Hutchison Group

The Fed will taper… the Fed will not… the Fed will taper… the Fed will not…

debbie — Wed, 05 Jun 2013 14:58:12 +0000

Last week, investors and traders obsessed about the Federal Reserve and the possibility it might begin to end its quantitative easing program. The Fed began its first round of quantitative easing during the financial crisis in an effort to prop up the American economy. In general, quantitative easing helps increase money supply and promote lending and liquidity. Investors’ fears about what may happen when the program ends were apparent when, despite abundant positive economic news, major U.S. stock markets lost value last week.

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Markets after Memorial Day and The Tax Man Cometh

debbie — Fri, 31 May 2013 13:51:09 +0000

Like guests feeling the first rain drops at a Memorial Day barbeque, markets responded uncertainly to Federal Reserve Board Chairman Ben Bernanke’s congressional testimony and the newly released Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) minutes last week.

If your ears are burning, it may be because the people who run state and federal governments have been discussing where to find revenue to fill budget shortfalls. Currently, the solutions they’re pursuing focus primarily on U.S.-based companies.

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Markets new highs & Planning a wedding? (3.11.13)

Hutchison Group — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 18:55:08 +0000

Markets could be reaching New Highs this Year! What does this mean to me?

It is very important to remember that markets ebb and flow over time. It is especially important to remember this during strong market performance like we have seen since the end of last year. This year the Dow Jones Industrial Index has reached a record high and the S&P 500 has been within 1% from its record high. What is causing this positive market performance? One reason could be a strong US earnings growth, but this could also be slowing down.

READ MORE ABOUT THE MARKET IN THIS WEEKS “MARKET COMMENTARY”

Planning a Wedding Anytime Soon?

If you are planning a wedding sometime soon, you need to prepare yourself. More than $50 Billion is spent in wedding in the US each year!! How can you make sure that your budget does not get out of hand?

READ THIS WEEKS “MARKET COMMENTARY” TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE COST OF WEDDING PLANNING.

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Sequestration & A Bumpy Week in the Markets (3.4.13)

Hutchison Group — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 21:08:41 +0000

Ever heard of Sequestration? Of Course!!! But what does it mean for us?

It means that over the next 10 years, the government is expected to cut spending by $1.5 Trillion. These cuts will come from defense discretionary spending, unemployment trust fund, Medicare and more!

READ THIS WEEKS MARKET COMMENTARY FOR MORE “EASY TO UNDERSTAND” INFO ON SEQUESTRATION.

A Bumpy Week in the Markets Last Week!

In many countries, the markets started negatively, reacting to the Italian Elections. Italy, the 3rd largest economy in the Eurozone, has a national debt significantly higher than its Gross Domestic Product. With the recent elections completed, it looks like more political stalemate in Italy.

This followed by an announcement by Ben Bernanke reiterating that the US Federal Reserve will continue to keep monetary policy loose until unemployment levels drop. This, along with positive economic news, helped the stock markets recover some of that lost ground.

What was the positive economic news? READ THIS WEEKS MAREKT COMMENTARY TO FIND OUT!

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Strength of the US is soaring & New Trends in Funerals (2.11.13)

Hutchison Group — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 15:10:23 +0000

Like a Climber Determined to Reach at Peak – 6 Weeks in a ROW!

Last week, signs of strength for US and international economic growth could be found. We had improved trade data both here a home and aboard. Germany’s 2012 trade surplus was its second highest in 60 years. Granted this comes from one of the biggest Eurozone economies, but any sign of strength from the Eurozone is great. This news helped push equity markets higher, with the NASDAQ reaching a 12 year high and the S&P 500 Index reached a 5 year high. The S&P 500 has posted gains for 6 consecutive weeks! But what about the Bond Market? How did all this news affect bonds? Read this weeks commentary for more about last weeks markets and some possible bond market concerns.

A New Trend in Funerals

There is a new trend setting in when it come to funeral planning; Planning it yourself. Why would you want to plan your own funeral? Read this weeks commentary for the reasons people plan their own funeral. Also, some websites that discuss alternatives to traditional funerals.

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Optimistic Future & Victims of Financial Abuse (2.4.13)

Hutchison Group — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 21:33:20 +0000

“The future’s so bright, I gotta wear shades!”

The Dow Jones Industrial Index moved within 1% of its all time high on Friday, Feb, 2nd. Does this mean stocks are getting pricey? Depends on who you ask. But a strong January is often been followed by a strong annual performance. Of course there are exceptions as in 1987 and 1997. Read this weeks market commentary for more detailed opinions.

Financial Abuse of Elders

Have an elderly parent, friend or loved one? The Administration on Aging (AoA) suggest that for every documented case of elder abuse, up to five more case may go unreported. To learn more about this abuse and how to raise awareness read this week’s market commentary.

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2012 – The Year in Review & 2013 – Started with a Rally

Hutchison Group — Wed, 09 Jan 2013 21:39:04 +0000

2012 was a surprising year. Although many of the most notable events reflected ongoing economic and fiscal issues – including crises in the European Union, slowing growth in China, growing debt in the United States, government intervention in Brazil, and worries about fiscal cliff – investors remained optimistic and many global stock markets delivered rather attractive performance for the year.

2013 started with global markets celebrating the New Year last Wednesday with a rally in appreciation of the U.S. fiscal cliff agreement, now known as The American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 (ATRA).

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Weekly Market Commentary 12-10-12

Hutchison Group — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 18:17:09 +0000

THE OLD SAYING “THERE’S SAFETY IN NUMBERS,” may work in some settings, but not necessarily in the financial markets. Doing what everybody else is doing in the markets might make you feel more comfortable, but it’s not a way to get ahead. Famed investor Howard Marks said, “Unconventionality is required for superior investment results, especially in asset allocation.”

Many of you know that at Hutchison Group we strongly believe we must ALWAYS plan for events beyond our control that can affect our clients’ personal financial security. When it comes to investing we must use modern, unconventional investment strategies that are cutting edge and include both traditional diversification and “deep” diversification. It is our plan to have an event this coming year to discuss what we mean by modern investing with deep diversification. Stay tuned for the details for that event.

Read this week’s market commentary to learn more about the preparation of the fiscal cliff and why it makes sense to be unconventional when investing.

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Weekly Market Commentary 12-3-12

Hutchison Group — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 16:44:44 +0000

YOU MUST BE THIS TALL TO RIDE!….Carowinds could use the month of November’s market volatility as the blueprint for a new rollercoaster. How volatile was it? Well from the high to the low the S&P 500 dropped 5.3% – Then, from that low, it rose 4.6% – ALL IN ONE MONTH!! What a ride!!

Also, here is a question that seems like it has an obvious answer, “is the stock market performance closely related to the overall level of growth in the economy?” It may not be as obvious as it seems. Read this weeks WMC to learn more about the month of November, some information on the interconnected world we live in today, and how market performance and economic growth are related.

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Weekly Market Commentary 11-26-12

Hutchison Group — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 19:00:19 +0000

It seems like all we hear lately about the markets is bad news, especially when is comes to the “Fiscal Cliff.” What if I told you that stocks had their best weekly rally in 5 months last week. It’s true, they did. There is a difference in opinions on why stocks rallied, but we think it was mainly because it sounds like Congress may give some consideration to compromise and just the consideration of compromise is a huge step. Also, non other than good ole’ Santa Claus helped in this rally. This season has traditionally been good for stocks and it looks like this year may be the same. But all of this is short-term news. What can we expect in the long-term…I mean the next few decades? Well, of course there are many opinions out there on that as well, but this weeks Market Commentary focuses on two: one good and one bad. Please read this article to find out more.

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Past performance is not a guarantee of future results.