The Weekly Insight

Inflation. Interest rates. COVID. Ukraine. Wash, rinse, repeat.  The impact of these issues on the market and economy have been discussed and debated time and again by every pundit known to man. But what if the end of the world isn’t coming? What if there are some reasons to be optimistic in the face of all of this “dire news”? Read more here: https://insightwealthgroup.com/the-weekly-insight-memo...

A bill passed the U.S. House last week – called the Secure Act 2.0 – which is designed to improve the system for retirement savings. On its face, it has a lot of good things in it: better catch-up contribution rules, delaying required minimum distributions until 75, etc. But the problem is, no one wants to have an honest conversation with American workers about their expectations for retirement. R...

Every week it seems there’s something new the “financial gurus” on TV are fretting about. Last week, it was the “inverted yield curve” and the near certainty it means a looming recession? But does it? Is a recession really coming? Simply put, yes. A recession is coming. But that’s because a recession is ALWAYS coming! Over the last seventy years, we’ve had a recession, on average, every 6.4 years....

Just two years ago last week, the market bottomed during the original “COVID Correction”. It seems like there has been constant drama since then. COVID surges, a contested Presidential election, inflation, interest rate debates, war, etc., etc. Which is why last week seemed so…strange. Why? There wasn’t much drama! The market was up. The current dramas (inflation, Ukraine, interest rates, COVID) c...

The Fed has finally spoken.  It announced a 0.25% rate increase last week (expected). But they also released their “dot plot” for the next few years and it showed the potential for seven rate hikes this year.  The market seemed to appreciate the Fed’s aggressive approach to inflation and rallied for the week.  But what will that mean for the market long-term? We take a deeper dive into the Fed’s d...

This week is the tale of two titans: Powell vs. Putin. The war in Ukraine – and especially its impact on the energy economy – is being felt around the world. Its impact on inflation is starting to be felt and may make things worse before they get better. How the U.S. – and specifically the Fed – responds this week is going to set the table for how markets do for the rest of the year. We know the F...

Last week was a tale of wild swings in the market. Bad news on Ukraine? Markets down hard. Good news on the economy and interest rates? Markets up strongly. It truly was a tale of two markets. And, while the volatility continues today, there is reason to be optimistic about the economic situation here in the United States. Barring a true “Black Swan” event where NATO and Russia enter into direct c...

Russia’s war against Ukraine is playing out on two stages: the cities of Ukraine and boardrooms of banks and companies across Russia and the West. As the West has decided not to engage Russia in direct military confrontation, the sanctions battlefield is increasingly important. But is it enough? And what else is on the table? And how will it impact the U.S. markets and economy? We take a deep dive...

It was another volatile week in the markets. Why? Uncertainty. We’ve said it time and again that the market just can’t stand not knowing what’s going to happen. The good news? There is a time limit on this uncertainty. We’re going to know soon what is going to happen in Ukraine. We’re going to know by March 16th what’s going to happen with interest rates. And right now the market is pricing in the...

Happy Valentine’s Day! We hope you’re able to spend a little time with your loved ones today to celebrate (or, if this is your reminder, are able to run to the flower shop!). Sadly, not everyone is feeling the love today.  At the top of the list? Pretty much everyone in Ukraine. And the market took notice last Friday when Biden’s National Security Advisor stepped to the podium at the White House P...

Families gathered around their TVs this weekend to watch the kickoff to the Winter Olympics – a once every two years opportunity to get behind our country in something we can all agree upon. It’s fun to cheer on Team USA! But it also comes at an interesting time in the world.  The kickoff weekend saw Vladmir Putin and Chairman Xi stand side-by-side and reiterate their shared commitment to standing...

Last week was likely one of the “busiest” weeks in the market since the start of COVID. There was a lot of drama, most of it tied to the Fed meeting on Wednesday. We saw volatility unlike any we have seen in nearly two years. But the end result? Not much. Markets closed the week up and much of the panic over the Fed’s decisions proved to be unfounded. Sandwich that inside a month filled with earni...

There is a great line from the Joker in the movie The Dark Knight (a must watch if you haven’t seen it – but we are about to spoil the ending…). To set the stage, he has two ferries (full of people) filled with explosives. Passengers in each ferry hold the trigger to the other ferry’s explosives. He is trying to prove the point that people will kill indiscriminately to save their own skins. As the...