Category Archives: Current Events

Gaza, Ukraine and Your Investments

As the global economy becomes increasingly interconnected, it’s fair to wonder how major events in far away parts of the world may impact the markets at home – and your investments. This is an especially delicate question in light of …Read more

U.S. GDP, the Economic Recovery and Your Retirement Portfolio

Every quarter, the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) releases a revised Gross Domestic Product (GDP) figure for the previous three months. On July 30, the Commerce Department will release figures for the second quarter of 2014, which comprises the …Read more

Volatility Returns as Crisis in Ukraine Creates Uncertainty

Most investors have most likely never even heard of Ukraine prior to the last two weeks. Now the future of Ukraine and potential repercussions on other countries in the region appear to be at the forefront of investor minds across the globe. Overall, Ukraine is a relatively small country in Eastern Europe with a population of about 46 million people that borders the likes of Russia, Belarus, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania and Moldova. Not known for much outside of fertile farm grounds, Ukraine was thrust into worldwide headlines when it removed its President on February 22, largely in response to mass, ongoing but intensified anti-government protests in the country that left many dead or wounded. Russia decided to step in with its military to purportedly protect its citizens residing in Crimea (one of the regions of eastern Ukraine), but many fear that this action may be an attempt by Russia to potentially take control of the region entirely and the start of a more wide reaching military campaign.Read more

Will Santa Claus Come to Town in 2013?

The technical anomaly popularly called the “Santa Claus Rally” describes the abnormal positive returns the market experiences in the last month of the calendar year. Logic would suggest that the optimistic behavior of market participants due to the holidays, combined with higher sales during the busiest shopping season of the year, justify the movement in stock prices, but shouldn’t this seasonality be priced into the market already? After all, the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) is one of the world’s largest and most efficient markets with sophisticated, complex traders building events like the holiday shopping season into their respective models.Read more

Happy Thanksgiving!

From our family at Hennion & Walsh to yours, best wishes for a very happy and healthy Thanksgiving. As we move into the final month of 2013, if there is anything that we can do to assist with your year-end investment needs, please do not hesitate to contact us.Read more