Word on Wealthstreet Blog

Volatility was truly back in 2018.  The year began well with the S&P 500 gaining over 5% in January, but then through mid-February it quickly suffered a 10% correction.  From there the U.S. stock market again rallied and by the end of the third quarter the S&P 500 was up over 10%.  The fourth quarter…

The third quarter of 2018 was a very good one for U.S. stock markets with the S&P 500 recording a gain of 7.7% bringing the year to date gain to 10.6%.  International markets have not performed nearly as well as the U.S. market this year as the MSCI EAFE (Europe, Australasia, Far East) Index was…

The  third quarter was stellar for stocks. Despite the imposition of tariffs on China, increasing election uncertainty and a number of trade issues, stocks continue to march forward. There are clearly some changes in leadership in recent weeks as the S&P 500 outperformed the NASDAQ for the first time in a while. The FAANG stocks…

The current stock market environment is a difficult one for even the most experienced of investors. The Federal Reserve has begun to raise interest rates in a period of time when American companies are competing globally against a backdrop of significant trade unrest. These potential headwinds for stocks are mitigated in part by the large…

July 2018 The second quarter of 2018 was less eventful than the first quarter.  As a reminder, U.S. stock markets began the year quite strong with the S&P 500 gaining 5.7% in January.  Then starting in late January through mid-February it suffered a sharp 10% correction. The S&P 500 recovered to end the 1st quarter…

The fact that the stock market remained relatively flat in the first quarter masks the changes going on underneath the indices. Years of NASDAQ leadership represented in large part by the FAANG stocks (Facebook, Apple, Amazon, Netflix and Google [now Alphabet]) eroded in the first quarter. Each of the companies faced increased questions and scrutiny…

2017 was an exceptionally strong year for global stock markets. In the United States the S&P 500 was up 21.8%, many overseas markets fared even better. The momentum continued into January 2018 with the S&P 500 adding an additional 5.7% for the month. The S&P 500 peaked on January 26th and then things turned rather…

HISTORY   For forty years, Gerald L. Ray & Associates, Ltd. (GLR) built a reputation on the principles of providing personalized investment portfolios combined with the highest levels of integrity and customer service. This vision is unchanged from when Gerald Ray and Charles Gideon decided to accept new clients after years of service to Zale…