Schwartz Financial Weekly Commentary 12/31/2012

 

The Markets

 

“This too shall pass.”

--Ancient proverb

 

Like getting emotionally involved with your favorite sports team, it’s easy to get caught up in the drama surrounding the fiscal cliff. Combining politics, money, power, gamesmanship, and national impact makes for a compelling story line. But you know what? “This too shall pass.”

 

As Reuters reported, “One way or another, Washington will come to an agreement to offset some effects of the cliff. The result will not be entirely satisfying, but it will be enough to satisfy investors.”  Unfortunately, we have to go through a totally avoidable wailing and gnashing of teeth before we get the Democrats and Republicans to do what ordinary Americans do when faced with opposing issues—compromise.

 

Up until last week, the stock market seemed undeterred by the circus in Washington. However, as it became clear that a deal would come down to the wire, investors got nervous and stocks experienced five days of declining prices.

 

Unfortunately, this partisan bickering could create an unintended consequence.

 

Back in 2011, wrangling over the debt ceiling triggered the first-ever U.S. credit downgrade. Even though the debt ceiling was raised and the U.S. did not default, credit ratings agency Standard & Poor's nonetheless lowered the U.S. credit rating stating, “the effectiveness, stability, and predictability of American policymaking and political institutions have weakened at a time of ongoing fiscal and economic challenges.” If the continued discord in Washington leads to another downgrade, it would not be good for the financial markets, according to Jonathan Golub, chief U.S. equity strategist at UBS Equity Research.

 

Outside of the fiscal cliff, one thing we know for sure will pass this week is the end of one year and the beginning of a new one. And to that we say...may the New Year bring you health, happiness, and family closeness.

 

Data as of 12/28/12	1-Week	Y-T-D	1-Year	3-Year	5-Year	10-Year
Standard & Poor's 500 (Domestic Stocks)	-1.9%	11.5%	12.2%	7.5%	-1.1%	4.8%
DJ Global ex US (Foreign Stocks)	0.3	13.6	15.3	1.6	-5.3	7.6
10-year Treasury Note (Yield Only)	1.7	N/A	1.9	3.8	4.1	3.8
Gold (per ounce)	0.4	5.3	5.5	14.4	14.7	16.9
DJ-UBS Commodity Index	-0.1	-1.1	-1.1	-0.2	-5.5	2.3
DJ Equity All REIT TR Index	-0.7	18.2	18.8	16.3	5.6	11.7

Notes: S&P 500, DJ Global ex US, Gold, DJ-UBS Commodity Index returns exclude reinvested dividends (gold does not pay a dividend) and the three-, five-, and 10-year returns are annualized; the DJ Equity All REIT TR Index does include reinvested dividends and the three-, five-, and 10-year returns are annualized; and the 10-year Treasury Note is simply the yield at the close of the day on each of the historical time periods.

Sources: Yahoo! Finance, djindexes.com, London Bullion Market Association.

Past performance is no guarantee of future results.  Indices are unmanaged and cannot be invested into directly.  N/A means not applicable.

 

NORTH DAKOTA IS A SHINING EXAMPLE of why things are not always what they seem.

 

Back in 2009, PIMCO coined the term, “New Normal” to reflect their view that the U.S. had entered a multi-year period of balance sheet de-levering and restructuring that would stunt economic growth and keep stock market returns low. So far, they’re half right. Economic growth has been moderate as predicted but the stock market has performed well since the beginning of 2009 as it bounced off the bear market lows.

 

Implicit in PIMCO’s view is the idea that economic growth comes from three factors.

 

1)   Growth in the workforce (demographics is key)

2)   Growth in productivity (helped by improvements in technology)

3)   Growth in physical capital (e.g., plant, equipment, machinery)

Source: University of Colorado

 

Here’s where it gets tricky—trying to predict changes in those three variables is not easy.

 

For example, let’s turn the clock back to July 1, 2011. On that day, if we asked you to guess which state would have the highest percentage growth in population over the next 12 months, what would you have answered? Would North Dakota have come to mind? Probably not, yet, the Census Bureau recently reported The Peace Garden State topped the list in the past year.

 

This achievement is even more remarkable considering North Dakota was only the 37^th fastest grower between 2000 and 2010. In other words, it essentially came out of nowhere to become a fast grower all thanks to new technology which enabled the rapid development of an oil- and gas-rich shale formation.

 

Today, fiscal cliff issues, massive deficits, unsustainable government spending, Eurozone problems, and the Middle East powder keg are just a few of the many reasons to be negative on the markets and the economy. Yet, we need to remember North Dakota.

 

Nobody knows where the next “North Dakota” will come from, but it will likely come. So, while things may be tense in the markets and the economy, chances are our American ingenuity will rise to the occasion and eventually restore us to a position of economic strength.

 

As that unfolds in 2013 and beyond, we’ll keep doing what we do which is manage your investments according to your goals and doing our best to achieve solid risk-adjusted returns.

 

Weekly Focus – Think About It…

 

“Year's end is neither an end nor a beginning but a going on, with all the wisdom that experience can instill in us. Cheers to a new year and another chance for us to get it right.”

 

-- Oprah Winfrey, talk show host, media mogul.

Value vs. Growth Investing (12/28/12)

Name	1-Week	YTD	4-Week	13-Week	1-Year	3-Year	5-Year
US Market	-1.86	14.32	-0.02	-1.55	15.10	10.26	1.73
Large Cap	-1.88	14.11	-0.55	-2.50	14.85	9.53	0.96
Large Core	-1.90	16.04	0.06	-0.41	16.69	10.29	2.28
Large Growth	-1.98	15.66	-2.18	-4.62	16.50	9.50	2.00
Large Value	-1.76	11.07	0.62	-2.24	11.80	8.76	-1.63
Mid Cap	-1.79	15.10	1.30	1.40	16.03	12.04	3.31
Mid Core	-1.78	15.99	0.84	2.36	16.99	13.86	4.93
Mid Growth	-1.84	13.82	1.02	-0.62	14.55	11.97	1.50
Mid Value	-1.75	15.61	2.02	2.66	16.66	10.20	3.41
Small Cap	-1.83	14.24	1.89	0.48	15.12	12.07	4.57
Small Core	-1.50	14.52	2.08	1.45	15.57	11.11	4.35
Small Growth	-1.87	12.07	1.58	-2.04	12.70	12.95	2.86
Small Value	-2.14	16.16	1.96	2.05	17.10	12.14	6.55
US Core	-1.85	15.95	0.36	0.24	16.69	11.16	3.06
US Growth	-1.94	15.02	-1.31	-3.68	15.82	10.33	2.01
US Value	-1.78	12.32	1.00	-0.99	13.13	9.28	-0.07

©2004 Morningstar, Inc. All Rights Reserved. The information contained herein: (1) is proprietary to Morningstar; (2) is not warranted to be accurate, complete or timely. Morningstar is not responsible for any damages or losses arising from any use of this information and has not granted its consent to be considered or deemed an “expert” under the Securities Act of 1933. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.  Indices are unmanaged and while these indices can be invested in directly, this is neither a recommendation nor an offer to purchase.  This can only be done by prospectus and should be on the recommendation of a licensed professional.

 

Office Notes:

 

Our Wishes To You For A Happy, Healthy New Year!!!

 

*Photo credit to Corey Mitchell, Jackson National Life

 

Regards,

,

Michael L. Schwartz, RFC®, CWS®, CFS

 

P.S.  Please feel free to forward this commentary to family, friends, or colleagues.  If you would like us to add them to the list, please reply to this email with their email address and we will ask for their permission to be added. 

 

Michael L. Schwartz, RFC®, CWS®, CFS, offers securities through First Allied Securities, Inc., A Registered Broker/Dealer,  Member FINRA-SIPC.  Advisory Services offered through First Allied Advisory Services, A Registered Investment Advisor.

Schwartz Financial Service is not an affiliate of First Allied Securities, Inc.

 

This information is provided for informational purposes only and is not a solicitation or recommendation that any particular investor should purchase or sell any security. The information contained herein is obtained from sources believed to be reliable but its accuracy or completeness is not guaranteed.  Any opinions expressed herein are subject to change without notice.  An Index is a composite of securities that provides a performance benchmark.  Returns are presented for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to project the performance of any specific investment.  Indexes are unmanaged, do not incur management fees, costs and expenses and cannot be invested in directly.  Past performance is not a guarantee of future results.

 

* The Standard & Poor's 500 (S&P 500) is an unmanaged group of securities considered to be representative of the stock market in general.

 

* The DJ Global ex US is an unmanaged group of non-U.S. securities designed to reflect the performance of the global equity securities that have readily available prices. 

 

* The 10-year Treasury Note represents debt owed by the United States Treasury to the public. Since the U.S. Government is seen as a risk-free borrower, investors use the 10-year Treasury Note as a benchmark for the long-term bond market.

 

* Gold represents the London afternoon gold price fix as reported by the London Bullion Market Association.

 

* The DJ Commodity Index is designed to be a highly liquid and diversified benchmark for the commodity futures market. The Index is composed of futures contracts on 19 physical commodities and was launched on July 14, 1998.

 

* The DJ Equity All REIT TR Index measures the total return performance of the equity subcategory of the Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) industry as calculated by Dow Jones.

 

* Yahoo! Finance is the source for any reference to the performance of an index between two specific periods.

 

* Opinions expressed are subject to change without notice and are not intended as investment advice or to predict future performance.

 

* Past performance does not guarantee future results.

 

* You cannot invest directly in an index.

 

* Consult your financial professional before making any investment decision.

 

* To unsubscribe from our “market commentary” please reply to this e-mail with    “Unsubscribe” in the subject line, or write us at “mike@schwartzfinancial.com”.