There is a very old, well known, Wall Street saying that goes something like this.
“The stock market will always climb a Wall of Worry!”
Oddly there are two themes that are conveyed in this saying.
- The obvious, a wall of worry creates enough doubt for capital markets to operate efficiently and rise
- The less obvious, when everything is clear and the sun is shining, sometimes it’s near the end of the expansionary times and happy capital markets.
As fast as this year went, our memories are still very clear on what capital markets look like just twelve months ago.
In chicken little like fashion the sky was falling, Capital Markets, and participants were throwing a giant hissy fit, and the federal reserve was cranking up interest rates to participants dismay.
With 2020 hindsight, a nice wall of worry was created.
With earnings being the ultimate driver of capital markets, a drop in earnings, a recession, or global slow down, would lead to the decline in capital markets but for now we certainly don’t have to worry about item two above in that old wall street saying.
Speaking of recessions, be sure to review the capital market article in our Q1 2020 Newsletter, concerning the lowering of rates while the inverted yield curve – a much talked about by us event, and somewhat disdained. As mentioned in the newsletter we ran across this information mid quarter, and certainly must acknowledge the history brought up by the speaker and his chart, which may avert a recession, at least for now
Also in the newsletter two, two -part personal financial planning articles, one dealing with inheritance and another dealing with automobiles that you may find interesting as these topics were repeated in our office throughout the final quarter of the year and made for a great subject.
Thank you for your time, thanks for reading our blog posts, newsletter and YouTube videos, we enjoyed bringing you all original, somewhat rough at times information as we see it through our eyes!
In Closing
Your Fourth Quarter summary is enclosed on the front page of this report we have included our most recent investment allocation from your Investment Policy Statement. This is also the time we attach our Private Policy Statement for the year along with our opportunity to offer our latest ADV filings; Requests for review will be accepted via phone, mail or email, and mailed immediately upon request.
Sincerely,
John A. Kvale CFA, CFP
Enclosure (2019 Report, Private Policy)
J.K. Financial, Inc.
PRIVACY POLICY NOTICE
Our Promise to You
As a client of J.K. Financial, Inc., you share both personal and financial information with us. Your privacy is important to us, and we are dedicated to safeguarding your personal and financial information.
Information Provided by Clients
In the normal course of doing business, we typically obtain the following non-public personal information about our clients:
- Personal information regarding our clients’ identity such as name, address and social security number;
- Information regarding securities transactions effected by us; and
- Client financial information such as net-worth, assets, income, bank account information and account balances.
How We Manage and Protect Your Personal Information
We do not sell information about current or former clients to third parties, nor is it our practice to disclose such information to third parties unless requested to do so by a client or client representative or, if necessary, in order to process a transaction, service an account or as permitted by law
In order to protect your personal information, we maintain physical, electronic and procedural safeguards to protect your personal information. Our Privacy Policy restricts the use of client information and requires that it be held in strict confidence.
Client Notifications
We are required by law to annually provide a notice describing our privacy policy. In addition, we will inform you promptly if there are changes to our policy.
Please do not hesitate to contact us with questions about this notice.
A True Yogi Berra saying may be fitting now – “It’s like déjà vu all over again!”
Tariffs and Trade War Talks Continue
While the tariff banter seems relentless and every day changing, leading to Capital Market bipolar movements, one day irrational exuberance, and the next day irrationally depressed, as mentioned in our Q4 Newsletter, tariff talk has been going on for decades. With today’s constant bombardment of immediate news stories and short clips it seems, present party included, to be constant and all encompassing. The reality is this likely will work itself out, just as seen in the graph in the newsletter. Our bet is once the tariff talk turns into tariff agreements, we will see market relief and higher overall interest rates. For now, there’s no doubt that the tariff talk is slowing the global economy and there is no envy for public company managers trying to navigate the possible changes that occur on a day by day basis, making it very tough to stock inventory and make purchases.
Treasury Rates- Interest rate cycle
Given the afore mentioned Tariff Talk, FOMC (Federal Open Market Committee) led by chief Jerome Powell and a company have embarked on a lowering of rates, twice to be exact, but only two .25 basis points each, in an attempt to help ease interest rate burdens and spur the economy. While not huge fans of the lowering of rates at this time due to gun powder needs at a future, when the inevitable recession occurs, at this time it appears we are on an interest rate decrease path, a complete 180° turn from just one year ago, when reserve officials were raising. If there is an agreement in Tariff talk, lowering of rates would likely stop, and we might even hear talks of raising, making for an interesting rate cycle. Time will tell.
Taxes or the savings of taxes paid
As we head into the final quarter of the year it’s time to make sure we’ve done all we can do for this years’ , especially items that have no look back features. As also mentioned in our Q4 newsletter, be sure to max those 401(k)s, contribute or distribute from 529‘s, complete Required Minimum Distributions (RMD’s) and make sure those charitable giving are complete this year, as all of these items have a hard stop year-end deadline.
Have a great day and start to fall!
Sincerely,
John A. Kvale CFA, CFP
Enclosure 2019 Report
32.862841
-96.808100
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Q 3 2021 Review – Let the Taper Begin, Interest Rates, Bumpy Season
Let the Taper Begin
In late 2018 the FOMC learned a valuable lesson that they are intent on not repeating. At their most recent FOMC meeting Jerome Powell, chair, made it very clear that the large monthly asset purchases, $120 billion to be exact, will begin to be tapered. Powell also made it very clear that the eventual raising of interest rates would not occur until the taper was complete unlike the events of 2018 in which the FOMC tapered and increased short-term interest rates at the same time, much to market participants dismay.
Bottom line if all goes well scheduled monthly asset purchases will be trimmed and eventually reach zero sometime next year.
Interest Rates
The most widely followed interest rate, the 10-year US treasury, after having a startling move earlier this year from under 1% to over 1.7% dropped back down to the low 1.2% during the most recent slowdown due to the variant.
Whether Powell’s comments, or the turning of the variant, interest rates have taken note and moved up smartly to over 1.5% beginning the normalization of higher interest rates which is very good long-term for the financial system
Kyle Bass Predictions
In our Q4 Newsletter we noted some very positive predictions from local financial mogul Kyle Bass, namely oil reaching $100 a barrel before the year end and continued Federal Reserve protection along with a push through to the end of the variant.
Hopefully all of these predictions come true.
The Worst of Times the Best of Times
September and October tend to be the most challenging months for Capital Markets mostly due to large institutions, think Fidelity as an example, closing their books on the year which make for more volatile times. So far, this theme seems to have played true.
The good news is notwithstanding our 2018 example from above, November and December tend to be some of the better months of the calendar.
As we head to the end of the year, we will be watching all of these and many other things very closely and will be communicating live on our blog at street-cents.
Sincerely,
John A. Kvale CFA, CFP
Founder J.K. Financial, Inc.
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Posted in Clients/Clients Only, Economy, FOMC, Interest Rates, Investing/Financial Planning, Market Comments, Performance Report Cover Letter
Tagged Cover Letter, Interest Rates, Kyle Bass, Seasonality