Hiking the Whites

Imp Face looking over Pinkham Notch at the Presidential Range Content provided by Rusty Vanneman, CLS Chief Investment Officer Last weekend I traversed most of the Wildcat and Carter ridges in the New Hampshire White Mountains – in one day. Somehow, I convinced some good friends to join me.  It was the latest version of… Continue reading Hiking the Whites

Dovish FOMC Statement Gives Bond Market a Breather

Content provided by Josh Jenkins, CLS Research/Portfolio Analyst For the first time since March, the bond market was not sent into a tailspin upon the release of the FOMC meeting statement. After each statement released between the April and July FOMC meetings, the 10 year Treasury yield jumped at least 10 basis points over the… Continue reading Dovish FOMC Statement Gives Bond Market a Breather

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Is Mr. Market Still Relevant?

Content provided by Sierra Morris, CLS Research/Portfolio Analyst Mr. Market is an analogy that all Warren Buffet and Benjamin Graham scholars are familiar with. The analogy helps to explain the volatility of the market and why it is important to ignore the daily fluctuations and focus on a longer time horizon. The story goes that… Continue reading Is Mr. Market Still Relevant?

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ETF vs. Mutual Fund Costs Examined

Content provided by Kostya Etus, CLS Research/Portfolio Analyst The general notion that ETFs are more cost efficient because of on their expense ratios, is not always true. There are additional trading related costs that need to be considered, such as commissions and bid/ask spreads. There are actually various explicit and implicit costs associated with both… Continue reading ETF vs. Mutual Fund Costs Examined

Be Patient with Current Strategies

Content provided by Rui Wang, CLS Research/Portfolio Analyst Fund investors tend to chase top performers and abandon bottom ones. According to recent research done at CLS, this strategy is myopic and does not serve an investor’s best interest in the long term. Using Morningstar’s mutual fund database, we collected three years of rolling category return… Continue reading Be Patient with Current Strategies

In the Market for a New House?

Content provided by Paula Wieck, Manager of Investment Research Looking to buy a new house?  Holding off because mortgage rates have climbed over a staggering 1 percent since May? Are you checking mortgage rates daily – and cringing, feeling like you dropped the ball on a great buying opportunity? Here’s something to make you feel… Continue reading In the Market for a New House?

It’s All About the Quality, Baby

Content provided by Matt Santini, CLS Portfolio Manager Blind yield buying has come back to haunt those who have never bothered to peek. And, since investors are rarely alone and adhere to crowdsourcing, the impact that has rippled through the markets has impacted our sacred defensive sectors. Utilities, REITS, telecom, high yielding credit, and preferred… Continue reading It’s All About the Quality, Baby

Two Over-Rated Performance Numbers

Content provided by Rusty Vanneman, CLS Chief Investment Officer There are a few performance numbers that investors like to examine, which quite frankly, are over-rated in my opinion. The first is the year-to-date (YTD) return. While admittedly a YTD return may provide some valuable context behind a portfolio’s behavior, it’s easy to overemphasize YTD returns… Continue reading Two Over-Rated Performance Numbers