Rockbridge Institutional – June 2024 Market Review

Market Review Stocks Returns of stock market indices over the last quarter were mixed. The S&P 500 Index was up above 4%.  Stocks traded in Emerging Markets also turned in a good quarter, MSCI Index was up 5%. Domestic small cap stocks (Russell 2000 Index), on the other hand, were up over 3%. Stocks traded in […]

Rockbridge Institutional – May 2024 Market Review

Rockbridge Institutional - May 2024 Market Review

Uncertainty Today Markets continue to be bullish on the future of AI. Nvidia, considered by some analysts to be a bellwether for the industry, turned in another blockbuster quarter with earnings up 21% and revenues up 18% over the previous quarter. It returned an eye-popping 295% over the past year. Yet, while profound, AI’s future […]

Rockbridge Institutional – April 2024 Market Review

Inflation Redux Renewed uncertainty about the future path of inflation is driving both stock and bond markets. After peaking at about 9% in March 2022, inflation as measured by the trailing 12 months, change in the Consumer Price Index (CPI), had been falling steadily to 2.4% in September 2023. However, since then it has been […]

Rockbridge Institutional – March 2024 Market Review

Nvidia: A Bubble or Rational Exuberance Clearly, the stock market is positive on the future of Artificial Intelligence (AI). The trajectory of Nvidia, a company engaged in the production of products for the industry, is especially a case in point. Its stock price has nearly doubled since the first of the year – up 220% […]

TIAA Traditional – Interest Rate Renewals

Many clients have employer sponsored plans with TIAA-CREF which offers various investment options including TIAA Traditional, its flagship fixed annuity product. This type of financial product guarantees a minimum rate of interest while you save, and if you annuitize your retirement plan, it provides a minimum monthly amount of income during retirement like Social Security […]

Rockbridge Institutional – February 2024 Market Review

The Path of Future Interest Rates The future path of interest rates is high on the list of what worries markets today. We can gain some insight by anticipating the Fed’s response to changes in the economic landscape and by looking at the pattern of yields on bonds across various maturities. The Fed has the […]

Rockbridge Institutional – January 2024 Market Review

The Price Earnings (P/E) Ratio The P/E ratio is used by analysts to establish a company’s expected value. Multiplying either reported or projected earnings by this ratio gives an indication of this value. It provides a perspective on current stock prices. The PE ratio is the price per share divided by earnings per share. It […]

Cash Management In A Declining Interest Rate Environment

Over the last two years, interest rates have risen at a historic clip. As a result, Rockbridge has dedicated moretime helping clients manage cash reserves to take advantage of the current market environment. In previous years, “high yield” savings accounts were (and some still are) paying less than 1%. Now, it is easy to find […]

Market Indifference: How Presidential Elections Impact Your Portfolio

red and blue building illustration

With the 2024 presidential election coming up, many investors wonder how the outcome could affect their investment portfolios. Historically, there has been a perception that Republican presidents are better for the stock market, while Democratic presidents are better for the bond market. However, statistics shows that the market responds indifferently to which party wins the […]

Rockbridge Institutional – December 2023 Market Review

Year in Review After plenty of ups and downs throughout the year, financial markets turned in reasonable results in 2023 – a globally diversified stock portfolio was up 16%, a reasonable proxy for bonds (Barclays Aggregated Bond Index) returned 6%. News on several fronts helps to explain this year’s results: Interest Rates, Inflation and Prospects […]