Q1 2022 Market and Riverwater Strategies Update Fuel, the Fed and Fear This year began with hopes that the pandemic would recede and that the global economy could begin the process of getting back to normality. Vladimir Putin had other ideas. Both stock and bond markets were down in the first quarter driven by the…
Q4 2021 Market and ESG Recap and 2022 Outlook 2021 Recap Having circled the sun one more time, we are reflecting on the markets and ESG in 2021 and looking ahead to what we can expect in 2022. COVID’s Continued Impact. In 2021, the global pandemic dominated economies for a second year and brought with…
From All Time Highs to Slowing Growth U.S. economic growth is estimated to be slower than it was in Q2 2021, driven by a confluence of events – labor shortages, supply chain issues, spikes in COVID cases and rising energy costs. While COVID cases appear to be declining, we are still waiting longer for that…
Q2 2021 Market Update Inflation is real. If you have experienced sticker shock this year purchasing food, renting cars, or simply getting your haircut, you are not alone. Used car prices are up over 34% in the last year and rental car rates are now commonly $150 to $400 per day depending on location, compared…
Q1 2021 Market Update The first quarter of 2021 saw individual investors participate in the market at levels not seen in over 20 years. Their collective buying helped propel equity markets to new highs. It’s important to remember that markets are auction markets, with fixed supply. Therefore, when there are more buyers than sellers, prices…
An Unimaginable Year in Review and 2021 Outlook An Unimaginable Year As we review 2020 and position for the future, it goes without saying that the past year was exceptional and unpredictable. Who in their right mind could have imagined a global pandemic, racial injustice protests, the worst economic decline in history and a contentious…
Survival of the Fittest The market rally that began in March continues its historic run. In stark contrast with what is happening on Main Street, Wall Street has performed exceptionally well, with the S&P 500 posting its best two consecutive quarters in the last 20 years! That incredible performance has not been uniform across all…
THE “NEW” NEW NORMAL There are many superlatives to choose from to describe last quarter’s rally. This winter saw the quickest pivot to a bear market in history, followed by an equally rapid rebound in the spring. In fact, we just experienced the strongest 100-day rally since 1933.[1] After the market bottomed on March 23rd,…
The Arrival of COVID-19 We hope that you, your family, and loved ones are holding up and doing well in these unprecedented times. There is no need to explain in detail what happened to the markets during the first quarter; we are all too familiar with the declines. That said, it was the worst quarter…
STRAIGHT A’S & SUSTAINABILITY When you bring straight A’s home from school you don’t have much explaining to do. That was 2019 for financial markets. Most major indices were up more than 20% and bonds rallied in concert with stocks. The decade exited with a bang as the S&P 500 closed with a plus 13%…