I always keep an open mind when it comes to the stock market. I look at the positive and negative signs and adjust my client's investment levels accordingly. I was fairly constructive on the market coming into last week, mainly because the price action was very strong. Unfortunately, the Brexit vote caught many people off guard (including myself) and I was forced to reduce exposure for my clients. Let's review the current signs: NEGATIVES: 1) [...]

Back in December 2012, there was non-stop talk about the Fiscal Cliff. Everyone was on edge and the market would experience sudden movements on any headline or politician commenting about the year-end vote. When the vote passed, the market gapped up +2.5% on January 2, 2013 and didn't look back. So many fund managers were left in the dust because they raised cash ahead of the event and waited for a pullback which never came. [...]

I stick to my call that the Dow will reach 20,000 by year-end. Do I think it will be a straight line up? Of course not. Will we see shakeouts, pullbacks and quick corrections along the way? Absolutely. However, since I made the call (around Dow 17,500), the market has been very resilient, especially considering all the negative headlines: Terror attacks in Brussels, Fed speakers hinting at a rate hike as soon as April, and [...]

For the past month, I've been telling people that the market is going much higher and they all look at me like I have 3 heads and I'm speaking a foreign language. I am one of the only people on Wall St calling for a 10-20% rise this year and here are my 4 reasons the Dow will reach 20,000 by year-end: 1) Psychology - No one is expecting a significant move higher and the [...]

Here is a quick recap of what's happened so far this year: January started with a 10% correction and many potential investors I spoke to were borderline suicidal. That's not an exaggeration. They couldn't sleep, they couldn't eat, and many cashed out near the lows. I think their emotional reaction was due to a market that has seen little volatility from 2013-2015. Therefore, when a quick 10% correction occurred, it felt worse than it really [...]

People are happy when they are making progress and moving forward in their lives. With regards to the financial markets, progress means making money. It doesn't necessarily mean making crazy returns, but people are generally pleased when their accounts are moving forward in a slow and steady manner. I've talked to many people in the financial world recently and the mood is very somber. For example, there are declines across the board in newsletter subscriptions, [...]