Markets in Flux
What changes to make? With May in the rearview mirror, most equity markets are broadly positive five months into the year; however, these figures are a bit deceptive. A weak start to the year, then a sharp April downturn before a rally throughout the last 1.5 months, created a bit more of a rollercoaster ride […]
Investment Committee Video Podcast: May 2025
Market conditions in April 2025 were notably volatile, with almost daily swings in market values following changes in policy and tariffs. The whiplash left consumers, businesses, and investors concerned about the U.S. economy’s resilience and the long-term impact on portfolios. In our latest JNBA Investment Committee video podcast, recorded on May 19, 2025, senior members […]
April Showers
As the calendar shifts towards spring, April brought a serious “shower” into the markets, with the new administration’s Liberation Day announcement on U.S. tariff policies released on April 2, 2025. The following days and weeks were a steady drizzle of shifting policies combined with confusing and often contradictory White House statements within hours of each […]
Tariff Turmoil & the Economy
Headlines are busy with the announcement of President Trump’s new package of tariffs. The administration’s aim to use tariffs to help bring manufacturing back to the U.S. and addressing what the president views as trade imbalances between the U.S. and the rest of the world is clearly impacting financial markets here in the shorter term. […]
Market volatility and core investment principles
It’s been a bit of a chaotic start to the year and, as would be expected, JNBA has fielded a lot of questions about not only client portfolios, but the overall market environment in general. After a relatively strong first 6+ weeks of 2025, markets have pulled back from February highs, with the U.S. feeling […]
March 2025 Portfolio Update
2025 is off to a busy start with investors digesting updated earnings results, recent actions taken by the new administration, new economic data, and potentially new technological breakthroughs. With new tariff policies enacted by the new administration, uncertainty around the day-to-day headlines has been at renewed highs. After a strong start to the year and […]
February 2025 Portfolio Update
2025 is off to a busy start with investors digesting updated earnings results, recent actions taken by the new administration, new economic data, and potentially new technological breakthroughs. While each day has brought new headlines driving further optimism or increased concern, markets have so far digested each day into a strong start to the year […]
Investment Committee Video Discussion: 2025 Outlook
2024 brought us rising yields, a strong dollar, and a headline-grabbing presidential election. How do these events, along with other key factors, guide investment strategies into the new year? In our latest video discussion, recorded on January 7, 2025, members of the JNBA Investment Committee recap 2024 and discuss opportunities on the radar as 2025 […]
After another strong year, what’s next for 2025 and beyond?
We entered 2024 on a high note, with the S&P 500 at all-time highs and the Fed holding rates steady for the preceding five months bringing some calm to the fixed income market. Despite strong performance and high expectations, corporate earnings continued to grow, albeit driven by only a handful of large-cap technology companies. Meanwhile […]
What’s next?
After a historic week following the results of the 2024 Presidential election, markets and investors have naturally shifted their focus to what happens next. From a pure investment standpoint, U.S. equities have broadly rallied following the results, with Small- and Mid-Caps leading the way while International Equities and Fixed Income declined. Part of the overall […]
