Resources

Dear Clients and Friends of Insight,I will start by sharing some astounding statistics regarding the recent positive results from corporate dividend payments. During 2023, dividend payments from U.S. public companies reached a record $602 billion, up 5% from 2022 levels! Furthermore, globally, dividend payments rose 5% to a record $1.7 trillion! These strong trends seem likely to continue and support the case for rising stock prices. Those of you who have been reading my letters for quite some...

Dear Clients and Friends of Insight,Welcome to the New Year! We wish all of you a healthy, peaceful and prosperous 2024. All of us at Insight are so thankful for our relationship with you and the confidence and trust you place in us. We value this relationship very much. Last year was another perplexing year for investors to navigate. Interest rates rose dramatically, expectations for corporate earnings contracted, and consumer sentiment languished throughout most of the year. Investors were...

Dear Clients and Friends of Insight, The tug-of-war between Wall Street “bears” and “bulls” continues as investors react to a wide range of economic results. If the day’s reports suggest a slowing in the economy, somewhat surprisingly, stocks have tended to rise. The thinking is that if the economy is slowing then the Federal Reserve will ease their restrictive monetary stance. This would allow interest rates to move down and help the economy and corporate earnings to continue growing...

Dear Clients and Friends of Insight,Here we are mid-way through the year and our economy has so far avoided falling into the MUCH-ANTICIPATED recession, which has generally been expected now for over a year. Furthermore, much of the recent news flow indicates economic trends are now stronger than previously expected (i.e., labor, housing, and consumer markets); and, corporate profits have remained quite resilient, despite many global challenges. These trends are convincing more and more market...

Dear Clients and Friends of Insight, We began the new year with the consensus view from market participants and strategists that our economy would slow down from 2.6% growth in the fourth quarter. It would eventually turn negative in 2023, leaving the economy in a “hard landing” recession. Forecasts for Gross Domestic Product for the year were clustered between 0% and 1%. Inflation was to continue moderating, averaging around 3% for the entire year. Though with much less agreement, stock...

Dear Clients and Friends of Insight,It seems almost everyone is pleased to see 2022 come to a close. The year brought many challenges and disappointments to the world. Investors of all stripes suffered losses from global bear markets. Our 2022 letters chronicled the breadth and magnitude of these losses, ranging from popular growth stocks which fell over 30%, to esoteric investments such as crypto-currencies and non-fungible tokens which saw their values collapse. Even the bond market...

Dear Clients and Friends of Insight, The Federal Reserve a few weeks ago affirmed their commitment to continue their restrictive policies aimed toward taming inflation, and Chairman Powell warned that the economy may suffer as a result. This alert, after they have already aggressively raised their target interest rate four times for a total of 3.00% this year, took many investors by surprise. Somewhat complacent during the summer, these investors took the Fed’s preemptive warning seriously and...

Dear Clients and Friends of Insight, The news turned continually more negative for the economy as the second quarter unfolded. Whether it was more persistent inflation, higher interest rates, rising inventories, or falling consumer and business confidence, market participants viewed the data points as valid indicators that our economy might soon slip into recession. Furthermore, the economy could ultimately endure an extended period of stagflation, which denotes elevated inflation, higher...

Dear Clients and Friends of Insight,Considering the numerous challenges investors faced in the first quarter, we are pleased to report that Insight’s client portfolio values held up quite well, which we’ll share below. First, here is a quick recap of the key challenges from the first quarter. Economic growth around the globe has slowed from the post-Covid rebound. The Federal Reserve, along with other major central banks, finally began raising interest rates. Inflationary pressures continue as...