Weekly Recap   The story this week continued to be interest rates and the speculation about just how high they are going to go. The yield on the 10-year hit a high of 1.63% Friday before backing off. Over the years we’ve noted that the markets tend to fixate on a single issue at a time. Elections, pandemics, or banking problems can all capture the market’s attention at one point or another. But almost…
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  Weekly Recap   It was all about bond yields this week. A sell-off in U.S. government bonds ricocheted through the markets on Thursday, sending share prices lower. In the U.S. the yield on the 10-year briefly surpassed 1.6% on Thursday before closing the week out at 1.46%. The yield on the 5-year bond jumped an impressive 20bps.     Same story overseas. Australian bonds posted their worst month since 1994, with 10-year yields approaching…
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  Weekly Recap   Another month another stimulus plan. This is getting to become something of a routine. After a $900bn plan was signed into law in December, President-elect Biden outlined his plan for another $1.9tn Thursday night. His plan calls for:   – Direct payments of $1,400 to most Americans, bringing the total relief to $2,000, including December’s $600 payments.   – Increasing the federal, per-week unemployment benefit to $400 and extending it through…
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  Weekly Recap   Welcome to 2021. Apparently this year is going to start where 2020 left off, but with a touch of insurrection added to the mix. Wednesday was undoubtedly surreal, and on top of what we saw on T.V, it proved to be the deadliest day to date in the U.S. since the CVOID crisis started. But none of this could keep the market down. On Thursday the NASDAQ had the best day…
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    Weekly Recap   A solid week for the markets as Pfizer’s vaccine distribution kicked into gear and Moderna’s was approved. And we shouldn’t forget the Chinese and Russian options. As you can see below, these are being picked up in much of the developing world.   On the economic front the news was downbeat in the U.S. as renewed lockdowns/restrictions had their predictable impact. The key reports:   Weekly Unemployment Claims   Another…
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  Weekly Recap   A lot of crosscurrents in the markets as 2020 nears its end. We hit an unfortunate milestone yesterday with more than 3,000 deaths in the U.S. and over 100K hospitalized, as you can see below.     And as we are all experiencing, we are seeing renewed lockdowns in many parts of the country. However, unlike earlier in the year the year, lockdowns are not being accompanied by fiscal support. As…
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  Weekly Recap   It was a rough week all around and the markets reflected the uncertainty. Even bond yields ticked higher despite the drubbing in the equity markets. A renewed surge in COVID infections and uncertainty heading into next week’s election were obvious triggers for the correction. Interestingly, the earnings and economic reports were decent. But the markets are naturally forward looking, and the outlook is as murky as it has been in a…
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