Morning Market Commentary Q1 2024

The last quarter of 2023 was marked by a sudden turning point in the interest rate rhetoric of the Fed, a resilient economy led by a strong consumer, and a normalization of inflation. At the end of Q3, the Fed continued to raise interest rates as investors continued to wonder when the hikes would come…

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Morning Market Commentary Q3 2023

Investors began the third quarter of 2023 focusing on the potential peak in interest rates, the robust rally from the bottom of the stock market, and renewed optimism of a soft landing derived from trends of cooling inflation and economic growth. However, as rates continued to rise from a hawkish Fed, both the bond and…

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Morning Market Commentary Q1 2023

During the first quarter of 2023 sentiment started off hot with great gains in January but had its ebbs and flows throughout the quarter.  The belief that the Federal Reserve was going to be able to tame inflation and the economy would be able to establish a “soft landing” in terms of a possible recession…

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Morning Market Commentary Q4 2022

In an otherwise volatile and ugly year, the fourth quarter of 2022 turned out to be a pleasant surprise.  Sentiment turned optimistic mainly led by better-than-expected corporate earnings and Year-over-Year inflation rates coming down from a peak of 9.1% in June 2022. S&P, Dow, and NASDAQ The S&P 500 was able to climb higher by…

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Monthly Market Insights | July 2022

US Markets June was a tough month for the markets as recession talk prompted investors to recalculate risk in their portfolios. The Dow Jones Composite Average led the indices to lose only 6.84% while the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index fell 8.39%. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite dropped the most losing 8.71% in the month of…

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Morning Market Commentary for Q1 2022

We mentioned a couple of quarters ago that volatility was beginning to make its way back into this market. The evidence is now clear. There is no denying that this past quarter was one of the most volatile in recent years. There were many factors that stirred the pot this quarter. Turning the calendar is…

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Q3 2021 Stock Market Commentary

Market volatility is back in a big way. In our last report, we noted that the market was “climbing a wall of worry” as the market just seemed to go up and up and up despite pockets of bad news here and there. Late in the quarter, however, that unmitigated move higher finally hit a roadblock…

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Federal Student Loan Interest Rates Set to Increase for 2021-2022

After two years of decreases, interest rates on federal student loans are set to increase almost a full percentage point for the 2021-2022 school year.1 The interest rates on federal student loans are reset each year after the May auction of the 10-year Treasury note.   The rates apply to new federal student loans issued on…

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Student Loan Relief Extended Through End of Year

In March 2020, Congress passed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, which provided a six-month automatic payment suspension on federal student loans through September 30, 2020. In August, the president signed a memorandum to extend federal student loan relief through December 31, 2020. What does this mean for student loan borrowers? All…

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Tapping the Equity in Your Home

Over time, the value of your home has grown and your mortgage balance has been reduced (or even eliminated). The equity (the property’s value minus any liens against it) you now have in your home is a reservoir of funding potential. You may decide to tap into it for various purposes, such as remodeling your home, paying…

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