Happy New Year 2019
(Good Riddance 2018) By Jon Aldrich Happy New Year 2019! Don’t let the door hit you in the behind 2018. Now I say that partially in jest, but also because 2018 seemed like a difficult year not only for me, but also for many of those that I know. I am also aware of many…
Read MoreLong December
By Jon Aldrich For investors this has sure been a long December. Thus, I couldn’t resist one of my favorite songs by the band, Counting Crows as the lead picture. As I write this, the S & P 500 is on track for its worst December since 1931 and is having another “off” day. You…
Read MoreWild World
by Jon Aldrich It was yet another wild week in the stock market. As Cat Stevens a.k.a. Yusuf Islam penned in his 1970 album “Tea for the Tillerman” it sure has been a Wild World in the stock market lately. On Tuesday the Dow dropped 799 points (Geez, couldn’t it have squeaked out another point to make…
Read MoreGobbled Up
By Jon Aldrich Just like the turkey at your Thanksgiving Dinner, any gains that the S & P 500 had for the year have been gobbled up by the ongoing market correction that has lingered throughout October and November. The volatility in the markets we have been expecting and are now experiencing after such a…
Read MoreWell, At Least October is Almost Over
By Jon Aldrich October can be a great month. Fall is in full swing, and the colors and smells of fall here in the Midwest make it a great time of year. It’s that time for the smell of burning leaves and cider donuts at the orchard. It’s the time for kids to jump in…
Read MoreTrick or Treat, October is here.
By Jon Aldrich I was working out at the gym today and while I was riding the stationary bike I had the privilege of watching the financial media on CNBS (a.k.a. CNBC) in full meltdown mode. (I took the above picture today while I was riding) Of course, they had the big alert in the…
Read MoreMario Mendoza and Financial “Experts”
By Jon Aldrich By all accounts, Mario Mendoza was a slick infielder who couldn’t hit a lick. His lifetime batting average was .215, which you don’t have to be a baseball aficionado to understand is not very good. He essentially recorded a successful base hit approximately 20% of the time, give or take. Heck, I…
Read More2nd Quarter Markets Summary
By Jon Aldrich Market volatility calmed down a bit in the 2nd quarter after a tumultuous 1st quarter that saw an end to the unprecedented calm of 2017. 2018 has been a return to normalcy for stocks after one of the calmest stretches for equities in history that was 2017. The economic cycle and the…
Read More2018 First Quarter Market Summary
By Jon Aldrich It has been a long time coming, but for the first time in nine calendar quarters, most of the major stock and bond indexes were down. So far we have only seen modest declines for the year but it does remind us that yes, markets can and do go down from time…
Read MoreBeware, The Ides of March
By Jon Aldrich The Death of Caesar (1798) by Vincenzo Camuccini We are probably all familiar with the famous quote “Beware the Ides of March” from Shakespeare’s tragedy of 1599 Julius Caesar . It was a warning that a soothsayer gives to the Roman Leader, Julius Caesar, to let him know that his life is in peril, and he…
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