Our professionals are periodically asked to weigh in on timely topics regarding the economy, capital markets and personal finance. Below you will find our recent interviews with KXL radio hosts.
Basic Tax Considerations When Selling Real Estate
When you sell real estate and make a profit, you may be taxed on that gain. When it comes to the sale, both how the property was used and the length of time you’ve owned the property will impact your taxation.
Time for a New Year
2020 will be a year many Americans will want to forget, and rightfully so. Record unemployment, tragic loss of human life and people trapped at home with no where to go. No doubt, there is good news and bad news on the horizon.
The Ivy League … Grades Have Been Posted
The books are now closed on the 2019 fiscal year for the Ivy League endowments and for the fifth time in the last 16 years, the missed the mark.
Healthy Consumer, Healthy Economy
This week, the Federal Reserve made big news when it reduced the federal funds rate by 0.25 percent, its second cut this year. While any Fed action always dominates the headlines, the interest rate reduction was expected and fully priced into the market. Having raised federal funds a quarter point just last December, it has been a rather dramatic change of monetary policy in which the Fed has now cut rates twice this year.
Walking Slowly in a Dark Room
When the Federal Reserve meets next week, everyone will be waiting to hear what they have to say about future interest rate hikes.
Reshuffling the Deck
On Monday, the most widely followed U.S. equity index, the S&P 500, will re-arrange its sector classification system.
Ferguson Wellman Article in Portland Business Journal
Matt Kish, banking and finance reporter for Portland Business Journal, spent some time with us in recent weeks to learn more about our fourth ownership transition process that began the end of 2017. We also had the opportunity to share with Matt that Ralph Cole, CFA, joined our board of directors this year. On June 30, Mark Kralj became director emeritus and we are delighted that he will continue to be involved with our firm for the next year until his retirement.
More Bang for Your Buck
In our annual economic Investment Outlook, we predicted that interest rates would rise but not enough to derail the expansion. At the same time, we anticipated that the conflicting signals of robust earnings growth and above-average valuation would settle somewhere in the middle.
50 Shades of Beige
U.S. factory production exceeded growth expectations and the University of Michigan consumer confidence survey came in at a 14-year high, helping U.S. stocks to break out of their four-day slump (triggered by tariffs and White House turmoil). However, it won’t be enough to turn in positive numbers for the week.
U.S. Core Inflation Drifts Slightly Higher
U.S. stocks continued their upward climb this week, with the Dow Jones Industrial Index trading above 25,775 and the S&P 500 rising approximately 1.5 percent for the week. The U.S. dollar traded off relative to the euro, which surged to a three-year high of $1.21.
Musical (Fed) Chairs
Treasury rates and the U.S. dollar climbed while U.S. equities are headed towards six straight weeks of gains. The market appears to be betting on the successful passing of a tax overhaul after the U.S. Senate approved a budget resolution. The bond market fluctuated and ended the week yielding around 2.37 percent, trading up from last week’s level of 2.27 percent.
How Sausage is Made
Stocks sold off this week as Congress debated the replacement bill for Obamacare. The S&P 500 was down a little over 1 percent over the past five sessions. Bonds rallied on stock weakness with the 10-year Treasury finishing the week at a 2.40 percent yield.
Winds of Change
What has become known as the Trump Trade has delivered strong equity returns since election day last fall, with the benchmark S&P 500 rising by 6.5 percent over this period. More remarkable is the fact that the blue chip index hasn’t experienced a 1 percent or greater loss since October 11, 2016.
'Tis the Season for... Animal Spirit
Treasuries are wrapping up with their first weekly gain since the U.S. election and stocks are mixed in pre-holiday trading. Yields on the 10-Year Treasury benchmark closed at 2.54 percent, down from last week’s close of 2.59 percent. The S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial Index are trading at slightly higher levels than where they started on Monday.
A Time to be Thankful
The election is over and the capital markets have had a few weeks to digest the results. In this holiday-shortened week the equity markets coasted to new record highs on light volumes with the Dow Jones Industrial Average surpassing 19,000 and the S&P 500 eclipsing 2,200. Small Cap stocks continued their post-election rally, up nearly 13 percent since the election.