LOFY GROUP NEWSLETTER 11/19/2012

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In This Issue
The Market
Are Low Interest Rates Good Or Bad
Weekly Focus
Thought for the Week
Securities Information

The Markets

 

The announcement last week that Hostess Brands, the maker of iconic treats such as Twinkies and Ding Dongs, was going out of business highlights the need for investors to have a solid risk management strategy.

 

As you contemplate making an investment, here are three things important to know:

 

1.      The rationale for the investment and the research behind it.

2.      What constitutes "fair value" for the investment.

3.      What would trigger you to sell the investment.

 

Number three above is where many folks trip up - they don't have a sell discipline. Although Hostess Brands long ago ceased being a publically traded company, it's an example of how a company with well-known brands can run into trouble and fail. To avoid riding an investment all the way down to zero, it's critical to have a system in place to monitor your investments and hit the sell button if there's a material change that makes the original investment thesis no longer valid.

 

Sometimes a risk management strategy causes you to sell an investment only to see it turn around and go right back up. While frustrating, that's better than not having any sell discipline in place and holding on to an investment that drops dramatically and never comes back.

 

Viewed another way, it's better to take a small occasional loss than to hang on to everything forever and be exposed to a potential big loss down the road on your irreplaceable capital.

 

Risk management is back in the forefront as U.S. stocks continued their post-election slide last week. And, while we would all prefer to see the market go up, we remain focused on our risk management discipline as a key component of our overall portfolio management process.

 

 

Data as of 11/16/12

1-Week

Y-T-D

1-Year

3-Year

5-Year

10-Year

Standard & Poor's 500 (Domestic Stocks)

-1.5%

8.1%

9.9%

7.0%

-1.4%

4.2%

DJ Global ex US (Foreign Stocks)

-2.1

4.5

2.2

-1.6

-6.8

6.6

10-year Treasury Note (Yield Only)

1.6

N/A

2.0

3.3

4.2

4.0

Gold (per ounce)

-1.4

8.8

-2.4

14.9

16.8

18.3

DJ-UBS Commodity Index

0.1

0.2

-5.5

1.2

-5.0

3.1

DJ Equity All REIT TR Index

-2.0

12.1

17.4

17.4

3.1

11.3

Notes: S&P 500, DJ Global ex US, Gold, DJ-UBS Commodity Index returns exclude reinvested dividends (gold does not pay a dividend) and the three-, five-, and 10-year returns are annualized; the DJ Equity All REIT TR Index does include reinvested dividends and the three-, five-, and 10-year returns are annualized; and the 10-year Treasury Note is simply the yield at the close of the day on each of the historical time periods.

Sources: Yahoo! Finance, djindexes.com, London Bullion Market Association.

Past performance is no guarantee of future results.  Indices are unmanaged and cannot be invested into directly.  N/A means not applicable.

ARE LOW INTEREST RATES GOOD OR BAD for the stock market? As you are painfully aware, interest rates in general are very low. There are three main reasons for this:

 

1.      Consumer demand for interest-bearing products is relatively high.

2.      Business demand for loans is relatively low.

3.      Central banks in many developed nations are engaged in an "easy money" policy.

Source: The Economist

 

All three of the above are associated with the fact that our economy is relatively weak. In difficult economic times like today, central banks have a vested interest in keeping rates low. The thinking is low rates will reduce the "hurdle rate" for businesses to reinvest and, as a result, encourage them to expand and hire new people. As businesses expand, the economy will grow and begin a new virtuous circle.

 

So, let's see if this virtuous circle of low interest rates applies to the stock market, too.

 

Using data from the Barclay's Capital Equity-Gilt study, The Economist took a look at U.S. stock market returns between 1926 and 2011 and sliced the data into periods when the real rate on Treasury bills (the rate after subtracting inflation) was positive and negative. What they discovered was startling:

 

"In the 33 years where real yields have been negative, the average gain from equities has been 2.3%; in the years when real yields were positive, the average gain was 6.2%."

 

In other words, low real interest rates (which we have today) have typically been associated with low stock market returns.

 

As we all know, data can often be presented in ways that support whatever position you're taking (just like in the past election cycle!). So, putting that aside, the key is to interpret the data. Since we've been in a low rate environment for a long time, stock prices have likely had time to adjust accordingly. The key now is to watch for the turning point - the time when rates start a new rising trend.

 

When rates start to rise, that could signal the economy is on the mend as businesses start demanding more money for loans to expand and central banks pull back on the easy money policy to avoid too much inflation. This would be a "good" reason for rates to rise. Alternatively, rising rates could signal investors are losing faith in our country's ability to pay its bills. This would be a "bad" reason for rates to rise.

 

We're watching interest rates closely for any sign of a new trend and, importantly, the reason behind that trend. It's just one of many indicators we monitor as we keep a close eye on your investments.

Weekly Focus - Ode to an Icon...

 

"I love Twinkies, and the reason I am saying that is because we are all supposed to think of reasons to live."

 

--Stephen Chobsky, novelist, screenwriter, director, and author of The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Thought for the Week 

 

 

Everyone you meet knows something you don't know. Be willing to learn from them.  ~Unknown

 

  

 

Best regards,

 

 

 

 

Lofy Group Wealth Management

 

P.S.  Please feel free to forward this commentary to family, friends, or colleagues. If you would like us to add them to the list, please reply to this e-mail with their e-mail address and we will ask for their permission to be added. 

 

Securities offered through LPL Financial, Member FINRA/SIPC

Accounting and Legal Services are not affiliated with LPL Financial

 

 

* This newsletter was prepared by Peak Advisor Alliance.

 

* The Standard & Poor's 500 (S&P 500) is an unmanaged group of securities considered to be representative of the stock market in general.

 

* The DJ Global ex US is an unmanaged group of non-U.S. securities designed to reflect the performance of the global equity securities that have readily available prices. 

 

* 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 London afternoon gold price fix as reported by the London Bullion Market Association.

 

* The DJ 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 TR 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.

 

* Past performance does not guarantee future results.

 

* You cannot invest directly in an index.

 

* Consult your financial professional before making any investment decision.

 

 

Sources:
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/us-economy-gains-120000-jobs-in-march-2012-04-06
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-04-05/gap-target-same-store-sales-gain-on-warm-march-weather.html

http://www.cnn.com/2012/03/19/opinion/happiness-success-achor/index.html?iref=allsearch
http://www.guardian.co.uk/sustainable-business/bhutan-advise-united-nations-happiness
http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/happiness