Financial Friday originated as a weekly update in March of 2020 during turbulent times and has evolved into more. On the first Friday of each month, Bridgeworth Partner and Chief Investment Strategist Zach Ivey, CFA, CFP® provides a breakdown of market activity, including investment concept summaries and terminology.
The market ended January on a strong note, with the S&P 500 posting its best return in four years. Stocks and bonds of various types have continued good performance this week amidst mixed economic news that included the Fed raising rates another 0.25% and a slowing economic picture in the US. While the rate hike this week was highly anticipated and expected, markets were listening closely to any hint that the Fed may stop its assault on inflation, but the rhetoric by the Fed stayed tough. Many key inflation indicators do show promising signs, but the tight labor market, which is a positive economic sign, worry the Fed that inflation might not come down fast enough. In this edition of Financial Friday, Zach Ivey, CFA, discusses the “secret” stock rally that has been underway for the past four months and why diversification is the best strategy for handling market uncertainty. Bridgeworth constructs robust, diversified portfolios not because of what we know will happen but because we don’t know what will happen in the short-run. We remain steadfast in our belief that a patient and disciplined investor will be rewarded over time.
As Chief Investment Strategist, Zach is responsible for leading the firm’s investment committee, which conducts research and manages more than $2 billion of assets for our clients. Frequently quoted and featured in local and national business publications, Zach’s guiding principles and leadership support Bridgeworth and our clients to stay abreast of the latest in the investment world.
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