Giving Thanks
Doug Walters
As Americans turn their attention from giving thanks to bargain hunting, we take a moment to reflect on investment performance. There is much to be thankful for, including a resilient S&P 500, which is up 8.3% this year (10.45% with dividends).
As we bid farewell to Thanksgiving and turn our attention to holiday shopping, the Strategic Investment Team would like to take a moment to reflect the drivers of portfolio performance. This has been a tumultuous year in many ways. Despite this, there are numerous bright spots in the securities universe to which we owe thanks. We take a moment on this Thanksgiving weekend to recognize a few of them:
- Thank you U.S. Equities… for posting positive returns this year, despite the challenges of Brexit and the U.S. Presidential election.
- Thank you investment bankers… for convincing acquisitive companies to bid for stocks like Spectra Energy (SE), Time Warner (TWX) and NXP Semiconductors (NXPI).
- Thank you President-elect Trump… for a protectionist agenda, which has helped make U.S.-centric small cap the best performing asset class in our model allocation.
- Thank you infrastructure spend optimism… for breathing life into forgotten quality cyclicals like Caterpillar (CAT).
- Thank you uncertainty, doomsdayers & Mr. T… for propping Gold up as the second best performing asset class in our model allocation.
- Thank you OPEC… for attempting to show signs of cooperation; helping boost Energy to the best performing sector this year.
- Thank you selfies… for driving up demand for makeup and Ulta Salon’s share price.
But most of all
- Thank you clients of Strategic Financial Services… for the continued trust and confidence you have placed in the entire Strategic Team.
Happy Thanksgiving,
The Strategic Investment Team
About Strategic
Founded in 1979, Strategic is a leading investment and wealth management firm managing and advising on client assets of over $1.8 billion.
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