Archive
Coherent Investor: Indices, Benchmarks, & Performance
March 17, 2017
Have you watched The Dow thinking why your stock portfolio is acting differently? Have you wondered what to expect in good markets or bad? Learning simple facts about indices, benchmarks, and performance strategies will shed light on many questions.
Earnings Insight February 2017
February 17, 2017
US companies face unrealistically high expectations for 2017 earnings growth, while contending with stock prices which have jumped ahead to record levels. Markets don’t react well when priced-in expectations disappoint.
Vetting The January Barometer
January 27, 2017
As January comes to a close, you will no doubt hear someone quote the January Barometer – “As January goes, so goes the year.” January is looking good so far this year, so 2017 should end positive, right? But is this real research or fake science? At Coherent, we vetted this theory and share our findings with you.
Manager’s Letter 2016 Q4
January 3, 2017
Winds of change have swept across the geopolitical landscape from 2016 and into the new year. How markets will be affected in 2017 and beyond will be the focus of much speculation. At Coherent, we would rather rely on tangible market factors more easily observable than wind.
Managing Your 401k Part 3
December 28, 2016
Do you lack time for or interest in planning your portfolio holdings in more detail? Or have you been putting off investing in the markets altogether? Balanced and target date funds help simplify the investment process by delegating many decisions to the fund manager.
Coherent Investor December 2016
December 15, 2016
After a rough start, 2016 appears to be headed into a good close for equity markets. In this last 2016 issue of the Coherent Investor series, we review possibilities for 2017 earnings. We consider variables from three perspectives, fundamental market drivers such as sales and margins, cyclical and seasonal factors, and finally economic conditions.
Managing Your 401k Part 2
November 29, 2016
Following a logically ordered, coherent process is key to designing a sensible portfolio allocation. In part-2 of this series, we turn our attention to designing the stock portion of a retirement plan, including a benchmark-neutral portfolio and an enhanced performance alternative.
Earnings Insight November 2016
November 17, 2016
In earlier articles, I introduced the “silver lining for 2016.” The further 2015 earnings declined, the lower the bar became for realizing a positive 2016 earnings growth rate. Third quarter earnings look to become the first growth we have seen in nearly two years. This silver lining has finally arrived, but not without its caveats.
Managing Your 401k Part 1
October 27, 2016
If you have a retirement plan account such as a 401k, 403b, or 457b, then like most people you probably have several questions about managing the plan investments. In my experience, most people just don’t know where to start. There is a logical, rational, and simple approach to selecting your investments and allocating money to them.
Manager’s Letter 2016 Q3
October 5, 2016
Fifty years ago last month, NBC aired the first episode of Star Trek. In its preceding pilot, “The Cage”, the captain is held prisoner by aliens who have the power to project incredibly lifelike illusions. Concerning the financial markets, people readily create their own illusions without any assistance from aliens. At Coherent, we prefer sound reason over illusion.