Turning the Page to 2024

Farewell and thank you to 2023 which exceeded almost everybody’s expectations after a dismal 2022 and predictions of a dire recession.  This blog was more positive than most, projecting a 5% to 10% gain for the S&P 500 vs. the actual price gain of 23.9%.  Now it’s on to 2024.  Let’s start with our quarterly … Read more

Reviewing the 3rd Quarter While Looking Ahead to Year-End

The third quarter of 2023 is now history.  The September effect overwhelmed mildly positive returns in July and August to submerge all six benchmark indexes we monitor quarterly into the red.  Although the order of best to worst varies among the six indexes, one commonality is having September as the worst historical month, both in … Read more

Six-Month Update – Wealth Preservation with Limited Market Participation in a Risk-On Environment

Six months ago, I discussed ways that investors could stay invested with one eye squarely on wealth preservation in a risk-on environment.  We are still in a risk-on environment where the choices we reviewed in March are still relevant. One half of the list included five stock-based ETFs without derivatives that focus on stocks with … Read more

Navigating the Volatility Vortex – How Well Have Safe Harbor ETFs Performed?

In the past January Year-End review, I noted that ValuEngine models were predicting a down market for 2022.  In March, as fears of interest rate hikes, continued runaway inflation and global implications of the Russian invasion played on investors’ minds, I wrote a column specifically on potential safe harbors in the wake of the perfect … Read more

ETFs combining Wealth Preservation and Equity Participation Objectives

Two months ago, I noted that ValuEngine models were predicting a down market for 2022 and wrote a column on redeployment of core assets for investors with short-to-medium equity time horizons.  The question for investors concerned with a downturn is what to do and if reallocation from assets committed to core equity is required, how … Read more

ETFs for Redeploying Core Equity Allocations in 2022

Happy New Year!   My previous column focused on the ValuEngine forecast targets for 6 Benchmark Index ETFs.  To varying degrees, our models expect all of them to post negative price returns.  The question for investors concerned with a downturn is what to do and, if reallocation from assets committed to core equity is required, how … Read more

Time to Flip the Switch from Energy to Utilities

This week’s blog focuses on a trade recommendation based upon many data elements found in ValuEngine reports combined with industry experience and knowledge. At the end-of-June blog, “Drill. Baby, Drill”, I focused on the 5 (Strong Buy) recommendation that the ValuEngine models had on the iShares US Oil & Gas Exploration & Production ETF (ticker … Read more