Category: Market Commentary

Three events in financial markets have received significant media attention in the last week: a potential Greece exit from the Eurozone, a potential default by Puerto Rico on its bond holdings, and the significant decline (after a rapid advance) in China’s equity markets.  The Coldstream Investment Strategy Group thought it important to cut through the [...]

I recently read a NY Times Magazine article by Clay Tarver, detailing the remarkable story of Jason Everman. Everman had the incredible distinction of being kicked out of both Nirvana and Soundgarden prior to their explosive success in the 1990s. He later, as he put it “decided to do the most un-cool thing, join the [...]

The end of 2014 brought yet again an increase in market volatility, angst surrounding global economic growth, and continued unease about the longer term central bank strategies and actions. Several key points are worth highlighting: Volatility in the stock market has picked up in the past few months. Concerns about global economic growth, the health [...]

With a back drop of an increasingly solid economic landscape in the US, deflation fears in Europe, and geopolitical uncertainty in the Middle East, Ukraine and Hong Kong, it is not surprising that the third quarter was tumultuous. European equity markets, responding to slowing growth, were weak across the board. In the United States, the [...]

[...]

September started out great and ended with a whimper. The market as measured by the S&P 500 reached an all-time high two weeks ago when the S&P closed at 2011. Subsequently we have corrected 4% on an intra-day basis. Most pundits have been calling for a correction for months and the majority are looking for [...]

As you may have heard, Bill Gross left PIMCO today for Janus Capital. Mr. Gross founded PIMCO; the firm was subsequently bought by Allianz. Apparently, Mr. Gross was forced out. He was the manager of PIMCO’s flagship Total Return Fund, which has underperformed its peers recently, but has a long and excellent track record. Currently, [...]

The first half of 2014 turned out to be positive almost everywhere you looked in the financial markets. After posting a stellar 2013, the bull market and asset inflation have continued. While back to back large double digit annual returns from stocks do not happen often, it is normal to see a positive return in [...]

“As a newsman, I want to salute whoever came up with the term ‘polar vortex,’. It is terrifying but still sounds all science-y. A lesser meteorologist could have overreached with ‘arctic coldnado’ – Stephen Colbert 1/06/14 Hyperbole aside, while the polar vortex of freezing temperatures may have frozen most of the US, it had only [...]