The Northern Star Newsletter 11/22/19 - A New Dow Milestone
Message from Jon
Market Update:
Last week, we saw a late week rally perpetuated, from what I can tell, by the nearing of a trade war "phase 1" deal and also the fact that Fed Chair Powell's indication to hold rates in place for the time being.1,2
Hong Kong & the Impeachment hearings are continuing to dominate the newsfeeds while Brexit has yet to see much in the way of improvement.3,5,6 The VIX is at an April Low, according to Eric Kuby of North Star Investment Management, also indicating that investors are not impressed by concerns that the markets are overbought at present.4
Firm Update:
We concluded our Winter Gala on Saturday, and it was a hit once again! We entertained over 100 clients this year and feel grateful that they would share their Saturday evening with us. The Dessert table was a big hit, especially the cheesecake, while the Big Swing Band and Casino did not disappoint.
Clients were encouraged to bring a gift for donation, and they did not disappoint either, leaving behind an impressive amount that staff will be delivering before month's end. We are so grateful to have the clientele we have and never take that for granted!
Year-End Tips and Topics:
At the end of each year, we take a look at client plans and portfolios to see what needs to be considered and acted upon. This year is no different, although, with the Tax reform act, we have certainly had to do a double take in a few instances to be sure which path will be the most beneficial for clients to take.
The normal topics that get attention are 529 plan contributions, retirement plan contributions, tax harvesting, estate plan gifting, charitable gifting-to name but a few. Make sure you are not letting essential deadlines and planning topics go un-noticed in your plans either.
Till we speak again,
Jon
Sources:
- https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-11-15/trade-war-latest-kudlow-china-u-s-trade-war-deal-tariffs
- https://www.marketwatch.com/story/feds-powell-says-interest-rates-will-be-on-hold-absent-a-material-deterioration-in-economy-2019-11-13
- https://nsinvest.com/tkif-thank-kudlow-its-friday/
- https://www.barrons.com/articles/hong-kong-rising-tensions-us-investors-51573499489
- https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/impeachment-hearings-live-updates/2019/11/19/c5ea3bba-0a54-11ea-bd9d-c628fd48b3a0_story.html
- https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-50308647
A New Dow Milestone
WEEKLY UPDATE - NOVEMBER 18, 2019 |
The Week on Wall Street
Stock benchmarks were little changed for much of last week, but a rally occurred Friday after news broke that the U.S. and China could be closing in on the first phase of a new trade pact.
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