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
One of the things that sets New Covenant Trust Company (NCTC) apart from other top-tier investment management firms is our close relationship with the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Foundation. NCTC was established as a wholly owned subsidiary of the Foundation in 1998. For our faith-based clients, that means they not only receive comprehensive, expert investment management … Continued
It’s been well-documented that markets crave certainty, and by early Wednesday morning following November’s election, traders were already pricing in a mostly certain outcome of Republican control of both the White House and Congress. As investors, this took off the table one of the markets’ known unknowns — who was going to win the 2024 … Continued
October is not just about pumpkin spice lattes and sweater weather, it is also Cybersecurity Awareness Month. As we gear up for cooler weather and spooky season, it’s a good reminder for you to understand the risks and learn how to protect your financial information from the ghouls of the cyber realm. Here are some … Continued
The S&P 500 notched another strong quarter in Q3, finishing September up over +20% so far for the year. The index has closed at a record high 47 times this year and is on track to make it the fifth year out of six with a +15% or more gain. While the S&P 500 finished … Continued
The S&P 500 had its best week of the year in the second week of September. The only problem was that the prior week had been the index’s worst week of the year. Markets have been moving in a “W” shape since mid-July, when the S&P 500 hit its last record high. A market with … Continued
Many investors perceive the “risk” in investing refers to only to the potential of markets going down, or of an investment losing money. In fact, investment risk is most often measured by variance, or volatility — by how wide the spectrum of potential outcomes is — both up and down. In markets, higher returns come … Continued