by Ned Montag, CEO The year 2022 was extremely difficult for investors, and all the major stock and bond market averages posted double-digit price declines. In the case of stocks, almost all the name-brand averages were down about 20%. … Read More
By Chris Guinther, Senior Investment Strategist & Portfolio Manager Let’s begin by noting the 2022 fourth quarter’s market numbers, and those for the year in full, as of December 31: As these numbers make plain, 2022 saw poor … Read More
By Helen Donahue, Portfolio Manager As we all know, the current landscape in the fixed income markets has drastically changed from the near zero-rate environment we have had for years. With the goal of slowing growth and getting inflation … Read More
BY KENT SHAW, Portfolio Manager Volatility in the stock market and the often associated news stories that sound increasingly gloomy can be unnerving. Our aim is to reduce our clients’ need to consume such information so they can be freed … Read More
CHRIS GUINTHER, Senior Equity Strategist and Portfolio Manager It’s 2022, not 2020, and my opinion is the odds that stocks will do well have fallen significantly. After two really strong economic years during the Covid period, the Federal Reserve has … Read More
BY BRENDAN WAGNER, Portfolio Manager A day after Walmart’s weak earnings, Target’s results sent a shudder through the markets Wednesday 5/18, with the S&P500 off 4% and flirting with a bear market. Inflation headwinds have been discussed for months, but … Read More
A little over a month ago, Russia invaded Ukraine; surely stocks are down and bonds are up since then, right? Not quite. The information provided is for illustration purposes only. It is not, and should not be regarded as … Read More
BY BRENDAN WAGNER, Portfolio Manager The Russia-Ukraine situation is of course top of mind for humanitarian reasons, but in this note we also explore other reasons for market moves in the first two+ months of 2022. Market expectations of aggressive … Read More
EDTIOR’S NOTE: MONTAG has followed the troubling events in Europe of recent weeks with concern. As an investment firm, it is MONTAG’s responsibility to focus on securities markets, prices, changes in valuation, and other factors during uncertain times. However, that’s … Read More
By HELEN DONAHUE, CFA Much has been made of the labor shortage in the pandemic era. Many economists predicted that unemployment would decrease with the expiration of the extended unemployment benefits. While claims have dropped, it has not been to … Read More