When markets are unpredictable, inflation is persistent, and interest rate policy keeps shifting, it’s natural to feel uneasy about the future of your retirement plan. This uncertainty raises real questions for high-net-worth individuals in Connecticut relying on consistent investment performance. Is your current portfolio strategy built to adapt? Or has it been slow to respond when conditions change? Passive investing, often known as “set it and forget it,” has become a popular approach. However, in today’s environment, many investors wonder […]
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FYI, the annual Medicare enrollment period is now open through December 7th. Friday was the fourth Friday of October if I read my calendar properly. Very strong seasonal tailwinds begin today with the stock market already at all-time highs. Additionally, this is the last week of October where more strong seasonal tailwinds begin. I had thought the big down day with the long red candle a few weeks ago would not be the lowest low, meaning that I saw more […]
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So much non-market moving news that folks seem to fixate on. I guess we’re back to chirping about tariffs which you already know how much I oppose them. However, at the same time, I have also stated that contrary to many economists and academics I did not believe they would cause recession, befall the markets nor have a major impact on prices. There is ad that went viral with video or quoting Ronald Reagan that supposedly said tariffs hurt America […]
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The Federal Reserve’s decisions don’t just make headlines; they ripple across portfolios, especially for high-net-worth individuals. In particular, interest rate cuts can shift the entire dynamic of how investments behave and how long wealth lasts in retirement. Rate cuts can impact everything from bond income and real estate performance to equity market volatility and inflation pressure. And if your wealth strategy was built around the assumptions of a high-rate environment, now is the time to revisit it. At Heritage Capital, […]
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Last week I wrote about gold, silver, rare earths and quantum computing sectors showing classic signs of greed and euphoria. Recall the man on the train to NYC who told me to “buy gold” and “those AI stocks”. Then I had a friend advise me to load up on silver. This friend had never offered me investment advice. Of course, the gold commercials are back. And the pundits on TV have revised history about buying gold 50-75% lower than current […]
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During the 2.8% plunge two Friday’s ago, I stated that the data suggested bullish implications over the ensuing five and ten days. Although I heard the media discuss the volatility and difficulty of last week, the markets were up and they look higher in the pre-market. As I always say, check the narratives and spin at the door. Use non-emotional data for decisions and analysis. Seasonal headwinds start to lighten up at the end of the week and the indices […]
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I have been discussing a 2-5% pullback for a few weeks, certainly not knowing why the market would pull back, only that it was set up. We now know the culprit, private credit and regional banks. For months, the alternative asset managers have been falling and hit with the ugly stick. Ares, KKR, Blackstone and Blue Owl are among the major ones. I had no idea why other than thinking there was an interest rate dislocation somewhere. That assumption was […]
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Volatility has certainly increased. From less than 15 to over 22. That’s almost 50% in short order. Stocks are int he midst of the mild pullback I have written about. 2-5% is the range on the downside. Weakness remains buyable. You know where money is going on an index level? The same place I have written about for six months, small caps. Below is a chart showing the small caps relative to the large caps. When the link goes up, […]
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Friday was an ugly day for risk assets as most saw their largest one day plunges since the tariff tantrum period in April. A pullback has been for a while. 80%+ of the volume was in stocks that declined. What rallied the most was hit the hardest. The QQQ which tracks the NASDAQ 100 saw a volume spike to almost 100 million shares as early, all-time high celebrations reversed when Donald Trump tweeted about hitting China with “massive tariffs”. Whether […]
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Yesterday, I took the train to NYC for my Fox Business segment. As I normally do, I opened my laptop and got to work. While many know me as a serial socializer in life, I am laser focused on work when I travel. So I am working away and the man next to me leans over and says, “buy gold”. And then he adds, “and the AI stuff too”. Now, I don’t know much, but I do know that no […]
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Not much new since Monday, just more talk about an AI bubble which continues to be nonsense. I do enjoy reading the tweets and emails about how wrong I am, warning me of impending doom. Same folks who warned me about recession in early April and back in 2022 and 2023 because of inflation. These folks have become excellent contrary indicators. The markets are stretched. 100%. They have grinded and crept higher since mid-April without more than a mild pullback. […]
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Artificial intelligence is no longer a concept on the horizon; it’s already influencing how companies operate, investments are evaluated, and wealth is managed. Suppose you’re an affluent investor in Connecticut, especially if you’re planning your retirement or have already retired. In that case, AI presents opportunities to grow wealth and risks that could erode it if left unaddressed. The real challenge isn’t reacting to every new headline about AI-driven stock rallies or market volatility. It’s ensuring your retirement plan and […]
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The news of the day is the OpenAI/AMD deal which is similar to the Nvidia/Intel deal. Both are excellent deals on the surface and win wins. The markets seems to be happy as AMD stock is soaring as is the NASDAQ 100 in pre-market. I am sure there will be more cries that this is the Dotcom Bubble all over again. It’s not. That’s only from lazy, ignorant pundits who don’t do their homework. If I had a nickel for […]
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I am always thankful to the markets gods when I am out of pocket and not much happens, like yesterday and last week with the Jewish holidays. For those who observed, I hope you had an easy and meaningful fast. I made up for the 24 hours of lost time with bagels, lox, cream cheese, ruglah, mimosa, homemade mac n cheese and marble cake. No wonder I had trouble falling asleep. As you know I have been writing about the […]
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Q4 is here. I always feel like Q3 flies by because it’s summer and the weather is warm. Of course, Q1 crawls by with winter and low daylight. Anyway, we have a number of studies that are relevant to year-end. Let’s start with October. We know that October is one of the few months that performs better when it begins in an downtrend, unlike the present. When the month starts in an uptrend, it shows a slight loss. Getting more […]
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When rates rise, some retirees breathe easier knowing their bonds might pay more. Others worry that their stock portfolio could take a hit. And when rates fall? The script flips. If you’ve built up $500K or more in investable assets, you’ve probably felt that tension firsthand. The goal isn’t to guess what the Fed will do next; it’s to position your retirement plan to stay strong no matter what happens. Our article, “From Bonds to Stocks: How Interest Rates Affect […]
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Such an amazing weekend for sports enthusiasts. Yankees and Blue Jays battled down to the wire. Two of the best college football games between GA and AL as well as Penn State and Oregon. Cowboys and Packers play no defense in a 40-40 tie. And of course, the biennial Ryder Cup which I had planned my whole Friday through Sunday around for the past year. Having played golf for 52 years and in hundreds of tournaments, the armchair golfer in […]
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On Monday I wrote that this week was the weakest week of the weakest month of the year. Contrary to what we heard from the media and pundits at the end of August about September, I thought this seasonal trend had a good chance to play out because few people were discussing it. Furthermore, I read an additional study which I wasn’t able to verify until today that showed this and next week being down 90%+ of the time. Again, […]
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Remember in late August when the media made a huge deal about the bearishness of September? Yeah. Neither do they. I actually met with someone who first wanted to sell everything he had because he knew it was going to be bad. And then he decided not to invest with us because I wasn’t giving the media’s story any credibility. But I did the research and homework to give you the facts and details. And if you’re keeping score at […]
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On Wednesday Jay Powell and the FOMC what everyone expected them to do. They cut rates by 1/4% and indicated that more rates reductions were coming. Stocks sold off and then came back. The potential set up for downside did not materialize because there wasn’t a strong upside reaction post-2pm. While the S&P 500 and NASDAQ 100 didn’t do much over the past two days, my favorite index, the Russell 2000, certainly did. On Fed day, the small caps rallied […]
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