In some ways, a whip-saw market with historic volatility was not a far-fetched outcome for the first half of 2025. Following the 2024 election, and with a January inauguration looming, many strategists were in fact calling for elevated volatility and uncertainty heading into 2025. The way the first 100 days of the new administration went, … Continued
The S&P 500 gained over +6% in May, ending the month up nearly +15% from April 21, when trade tensions between the United States and China first began to visibly thaw. U.S. stocks are now slightly higher than where they started the year, fixed income is mostly flat, and international stocks are up double digits. … Continued
Not too long ago, scam emails were typically easy to catch — they were full of spelling and grammar errors. Now that bad actors can use AI to help draft their emails, it is more difficult to spot fraudulent messages. I recently received the screenshot above from a church member who I know well. She … Continued
We all know that markets dislike uncertainty, and that this administration was likely to provide more surprises than usual, but almost no one was expecting the April 2 announcement of new tariffs on much of the world, friends and rivals alike, that were much higher than the tariffs being charged on U.S. goods by those … Continued
New Covenant Trust Company (NCTC) was pleased to host a webinar on responsible investing, in partnership with the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). The webinar explored the impact of values-based investment strategies on financial markets and social change, as well as the impact on investors who choose to incorporate these types of strategies. Moderated by Rev. Dana … Continued
Between February 19 and March 13, the S&P 500 lost around -10.1%. Considering that 10% corrections have occurred on average every 1.5 years, with the last one being in October 2023, many observers were expecting that a pullback may be likely in 2025. With markets coming off their best two consecutive years since the 1990s, … Continued
A striking aspect to the current 2+ year bull market, which has seen the S&P 500 climb over +60% since October 2022, has been the sometimes difficult-to-explain levels of nonchalance by market participants in response to typically worrisome signals in the economy and markets. Core inflation has been mostly flat for six months in a … Continued
Many of us are now a few weeks into pursuing our New Year’s resolutions for 2025. (I won’t ask how you’re doing if you don’t ask how I’m doing!) Many resolutions that we make require some sort of habit or behavior change, and often our success at achieving these goals will be correlated to the … Continued
We’d like to start this edition of the Capital Markets by thanking our readers and clients for another year of partnership and trust. Our prayer is for a blessed Advent season and Christmas for you and your families, communities and churches. As we look back on 2024, there are a number of historical events and … Continued
As the year draws to a close, many individuals and families are thinking about how to make the most of their charitable giving. Whether you’re aiming to maximize tax benefits or align your giving with deeply held values, there are smart strategies to consider beyond a direct gift of cash. Tools like gifts of appreciated … Continued