Our portfolio and the stock market bounced back aggressively in the fourth quarter following the Chinese Yuan induced swoon during the third. We finished the full year in positive territory, substantially ahead of our comparative indices and peer group. While there has been much gnashing of teeth over the narrowness of the market’s gains this […]
It’s that time of year again. Time to take stock of the year that was and time to try pondering what 2016 could look like. Every now and then someone asks us how the stock market will do next year. Sometimes, they aren’t asking for a range but an actual number, and I suspect an […]
The financial markets have worn many masks this year. Like a ping pong ball, wide and powerful swings from Fed pronouncements, movements in the dollar, and the price of oil have contributed to violent and swift changes in mood. Perception and reality are almost entirely a function of macroeconomic news, but for the very brief […]
We had put the finishing touches on a market update celebrating our first ten years in business, but were rudely interrupted by the first violence in the markets we’ve seen in nearly a year. Yes, a year. We don’t want to minimize the severity or swiftness with which many stocks have been hit in the […]
The Broadleaf Growth Equity Portfolio (BGEP) enjoyed another nice gain in the second quarter, both on an absolute basis and relative to the S&P 500. Performance gains were relatively broad based, both at the sector and individual security levels. Technology and consumer discretionary related holdings were particular sources of strength during the quarter. Over the […]
We’re getting towards the end of earnings season, which provides a little breathing room to make a few comments on the overall market. The action has been choppy since the beginning of April, with a host of “firsts” leaving the typical investor more confused about the next move than necessarily concerned. As we mentioned in […]
The Broadleaf Growth Equity Portfolio gained a solid 2.6% during the fourth quarter, bringing its full year return to 11.8%. While lagging the overall market’s return for the year, our results on a one, three and five year basis remain in the top half of our peer group and are in solidly positive territory. Our […]
It’s been a good year. The U.S. stock market has done well, gas prices are down at the pump, and the job market continues to improve. CEO confidence has returned, with merger and acquisition related activity finally joining stock buybacks and dividend increases as worthy uses of shareholder capital. The local builder is putting the […]
The U.S. markets enjoyed a strong open today but have experienced a slow bleed off the early morning highs. News of rate cuts in China and more serious discussion of quantitative easing (QE) as a policy tool in Europe have given a market leading bid to energy, materials, and industrial stocks today, leadership these sectors […]
For those that may not have noticed, stock market volatility has been on the rise in October, with more up and down 1-2% days and powerful intraday moves than we’ve seen since the Great Recession. Weak overseas economies, fears over what rapid declines in energy prices could mean, and Ebola are just a few of […]