Refine Search

Search Results

Results 101–107 of 107 found.

Amid Uncertainty, What is an Investor to Do?
by Chris Maxey and Ryan Davis of Fortigent, 5/29/12
Markets rebounded last week after a two-week slide. The S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 1.7% and 0.7%, respectively, in a choppy trading period. Discussion of a potential Greek exit from the Eurozone rattled investors, while economic data in the US was modestly positive.

Markets Fall on Negative Europe Sentiment
by Chris Maxey and Ryan Davis of Fortigent, 5/21/12
Worries over the European sovereign debt crisis worsened this week as Greeces political instability increased concern that the country could depart the Eurozone. Greece saw a virtual run on its banks during the week, as depositors withdrew 1.2 billion in two days on fears of massive devaluation from a return to the drachma. While this represented just 0.75% of Greek deposits, it foreshadows a potentially larger crisis if a Greek Eurozone departure becomes imminent.

Earnings Seasons Recap: Is Corporate Strength Fading?
by Chris Maxey and Ryan Davis of Fortigent, 5/15/12
Strength in the corporate sector since the recession ended has been well documented. In the face of general economic malaise, record profits have been achieved through aggressive cost-cutting and low financing costs. This phenomenon has been one of the major pillars propping up the markets (with the other being central bank policy). Now with Q1 earnings season all but over, it is not unreasonable to question whether that corporate strength is fading. Initial impressions of first quarter earnings season were very favorable after the first big wave of earnings releases.

Sentiment Readies for a Tumultuous Fall
by Chris Maxey and Ryan Davis of Fortigent, 5/8/12
Market sentiment has oscillated quite rapidly in recent months on the heels of dramatic market intervention by the ECB and shifting views of global economic stability. Sentiment is likely to remain unstable in the months ahead as investors grapple with any number of events, from elections in Europe and the US to the end of recent monetary easing efforts domestically. While markets have rallied substantially over the past six months, retail investors are maintaining a somewhat neutral view on their allocations.

China Experiencing Growing Pains
by Chris Maxey and Ryan Davis of Fortigent, 4/10/12
For most of the past two years, investors have been pre-occupied with the fiscal catastrophe in Europe and with good reason. However, the relative health of the worlds second largest economy arguably deserves more headline space. A year ago, Chinas stock market led the broader emerging markets down due to pervasive inflation concerns. Official figures reached as high as 6.5%, and some reports of pork and other food price inflation reached double-digit levels. Chinese authorities were forced to slow down the pace of their economy by raising bank reserve ratios and key lending rates.

Oil Prices, Mixed Data Slow Market Gains
by Chris Maxey and Ryan Davis of Fortigent, 2/28/12
The continued march higher in oil prices is filtering its way down to consumers in a less-than-favorable way. By the end of the week, the average price for a regular gallon of gas was $3.65, 30 cents higher than the price one year ago. Consumers are all too familiar with the taxing effect of higher gas prices, particularly given the extreme run up early last year. Interestingly, the number of Google searches for gas prices recently overtook those for Greece, suggesting that the domestic economic situation is trumping consumers concern about an overseas shock.

Germany's Stumble Threatens Appetite for Peripheral Support
by Ryan Davis of Fortigent, 8/23/11
Equity markets faced mostly negative economic data last week for both the US and abroad, putting a quick end to the market rebound that began the previous week. In Europe, Germanys GDP slowed markedly. The regions most powerful economy expanded by just 0.1% in Q2, the slowest since early 2009 and down considerably from 1.3% in the first quarter. It was also far lower than an expected 0.5%. This in turn weighed on Eurozone growth, which expanded just 0.2%. Slower growth than the tepid levels already anticipated puts further pressure on the deficit-plagued region.
Results 101–107 of 107 found.