“TOO HOT” OR “TOO COLD” DATA CAN STILL UNDERMINE OR END THIS RALLY
By John Lau July 31, 2023 – The stock market rallied to new 2023 highs last week on strong earnings and a largely as expected Fed decision before hot economic data saw volatility pick up into the weekend. Unlike the January-through-May advance in the S&P 500, the rally since June hasn’t been driven primarily by […]
Declining Inflation and Resilient Growth Push Stocks Higher in Q2
By John Lau July 5, 2023 – The second quarter of 2023 saw an acceleration of the tech sector outperformance witnessed in the first quarter, as “AI” enthusiasm drove several mega-cap tech stocks sharply higher. Those strong gains resulted in large rallies in the tech-focused Nasdaq and, to a lesser extent, the S&P 500 as […]
Debt Ceiling Update & Summer Catalyst Cheatsheet
By John Lau June 1, 2023 – President Biden and Speaker McCarthy agreed in principle to a two-year debt ceiling extension over the weekend, likely removing the risk of a debt ceiling breach. From a market standpoint, the news may cause a temporary knee-jerk rally, but I don’t think this will necessarily be a sustainable […]
Your Money Matter Video Series
By John Lau
What Happens If There’s No Debt Ceiling Deal?
By John Lau May 17, 2023 – The high-level meetings between Republican leaders and President Biden have so far yielded no real progress on the debt ceiling, and with just two weeks until the “X” date (the date at which the Treasury hits the debt ceiling) many people are asking questions about what might happen […]
How saving for retirement has changed in 2023
May 17, 2023 – Managing Director, and Principal John Lau CPA,CFP was featured in SFGate discussing ‘How saving for retirement has changed in 2023.’ Lau says this 529-to-IRA conversion provision is helpful to parents and children alike. “That is actually a pretty good idea and we’ve been promoting that to clients who have young children,” […]
What Can Break The S&P 500 Out of the Current Trading Range?
By John Lau May 1, 2023 – The S&P 500 has stayed broadly rangebound for most of 2023, trading between a low of 3,800-ish and a high of 4,200-ish.[1] For the market to break out of the current trading range, though, I believe real progress has to show up in the monthly jobs reports, CPI […]
Two-Sided Risk in Tomorrow’s Jobs Report
By John Lau April 6, 2023 – Sunday will be Easter. And Easter is a time to reflect on all the blessings in one’s life and to appreciate what one has. I am especially thankful for my family (Helen, Matt, and Jessica), for a great team at work, and for the partners I can collaborate […]
The S&P 500 Starts the Year with Gains Despite Continued Uncertainty
By John Lau April 3, 2023 – The S&P 500 ended the first quarter of 2023 with a solid gain as hopes for an economic “soft landing” and the Fed signaling that their historic rate hike campaign is coming to an end helped offset two rate increases and the biggest bank failures since the financial […]
Avoiding Retirement Withdrawal Taxes Can Be Tricky
March 27, 2023 – Managing Director, and Principal John Lau CPA,CFP was featured in Financial Advisor Magazine to discuss ‘Avoiding Retirement Withdrawal Taxes Can Be Tricky.’ “Other considerations include the sale of a residence in the former state, how much the taxpayer needs to withdraw from retirement accounts, life expectancy and the presence of children […]
Markets & Fed Moves
March 24, 2023 – Let’s talk about what’s going on in markets and the economy after the recent bank failures. Quick recap: Over the last few weeks, several banks have collapsed under the pressure of bad management, high interest rates, portfolio losses, and a run of depositor withdrawals. Since then, regulators, governments, and other major […]
What the Bank Failures Mean for Markets?
By John Lau March 14, 2023 – Over the weekend, three major U.S. banks failed, and the Fed announced a new lending facility to shore up the banking sector; investors are being painfully reminded of 2008 and are wondering 1) What’s happening? 2) What does it mean for them and their accounts? 3) Is this […]