Abnormal Returns
FEBRUARY 1, 2024
January 2024 How major asset classes performed in January 2024. (capitalspectator.com) The S&P 500 was in positive territory for the month, in contrast with small and mid caps. (on.spdji.com) Strategy Overconfidence is a killer for investors. (collabfund.com) Four steps to build a no-fuss portfolio including eliminating redundant accounts. (morningstar.com) Bitcoin Will spot Bitcoin ETFs follow the path of gold ETFs?
The Big Picture
FEBRUARY 1, 2024
A quick follow-up to last month’s note on slipping coincident indicators: December was relatively stable compared to the slide in November. Over the three prior months, “the indexes increased in 25 states, decreased in 22 states, and remained stable in three, for a three-month diffusion index of 6.” That is only one state worse on the decrease, and drop on the index from 8 to 6.
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Abnormal Returns
FEBRUARY 1, 2024
Books An excerpt from "Stress Resets: How to Soothe Your Body and Mind in Minutes" by Jenny Taitz. (wsj.com) A Q&A with Kyle Chayka author of "Filterworld: How Algorithms Flattened Culture." (npr.org) An excerpt from "Get the Picture: A Mind-Bending Journey Among the Inspired Artists and Obsessive Art Fiends Who Taught Me How to See" by Bianca Bosker.
A Wealth of Common Sense
FEBRUARY 1, 2024
A reader asks: I work in the construction industry and I’m always trying to spread a little financial literacy to my coworkers. Whenever I see a young guy getting ready to drop $70k on a new pickup I try to show them what that money could become if they invested in index funds instead. I like to call it “sequence of spending risk” Of course this rarely works so I thought having the experts comment could.
Speaker: Amanda Adams, Fractional CFO, CPA
Are you ready to elevate your accounting processes for 2025? 🚀 Join us for an exclusive webinar led by Amanda Adams, a seasoned fractional CFO and CPA passionate about transforming back-office operations for finance teams. This session will cover critical best practices and process improvements tailored specifically for accounting professionals.
The Irrelevant Investor
FEBRUARY 1, 2024
Today’s Compound and Friends is brought to you by BlackRock: See here for more information on BlackRocks iShares Bitcoin Trust On today’s show, we discuss: New York Community Bancorp stock plunges 38%, reigniting fears for regional banks Mark Zuckerbergs reported $100M compound in Hawaii Listen here: Charts: Tweets: Worst Fed day for the stock market since March 2023 (and fourth-worst.
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Calculated Risk
FEBRUARY 1, 2024
Today, in the Calculated Risk Real Estate Newsletter: [link] Excerpt: It has been over 17 years since the bubble peak. In the November Case-Shiller house price index released yesterday, the seasonally adjusted National Index (SA), was reported as being 70% above the bubble peak in 2006. However, in real terms, the National index (SA) is about 10% above the bubble peak (and historically there has been an upward slope to real house prices).
Wealth Management
FEBRUARY 1, 2024
What does it take to thrive in the ultra-competitive wealth management world? Gary Furukawa and Erik Morgan of Freestone Capital share how their success is driven by creating unique solutions around serving clients, training their team, building the business and managing investments.
Alpha Architect
FEBRUARY 1, 2024
Full exposure to domestic equities. Full exposure to international equities. Partial exposure to REITs. No exposure to commodities. Partial exposure to intermediate-term bonds. DIY Trend-Following Allocations: February 2024 was originally published at Alpha Architect. Please read the Alpha Architect disclosures at your convenience.
The Better Letter
FEBRUARY 1, 2024
The critic John Strausbaugh’s 2001 book, Rock ‘Til You Drop , rails against what he calls “colostomy rock.” He argues that rock and roll should be music by the young, for the young. He’s not wrong. Yet, the Rolling Stones’ 2024 tour is being sponsored by – I kid you not – AARP. Then there are The Beatles. 1 As Elvis Costello insists, their songs are not limited.
Speaker: Abdi Ali, Sr. Lease Accounting Consultant
Join this insightful webinar with industry expert Abdi Ali, who will discuss the challenges that can arise from managing lease accounting with spreadsheets! He will share real-world examples of errors, compliance issues, and risks that may be present within your spreadsheets. Learn how these tools, while useful, can sometimes lead to inefficiencies that affect your time, resources, and peace of mind.
NAIFA Advisor Today
FEBRUARY 1, 2024
February, the month of love, brings with it a unique opportunity to express our deepest affections in the most meaningful way possible. Life Happens, a devoted advocate for financial protection and security and NAIFA's consumer outreach arm, spearheads Insure Your Love Month every February. This initiative serves as a reminder that one of the most profound demonstrations of love is ensuring the financial safety of our loved ones.
Calculated Risk
FEBRUARY 1, 2024
Realtor.com has monthly and weekly data on the existing home market. Here is their weekly report: Weekly Housing Trends View — Data Week Ending January 27, 2024 • Active inventory increased, with for-sale homes 10.1% above year ago levels. For a 12th consecutive week, active listings registered above prior year level, which means that today’s home shoppers have more homes to choose from that aren’t already in the process of being sold.
MainStreet Financial Planning
FEBRUARY 1, 2024
During recent conversations, I’ve come across several people unfamiliar with the concept of fee-only financial planning, let alone considering it as a feasible choice. To shed light on this, I want to articulate the distinctive approach we use at MainStreet Financial Planning. At MainStreet Financial Planning, every member of our dedicated team is proudly affiliated with the Garrett Planning Network (GPN).
Calculated Risk
FEBRUARY 1, 2024
Wards Auto released their estimate of light vehicle sales for January: U.S. Light-Vehicle Sales Soften in January After December's Strength (pay site). Causes for the month’s weaker results could have included some payback for December’s surge. However, affordability and inventory likely played roles, as availability remains well below historically normal levels for a market running at a 15-million-plus annualized rate, and at the same time interest rates for financing purchases are at long-time
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Join us in this webinar, where we share best practices on how to think about the reconciliation work each month, when best to do reconciliations, how they should be prepared, and some common pitfalls to avoid. Learning Objectives: This course objective is to understand how to properly prepare and review balance sheet reconciliations and its impact on the financial statements.
Wealth Management
FEBRUARY 1, 2024
The acquisitions of AndCo and Fourth Street will almost double firm assets and establish Mariner’s institutional business.
Calculated Risk
FEBRUARY 1, 2024
From the Census Bureau reported that overall construction spending increased: Construction spending during December 2023 was estimated at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $2,096.0 billion, 0.9 percent above the revised November estimate of $2,078.3 billion. The December figure is 13.9 percent above the December 2022 estimate of $1,840.9 billion.
Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT)
FEBRUARY 1, 2024
By Susan Robertson There’s an old adage that says people are resistant to change. There’s some truth in that. This can be challenging when you want to move a team forward to try new ideas. There is no perfect business. As the quote from author William S. Burroughs says, “When you stop growing, you start dying.” Fortunately, there are ways to help teams act on new ideas.
Wealth Management
FEBRUARY 1, 2024
The 10-member Lewis Wealth Partners is Rockefeller’s first team in Richmond, Va.
Speaker: Igli Laci, Strategic Finance Leader
In today’s competitive market, pricing is more than just a number — it’s the cornerstone of profitability. The right pricing strategy ensures that you capture the true value of your offering, paving the way for sustainable growth and long-term success. Join Igli Laci, Strategic Finance Leader, in this exclusive session where he will explore how a well-crafted pricing approach balances customer perception with business objectives, creating a powerful tool for securing both competitive advantage a
Calculated Risk
FEBRUARY 1, 2024
The DOL reported : In the week ending January 27, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 224,000 , an increase of 9,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 1,000 from 214,000 to 215,000. The 4-week moving average was 207,750, an increase of 5,250 from the previous week's revised average.
Wealth Management
FEBRUARY 1, 2024
Canter will support RIA outreach for the digital alternative investments platform CAIS.
Advisor Perspectives
FEBRUARY 1, 2024
Here is the latest update of a popular market valuation method, Price-to-Earnings (P/E) ratio, using the most recent Standard & Poor's "as reported" earnings and earnings estimates, and the index monthly average of daily closes for the past month. The latest trailing twelve months (TTM) P/E ratio is 25.2 and the latest P/E10 ratio is 32.2.
Calculated Risk
FEBRUARY 1, 2024
Note: Mortgage rates are from MortgageNewsDaily.com and are for top tier scenarios. Friday: • At 8:30 AM ET, 8:30 AM: Employment Report for December. The consensus is for 162,000 jobs added, and for the unemployment rate to increase to 3.8%. • At 10:00 AM, University of Michigan's Consumer sentiment index (Preliminary for January).
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Change is difficult, whether in our private or work life. However, without change, growth and learning are difficult not to mention keeping up with the market and staying competitive. We have all worked for or ourselves are the bosses that prefer to keep the status quo. We will discuss how to address the "change challenge" to enable you to be a changemaker and a graceful recipient of change.
Advisor Perspectives
FEBRUARY 1, 2024
Based on the January S&P 500 average of daily closes, the Crestmont P/E of 34.9 is 133% above its arithmetic mean, 153% above its geometric mean, and is at the 99th percentile of this 14-plus-decade series.
Financial Symmetry
FEBRUARY 1, 2024
Below is a video of our Fourth Quarter 2023 Market Update. In the video we cover: Why even when things feel uncertain, doesn’t mean it’s a bad time to invest How different areas of the market looked in 2023 vs … Continued The post Market Update Q4 2023 appeared first on Financial Symmetry, Inc.
Advisor Perspectives
FEBRUARY 1, 2024
In the week ending January 27, initial jobless claims were at a seasonally adjusted level of 224,000, an increase of 9,000 from the previous week's revised figure. The latest reading is higher than the forecast of 213,000.
Wealth Management
FEBRUARY 1, 2024
Thursday, February 01, 2024 | 2:00 PM Eastern Standard Time
Speaker: Hilary Akhaabi, PhD - Founder, Chief Financial & Operations Officer at Go Africa Global
In the fast-paced world of corporate finance, staying ahead of the curve is crucial for sustainable growth and profitability. This exclusive webinar with leading expert Hilary Akhaabi, PhD, will teach you practical ways to navigate complex financial landscapes and enhance your company's revenue management capabilities. Whether you're aiming to refine your financial strategies or seeking innovative solutions to drive performance, this new session is for you!
Advisor Perspectives
FEBRUARY 1, 2024
The Institute for Supply Management (ISM) manufacturing purchasing managers index (PMI) rose to 49.1 in January from 47.1 in December. The latest figure marks the 15th consecutive month the index has been in contraction territory after a 29-month period of growth dating back to June 2020. The January reading was above the forecast of 47.2.
Trade Brains
FEBRUARY 1, 2024
Bajaj Auto : On January 8, 2024, Bajaj Auto Ltd’s market capitalization surged ₹2 lakh crore to become the third largest automobile company, surpassing Mahindra and Mahindra. With a market valuation of ₹3.13 lakh crore, Maruti Suzuki continues to be the most valuable auto stock in the nation; Tata Motors is second with a market capitalization of ₹2.9 lakh crore.
Advisor Perspectives
FEBRUARY 1, 2024
The Q Ratio is the total price of the market divided by the replacement cost of all its companies. The latest Q-ratio is at 1.52, up from 1.48 in December.
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