The severity of the fall stock market decline has shaken the belief of some investors in the bull market.  For those who have not been following the stock market for more than a few years, their reaction is understandable. But those with a longer-term perspective are wondering what the recent decline means for their portfolio. Many…

Stocks closed strong in September but the market started to show signs of weakness on the first trading day of October. Market Update October 2, 2018: The major averages opened sharply higher on Monday October 1st as the A/D ratio on the NYSE was better than 2-1 positive.  However, as the day progressed the major…

The stock market was hammered by trade tariff threats again this week, a frequent occurrence during this administration. Based on last week’s public comments, some Republican representatives are now becoming more worried. Without any concrete policy changes actually occurring, no one can be sure whether the threats are real, or just part of the negotiation…

The stellar earnings of last week from some of the largest companies could not move the market significantly higher as the major averages were mostly lower. Only the Dow Utilities were able to close the week with significant gains, as it was up 2.5%. [caption id="attachment_5c44515738bb41d0bcb4bc3ba3ab03fb" align="alignleft" width="960"] (AP Photo/Richard Drew)[/caption] The stock market’s attempt…

In 2017, the small-cap iShares Russell 2000 ETF (IWM) was up 14.60%, following a 21.60% gain in 2016. By comparison, the Spyder Trust (SPY) was up 21.6% in 2017, as the large caps outperformed the small caps by 7 percentage points for the year. However, in 2016, SPY was only up 12% for the year,…