It’s a full-time job staying sane in this world gone mad. Politics are polarized and evolving rapidly, the economy keeps giving mixed signals vacillating between growth and being on life support, and the markets just violently rotated out of the popular mega-cap tech trade and into the unloved small and value sectors.
All that is certain in life are death and taxes, but taxes are about to get a whole lot less certain. We are potentially exiting a period of decades of more tax friendly policies and may see the pendulum shift towards higher tax rates for individuals and corporations.
May gets a bad rap about being a capitulation month in the markets. Sell in May and go away, the adage goes. But it’s not May that is the problem, it’s fall. Typically, when looking at 6-month seasonal patterns, the May-October 6-month period is one of the weakest, but if you look at it on a month-by-month basis, May, June, and July are not horrible months. The problem comes in September. September is by far the weakest seasonal month of the year, followed by February, but that is not May’s fault.
The Middle East recently went from simmering to a full-on boil with the Iranian missile and drone attack on Israel. This attack (in retaliation for a suspected Israeli strike on the Iranian Embassy in Syria) raised the stakes that Israel could retaliate with a direct attack on Iran, and from there, all bets are off on controlling the situation and how it might escalate. War is a terrible thing, and the human cost and suffering goes beyond the economic consequences discussed here. However, our job is to advise on a potential market reaction and not to weigh in on politics.
Tax Season is here and whether you’ve filed, working on your taxes, or using an extension to file in October, you may need a drink or two to help get you through everyone’s favorite time of the year. That’s the great thing about wine, it’s enjoyable for any occasion and has a way of improving your spirits. For those who are embracing an early spring, perhaps a refreshing Sauvignon Blanc on your back porch is a great way to spend your later afternoon unwinding from the burdens of the day. And for those who still have cooler evenings, a light-bodied Pinot Noir would be a great pairing. Lastly, for those who just love Cabernet Sauvignon regardless of pairings and the weather, you just can’t go wrong with a great glass of Cab.
As The Clash sings in their iconic 1982 song, “Should I Stay or Should I Go”, business owners are challenged on a number of fronts in determining the future plans for their company. For many, the decision regarding succession or selling their business can be difficult to conceptualize, and hard to know how to start the discussion or planning process. G Squared has a highly experienced team to consult business owners on their options as well as prepare for a potential sale.
The S&P 500 recently (finally!) hit a new all-time high, after 512 consecutive trading sessions without a closing record. This marked the official end of the bear market that started in 2021 and tends to signal the bulls are in control and markets may potentially push higher.
For the first time in 25 years, holding cash has been a benefit and not a drag on your portfolio. Cash and cash equivalents have been an investable asset class since mid-2022 when the hiking cycle started accelerating and investors rapidly fell back in love with money market funds.
November was one for the record books. As we round into the last trading weeks of the year, and markets are now wobbling a bit after the fast and furious rally off the October bottom, context on just how rare this recent rally was is important.
Estate planning typically involves numerous documents, which all have different functions, so it is important to understand what each document covers and when it may need to be used.