Like a Good Basketball Game, It Came Down to the Fourth Quarter We started the year with a pop and a pull back. When the dust settled in February, nothing else spectacular happened, as the market ground out a slow and steady 5% return through mid-September. Then, as the fourth quarter unfolded, only the good people of Qatar in the Middle East stood as victors in the end, with their country’s stock market posting the only gains on the planet for 2018, and by a landslide – up 27%. While most of the damage came within the fourth quarter, …
A Note for the Holidays…and a Little Laughter
Happy Holidays! There’s no better time to reflect upon what’s important in life. Cherish what you have, learn from what you may have lost, and look forward to what great things will come. Thank you for allowing us to be a part of your lives. John & Bill
Frequently “Oaked” Questions
You Asked, So We’ll Answer FOQ: What Is a Correction? Short: A drop of at least 10% from a recent high. Long: You can’t watch the news without hearing “correction” these days, as we’re right in the middle of one. Why does 10% matter? Well, 10% is an arbitrary number. Why not 9%? Or 11%? We can all agree that being down 9.9% hurts as much as 10%. But the media latched on to this concept and ran with it. Nothing sells advertising like some good, ol’ fashioned panic! FOQ: How Often Do They Occur? Short: A lot. …
It’s OK – We’ve Been Here Before
In fact, it’s a good thing. Really. How can a down market be good? Well, without down markets, we would not have much of an up market. Stocks have averaged about 10% forever. And that’s more than cash, bonds, commodities, CDs, gold and other metals, annuities, currencies, collectibles, and just about anything else. But for that long-term reward, we must absolutely experience some short-term suffering. They are inextricably related. Anything said to the contrary is either a sales pitch or a lie. And all the evidence tells us that attempting to maneuver around times like this will likely result in …