News and Updates

Explore our blog for financial planning tips and the latest Riverbend Planning Group news.

3rd Quarter 2023

The 3rd Quarter began with equity markets near their highs for the year, led by the so- called Magnificent 7.  This consisted of Apple, Amazon, Alphabet, Facebook, Microsoft, Nvidia and Tesla.  These stocks made up a majority of the gains…

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First Half 2023

I would like to recap the first half of 2023 for the US markets. It was a challenging period marked by Federal Reserve rate hikes, banking stress and inflation concerns. However, the markets rebounded strongly from last year’s losses, especially…

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1st Quarter 2023

The first quarter of 2023 was a volatile but rewarding period for equity markets, as investors balanced the risks of rising inflation, banking turmoil, and slowing global growth with the opportunities of lower interest rates, resilient earnings, and technological innovation….

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Unintended Consequences 3/23

Over 12 months ago, the Federal Reserve embarked on one of the most aggressive tightening programs that the US economy has experienced in over 40 years.  In order to combat rampant inflation that was seeping thru the system, they began…

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Fall 2022

A gloomy Year 11/22 At the end of the 3rd quarter 2022 the gloom in the markets continued. Year to date, the S&P 500 was down 28%, the Nasdaq Composite was down 32%, the MSCI ex US (proxy for foreign…

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Summer 2022

The Wall Street Journal summed up the first six months of the year with a simple but telling headline: S&P 500 Posts Worst First Half of Year Since 1970. Morningstar said the Dow’s performance was the worst since 1962.  In…

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The Fed Moves and What It Means

5/2022 Welcome to 2022.  Since the beginning of the year, the market has experienced more than its share of turbulence. As of the end of April, since it’s high, the S&P 500 was down 13%, the NASDAQ was down 21%,…

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2022

Happy New year to one and all.  2022 has started off with an increase in volatility as market participants reprice financial assets.  There is concern over an acceleration in the Federal Reserve increasing interest rates, an increase fear of a…

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Fall 2021

The market’s summer doldrums have been characterized by low volatility, reduced trading volume and tight trading ranges for the markets. This has been shaken by recent market action. The market has turned cautious due to bearish seasonality, fears of Federal…

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November 2020

Election 2020 For the nation, 2020 has been one of the most difficult years in memory. We are grappling with Covid19 virus and its fallout, economic upheaval, racial tensions, wildfires, hurricanes, a presidential election, and a polarized electorate. Despite this…

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