As 2017 closed, it has become clear that the "animal spirits" that guide the markets can shake off natural disasters, populist uprisings, a nuclear threat, and an ongoing stream of fodder for what once would have been Presidential scandals, but now pass for business as usual in the Trump Administration...

Threats of a nuclear conflict between the U.S. and North Korea, increased tensions between right and left here at home, a stalled Trump Administration agenda, and a spate of major hurricanes would in a typical environment likely lend to a pullback in risk assets and a flight to quality.

The first half of 2017 has been marked by a sharp divide between the actions and outcomes in the U.S. markets, and the tone and tenor of...

The first half or 2017 raced by, and the year has been a stellar one for investors. U.S. stocks were up =9% and international stocks even more. A more important consideration: What should we expect for the final six months of the year?

Questions about the U.S. administrations ties to Russia, challenges around the fate of the Affordable Care Act, a patch of softness in the U.S. economic data, and an uptick in volatility in market-leading technology names was still not enough to upset a sustained rally in the U.S. equity markets...

With three interest rate hikes expected for this year, it was not surprising that the Federal Open Market Committee voted to raise rates in its June meeting. More uncertain, however, are the expectations for additional hikes later this year and into 2018. The Fed...

When investors consider asset allocation and diversification, there are typically a number of decisions that are made in order to create an appropriate portfolio. The first and most important decision...

With the failure of Congressional Republicans to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, tax reform is now thrust to the front of the line as the White House and Congressional Republicans look for their first major legislative policy win.

First quarter economic and investment results are in and they are overwhelmingly positive. So why the long faces? For many, it is the dysfunction in Washington D.C. and the fear that the other shoe is about to drop. If you are familiar with the work of Kahneman and Tversky (I recommend Michael Lewis’ The Undoing Project if not), you know that investors are not always rational in their decision-making. We look for narratives that explain past events and give us insights into future events. We look for confirmation of our biases. For many, it is illogical that the stock market is...

In the first quarter, U.S. equity markets continued the momentum from the close of 2016. Economic data remained steady, providing a foundation for greater asset gains even without progress on stimulative fiscal policy. Large cap stocks, as represented by the S&P 500 Index, outperformed small and mid cap counterparts in the quarter, perhaps a result of modest profit taking in the smaller end of the capitalization range following a strong end to 2016. Growth stocks, too, remain leaders over value stocks...