly Commentary - LPL Financial, Office of James Rockwell & Zach Carothers

Super Six Drives Solid Earnings Season

The "Super Six" shows resilient profit margins. The Super Six drove more than nine percentage points of earnings contribution for the S&P 500.

Buyback Are Back - Featured Blog Image - Weekly Commentary - LPL Financial, Office of James Rockwell & Zach Carothers

Buybacks Are Back

Buyback activity has made a comeback after most companies suspend share repurchase programs in the wake of the pandemic.

Retirement Planning: Traditional IRA vs Roth IRA - Individual Retirement Plans - LPL Financial, Office of James Rockwell & Zach Carothers

Retirement Planning: Traditional IRA vs Roth IRA

Individual retirement accounts (IRAs) allow income earners–and in certain cases, their unemployed spouses–to save for retirement on a tax-deferred basis.

Weekly Market Commentary | Treasuries: Who’s Buying and Why it Matters - Featured Image - LPL Financial, Office of James Rockwell & Zach Carothers

Treasuries: Who's Buying and Why it Matters

According to recent data from the congressional budget office (CBO), total Treasury debt held by the public is expected to grow to over $46 trillion by 2033.

Outlook for U.S. Economy Continues to Brighten
 - Featured Image - LPL Financial, Office of James Rockwell & Zach Carothers

Outlook for U.S. Economy Continues to Brighten

In the latest employment report, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) issued revisions to the prior 12 months, and it turns out that firms added more jobs in 2023 than originally reported.

Will the January Barometer Come Through? - LPL Weekly Commentary - LPL Financial, Office of James Rockwell & Zach Carothers

Will the January Barometer Come Through?

A positive January has historically been a bullish sign for stocks. Yale Hirsch, creator of the "Stock Trader's Almanac", first discovered this seasonal pattern in 1972.

Managing Your Retirement When Switching Jobs - Blog Article - LPL Financial, Office of James Rockwell & Zach Carothers

Managing Your Retirement When Switching Jobs

Changing jobs can impact your retirement plan. To maximize your savings, understand your options - if any - for your retirement plan when you switch jobs.

Year-End Tax Planning - Blog Article - LPL Financial, Office of James Rockwell & Zach Carothers

Year-End Tax Planning Tips

You may be able to reduce your tax liability if you consider adopting these tax strategies before year's end.

Two Faces of Debt - Good Debt & Bad Debt - Blog Article - LPL Financial, Office of James Rockwell & Zach Carothers

The Two Faces of Debt

Debt can be a huge challenge for many people. Understanding good versus bad debt can help you make smart financial moves.

Cleared For Takeoff - Blog Article - LPL Financial, Office of James Rockwell & Zach Carothers

Cleared for Takeoff

Are you planning to retire within five years? If so, include these three exercises in your flight plan.

Maximizing Your Retirement Income - Featured Image - LPL Financial, Office of James Rockwell & Zach Carothers

Maximizing Your Retirement Income

For many people, retirement is not a time to slow down and stop. It’s a time to explore the next great chapters of your life and build upon everything you’ve learned and experienced so far.

The Elusive Buy/Sell Strategy Of Perfect Timing - Featured Image - LPL Financial, Office of James Rockwell & Zach Carothers

The Elusive Buy/Sell Strategy Of Perfect Timing

Buying low or selling high is a prudent strategy for most investors, an effort to maximize returns. But buying lowest or selling highest is an elusive strategy, one that is difficult to execute...

Wealth Building Strategies While Raising A Family - Featured Image - LPL Financial, Office of James Rockwell & Zach Carothers

Wealth Building Strategies While Raising A Family

Raising a family is rewarding─and expensive. Consider taking these steps to support your family financially through a program of smart investing...

Optimizing RMDs - Featured Image - LPL Financial, Office of James Rockwell & Zach Carothers

Optimizing Required Minimum Distributions

Required minimum distributions take on added urgency as you approach (and reach) age 73, with specific rules an tax implications

When To Begin Collecting Social Security - Featured Image - LPL Financial, Office of James Rockwell & Zach Carothers

When To Begin Collecting Social Security

Deciding when to begin collecting Social Security depends on a number of factors, including how long you anticipate needing it.

Reality Check On Your Savings - Featured Image - LPL Financial, Office of James Rockwell & Zach Carothers

Reality Check On Your Savings

Whether you’re 23 or 35, it’s important to know whether you are saving enough for your retirement. There is no time like the present to ensure you are allocating enough funds to your retirement account.

The Basics of Financial Fitness - LPL Financial, Office of James Rockwell & Zach Carothers

The Basics of Financial Fitness

Becoming financially fit requires maintaining foundational elements, including a budget, emergency fund, strong credit score, and retirement savings.

Checking Under The Hood - Retirement Plan Checkup - LPL Financial, Office of James Rockwell & Zach Carothers

Checking Under The Hood

Learn how to perform a six-step maintenance checkup on your retirement plan.

Beyond Retirement: Consider Your Other Goals - LPL Financial, Office of James Rockwell & Zach Carothers

Beyond Retirement: Consider Your Other Goals

Retirement savings isn't the only financial goal you should consider in your lifetime. There are other milestones that you ought to take into account as well.

Financial Traps to Avoid - LPL Financial, Office of James Rockwell & Zach Carothers

Financial Traps to Avoid

Everyone is exposed to financial traps. Here are some specific threats to financial stability that people can avoid to help effectively manage their wealth.

Do Not Remove - LPL Financial, Office of James Rockwell & Zach Carothers

Do Not Remove

As much as you may need the money, taking a distribution or borrowing from your retirement account undermines the potential for funds to grow through tax-deferred compounding.

Managing Risk with Diversification - LPL Financial, Office of James Rockwell & Zach Carothers

Managing Risk with Diversification

Diversification is a fundamental aspect of risk management and plays a critical role in building an investment portfolio.

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