The Latest News From Oak Street Investments
In my 3rd quarter newsletter for 2022, I mentioned that models from Bloomberg Economics put the odds of a recession within one year at nearly 100%. I’m not much of a gambler, but I believe those are good odds. Oops. 2023 ended the year with a bang! No, that doesn’t mean the economy was exceptionally…
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1Q2023 – AIn’t (Quite) Ready for Prime Time
Please excuse the delay in this quarterly newsletter, I was watching Tucker Carlson and Don Lemon…get canned. Too soon? Don’t worry, this quarter’s post isn’t about the rise and fall of the prime time television elite: it’s about the rise of AI tools in our everyday life. In a flash of brilliance (or laziness), I…
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2022 Annual Review – Everything Will Be Okay
Ouch. Let me be the first to admit I thought we had another six months to a year before the markets woke up from their years-long drunken (on easy money) binge. After all, 2022 began the year with a strong labor market, easy money and record low interest rates, and Elon Musk still wealthy (I…
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Green Shoots Amid the Economic Rubble
My apologies for the delay in getting this 3rd quarter review out. I was busy combing through the financial rubble that is the global economy for some glimmer of hope, and it turns out there are some sprouts beginning to grow. But first, the storm. For the 3rd quarter, US markets were off 4.46%, with…
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Kevin Bacon and Sidelined Cash – 2Q2022
As 80s heartthrob, loose-footed, and distant-relative-to-all Kevin Bacon asked in the classic 1978 comedy Animal House (based on Harold Ramis’ experience at my alma mater WashU), “Thank you, sir, may I have another?” After a difficult 1st quarter, the US markets delivered another blow to investor portfolios, ending the first half of the year down…
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Predictions, Money and Mattresses
I don’t usually make short-term market guesses – my crystal ball has been in the shop for almost 20 years; at this point I can’t remember if it was cracked or just fogged. I believe in the power of long-term markets, good diversification and poor performance as a result of short-term market prognosticating.
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Remembering the Good Times
It’s often said that the market takes the escalator up and the elevator down. For concrete evidence, simply look at the performance of the indexes the past few weeks. A close look at the headlines or nightly news (caution: this may be bad for your health and is proven to be bad for your portfolios) and you may think it’s only a matter of time before the indexes hit an all time low! And no, that’s not really a thing!
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Dealing With Fluctuating Markets: Q3 2021 Quarterly Market Review
Whether you’re a long-time investor or you’re new to the market, fluctuations – and losses – can feel jarring. In fact, we know from research that losses are significantly more painful than gains of a similar size are rewarding. Yet successful investors continue to invest because they know that over long periods of time, investing…
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Chaos and Bloodshed
Staying disciplined and invested can be difficult in times of chaos and market turbulence. History tells us this is the right time not to act.
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