CLS Blog
Bulls, Bonds, and Free Lunches
February 13, 2015
Content provided by Josh Jenkins Q: About a year ago, analysts predicted the bull market in bonds was over. But today, CLS says it is still intact. What changed? Going into 2014, I think the expectations on Wall Street were definitely for an increase in interest rates moving forward. During 2013, when the Fed began…
Are U.S. Equities Overvalued?
February 11, 2015
Content provided by Kostya Etus, CLS Associate Portfolio Manager The word “overvalued” has been thrown around a lot lately, specifically when referring to the U.S. stock market. But, this kind of classification needs to be put into perspective and backed up with data. The idea of elevated valuations is that they tend to lead to…
The Value of International Investing
February 5, 2015
Content provided by J.J. Schenkelberg Lately, we have been talking a lot about the attractive relative valuation of international stocks versus the S&P 500. We can see it in the earnings numbers and valuation reports. But, I don’t think anything really brings to light the relative opportunity with international stocks like the charts below. Pictures…
The Cost of a Five Finger Christmas
December 24, 2014
Content Provided by Michele Prell, CLS New Business Manager In the last couple weeks of Christmas shopping, my husband and I decided we were going to get our son a LeapPad 3 tablet this year. We went to two stores, and both of them were sold out of the green ones, which left only the pink….
Fixed Income Options
December 22, 2014
Content provided by Marc Pfeffer, CLS Senior Portfolio Manager One of the biggest surprises of the past year has to be the DECLINE of long-term interest rates around the world. While economic growth has been subpar in most countries, after a mostly weather-induced slowdown to start the year, growth in the U.S. has been solid….
Mid Caps vs. Large and Small Caps
December 16, 2014
Content provided by Scott Kubie, CLS Chief Strategist Small cap U.S. stocks have failed to keep pace with their large cap counterparts this year, by a wide margin. Through November 21, the Russell 2000 was up only 1.9%, while Russell’s large cap index, the Russell 200, was up 13.3%. The surprise this year has been…
Minimizing Your Losses
November 18, 2014
Content provided by Joe Porter, CLS Investment Performance Analyst Percy Harvin signed with the Seahawks in the summer of 2013 for $67M over six years. I was excited, because when Harvin is healthy, he is one of the top wide receivers out there. With Harvin’s help, my dream of a Super Bowl Championship could become…
Value Investing Works – But It’s Hard For a Variety of Reasons
November 13, 2014
Content provided by Rusty Vanneman, CLS Chief Investment Officer Why does value investing work? Simply put, the expected return for any investment is determined by the price you pay. For example, a great company could still be a bad investment if the price paid is too high. Conversely, a sub-par company could be a good investment…
Why is there a short position in my portfolio?
November 10, 2014
Content provided by J.J. Schenkelberg ProShares Short S&P 500 ETF (SH) is a position we use in portfolios in order to obtain a targeted risk score with a diversified approach to the overall allocation. The year-to-date position has negative performance, but SH should not be looked at individually, it should be reviewed in the context of…