The Independent Market Observer

Brian McCormick, CIMA

Brian McCormick, CIMA®, is a manager of the Investment Management and Research team at Commonwealth Financial Network®, member FINRA/SIPC, a Registered Investment Adviser–broker/dealer. With the firm since August 2004, he is lead analyst for the small- and mid-cap asset classes, responsible for manager evaluation and selection, as well as dissemination of research. Brian also conducts research and due diligence on ETFs and provides commentary on the ETF industry. Brian received his BS in management and finance from Quinnipiac University. He has obtained the CIMA® designation and is a member of the Investments & Wealth Institute (formerly IMCA). He has also earned FINRA Series 7, 24, and 63 securities registrations.

Recent Posts

View from the Aisle: Takeaways from the Inside ETFs Conference

March 6, 2020

In January, members of Commonwealth’s Investment Management and Research team traveled to Florida for the Inside ETFs conference, which has become the world’s largest conference on this topic. We met with and heard from industry experts and a number of ETF providers, and we networked with peers from other firms to discuss the latest trends within the ETF industry. Every year, a couple of topics seem to dominate the discussions. This year, without question, the two hottest topics were the emergence of nontransparent actively managed ETFs and the surge in environmental, social, and governance (ESG) investing.

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S&P 500 Sector Changes: What Do They Mean for You?

September 18, 2018

Brad here. I don’t normally write too much about stock market inside baseball, but something is about to happen that will undoubtedly get a lot of press—and raise a lot of questions. Specifically, the companies that operate the S&P 500 are changing how they classify companies within the index. While these changes won’t actually alter anything about the index as a whole, or the companies within it, they could affect your investments. Because of that, I asked Brian McCormick from our Investment Research department to take a deep dive on what these changes are and what they might mean to you. Take it away, Brian!

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The Effect of Tax Reform on Earnings per Share

August 24, 2018

Today’s post is from Brian McCormick, a manager on Commonwealth’s Investment Management and Research team.

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The Role VIX ETPs Played in Recent Market Volatility

February 23, 2018

Today's post is from Brian McCormick, manager of Commonwealth's Investment Management and Research team.

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The information on this website is intended for informational/educational purposes only and should not be construed as investment advice, a solicitation, or a recommendation to buy or sell any security or investment product. Please contact your financial professional for more information specific to your situation.

Certain sections of this commentary contain forward-looking statements that are based on our reasonable expectations, estimates, projections, and assumptions. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve certain risks and uncertainties, which are difficult to predict. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Diversification does not assure a profit or protect against loss in declining markets.

The S&P 500 Index is a broad-based measurement of changes in stock market conditions based on the average performance of 500 widely held common stocks. All indices are unmanaged and investors cannot invest directly in an index.

The MSCI EAFE (Europe, Australia, Far East) Index is a free float‐adjusted market capitalization index that is designed to measure the equity market performance of developed markets, excluding the U.S. and Canada. The MSCI EAFE Index consists of 21 developed market country indices.

One basis point (bp) is equal to 1/100th of 1 percent, or 0.01 percent.

The VIX (CBOE Volatility Index) measures the market’s expectation of 30-day volatility across a wide range of S&P 500 options.

The forward price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio divides the current share price of the index by its estimated future earnings.

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