MarketView Chart of the Week, posted June 17, 2005
Standard deviation is a common risk measure for evaluating investment performance; the higher the standard deviation the greater the performance volatility. In February the difference between Growth and value, as measured by the Russell 1000 Growth Index and Russell 1000 Value Index respectively, fell outside three standard deviations.
MarketView Chart of the Week, posted June 10, 2005
The US dollar has steadily strengthened against the Euro since peaking at $1.36/Euro near year end 2004. The US dollar bounce-back (rise) helps US-based mutual funds but is not beneficial to foreign funds that are not tied to the US dollar.
Adjusting for fees, stable value funds, as measured by the IOMA Pooled Fund Average (a universe of pooled stable value funds), have had average yields higher than average money market fund yields between 1990 and 2005.
Have you ever wondered if there was an easy way to determine the number of years it would take to double your money assuming a set rate of return? Well, the answer lies in the Rule of 72.
There are two main ways to categorize mutual funds: by style (the average size and valuation of stocks held) and by objective (the investment goal of the fund). Both approaches have merit, and they often intertwine. Regardless of which one you favor, a proper diversification among different categories of funds provides protection against market fluctuations.
There are two main ways to categorize mutual funds: by style (the average size and valuation of stocks held) and by objective (the investment goal of the fund). Both approaches have merit, and they often intertwine. Regardless of which one you favor, a proper diversification among different categories of funds provides protection against market fluctuations.
The U.S. Treasury issues Treasury bills, notes, bonds, and Treasury Inflation Protected Securities (TIPS). When you buy one of these securities, you are lending your money to the U.S. government. An explanation of the differences may be in order.
MarketView Chart of the Week, posted April 29, 2005
Gross Domestic Product (GDP), the broadest barometer of the U.S. economy’ health, increased at an annual rate of 3.1 percent in the first quarter of 2005. Output for the period was primarily affected by rising energy prices and weakened consumer and business spending.
MarketView Chart of the Week, posted April 22, 2005
Russell and S&P/Barra are two of the most respected and well-known providers of market performance indices in the financial services industry. Typically, the trends they show in style performance are consistent over any given time horizon. However, for the first quarter of this year, value outperformed growth in all of the Russell indices, whereas growth outperformed value in all of the S&P/Barra indices.
MarketView Chart of the Week, posted April 15, 2005
With only a few hours remaining before the federal tax deadline, we thought it would be informative to remind everyone where our federal tax dollars are actually being spent. For the last fiscal year, 24% of our federal tax dollars were spent on Social Security, and Social Security encompassed more of our federal revenues than any major category of expenditure.
MarketView Chart of the Week, posted April 1, 2005
Over the past couple of years, the U.S. dollar has experienced a significant decline in value in relation to the Euro. In theory, the weak dollar should be helpful for U.S. businesses.
MarketView Chart of the Week, posted March 24, 2005
Import prices for February rose 0.8%, largely led by a 3.9% petroleum product price increase. Consumer good import prices, which exclude petroleum, rose by 0.2% for February and 1% over the last year. Imports account for roughly 15% of goods purchased in the U.S. A significant rise in price can have an affect on U.S. inflation and U.S. business profitability.
MarketView Chart of the Week, posted March 18, 2005
The Consumer Price Index (CPI), which measures the average change in prices paid by urban consumers for a fixed basket of goods and services, rose slightly in January at 0.1%. Overall, prices have increased by 3% over last year. Much of the increase was fueled by a 10.6% increase in energy.
MarketView Chart of the Week, posted March 4, 2005
The US debt is the direct result of annual budget deficits. As of September 30, 2004, the US debt stood at $7.7 trillion. Based on an estimated population of 295 million, every individual in the US would have to pay slightly more than $26,000 in order to pay off the national debt.
MarketView Chart of the Week, posted February 25, 2005
The message that the current level of gas prices is here to stay is beginning to sink in and consumers are making adjustments. Although per-gallon gas prices are now slightly below their highest level ever of just over $2.00 hit last year, they remain well below previous highs calculated in today’s dollars.
MarketView Chart of the Week, posted February 11, 2005
Bonds underperformed stocks in Q4 2004 while outperforming them in Q1 and Q3. These results continue to emphasize the value of holding a long-term, diversified portfolio when saving for retirement.
MarketView Chart of the Week, posted January 21, 2005
This chart, comparing small, mid and large cap stock performance in 2004, paints a picture of the activity experienced by the major equity markets throughout the year.
MarketView Chart of the Week, posted January 14, 2005
All S&P 500 index sectors were positive for 2004. Energy led the 1-year performance, while health care struggled to stay flat with increasing costs and controversial pharmaceutical news throughout the year.