Posts by Bryan Taylor
1Q 2018 Market & Economic Commentary
The first quarter of 2018 certainly proved to be significantly more dramatic than 2017! Following a very strong January, the market tanked in February, down 10% descending rapidly into correction territory. However, despite global trade concerns, markets managed to stage a comeback in March, ultimately ending the quarter just below break-even. Source: Dimensional Fund Advisors…
Read More4Q 2017 Market & Economic Commentary
Well, 2017 is in the history books. In many ways it was a banner year, and yet due to declining volatility throughout the year there was little market drama of note. Rather, the market simply marched higher and higher throughout the year with nary a 3% decline to be found. The S&P 500 moved up…
Read More3Q 2017 Market & Economic Commentary
While news about Hurricanes Harvey and Irma dominated the headlines during the latter part of the 3rd quarter, markets continued their steady march toward new highs. Despite the significant disruption to the Gulf Coast economy brought about by two substantial storms, U.S. economic growth remained robust. It is significant to note that despite their destructive…
Read MoreBrexit Redux: The Dark Horse
In many ways the election of Donald Trump as the 45th President of the United States of America parallels the historic British vote to leave the European Union. Perhaps the most striking example of the parallel nature of these two events is the failure of modern pollsters to accurately delineate the probability of a Trump…
Read MoreBrexit: The Classic Known-Unknown
There are known knowns. These are things we know that we know. There are known unknowns. That is to say, there are things that we know we don’t know. But there are also unknown unknowns. There are things we don’t know we don’t know. -Donald Rumsfeld I believe that Donald Rumsfeld’s famous quote is particularly…
Read MoreThe Madness of March
For every finish–line tape a runner breaks— complete with the cheers of the crowd and the clicking of hundreds of cameras—there are the hours of hard and often lonely work that rarely gets talked about. -Grete Waitz For basketball fans, little can compare with the annual NCAA Basketball Tournament which takes place in March. Teams…
Read MoreThe Road to Oz Part II
And I’ll stand there with the Wizard…When people see me, they will scream for half of Oz’s favorite team: The Wizard and I! –Elphaba, Wicked—The Broadway Musical For those of you not familiar with the storyline of the Broadway musical “Wicked,” the story begins by taking the audience back in time from the death of…
Read MoreThe Road to Oz
A place where there isn’t any trouble. Do you suppose there is such a place, Toto? There must be. It’s not a place you can get to by a boat or a train. It’s far, far away. Behind the moon, beyond the rain… -Dorothy, The Wizard of Oz Growing up we had one of those…
Read MoreThe Wise Overseer
As Published June 2014 – Focus on the Family FAMILYWISE NEWSLETTER Sometimes the most fertile fields are those that have lain fallow for years, but sometimes fields that have been neglected produce quite the opposite effect. Neglect and mismanagement can drain a field of nutrients or lead to an infestation of weeds, like thistles or briars. …
Read MoreA Peddler of Dead Souls
“Oh troika, winged troika, tell me who invented you? Surely, nowhere but among a nimble nation could you have been born in a country which has taken itself in earnest and has evenly spread far and wide over half of the globe, so that once you start counting the milestones you may count on till…
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