The Independent Market Observer

Brian Price, CFA®

Brian Price, CFA®, is managing principal, investment management and research, at Commonwealth. Brian helps support our advisors on a variety of matters related to portfolio management and investment research. He also oversees the development and ongoing management of our Preferred Portfolio Services® Select platform. Brian graduated from Georgetown University with a BA in American government. He holds FINRA Series 7, 63, and 65 securities registrations, as well as the CFA® designation.

Recent Posts

2023 Midyear Outlook: Asset Allocation Risks and Opportunities

July 11, 2023

What a year it has been for financial markets. There have been several negative factors in play, including a high-single-digit inflation print, the ongoing war in Ukraine, and several regional bank failures. Nonetheless, the S&P 500 finished the second quarter up 17 percent for the year. Go figure!

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Long Live Asset Allocation?

August 24, 2022

What a whirlwind year it has been in the financial markets. Not since 1994 have investors seen simultaneous declines in both equities and fixed income, prompting many to question the viability of holding both in a portfolio context. Negative performance across asset classes during the first half of 2022 challenged even the most ardent believers of diversification and modern portfolio theory, leaving many of us to wonder whether we are entering a new paradigm for asset allocation. Should investors abandon the view that stocks and bonds can provide complementary exposures in a portfolio? Disclaimer: I don’t think so.

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2022 Midyear Outlook: A New Paradigm for Equity Investors?

July 12, 2022

After nearly two years of a stock market that seemed to move higher each day, investors are now experiencing a bout of volatility that has not been seen in quite some time. So, will the second half of 2022 bring a return to the lackluster market environment that investors grew accustomed to in 2020–2021 (with the exception of the novel coronavirus sell-off)? Or should we expect elevated volatility to become the norm moving forward?

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Should Investors Channel Their Inner Scrooge This Holiday Season?

December 14, 2021

For many, the holiday season is the busiest time of the year. Undoubtedly, 2021 is no exception. The world is gradually returning to “normal,” and we’ve started to resume some of the festive traditions that were missed in 2020. Personally, one of the things I enjoy most about the holidays is watching Scrooge learn valuable life lessons in the movie A Christmas Carol.

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Is Santa Checking His Portfolio Twice?

December 23, 2020

Today's post is from Brian Price, senior vice president of investment management and research.

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A Look Under the S&P 500 Hood

August 4, 2020

Today’s post on the recent strong performance of growth stocks comes from Brian Price, senior vice president of investment management and research here at Commonwealth. Over to you, Brian!

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Confessions of an ESG Investing Skeptic

May 20, 2020

Today’s post on ESG investing comes from Brian Price, senior vice president of investment management and research here at Commonwealthand a self-proclaimed ESG investing skeptic. Over to you, Brian!

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Navigating the Capital Gains Distribution Season

December 11, 2019

Today’s post is from Brian Price, Commonwealth’s senior vice president of investment management and research.

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In Defense of Active Management

August 23, 2018

Today’s post is from Brian Price, Commonwealth’s senior vice president of investment management and research.

Much has been made of the recent proliferation of ETFs and the seemingly endless fee war taking place among the providers of low-cost index funds. As a self-described value guy, I love the fact that advisors have the choice of populating client portfolios with cheap beta through passive vehicles that, for the most part, are very tax efficient. In fact, cost and tax efficiency are the two main reasons why I am a firm believer that ETFs and index mutual funds should absolutely be part of the conversation when constructing portfolios.

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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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