From the Standing Desk of Brian Babbitt With Fall in the air, families are returning from summer vacations, school is starting and for many it’s time to dig back into work projects. Fall always seems to be a transition period as everyone settles back into a new routine. From a seasonal perspective, Fall has also […]

The Markets (as of market close August 31, 2021) The benchmark indexes enjoyed a solid August, with the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq reaching record highs multiple times during the month. In fact, the S&P 500 recorded its seventh straight monthly advance — its longest streak of monthly gains since January 2018. Each of the […]

The Markets (as of market close July 30, 2021) Stocks closed generally higher in July, despite a downturn at the end of the month. Second-quarter corporate earnings data was generally strong, although some megacap companies posted weaker-than-expected earnings results. Economic news was mostly favorable. The economy expanded at an annualized rate of 6.5%, 850,000 new […]

The Markets (second quarter through June 30, 2021) The second quarter began with stocks making solid gains in April. COVID vaccines became available to more Americans. The federal government and several states pushed forward with reopening after relaxing many of pandemic-related constraints. Economic data was favorable and encouraging. The first-quarter gross domestic product accelerated at […]

The Markets (as of market close May 28, 2021) Stocks were volatile in May, likely a reflection of strength in the U.S. economy as well as concerns about inflation and the timing of when the Federal Reserve might begin to taper its accommodative policies. Regarding inflation, members of the Federal Open Market Committee acknowledged that […]

The Markets (as of market close April 30, 2021) Stocks climbed higher in April on the heels of strong first-quarter corporate earnings reports and encouraging employment data. Vaccine distributions increased and several states relaxed COVID-related restrictions. More stimulus checks were given out, which encouraged consumer spending. The number of jobless claims decreased, while nearly 1,000,000 […]