Insights
January 2025 - Five Years & Counting
As we step into 2025, our approach remains balanced yet opportunistic, reflecting both the market’s elevated valuations and undeniable momentum. Cheers to a fantastic year ahead.
December 2024 - Animal Spirits
While markets have delivered extraordinary gains, history reminds us that emotions can turn quickly. The year 2022 is our most recent reminder of excessive optimism turning into anxiety very quickly.
October 2024 - Investing Through Election Season
Elections stir emotions—they always have, and they always will. But we urge you not to let short-term noise derail long-term plans
September 2024 - The Market Abides (For Now)
The market chaos in early August reminded me of past market selloffs. Even seasoned investors can get swept up in the anxiety of it all.
July& August 2024 - A Bullish Surge and Olympic Spirits
In true Phelpsian style, the stock markets have started 2024 with a powerful surge, albeit without much excitement or nail-biting moments.
Highland Peak Wealth Welcomes Santo Dimino as Wealth Director
With a commitment to providing top-tier investment management to the high-net-worth investor, Highland Peak Wealth continues to strengthen its industry-leading talent.
May 2024 - Walking the Dog
Well, during a recent walk during April's market sell-off, I couldn't help but reflect on an old Wall Street analogy—the dog and the dog walker. We hope that you enjoy.
April 2024 - Run Forrest, Run!
The S&P 500 led a robust start to 2024 with a 10.6% rise in Q1, part of a six-month growth streak, while bonds remain stuck amid slight interest rate hikes.
March 2024 - Unpacking February’s Fiesta
Despite this author's expectation of a market pause, markets continued to rally in February, bringing its year-to-date return to an impressive 7.11%.
February 2024 - Market Highs & Snowy Skies
An old adage resonates well with today’s market. It's challenging to reconcile the market's expectation of a rate cuts with an economy scaling new heights.
MassMutual Market Update: Year End 2023
If 2023 taught us anything, it is to expect the unexpected and that market and economic projections, especially over relatively short timeframes, are usually wrong. Cheers to a successful 2024.
January 2024 — Navigating Traffic and an Election Year
As we step into 2024, we recognize the ongoing market challenges. Yet, our role is not to avoid the storms but to navigate through them.
November 2023 - Mr. Market Revisited
Greetings as we approach the holiday season. With October frights in the rearview, where do we go from here? We reflect on last year’s bear market and the wisdom of Mr. Market, encouraging investors to stay the course.
The R Word
Talk of a recession has abated recently, yet economic headwinds remain, and consumers and businesses continue to feel the pinch of rising prices and rates. But is a minor recession cause for panic?
October 2023 - Keep Calm and Carry On
A subdued September isn't a cue to divest entirely or act impulsively, but rather a reminder to calm the nerves. Drawing a parallel to Phil Connors' world - think of it more as "climate" rather than day-to-day "weather".
July/August 2023 – Reflecting on 2023’s Unexpected Bullishness
This newsletter will spotlight the positives and concerns we see in the markets, shaping the outlook for the second half of 2023.
June 2023 - Debt Ceiling Relief & The Magnificent Seven
While resolving the debt ceiling issue was positive, our concerns remain intact. Despite this year's rally, providing relief from last year's downturn, we remain cautious about upcoming challenges.
May 2023 - Here Comes the Debt Ceiling
To avoid confusion, we wanted to clearly summarize our thoughts on the debt-ceiling debate. Like so many politically charged issues, the debt ceiling carries more emotion and uncertainty than usual.
MassMutual Market Update- First Quarter 2023
A systemic crisis looks to have been avoided for now, but we are prepared for more volatility in 2023 as the economy and markets continue to adjust to a more fragile backdrop.
April 2023 - Ripples
Ultimately, the full extent of the issues plaguing the banking system, including those faced by SVB and other similar institutions, is yet to be determined. Or, to put it another way, the ripples are still unsettled.