The bear market ended one year ago this week, finishing one of the fastest and most vicious bear markets of all-time—one that led to a drawdown of 34%.

Bond yields have been on the move lately, but stock prices have also been rising.

Fourth-quarter earnings season is in the home stretch, and it’s been a good one. After raising our 2021 earnings forecast for the S&P 500 Index in our Weekly Market Commentary on February 8, our upgraded forecast may now be too low, based on what we have learned from corporate America during the three weeks since.

Increasingly more people realize that their sustainability concerns can be address through their investments. As more investors embark on the sustainable investing journey—learn what it is, why one pursues it, and how to do it—assets into sustainable funds will continue and investors will have more choices from which to construct sustainable investing portfolios.

Interest rates have risen steadily over the past six months but remain low by historical standards. That means the traditional high-quality bonds that many of us owned for decades are not doing the job for investors looking for income, while the potential for interest rates have risen steadily in recent months brings more risk in the bond market than has been evident historically.

“It’s the media’s job to get you to tune in, but it’s our job as investors to focus on our long-term goals,” noted LPL Financial Chief Market Strategist Ryan Detrick.

The resilience of the US economy continues to exceed our expectations. With encouraging progress toward ending the pandemic, and massive fiscal stimulus in place—and more likely coming soon, our prior economic growth forecasts may prove overly conservative.

Should Investors Root For Tom Brady Or Patrick Mahomes?

The Super Bowl Indicator suggests stocks rise for the full year when the Super Bowl winner has come from the original National Football League (now the NFC), but when an original American Football League (now the AFC) team has won, stocks fall.

MIAMI, Florida — January 27, 2021 — Austin A. Frye, an independent LPL Financial advisor at Frye Financial Center in Aventura, today announced his inclusion in LPL’s Chairman’s Council. This elite award is presented to less than 1% of the firm’s more than 17,000 financial advisors nationwide*.

“On behalf of LPL, I congratulate Austin on reaching this milestone in his professional career,” said Angela Xavier, LPL executive vice president, Independent Advisor Services “Business owners, American investors and industries at large faced extraordinary challenges throughout 2020. In the advisor-mediated financial advice market, investors showed how much value they place on a trusting relationship with a financial advisor. We applaud Austin for his commitment to clients and resiliency as a business owner, and we are inspired by his dedication to making a meaningful impact in the lives of his clients. It is an honor to support Austin and wish his entire team continued success as they continue to add value for clients and in their business in the years ahead.”

Real-time data is sending positive news for the economy in 2021. Small cap stocks’ out-performance signals the early stages of an economic expansion, and high stock valuations appear justified. COVID-19 data is starting to show better trends.  Read more here.