Best Business Conditions of the 21st Century

Economic Blog Posted by lplresearch Wednesday, April 7, 2021 The United States, and the rest of the world, are looking to emerge from the shadow of COVID-19, and business conditions may already have put the pandemic in the rear-view mirror—at least according to the monthly business surveys conducted by the Institute of Supply Management (ISM). The […]

April 7, 2021

Global Growth Expectations on the Rise

Economic Blog Posted by lplresearch Thursday, April 8, 2021 Before the pandemic we had begun to warm up to international stocks. Valuations relative to the U.S. markets had become increasingly attractive after a long stretch of outperformance by U.S. stocks compared with those in Europe and Japan. We had also anticipated that a weaker U.S. dollar […]

April 8, 2021

A Goldilocks First Quarter Has Bulls Smiling

Market Blog Posted by lplresearch Friday, April 9, 2021 Stocks have kicked off the year in a strong fashion, and history shows this may give reason to be optimistic for the rest of the year. After a solid—but certainly turbulent—year in 2020, the S&P 500 Index has continued to set new all-time highs in 2021, returning […]

April 9, 2021

Is there Seasonality in the Bond Market?

Market Blog Posted by lplresearch Tuesday, April 13, 2021 Growth and inflation expectations are widely known fundamental variables used in determining fair value for fixed income securities, but are there seasonal patterns that exist in the bond market that can help investors determine when to allocate to fixed income? It would appear so. Most investors are […]

April 13, 2021

Four Reasons The Future Looks Bright For The Bulls

Market Blog Posted by lplresearch “I look to the future because that’s where I’m going to spend the rest of my life.” George Burns The bull market continues, with the S&P 500 Index now up more than 10% in 2021. With stocks up more than 80% from the March 2020 lows, the reality is a well-deserved […]

April 14, 2021

LPL Market Signals: Earnings Season is Here

Market Blog Posted by lplresearch Wednesday, April 14, 2021 Stocks are back at all-time highs while the economy is quickly improving, now comes first-quarter earnings season. This week on the LPL Market Signals podcast, Chief Market Strategist Ryan Detrick and Equity Strategist Jeff Buchbinder discuss why another very solid earnings season is on the horizon. With […]

Sector Makeups Are Very Different Around the World

Markets Blog Posted by lplresearch Thursday, April 15, 2021 Is it time to add international stocks to portfolios? Valuations are attractive in Europe and Japan relative to the United States. The environment is favorable for the value style—and international markets are full of value stocks that should benefit from economic reopening. We expect the U.S. dollar […]

April 15, 2021

Stimulus Matters Pt. 2: Retail Sales Surge in March

Economic Blog Posted by lplresearch Thursday, April 15, 2021 It has been a volatile year in 2021 for the retail industry, but improving COVID-19 trends and fiscal stimulus have improved the outlook. Weather-related disruptions and a high January watermark led to a soft patch in February, but retail sales rebounded in a big fashion in March, […]

Valuations Matter in the Bond Market Too

Market Blog Posted by lplresearch Tuesday, April 20, 2021 “Price is what you pay; value is what you get.” – Legendary value investor Ben Graham. Valuations matter—at least in the long run. We believe it to be true in the equity markets and in the fixed income markets as well. What you pay for an asset […]

April 20, 2021

What Happens After The First Rate Hike?

Market Blog Posted by lplresearch Wednesday, April 21, 2021 “Don’t fight the Fed.” Old investment saying One of the popular questions we’ve received lately is what do stocks do after the first rate hike? Let’s be clear, we think the Federal Reserve Bank (Fed) will leave rates low until at least 2023, but what if we […]

April 21, 2021