As investors continued to flee the stock market Friday, cool-headed advisers kept their clients focused on the long term by pointing out that the week-long pullback, as sharp as it has been, comes in the wake of a seven-year bull market run.
<i>Breakfast with Benjamin:</i> One troubling result of Thursday's big stock drop, in which the Dow industrials lost 358 points, or just over 2%, is that the market's oldest timing signal flashed a sell signal.
Some market strategists say the sell-off in stocks this week that wiped out the year's gains has been overblown and that the S&P 500 could still rally 12% by year's end.
Dividend rally is slowing, but still alive and well.
The momentum trade that has worked extremely well so far in 2015 is reaching a turnaround point, Citigroup analysts warn.
<i>Breakfast with Benjamin:</i> A Fed official put some of the central bank's post-financial crisis actions under a magnifying glass and found they have done little to boost the economy.
China's Shenzhen Composite Index, having more than doubled in 2015, began declining about a week after the legendary bond manager made a prediction that Chinese stocks were overheated and poised to fall, and it has since plunged about 27%.
Many investors obtain direct exposure to China through diversified emerging market mutual funds and ETFs. Do you know your exposure?
<i>Breakfast with Benjamin:</i> Contrarians, listen up. Janet Yellen's optimism about the U.S. economy is making gold speculators the least bullish on record.
Bill Gross, who recommended shorting the Chinese stock market last month before it plunged, didn't actually do the trade. Instead he wagered against both the S&P 500 emerging market currencies.
<i>Breakfast with Benjamin:</i> Companies in the S&P 500 are generating less and less of their income in the U.S., which means investors might have more exposure to international markets than they think.
<i>Breakfast with Benjamin:</i> For bond investors worried about what might happen when the Fed starts whittling down its $2.46 trillion of Treasuries, there's good news.
Amazon.com, Google and other megacap companies driving market-weighted indexes while equal-weighted compatriots are falling behind.
<i>Breakfast with Benjamin</i>: Avoid these investing missteps when the next bear rumbles through the market.
Even with crude oil now hovering around $45 a barrel, there is debate over whether it is time to buy or steer clear of the global commodity.
<i>Breakfast with Benjamin</i> DoubleLine's Jeffrey Gundlach believes $40 oil is something investors should be worried about.
<i>Breakfast with Benjamin</i>: Tampa-based fund manager to plead guilty to investment fraud in relation to $9M worth of Facebook stock he purchased then sold and was caught short when the stock price rebounded.
<i>Breakfast with Benjamin</i>: China could stand in the way, as their market struggles create a risk of tightening into a slowing global economy.
The potential benefits &mdash; and pitfalls &mdash; of using alternatives to diversify a portfolio focused on capital preservation.
