Content provided by Scott Kubie, CFA, CLS Chief Strategist I’ve never been to Europe, although I hope to go soon. When I hear people talk about traveling in Europe, they always break it down by country because there is too much history and culture to take in during a single trip. When I visit, my… Continue reading Where Are You Going in Europe?
Category: Investment Methodology
Emotional Volatility
Content provided by Grant Engelbart, CFA, CLS Portfolio Manager My father recently asked me about an email he received promoting a “special newsletter.” You know the kind – “The Dow Will Plummet to 6,000! – subscribe now and save yourself!” These type of doomsayers have always been around, except they become particularly loud at points… Continue reading Emotional Volatility
A Cowboy in Finance
Content provided by Robyn Murray, Freelance Writer At age 23, Rusty Vanneman left a well-paid position in Boston to work on a cattle ranch. In the small, Nebraska Sand Hills town of Valentine (population 2,737), Vanneman ditched his suit to don his boots—trekking through the sand and prairie grass to brand cattle and make haystacks.… Continue reading A Cowboy in Finance
Bulls, Bonds, and Free Lunches
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… Continue reading Bulls, Bonds, and Free Lunches
The Value of International Investing
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… Continue reading The Value of International Investing
Advisor Insight: Timothy Benner, The Comprehensive Financial Group
Fixed Income Options
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.… Continue reading Fixed Income Options
Mid Caps vs. Large and Small Caps
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… Continue reading Mid Caps vs. Large and Small Caps
Value Investing Works – But It’s Hard For a Variety of Reasons
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… Continue reading Value Investing Works – But It’s Hard For a Variety of Reasons
Why is there a short position in my portfolio?
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… Continue reading Why is there a short position in my portfolio?