Last week the Federal Reserve met and decided to raise short-term interest rates by 25 basis points. This move was expected. We now know that rates will continue to rise incrementally at a higher rate than was initially expected. While this may have a negative impact on bonds in the short-term, higher rates over time allows for reinvestment at those higher rates and better returns.
For years it has been assumed that you have to be either an active or passive investor. It is also assumed (depending on which camp you’re in) that one is better than the other. In my opinion, the argument over active vs passive management can be put squarely to bed--And the answer to which investing strategy I use is...Both. This is called factor based investing and it is a strategy used by a company whose funds I use a great deal---Dimensional Fund Advisors (DFA).
We now know that Donald Trump has won the presidency and whether you voted for him or not, this broken system has been passed down to him and it is therefore, on him to make moves to fix it. The rising national debt has been a problem for a long time, and the lack of attention it is paid is why we are where we are today. “There is still time to solve this problem. But our next president needs to show leadership in the first months”i no matter how unpopular it is.
Global equity markets declined in October with a ‐1.89% aggregate return. Emerging markets (+0.12%) outperformed Developed (ex US) markets (‐2.05%) and US markets (‐2.20%).
In the US, large cap (‐1.64%) outperformed mid cap (‐2.86%) and small cap (‐4.83%). Among price‐to‐book asset classes, value (‐1.02%) beat growth (‐2.60%) and neutral (‐2.89%). Financials (+1.67%) posted the largest return and made the largest contribution. Health Care (‐7.26%) fell the most and was the largest detractor for the month.
The saying “time heals all wounds” doesn’t tend to apply when we look at investor fears regarding political shifts. It seems no matter how much time passes, investors have a concern that something horrible might happen to the markets and the economy every time there is big political news.
