This week, I am at the first Commonwealth conference (or, indeed, any conference) since March 2020. We are being very cautious—events are outdoors, and everyone was tested on arrival. But it is the first real large face-to-face event since then.

Last week, I happily returned to yet another tradition that was disrupted by COVID-19: back-to-school shopping. Although I did not miss paying for the rapidly changing school wardrobes of two teenage girls last year, I welcomed the feeling of normalcy the shopping routine brought to my family. COVID-19 and its associated restrictions have had a huge impact on children—educationally, socially, emotionally, and physically. We’ve all seen this. But did you know that, because of the pandemic, children may grow up to be worse off financially than their parents?

I'll be on vacation for the rest of the week, so I'll be re-running a couple of my favorite posts. This one is from 2019, but I think the message holds true today. Enjoy! — Brad

I get a lot out of meeting with advisors and clients. It is always good to hear what people are thinking, listen to their concerns, and spend time understanding where real people who live outside of the investment bubble that I inhabit are coming from. The past week spent traveling was a great opportunity to do just that. But sometimes you get more than you expect.

For the second earnings season in a row, we have had blowout results. After an amazingly strong first quarter, the results for the second quarter are coming in even better. As of the end of last week, according to FactSet, 9 of 10 companies (91 percent) had reported. Of these, almost 7 of 8 (87 percent) beat expected earnings. These are the highest levels of beats on earnings seen since the start of records in 2008 and slightly above what we saw last quarter.

In 2020, the U.S. GDP declined 3.4 percent, yet the S&P 500 was up 18.4 percent. In the first half of 2021, the U.S. GDP grew by 6.4 percent, and the S&P 500 was up by 15.25 percent.

Over the past couple of weeks, I have gotten a number of questions on inflation. It seems to be one of the top-of-mind issues. Given that, and the fact that the most recent inflation data hit this morning, it seems appropriate to give an update.

July was another dickens of a month—at once the best of times and the worst of times. For the financial markets, the news was largely good. The U.S. markets ended up across the board, hitting new all-time highs during the month. Earnings reports continued to substantially beat expectations. That good news, combined with dropping interest rates, drove markets higher. Bond markets continued to rally on those lower rates. From a financial perspective, July was a very good month here in the U.S.

Today’s post is from Rob Swanke, senior fixed income analyst on our Investment Management and Research team.

The monthly jobs report gives us a good chance to think through where we are in the recovery—and what effect the most recent developments have had. With the next report coming this Friday, what should we be looking for?

The celebrated “rainbow nation” of South Africa was recently rocked by the worst violence since the nation achieved democracy and ended apartheid in 1994. Many lost their lives, the economy was hit at a time when it was already reeling under the effects of the pandemic, and its capital markets grew nervous.