An unusually “quiet” August spawned new highs for U.S. stocks, but recent softness in economic data amid a contentious election season has given investors pause. Fundamentally, earnings have declined for five straight
2016 Q3 Market Letter
Movin' Along
After another positive week, the S&P 500 finished the quarter up almost 4 percent and is up 8 percent for the year. The 10-year Treasury finished the week in the middle of its recent trading range at 1.59 percent. Mixed economic data kept the Fed on hold for another quarter and put a bid into equities.
Cole Quoted in Bloomberg
Originally appeared on Bloomberg.com on September 28, 2016
Stumpf’s Pay Cut Eclipsed by Fury as Yellen, State Join In
Wells Fargo & Co. Chief Executive Officer John Stumpf gave up $41 million to buy a reprieve from the bank’s widening scandal.
Are the Dog Days Over?
Stocks finished the week up over one percent as the Fed held steady on rates but provided positive commentary on the U.S. economy. With the lack of Fed action, the 10-year Treasury yield fell 0.06 percent to close the week at 1.63 percent.
Reading the Fed's Tea Leaves
Despite volatility, the stock market appears to heading for a slight gain of around 0.5 percent for the week. Bond yields trended higher, with the benchmark 10-year trading at 1.66 percent versus last Friday’s level of 1.57 percent.
Seasons of Change
After an unusually long spell of low volatility, stocks and bonds sold off in tandem to end a week that was previously on the quiet side following the Labor Day holiday. Coming into Friday, stocks had essentially earned out the high single-digit returns we foresaw for 2016. Low levels of economic growth globally should renew profit growth in future quarters, but neither stocks nor bonds are cheap at this point.
Show Me a Sign
With today’s jobs number showing a monthly gain of 151,000, it didn’t tip the scales much regarding a Federal Reserve rate hike this year. This number was below expectations of 180,000; however, it was still viewed as solid growth. Wage growth remained a steady 2.4 percent, slightly below last month. The August jobs report number regularly gets revised higher.
May the Odds Be Ever in Your Favor
The markets were quiet this week investors awaited Janet Yellen’s commentary on the Fed’s annual Jackson Hole summit. As the week came to a close, the S&P 500 sold off slightly, finishing the week down 0.6 percent. Healthcare stocks fared far worse, selling off 2.2 percent following Hillary Clinton’s statements regarding the price increase of EpiPen®, a Mylan
Leaded or Unleaded?
Financial markets were volatile this week, influenced by mixed messages from the Federal Reserve. The Fed minutes released on Wednesday were dovish, suggesting little chance of a Fed rate hike, while San Francisco Fed President Williams
No Respect for this Bull Market
The stock market was up for the week with the S&P 500 returning .20 percent. During the week, the S&P 500 climbed to an all-time high on Thursday. Bonds were higher in price and lower in yield with the 10-year Treasury moving from a
Let the Games Begin
With the opening ceremonies of the Rio Olympics set to begin tonight and on the heels of a strong number in the month of July in which the U.S. added 255K jobs, stocks ended the week with a bang. This was meaningfully ahead of
Playing the “Economic Card”
The circus of two political party conventions and some big economic news did not sway the markets this week. Domestic equity markets remained relatively flat even with the S&P 500 setting another intra-day high. International equity markets
A Long-Distance Relationship
U.S. stocks ended the week near record highs with the S&P 500 trading above 2,170 and the Dow above 18,545. A gain for the week would mark the fourth consecutive weekly advance.
Financial Times Names Ferguson Wellman and West Bearing to Top 300 RIA List
PORTLAND, Ore. – Ferguson Wellman Capital Management and West Bearing Investments were recently named by Financial Times to their “FT 300 Top Registered Investment Advisers” list.
According to their detailed methodology, the RIAs are first examined via the RIA database an
When the Metrics Don't Fit
Investor confidence rallied the S&P 500 this week with the index climbing to all-time highs mid-week and returning more than one percent by the week’s end. Bonds were lower in price and higher in yield with the 10-year Treasury moving from a 1.43 percent yield on Monday to a 1.59 percent yield at
Q3 2016 Investment Strategy Video
Ferguson Wellman Ranked a "Top RIA" by Financial Advisor
July 12, 2016 – Ferguson Wellman Capital Management has been named by Financial Advisor magazine as a top investment company.
Financial Advisor named Ferguson Wellman 45 out of 205 U.S. firms in the $1 billion-and-over asset category of their registered investment adviser (RIA) rankings. Ferguson Wellman is the
Ferguson Wellman's 40-Year Report
We are pleased to present our firm's 40-Year Report. In addition to sharing some milestones Ferguson Wellman and West Bearing Investments reached in 2015, we have collected facts, history and imagery that reflect who we are as a company and how Ferguson Wellman has grown over four decades. To read the report, please click here.
Independence Day
U.S. markets took Monday off to celebrate the 240th anniversary of our “Brexit.” Equity markets started the week by selling off while digesting cautious tones from the Bank of England. That news was counteracted Wednesday with a
Ferguson Wellman Ranked Fourth on Portland Business Journal Money Management Firms List
PORTLAND, Ore. – July 8, 2015 – Ferguson Wellman Capital Management and its division, West Bearing Investments, are pleased to announce that the firm has been named by Portland Business Journal as top money managers in their 2016 Wealth Management and Financial Services Guide.