Investing with Insight
At Appleton, we value active engagement and interaction with financial advisors and clients. Investing with insight helps us meet client objectives. And by sharing our economic and market perspectives, we foster deeper relationships. Here’s what we’re talking about this month.
Review and Outlook
Economic and Market Commentary
"A common refrain when discussing the Federal Reserve’s ongoing fight to quell inflation is “the last mile is the hardest.” On one hand, progress so far has come faster than many had anticipated, with both headline and core inflation falling below 4% before the end of 2023. This was largely due to volatile non-core food and energy prices, however, and core goods, where supply chain normalization has allowed transitory-after-all price pressures to quickly fade..."
"After months of discussions about how deeply the FOMC would cut rates in 2024, nothing speaks to the rapid shift in market sentiment better than the number of questions we’ve fielded recently about why the Fed should cut rates at all this year..."
Quarterly Perspectives
Q2
"News cycles and market sentiment shifts have become increasingly rapid in today’s fast paced media environment. Depending on where one turns for insight (or opinion as the case may be), recommendations are likely to widely vary, if not conflict..."
Q1
"Many years in the equity markets are characterized by a prevailing theme or development, at times something dramatic such as the dot com frenzy of 1999 or the subprime mortgage meltdown of 2007 and 2008 that launched the Great Financial Crisis..."
Q4
"The recent passing of legendary investor Charlie Munger has prompted many prominent investors to publicly reflect upon his wisdom. The human element was often central to Munger’s insights concerning investment decision-making, and he was a pioneer in the field of behavioral finance."
The Case for 2024 Rate Cuts: Growth Is No Reason Not to Cut