Domestic equity markets have by and large recovered from the volatility of July and August with many reaching new all-time highs.  We see four key areas that have been driving up the markets: A strengthening economy and rising corporate earnings Low interest rates (even if they are artificially induced by the Fed Policy) Low oil
Read more

Today’s domestic manufacturing data is another addition to a recent series of disappointing economic reports we have seen since January. The recent cold and snowy weather is likely negatively impacting most of the data, but disappointing earnings and the crisis in emerging markets are the real drags on an equity market that had not corrected
Read more

January 2014 Let There be Light . . . at the End of the Tunnel Written by Anirban Basu of Sage Policy Group The U.S. economy has been stuck at two percent growth for several years and throughout much of 2013. Imagine a sports car with incredible get up and go, but one that had
Read more

Lowe Wealth Advisors 2013 Wrap-up and 2014 Outlook We hope that you had a wonderful holiday season and we wish you a very Happy New Year! The headlines will boast that 2013 was the best year for domestic equity markets since 1995 (Source: Wall Street Journal) but few investors reaped those full gains because they came
Read more

As we wrote several months ago, we expected October to be a volatile month because of the government shutdown, debt ceiling debate and a new Federal Reserve Chair nominee. We also were confident we would see “Oscar-worthy” performances from both sides of the aisle and that the rhetoric would roil the financial markets. With no
Read more

Update on Bonds and Fixed Income Strategies Toward the end of June the bond and equity markets reacted negatively to the expectation that the Federal Reserve would be slowing their bond buying program. Ten-year treasuries have moved from 1.80 percent to 2.95 percent since the taper announcement. (Source: Bloomberg) The news regarding Syria should have
Read more

The rise in domestic equity markets year-to-date has been essentially unabated and without a significant correction. In times of market strength investors’ level of complacency often increases and optimism can become excessive. As complacency and optimism build, so does the potential for volatility. The news from the home building continues to be favorable. Tuesday, the
Read more

It is abundantly clear that for now investors are ignoring what is happening in Washington, D.C The equity markets have shaken off any concern about the sequester and financial struggles in Europe by continuing to show momentum that has taken the Dow Jones Industrial Average above its all-time highest closing level. (Bloomberg) The Great Recession’s
Read more

With a great deal of volatility in the market and federal sequestration budget cuts looming, Lowe Wealth Advisors is encouraging investors to be cautious and diligent. On the heels of its first weekly decline of 2013, the S&P 500 dropped 1.8% on Monday. Gold and other precious metals rose while the VIX (a gauge of U.S.
Read more

The Election is Over! Now What? For some time now, Lowe Wealth Advisors has expressed our view that conditions of uncertainty are not a friend of the equity markets. We have consistently said that once the status of uncertainty is removed from the picture, the direction of the markets could become clearer as well. With President
Read more