The Markets How good was 2017? It was so good, the Standard & Poor’s (S&P) 500 Index finished in positive territory every month for the first time ever (on a total return basis), reported Barron’s. All major U.S. indices finished the year with double-digit gains. As we enter 2018, keep an eye on investor sentiment. “History has shown us that the crowd can be right during trends, but it also tends to be wrong at extremes. This is why sentiment can be an important contrarian indicator, because if everyone who might become bearish has already sold, only buyers are left. The reverse also applies,” reported ValueWalk. Toward the end of 2017, sentiment shifted, but not everyone shared the same outlook. Surveys and indices that track market indicators and institutional advice became less bullish, while newsletter writers and investors became more bullish.
Bullish sentiment was up 2.1 percent to 52.6 percent. The long-term average is 38.5 percent. Neutral sentiment was up 2.8 percent to 26.7 percent. The long-term average is 31.0 percent. Bearish sentiment was down 5 percent to 20.6 percent. The long-term average is 30.5 percent. During 2017, U.S. markets appeared to be Teflon-coated. Geopolitical events, natural disasters, and other shocks had little impact on investor optimism or share prices, and expectations for volatility remained historically low. That may continue during 2018, or it may not. Some of the best and worst of 2017. It may have seemed longer but 2017 had 365 days, just like every other year. It was a year of firsts, worsts, and bests, although not everyone agrees about which were which. Here are a few memorable pop culture moments from 2017:
What were the best and worst moments of 2017 in your opinion? Weekly Focus – Think About It “Your success and happiness lies in you. Resolve to keep happy, and your joy and you shall form an invincible host against difficulties.” –Helen Keller, American author, lecturer, and activist Securities offered through Mutual Securities, Inc., Member FINRA/SIPC. Supervisory office located at 3140 Windsor Ct., Elkhart, IN 46514.
Investment Advisory services offered through Guidance Investment Advisors, LLC, doing business as Guidance Wealth, LLC, a registered investment advisor registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Guidance Investment Advisors, LLC and Guidance Wealth, LLC are not affiliated with Mutual Securities, Inc. Sources: https://www.barrons.com/articles/dow-industrials-end-solid-2017-on-a-sour-note-1514601649 (or go to https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/peakcontent/+Peak+Commentary/01-02-18_Barrons-Dow_Industrials_End_Solid_2017_on_a_Sour_Note-Footnote_1.pdf) http://www.valuewalk.com/2017/12/when-overbought-is-bullish/ http://money.cnn.com/data/fear-and-greed/ https://www.wallstreetmojo.com/sell-side-vs-buy-side/ http://www.barrons.com/public/page/9_0210-investorsentimentreadings.html http://www.aaii.com/sentimentsurvey http://www.aaii.com/journal/article/is-the-aaii-sentiment-survey-a-contrarian-indicator https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/stock-markets-wrap-up-best-year-since-2013-as-investors-shrug-off-bad-newsthe-dow-jones-industrial-average-alone-surges-25-percent/2017/12/29/5bf67932-ecae-11e7-8a6a-80acf0774e64_story.html?utm_term=.2eea95db2906 https://www.cnbc.com/2017/12/26/could-2018-surprise-with-the-same-outsize-gains-as-2017.html https://nypost.com/2017/12/28/the-highs-and-lows-of-pop-culture-in-2017/ https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/entertainthis/2017/12/06/15-biggest-pop-culture-moments-2017/910215001/ http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/professor-robert-kelly-family-father-children-bbc-interview-south-korea-viral-a8127221.html http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/11/28/royal-wedding-souvenir-rush-prince-harry-meghan-markle-begins/ https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/ringo-starr-bee-gees-barry-gibb-receive-knighthood-w514828 http://inspower.co/17-best-quotes-about-resolve/ * These views are those of Carson Group Coaching, and not the presenting Representative or the Representative’s Broker/Dealer, and should not be construed as investment advice. * This newsletter was prepared by Carson Group Coaching. Carson Group Coaching is not affiliated with the named broker/dealer. * Weekly Market Commentaries are sent as mass email communications by the designated email address weekly_update@guidancewealth.com. * Government bonds and Treasury Bills are guaranteed by the U.S. government as to the timely payment of principal and interest and, if held to maturity, offer a fixed rate of return and fixed principal value. However, the value of fund shares is not guaranteed and will fluctuate. * Corporate bonds are considered higher risk than government bonds but normally offer a higher yield and are subject to market, interest rate and credit risk as well as additional risks based on the quality of issuer coupon rate, price, yield, maturity, and redemption features. * The Standard & Poor's 500 (S&P 500) is an unmanaged group of securities considered to be representative of the stock market in general. You cannot invest directly in this index. * All indexes referenced are unmanaged. Unmanaged index returns do not reflect fees, expenses, or sales charges. Index performance is not indicative of the performance of any investment. * The Dow Jones Global ex-U.S. Index covers approximately 95% of the market capitalization of the 45 developed and emerging countries included in the Index. * The 10-year Treasury Note represents debt owed by the United States Treasury to the public. Since the U.S. Government is seen as a risk-free borrower, investors use the 10-year Treasury Note as a benchmark for the long-term bond market. * Gold represents the afternoon gold price as reported by the London Bullion Market Association. The gold price is set twice daily by the London Gold Fixing Company at 10:30 and 15:00 and is expressed in U.S. dollars per fine troy ounce. * The Bloomberg Commodity Index is designed to be a highly liquid and diversified benchmark for the commodity futures market. The Index is composed of futures contracts on 19 physical commodities and was launched on July 14, 1998. * The DJ Equity All REIT Total Return Index measures the total return performance of the equity subcategory of the Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) industry as calculated by Dow Jones. * Yahoo! Finance is the source for any reference to the performance of an index between two specific periods. * Opinions expressed are subject to change without notice and are not intended as investment advice or to predict future performance. * Economic forecasts set forth may not develop as predicted and there can be no guarantee that strategies promoted will be successful. * Past performance does not guarantee future results. Investing involves risk, including loss of principal. * You cannot invest directly in an index. * Stock investing involves risk including loss of principal. * Consult your financial professional before making any investment decision. Comments are closed.
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