Author: Jeff Christian

Market corrections are challenging for investors of all types. This is due to their speed, unpredictability, and typically, the fact that underlying catalysts are somewhat unique with each episode. Also, easy answers to these dynamics are often difficult to come by at the moment. Related volatility, with schizophrenic up and…

An I bond is a type of savings bond issued directly by the U.S. government to consumers. In contrast to well-known EE savings bonds with a form of fixed coupon, I bond yields are inflation-linked. They’re an interesting vehicle, with a few caveats. Purchases have to be made directly through…

Aside from the substantial and devastating human suffering, there are several other ways the impact has been or could be further felt abroad. ‘Indirect warfare’. This encompasses supply of arms, necessities, and intelligence to Ukraine from the West and other regions. While it’s been made clear that U.S. forces will…

At the January 2022 meeting of the Federal Reserve’s Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) chairman Jerome Powell announced their “intention” to end its quantitative easing (QE) program that they launched back in March of 2020 in reaction to the Covid pandemic and its potential impact on our economy. This program…

The short answer is better than many would expect, but it depends on the regime and other events happening at the time. Where does the fear of rates originate? Aside from the more restrictive financing costs for businesses and consumers, rising rates and/or changing Fed policy can provide a shorter-term…

Some results may be more surprising than others. 1. Fixed income. Traditional government and corporate bonds haven’t tended to fare well during short-term inflationary spikes, assuming interest rates rise as well. For bonds generally, increases in yields erode current bond prices, due to the effects of inflation and market segmentation…

Despite a variety of autumn headwinds, a variety of which have been ongoing, there are positive takeaways for investors. Growth. From both the standpoint of the economy and corporate earnings, numbers are growing. At the risk of oversimplifying, long-term equity market returns have largely tracked long-term corporate earnings growth. When this…

Markets have pulled back over the past few weeks, with more volatility in both directions last week, based on a variety of converging concerns (not listed in any order of severity). Peak growth. Following the historic economic pullback in 2020, the depths of which had not been seen since the Great…