Edward Jones - Financial Advisor: Ashley Leightner

06/12/2023

At the brink of a bull market? This year's rally has been powered by AI enthusiasm and a resilient economy that has defied expectations for a slowdown in the face of higher interest rates. But central banks are taking notice. We offer our perspective on what makes this cycle unique and how it may play out in the second half of the year in our latest Weekly Market Wrap.

A summary of last week's market highlights and economic news.

06/05/2023

Last week closed the market's books on May and opened the curtain on the latest reading on the jobs market. The former was rather benign, with the S&P 500 logging a slight gain on the month. The latter, however, revealed more movement, with signs that employment conditions – while still quite healthy – are showing small signs of softening. In our latest Weekly Market Wrap, we offer three key takeaways from the latest jobs report and what they tell us about the potential path ahead for the economy and financial markets.

A summary of last week's market highlights and economic news.

05/30/2023

While stock markets were broadly lower this past week, one sector stood out in that it was up over 2.0% for the week: information technology. In fact, the technology sector is one of just three sectors in the S&P 500 index that is positive year-to-date, along with consumer discretionary and communication services. We offer thoughts on the future outlook and considerations for long-term investors in our latest Weekly Market Wrap.

A summary of last week's market highlights and economic news.

05/22/2023

With the growing prospects of an emerging slowdown, the fate of the economy will ultimately rest on the shoulders of the consumer. Those shoulders are quite broad, but not unrelenting, supporting our view that a recession this year is quite feasible, but would be mild. With a fresh batch of spending data released last week, this Weekly Market Wrap features our three key takeaways on the state of the consumer.

A summary of last week's market highlights and economic news.

05/15/2023

Last week investors received some encouraging news on inflation, which has been the number one concern over the past 18 months. But as inflation and Fed worries are starting to ease, debt ceiling concerns are poised to intensify. We offer our thoughts on the implications from the latest inflation reading and the debt ceiling standoff in our latest Weekly Market Wrap.

A summary of last week's market highlights and economic news.

05/08/2023

This past week, markets were faced with a triple whammy of data: A Federal Reserve interest rate hike, ongoing turmoil in the banking system and a key jobs report for April. After raising interest rates by over 5.0% in just over a year, the Fed may finally be considering a pause in its rate-hiking campaign.

But the long and variable lags of interest rate increases may already be impacting the real economy. Nonetheless, while market volatility remains likely after a nice rally to the start of the year, we do see opportunities forming in both stocks and bonds as the extended bear market period yields to a potential bull market phase by year-end. Learn more on why we think this in our latest Weekly Market Wrap.

A summary of last week's market highlights and economic news.

05/01/2023

The old market adage "sell in May and go away" may have a ring to it, but is it actually valid advice? Unsurprisingly, the answer is no. First, rhymes are not a reliable basis for portfolio decisions. And second, while vacation season is approaching, disciplined investing is a year-round event.

Although the saying relates to the (antiquated) notion that the stock market is weaker during the summer, we don't think seasonal portfolio changes are sensible. Nevertheless, as we turn the calendar to May, recent market moves and historical perspective are informative, offering some additional information on the outlook this year. Check out our latest Weekly Market Wrap.

A summary of last week's market highlights and economic news.

04/24/2023

Amid a flurry of corporate earnings releases and somewhat lackluster market activity last week, an important milestone went largely unnoticed. It was about six months ago that the S&P 500 dipped below 3600 (down 25% from its high), core inflation accelerated to a 40-year high at 6.6% and 10-year yields spiked to 4.25%.

Since then, markets have been climbing the proverbial wall of worry. We use the six-month milestone as an opportunity to reflect on what continues to support the rebound, what does not and share our thoughts on what the path ahead might look like in our Weekly Market Wrap.

A summary of last week's market highlights and economic news.

04/17/2023

Markets have been intensely focused on inflation over the past year, with the central bank policy response serving as the primary influence on stock and bond performance. So last week's release of the March inflation data offered a much-anticipated look at the latest trend in consumer prices, with markets breathing a small sigh of relief as the data signaled inflation remains on its gradual downward path.

In our latest Weekly Market Wrap, we evaluate the most recent inflation and consumer spending trends and share our take on the implications for interest rates and the economy ahead.

A summary of last week's market highlights and economic news.

04/10/2023

As we head into the second quarter of 2023, the strength in the market this year so far has been notable. The S&P 500 is up about 6.0%, while the investment-grade bond market is up a healthy 4.5%. Keep in mind, though, that recent gains in stocks were largely driven by valuation expansion, as price-to-earnings ratios climbed higher.

Despite these healthy market gains, the path forward in the near term may be challenging, especially as the economy weakens and potentially enters a mild recession. Nonetheless, for long-term investors, there may be opportunities forming in the months ahead, particularly as markets start to look past the economic slowdown toward a recovery period. Read more in our Weekly Market Wrap.

A summary of last week's market highlights and economic news.

04/04/2023

These are the next steps you could take with your 401(k). Give me a call, and let's discuss what strategy is best for you.

04/03/2023

Family conversations about finances are important to foster positive financial habits in kids. Fortunately, there tend to be lots of natural opportunities in life to discuss certain topics with your family. Take a look here for some age-appropriate ideas to work on building financial skills.

Learn about topics, strategies, and best practices for having family conversations about money. From Edward Jones and EVERFI