First Quarter
The first quarter has come to an end. A lot of the first quarter consisted of volatility, politics and trade war talks. The S&P 500 posted its first negative quarter since 2015. Earning season will start in a couple weeks. Hopefully, tax cuts will lead to more share buybacks and higher dividends.
Technical Analysis
The narrative of the market has really been driven by technical analysis. There are two sides of market research. One side is technical analysis that consists of numbers, momentum and the trends of the market. The other side is fundamental analysis which consists of earnings, GDP and how things are being made. We have had a long period of time with no fundamental drivers. In the meantime, the technical side has really taken over. One example of this includes the S&P dropping near its 200 day moving average. We are going to need a lot of strong, unpredictable fundamental data in order to veer away from the technical side.
Fundamental Analysis
One example of fundamental data that has been flying under the radar is the Mark Janus case in Illinois. If you are a government worker and don’t want to be in a union, the union can still deduct its dues. This case aims to change that. If this case rules in favor of Mark Janus then a huge amount of discretionary income could become available for government workers at the end of the year.
Bobby Norman, CFP®, AIF®
Senior Vice President
Wealth Consultant
Email Bobby Norman here
Ashley Page, JD, MBA
Senior Vice President
Wealth Consultant
Email Ashley Page here
Trey Booth, CFA®, AIF®
Senior Vice President
Wealth Consultant
Email Trey Booth here
Fi Plan Partners is an independent investment firm in Birmingham, AL, serving clients across the nation through financial planning, wealth management and business consulting. Fi Plan Partners creates strategies in the best interest of their clients using both fee based investing and transactional investing.
The opinions voiced in this material are for general information only and are not intended to provide specific advice or recommendations for any individual. All performance referenced is historical and is no guarantee of future results. All indices are unmanaged and may not be invested into directly.
Economic forecasts set forth in this presentation may not develop as predicted.
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Securities and advisory services offered through LPL Financial, Member FINRA/SIPC and a registered investment advisor.
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