During the past quarter, we are happy to report that the market recovery that started in March 2009 has continued. U.S. small stocks and real estate investment trusts had the best performance for the quarter, earning about 10% during the last 3 months. Large U.S. stocks and international small stocks earned about 5% during this time. Take some time to […]
Worried about the future of the United States? Invest overseas
Many investors are worried about the declining position of the United States in the global economy. The dollar has been on a long-term downtrend, federal budget deficits and international trade deficits keep going up, and the country has lost many of its basic industries to overseas competitors. While disconcerting, these trends offer plenty of opportunity to an investor because their […]
Don’t believe the myth of the stock market’s “lost decade”
We have been hearing the hype for over a year: the 10-year period from 2000 through 2009 was a “lost decade” for stock market investors, featuring two large bear markets and a cumulative loss on the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index of 9 percent. It is true that some investors did not have a good experience over the last 10 […]
Client Letter – Q4 2009
During the past year, we have seen an amazing recovery from the financial crash of 2008, especially when you look at your investment returns since the low point in March 2009. The following chart shows the 1-year, 5-year, and 10-year performance of many DFA funds (representing different asset classes) compared to the S&P 500 Index: Market Returns for the period […]
Client Letter – Q3 2009
During the past quarter, we have witnessed another amazing 3-month rebound, in addition to last quarter. The following chart shows the 3-month, 5-year, and 10-year performance of many DFA funds (representing different asset classes) compared to the S&P 500 Index: Market Returns for the period ending September 30, 2009 DFA Fund / Index 3 Month Return 5 Year Return* 10 […]
What can investors expect after the market beating of 2008?
U.S.stocks rallied nearly 50 percent from March 9 through the end of July, but investors who had suffered through a historic 16-month bear market remained defensive. What did it mean and what are the chances for recovery? Current economic conditions make the picture even more cloudy. Homes continue to go into foreclosure, jobs continue to be lost, and unemployment hovers […]
Jim Cramer’s record
Mad Money’s Jim Cramer issues buy and sell recommendations to his audience on each show. Just how good are those recommendations? Two professors at Northeastern University performed several statistical tests to see if Cramer beat an appropriate benchmark and whether he generated additional return for the risks he takes. The result? He adds no value, nor does he hurt those […]
Regrets may paralyze some investors
It is bad enough that investors lost a lot of money in 2008 during a frightening world financial crisis. The sudden and swift recovery that began in March may be even worse for panicked investors who had barely a day to catch their breath between swings in the market. Now many investors who suffered through the bear and still regret […]
Client Letter – Q2 2009
During the past quarter, we have witnessed the strongest rebound since the markets began falling in late 2007. Global stock markets climbed sharply in April and May, and then held onto most of their gains during the month of June. The following chart shows the 3-month, 5-year, and 10-year performance of many DFA funds (representing different asset classes) compared to […]
Client Letter – Q1 2009
When returns are poor (and sometimes even when they’re good), investors wonder if things have changed. Is this time different? Does a buy-and-hold strategy still make sense? Well, the reality is that nothing has really changed. This is just how markets work. Not surprisingly, I am advising my clients to “stay the course” (at the minimum) and to invest new […]