Bear markets are painful, but they can actually be healthy for the stock market. For instance, they tend to push investors with limited conviction to get out of stocks. If you think long-term, however, you’ll see deep corrections as a chance to buy (often great companies) while others are fearful. The key is to decide ahead of time what stocks…
Times have been tough for investors over the past year. The three major indexes hit bear territory — and some of the world’s strongest stocks sank. But here are two pieces of good news. First, these difficult periods don’t last forever. And second, there’s a way to cushion your portfolio from the shock. And by this, I mean investing in…
Investors are beginning the new year staring at a market that is already down significantly. And predictions for further losses in 2023 are plastered across a lot of headlines. The downturn has hit most industries. And biotech has been no exception. The SPDR S&P Biotech ETF is down 20% over the past year. That’s slightly worse than the total return of the S&P 500 index. But…
2022 wasn’t the best of years for markets, and investors came into Tuesday’s session hoping for a change of pace. Unfortunately, the first trading day of 2023 didn’t give investors any more confidence than they’d seen last year, and the Nasdaq Composite (^IXIC) led major market indexes lower as the Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI -0.03%) and S&P 500 (^GSPC -0.40%) also posted more modest losses. Wall Street certainly hasn’t written…
For investors, the end of the year is a good opportunity to take stock of your portfolio, review your decisions and holdings, and think about any changes to make in your investing approach. 2022 was certainly an eye-opener, especially for investors in tech and growth stocks. Through Dec. 23, the Nasdaq is down 33%, its worst yearly performance since 2008. And high-growth…
If you’ve listened to any pundits, analysts, or economists, you know by now that there is a good chance the U.S. economy will tip into a recession either next year or in 2024. How severe that recession will be is anyone’s guess. After the Federal Reserve just conducted four consecutive 0.75 percentage-point interest rate hikes, investors are finding themselves in…
Computing a stock’s price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio is one of the quickest ways to learn whether a company is overvalued or undervalued. If a company’s stock is undervalued, then it may be a good investment based on the current price. If it is overvalued, then you need to evaluate whether the company’s growth prospects justify the stock price. What is the price-to-earnings…
Since a bad inflation report last week, stocks have suddenly rallied for no obvious reason, making many investors wonder if the brutal bear market that has ensued for most of the year is over. After all, the S&P 500, a broader benchmark for the overall market, is still down more than 23% and is only about 11.8% higher than pre-pandemic levels…
Oil prices have bounced around quite a bit this year. Brent oil, the global-pricing benchmark, started 2022 below $80 a barrel before soaring into the $120s following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. It has since cooled off, steadily falling back into the $80s on global economic concerns. However, OPEC recently took a step to stem the slide in crude prices by…
Wall Street has many messages for people who are or who may become its customers: “We help people, businesses and institutions build, preserve and manage wealth so they can pursue their financial goals.” “Our processes are finely tuned, deliberate, time-tested and risk-aware, all in the mission to achieve sustainable, above-market results.” “Investment professionals design and manage a portfolio aligned to…