Compass Watch
After enduring an 18.6% decline in the S&P 500 Index (“Index”) during 2022, one would expect many on Wall Street to be more enthusiastic about the 16.9% gain in the Index during the first half of 2023. However, nearly all the gains in the Index through June 30th are due to the outsized (and likely […]
We are often asked by people: “Why should I work with an advisor like Compass when I can buy mutual funds or other investment vehicles on my own?” While this is a fair question, we at Compass believe there are a variety of benefits to working with a professional advisor and taking advantage of the […]
The week of March 6th saw Silicon Valley Bank (SVB), a regional bank based in northern California, thrust into the headlines as the third largest bank failure in American history. How did a bank that appeared to be functioning normally on Monday need to be seized by the government on Friday? The answer to this […]
Without question, 2022 has been a challenging year for equity investors. Coming into the year, the S&P 500 Index had doubled over the prior three-year period from 2019–2021. Except for a sharp 6-week decline during the onset of COVID-19 in early 2020, the market enjoyed ideal conditions: low interest rates, low inflation, and excess liquidity. These […]
One of the first lessons taught to every aspiring financial services professional is “when interest rates rise, bond prices decline.” So far in 2022, we have seen this happen rapidly. The Federal Reserve has already raised short-term interest rates to 2.25% this year, up from almost 0% at the beginning of the year. More importantly […]
Kicking off 2022, the Federal Reserve has adjusted its policy by raising rates and ending asset purchases to combat inflation. At the same time, the economy is facing other challenges, including the lingering pandemic, the Russian/Ukraine war, rising oil prices, and continued frozen global supply chains. As a result, this year is the 5th poorest […]