Market Update-Week Ended March 27, 2010

March 28, 2010 — Sam H. Fawaz

The stock markets have been enjoying several weeks of continued gains after a market correction that ended around mid-February.  Corporate earnings have been stellar, mostly on a net income basis, but many have also enjoyed sales growth as well, albeit from a low (2009) base.

We’ve had stock market indices that have run up to 18 month highs and we came within 100 points of 11,000 on the Dow Jones Industrial Average this week.  Down days in the market have been only very mildly down as investors enjoy more confidence that the economy is slowly improving and that the possibility of a double-dip recession this year is nil.  This has all happened despite bad news from Europe relating to Greece’s possible default on their sovereign debt, Fitch’s downgrade of Portugal’s sovereign debt, passage of “Obama Care”, poor sales of U.S. Treasury bills, record federal deficits, and still dismal (though improving) unemployment figures.  The news that a South Korean Navy ship experienced an explosion yesterday barely made the markets blink.  High inflation is currently nowhere in sight, though it’s a certainty that it will be here before we know it.

With any long string of stock market gains (with only minor down days) comes the inevitable correction in the market. During the latter part of this week, days that were up for the most part suffered downside reversals and profit-taking towards the end of the day.  This could be a sign of another correction coming (perhaps in the range of 5-10%), portfolio managers adjusting their quarter-end books, or just traders preparing for a week or so off for the Easter holiday.  Dwindling stock market volume certainly would indicate that many are planning some time off.  A correction would be healthy for the market, and would give those still sitting on the sidelines or mostly invested in bonds an opportunity to jump back into the stock market at a lower price.  Stories are abound about $3 trillion still on the sidelines in money market accounts earning less than 1-2% interest or invested in low-risk short-term bond funds.  I personally still believe that we will enjoy returns this year in the low to mid-teens while gross domestic product (GDP) growth will be in the 3-4% range, which is historically low.

Next Friday April 2nd, while the stock markets are closed (the bond markets are open), unemployment figures for March 2010 will be reported and they’re expected to show actual job growth for the first time since early to mid-2008.  The boost will be partially attributable to the hiring of census workers, though employers, who are enjoying record productivity levels, have been increasingly hiring temporary workers and will have no choice but to make permanent hires soon, as the existing workforce grows exhausted from one person doing the work previously done by two people.  Even General Motors announced this week that it is recalling 700 workers to its plant in Ontario Canada and plans to hire 60-70 new workers.  The employment trend is definitely in the up direction, but the speed is still at a snail’s pace.  For the unemployed, the pace is understandably far too slow.

For those taking some time off for spring break and the Easter holiday week (post or pre), I hope you enjoy your time off and have good weather wherever you go.   To all who have to work, enjoy a great holiday nonetheless.

I welcome your comments and feedback. If you have any questions, please feel free to get in touch with me and be sure to share this post with your friends and colleagues.  And please be sure to let them know about me if you think that they might benefit from my services.  As a CFP® and NAPFA registered investment advisor, we have a fiduciary responsibility to always put your interest ahead of ours and avoid conflicts of interest.  Most brokers and advisors cannot say this nor do they adhere to this very high standard of care.

A summary of the week’s market results :

Market Update For Week Ending 3/26/2010

Index Close Net Change % Change YTD YTD %
DJIA 10,850.36 +108.38 1.01 +422.31 4.05
NASDAQ 2,395.13 +20.72 0.87 +125.98 5.55
S&P500 1,166.59 +6.69 0.58 +51.49 4.62
Russell 2000 678.97 +5.08 0.75 +53.58 8.57
International 1,572.26 +0.17 0.01 -8.53 -0.54
10-year bond 3.86% +0.17% +0.05%
30-year T-bond 4.75% +0.17% +0.06%

International index is MSCI EAFE index. Bond data reflect net change in yield, not price. Indices are unmanaged and you cannot directly invest in an index.

Sam H. Fawaz CFP®, CPA is president of YDream Financial Services, Inc., a registered investment advisor. Sam is a Certified Financial Planner ( CFP ), Certified Public Accountant and registered member of the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors (NAPFA) fee-only financial planner group.  Sam has expertise in many areas of personal finance and wealth management and has always been fascinated with the role of money in society.  Helping others prosper and succeed has been Sam’s mission since he decided to dedicate his life to financial planning.  He specializes in entrepreneurs, professionals, company executives and their families.

All material presented herein is believed to be reliable, but we cannot attest to its accuracy.  Investment recommendations may change and readers are urged to check with their investment advisors before making any investment decisions.  Opinions expressed in this writing by Sam H. Fawaz are his own, may change without prior notice and should not be relied upon as a basis for making investment or planning decisions.  No person can accurately forecast or call a market top or bottom, so forward looking statements should be discounted and not relied upon as a basis for investing or trading decisions. This message was authored by Sam H. Fawaz CPA, CFP and is provided by YDream Financial Services, Inc.

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Should College Freshman Start A Roth IRA?

September 3, 2009 — Sam H. Fawaz

At no time since the Great Depression have college students worried more about money.  Tuition continues to rise, financing sources continue to contract.  So why should a student worry about finding money for, of all things, retirement?

Because even a few dollars a week put toward a Roth IRA can reap enormous benefits over the 40-50 years of a career lifetime that today’s average college student will complete after graduation.  Take the example of an 18-year-old who contributes $5,000 each year of school until she graduates.  Assume that $20,000 grows at 7.5 percent a year until age 65.  That would mean more than a half-million dollars from that initial four-year investment without adding another dime.

Consider what would happen if she added more.

There are a few considerations before a student starts to accumulate funds for the IRA.  First, students should try and avoid or extinguish as much debt – particularly high-rate credit card debt – as possible.  Then, it’s time to establish an emergency fund of 3-6 months of living expenses to make sure that a student can continue to afford the basics at school if an unexpected problem occurs.

To contribute to an IRA, you must have earned income; that is, income earned from a job or self-employment.  Even working in the family business is allowable if you get a form W-2 or 1099 for your earnings.  Contributions from savings, investment income or other sources is not allowed.

Certainly $5,000 a year sounds like an enormous amount of outside money for today’s student to gather, but it’s not impossible.  Here’s some information about Roth IRAs and ideas for students to find the money to fund them.

The basics of Roth IRAs: I’ll start by describing the difference between a traditional IRA and a Roth IRA and why a Roth might be a better choice for the average student.   Traditional IRAs allow investors to save money tax-deferred with deductible contributions until they’re ready to begin withdrawals anytime between age 59 ½ and 70 ½.  After age 70 1/2, minimum withdrawals become mandatory.

Roth IRAs don’t allow a current tax-deductible contribution; instead they allow tax-free withdrawal of funds with no mandatory distribution age and allow these assets to pass to heirs tax-free as well.   If someone leaves their savings in the Roth for at least five years and waits until they’re 59 1/2 to take withdrawals, they’ll never pay taxes on the gains. That’s a good thing in light of expected increases in future tax rates.  For someone in their late teens and early 20s, that offers the potential for significant earnings over decades with great tax consequences later.  Also, after five years and before you turn age 59 1/2, you may withdraw your original contributions (not any accumulated earnings) without penalty.

Getting started is easy: Some banks, brokerages and mutual fund companies will let an investor open a Roth IRA for as little as $50 and $25 a month afterward. It’s a good idea to check around for the lowest minimum amounts that can get a student in the game so they can plan to increase those contributions as their income goes up over time.  Also, some institutions offer cash bonuses for starting an account.  Go with the best deal and start by putting that bonus right into the account.  Watch the fine print for annual fees or commissions and avoid them if possible.

It’s wise to get advice first: Every student’s financial situation is different. One of the best gifts a student can get is an early visit – accompanied by their parents – to a financial advisor such as a Certified Financial Planner™ professional.   A planner trained in working with students can certainly talk about this IRA idea, but also provide a broader viewpoint on a student’s overall goals and challenges.  While starting an early IRA is a great idea for everyone, students may also need to know how to find scholarships, grants and other smart ideas for borrowing to stay in school.  A good planner is a one-stop source of advice for all those issues unique to the student’s situation.

Plan to invest a set percentage from the student’s vacation, part-time or work/study paychecks: People who save in excess of 10 percent of their earnings are much better positioned for retirement than anyone else. Remarkably few people set that goal.  One of the benefits of the IRA idea is it gets students committing early to the 10 percent figure every time they deposit a paycheck. It’s a habit that will help them build a good life.  Better yet, set up an automatic withdrawal from your savings or checking account for the IRA contribution.

Get relatives to contribute: If a student regularly gets gifts of money from relatives, it might not be a bad idea to mention the IRA idea to those relatives.  Adults like to help kids who are smart with money, and if the student can commit to this savings plan rather than spending it at the mall, they might feel considerably better about the money they give away.  At a minimum, the student should earmark a set amount of “found” money like birthday and holiday gift money toward a Roth IRA in excess of the 10 percent figure.  Again, the IRA contributions cannot exceed the student’s earned income for the year.

Sam H. Fawaz is a Certified Financial Planner ( CFP ), Certified Public Accountant and registered member of the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors (NAPFA) fee-only financial planner group.  Sam has expertise in many areas of personal finance and wealth management and has always been fascinated with the role of money in society.  Helping others prosper and succeed has been Sam’s mission since he decided to dedicate his life to financial planning.  He specializes in entrepreneurs, professionals, company executives and their families. This column was co-authored by Sam H. Fawaz CPA, CFP and the Financial Planning Association, the membership organization for the financial planning community, and is provided by YDream Financial Services, Inc., a local member of FPA.

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Market Update and A Caution For The Week Ending 5/29/2009

May 29, 2009 — Sam H. Fawaz

The markets ended up for the third month in a row with a late day rally on Friday, capping one of the best (albeit volatile) months in two years. With the exception of the Dow Jones Industrial Average (of 30 stocks), all indices are positive for the year.  GM traded below $1 a share today as bankruptcy is likely to occur on Monday.

Opinions about the markets’ direction run the gamut from “drunken bulls” to “raging bears”, with everyone taking each up or down day to prove their point.  But the solid fact is that the market is in a confirmed uptrend, and no opinion can argue with that.  But that’s all they are: opinions.

Economists predict that the recession will end by the 3rd quarter of this year, but the recovery will be slow.  For states like Michigan and California, recovery will likely begin in the 1st or 2nd quarter of 2010.  In the meantime, we still have to deal with waning consumer demand and higher unemployment.  Nonetheless, consumer confidence rankings jumped nicely in April, a bullish sign for the markets and the economy.  Remember, the stock market usually leads an economic recovery by 6-9 months.

Our investment approach remains a cautious, defensive one as we closely monitor the markets for signs of sell-offs.  Over the past few months, I’ve slowly increased clients’ allocations to equities and bonds to take advantage of the markets’ rallies.  However, I continue to maintain a healthy allocation to cash as a defensive move should the markets begin to move against us.  Any move this high, this fast, is a good reason to be cautious.  Fortunately, technical indicators confirm that the bullish sentiment is higher than bearish negativity and therefore give reason to be optimistic.  As billions of dollars of economic stimulus hits the streets, it can’t help but “lift all boats.”

Many prognosticators and so called experts predict that the low on March 9 was not the bottom, and that we’re merely experiencing a bear market rally.  Some even predict that we may have a severe 35-40% drop from here before the economic recovery and the “real bull market” kicks in later this year.  That drop could begin next week, next month, or next quarter—no one really knows.  I would be remiss if I didn’t warn you about this possibility. I don’t know if they’re right or not, but everyone should nonetheless be prepared for that possibility.

For my clients, I will continue to take advantage of the upside of the markets as long as it lasts and will not simply wait on the sidelines for the bears to arrive.  If or when the bears return, I am prepared to make the necessary tactical adjustments to minimize the effects on client portfolios and lock in as much of the recent gains as possible.  If the bears decide to stay for awhile, then we’ll take advantage of those conditions and attempt to profit from such bearish conditions.

In any case, future annualized returns on equities and bonds are likely to be in the single digits for some time.  Nonetheless, there’s no substitute for regular saving and continuous financial planning.  That combination can help overcome any lower expected returns.  Remember, it’s never too late to start.

I welcome your comments and feedback and invite you to read the below articles.  If you have any questions, please feel free to get it touch with me and share this with your friends and colleagues.

http://www.ydfs.com

Market Update For Week Ending 5/29/2009
Index

Close

Net Change

% Change

YTD

YTD %
DJIA

8,500.33

+223.01

2.69

-276.06

-3.15
NASDAQ

1,774.33

+82.32

4.87

+197.30

12.51
S&P500

919.14

+32.14

3.62

+15.89

1.76
Russell 2000

501.58

+23.96

5.02

+2.13

0.43
International

1,317.31

+27.10

2.10

+79.89

6.46
10-year bond

3.47%

+0.02%

+1.22%
30-year T-bond

4.34%

-0.05%

+1.65%

International index is MSCI EAFE index. Bond data reflect net change in yield, not price. Indices are unmanaged and you cannot directly invest in an index.

Market Wrap
A volatile post-holiday week ended with the bulls back in control of Wall Street and most major equity indices in positive territory for both the week and the year to date. The Dow industrials continued to lag, held back by developments at component General Motors in particular, but other benchmarks gained 3% to 5%. Foreign shares also ended in the black, while bond markets were mixed. For more on recent trading activity, please read:
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Stock-market-fluctuates-after-apf-15385078.html

Consumer Confidence Revives
The American public’s battered sense of the economy’s health revived somewhat in April. Analysts warn that while the light at the end of the recessionary tunnel may finally be in sight, it will take some time for a true recovery to begin. In fact, while the business environment seems to be improving in many parts of the country, conditions in the Midwest in particular appear to be getting worse as the auto industry lurches from crisis to crisis. For more on the latest economic indicators and what they mean for the economy, please read:
http://bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aYRGnAW70og8

Is The Recession Nearing An End?
Some economists now say the longest and most savage economic contraction in six decades may finally be winding down. But while consumers are in relatively high spirits, both labor markets and home prices remain fragile at best as layoffs and foreclosures continue. Where are the “green shoots” that some see heralding a new cycle of economic growth? And where are the storm clouds ahead? For more, please read:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30979615/

Sam H. Fawaz CFP®, CPA is president of YDream Financial Services, Inc., a registered investment advisor. All material presented herein is believed to be reliable, but we cannot attest to its accuracy.  Investment recommendations may change and readers are urged to check with their investment advisors before making any investment decisions. Opinions expressed in this writing by Sam H. Fawaz are his own, may change without prior notice and should not be relied upon as a basis for making investment or planning decisions.  No person can accurately forecast or call a market top or bottom, so forward looking statements should be discounted and not relied upon as a basis for investing or trading decisions.

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Five Tips to Avoid Potential Investment Fraud

April 13, 2009 — Sam H. Fawaz

I recently wrote about avoiding investment fraud (How to Avoid Being Madoff’ed) but the subject keeps coming up.  In the most recent news from Wall Street, securities fraud has affected individual investors, pensions and charitable organizations.  At the risk of being a bit repetitive, here are five key safety tips that may help you prevent this from happening to you:

1. Know your advisor.

Most advisors (like me) are registered with government organizations. You can research registrations and review any past complaints with the Securities and Exchange Commission (www.sec.gov), or with the respective state regulatory agency.  If a firm is a Broker-Dealer, you can research it with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (www.finra.org).  You should also be aware of what you have authorized your advisor to do.  For example, if you have granted your advisor discretion over your investments, then you have given her permission to buy and sell investments to meet your stated objectives without your approval for each individual trade.  The authority you have granted your advisor should be stated in your client services agreement (you do have one, right?)

2. Know your investments.

Consider stocks, bonds, exchange traded funds (ETFs), and mutual funds that are publicly traded and listed on major exchanges like the New York Stock Exchange.   They are valued independently at least daily, if not minute by minute, when the exchange is open.  You can check their reported returns against your own portfolio.  If you can’t look up the prices and performance of what you own in the newspaper or on the Internet-that’s a red flag, so ask more questions.  If you choose to invest in complex securities like private placements, then you have much more additional homework to do.

3. Use an independent custodian.

By utilizing an independent custodian, there is objective, unbiased pricing of underlying securities.  Investment performance can look better if the prices reported to clients are manipulated, showing winning performance year after year despite the ups and downs of the market.  For example, our custodian, TD Ameritrade, receives security prices through well-known third-party pricing vendors or directly from issuers.  In many cases, prices are provided on a real-time basis for most securities.  We have no input on asset pricing or valuation.  Clients get statements directly from TD Ameritrade.  In addition, your advisor’s independent custodian should have a business continuity plan and a privacy policy to provide access to your investments in the event of a disaster and to protect your personal information.

4. Check on protection.

Your advisor’s custodian MUST be a member of the Securities Investor Protection Corporation (SIPC); if not, find one that is.  If it is, the securities in your account are protected up to $500,000, of which $100,000 may be applied to cash.  For additional information, please visit www.sipc.org and see the Account Protection Sheet.  Our custodian, TD Ameritrade, also provides additional coverage through London insurers of up to $149.5 million per customer of which $900,000 may be applied to cash (and an aggregate of $250 million for all customers).  Please see the Evidence of Excess SIPC Coverage for additional details.  SIPC protection and Excess SIPC insurance protect against losses from brokerage failure, not from market value decline.

For additional information, please see TD Ameritrade’s FAQ for Investors on Protection against Market Fraud.

5. If it Sounds Too Good…

One final thought: If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.  Beware of consistent annual returns that are out of line with established benchmarks.  Remember, there is no return without risk, so never believe anyone who says that they can get you a high return with little or no risk.  There’s always a “gotcha” hiding somewhere (e.g., excessive fees, commissions, early termination penalties) when they tell you this, so you should be very suspicious.

If you or someone you know has been affected  by investment fraud, or if you have any questions, please comment below.

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Are Mutual Funds Becoming Obsolete?

April 1, 2009 — Sam H. Fawaz

The markets that we’ve seen during the past several months are unlike any others I’ve seen in my lifetime.  In fact, they’re probably unlike the markets most of us have ever seen.   This market upheaval has caused me to re-examine everything that I thought was “sacred” about investing and the markets. This in turn has led me to begin questioning many basic premises about how financial planners think about investing, proper diversification, and trading.  Specifically in this article, I’m looking at the future of saving and investing in mutual funds.

I’m by no means an expert in this area.  But I have taken to reading and researching as much as I can about what works and what doesn’t work while saving and investing for the long and short term.  Between listening to tons of podcasts, attending numerous webinars and conferences, reading books, newsletters, magazines and newspapers, I’ve become intimately familiar with the arguments advanced by “buy and hold” crowd and their counterparts, the “market timers.”  I’ve learned that both approaches have their merits, and each has its time and place in the right types of markets.  This article is not about those merits or which method is superior.

While re-examining and researching mutual funds in client and prospect portfolios, and seeing how much some of them suffered in this awful bear market, I keep asking myself if there is a better way to invest their money.  Even though most mutual funds were down 35-50% over the past twelve months, I shook my head in disbelief that many of the same funds, even as late as January 2009, were still ranked as four and five star funds by the investment rating firm Morningstar.  Really?  Four and five stars were given to funds ranked in the bottom 35% of their category?  Funds that had double-digit negative annualized returns for 1, 3, and 5 years still earned three or four stars?

Just to be clear, as an advisor, I don’t rely on Morningstar “Star” rankings to rate and choose funds for my clients and prospects.  I dig much deeper into the details and third party information for comparison, research and evaluation purposes.  But I know that many consumers do rely on star rankings.  And I have to wonder how much of a favor Morningstar is doing for consumers when managers who are paid handsomely to manage mutual funds missed the whole financial crisis and didn’t steer their funds away from the financial or the big oil stocks in the second half of 2008.

In a secular bear market like the one we’ve been in, buying and holding mutual funds (or any investment for that matter) can be a money losing proposition.  But mutual funds have a few characteristics that make them even riskier, if not downright inappropriate for certain market conditions.

One characteristic that makes mutual funds riskier is the once-a-day, end-of-day pricing; you can’t get intra-day pricing on a mutual fund like you can on a stock.  If the market is trending down, there’s no way to cut your losses when the writing’s on the wall and the market’s headed for a big daily loss.  Wouldn’t it have been nice, on an 8% down day, to cut your losses in half?  Well, sorry, you can’t; you have to ride it all the way down.  Of course, on an up day, you may benefit from the extra upside.  Exchange traded funds (ETFs), which trade just like stocks, don’t suffer from this disadvantage and can be bought and sold at intra-day prices.

Another risky characteristic of mutual funds in bear markets, closely related to the above characteristic, is the inability to put a stop-loss order on a mutual fund.  If the market is crashing, and you’re unable to monitor your investments every minute that the markets are open, you could lose big or give up a good chunk of your gains.  Stocks and ETFs don’t have this disadvantage; you can have a standing stop-loss order on them with your broker for up to 6 months.  As soon as the stock or ETF drops to the sell-stop price, a sell is triggered and voila, you’re in cash, protected from further downside.  This gives you time to assess market conditions and decide on your next investment.

The inability of most mutual funds to deviate from their stated investment objectives prevented many mutual funds from cashing out on money losing stocks (almost all of them in 2008) and being able to sit on the sidelines with significant amounts of cash.  Funds with more flexibility in their cash positions, and those with the ability to take inverse (e.g., short) positions fared better than most in this bear market.  To be fair, many ETFs are index-based and have the same problem.

Mutual funds also suffer from a lack of timely disclosure of their investment holdings.  While they all publish their stock and bond holdings, most holding lists are usually at least three months old.  Mutual fund managers don’t like to publish their holdings more frequently so they don’t have to tip their hand to the competition.  It’s important to know what investments your funds are holding so you don’t duplicate or overlap your holdings with funds carrying the same stocks or bonds.  And if your fund was still holding, say Washington Mutual when it was sold for pennies on the dollar to JP Morgan Chase, maybe you would have known better to avoid the fund.  ETFs are much more transparent and publish their holdings on a daily basis.

Many will argue that ETFs have commissions that must be paid to buy and sell them, thereby making them a more costly option than mutual funds. To that I say three things: 1) commissions at most big brokers are about $19.95 or less; 2) the potential higher-gain or lower-loss on an ETF may pay for the commission in multiples; and 3) many desirable mutual funds have transaction fees much higher than ETF commissions at many brokers.

So will the mutual fund industry eventually die? I don’t think so.  Mutual funds are so ingrained in institutional settings and retirement plans that they likely have a long future ahead of them.  But I have a feeling that the mutual fund industry is already trying to reinvent itself.  Many of the big mutual fund companies have gotten into the ETF business because of the net (negative) out-flows from mutual funds and the net (positive) in-flows to ETFs.  Perhaps mutual funds will get some of the nice advantages that ETFs have like intra-day pricing, sell-stops and timelier holdings disclosures.

What I also hope for is that more 401(k) and self-directed retirement plans embrace ETFs and give employees the option to invest in them.  That way, they’re not sitting ducks when the markets come crashing down.

Do you think that mutual funds are headed for extinction? Do you think that employees should have more choices (e.g., ETFs) when it comes to their 401(k) investment choices? Please let me know what you think.

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Roller Coaster Market Ride for the Week Ended March 20, 2009

March 21, 2009 — Sam H. Fawaz

It was a roller-coaster ride on the markets this week. First we were down, then we were up, then we were down again. As I wrote earlier this week, volatility is here for a while in the markets and, although we were up overall for the week, the fundamentals just aren’t there to push things in a consistent upward direction.

Congress’ distraction with the AIG bonus debacle meant that they were focusing on that instead of moving along the plan for dealing with the financial crisis. As a result, companies are equally distracted by concerns of whether accepting further government help means more meddling in their business affairs. So instead of lending money, for example, financial institutions become more concerned about paying back the government and operating independently, thereby negating the whole benefit of the bailout. In addition, much needed talented employees may consider joining firms with no government restrictions on compensation or potential exorbitant taxes on their bonuses.  I’d be interested in your opinion here-please feel free to leave comments below.

I predict that we will continue to see some up days, some down days and generally sideways movement in the markets for some time. In the short-term, although we may see some net positive gains, there seems to be more risk than reward out there. Caution is still the approach we encourage.

My advice remains the same: consistent saving is your best defense against volatile markets. Keep contributing to that 401(k), IRA and your “dream” accounts. Pay down your debt as much as possible and make sure that you have a liquid emergency fund of at least 3-9 months of salary. And, as financial guru Dave Ramsey says, “refuse to participate in this recession” by enjoying every day, taking those vacations, and keeping in touch and sharing time with your loved ones.

Enjoy this first weekend of spring 2009. And remember, if the first robin of spring sees its shadow, you can expect at least twelve more weeks of crabgrass (at least according to “Magic” Matt Alan of Sirius-XM 70’s on 7.)

I’ve provided a weekly summary of the markets below:

Market Update For Week Ending 3/20/2009

Index

Close

Net Change

% Change

YTD

YTD %

DJIA

7,278.38

+54.40

0.75

-1,498.01

-17.07

NASDAQ

1,457.27

+25.77

1.80

-119.76

-7.59

S&P500

768.54

+11.99

1.58

-134.71

-14.91

Russell 2000

400.11

+7.02

1.79

-99.34

-19.89

International

1,054.60

+74.07

7.55

-182.82

-14.77

10-year bond

2.63%

-0.26%

+0.38%

30-year T-bond

3.65%

-0.02%

+0.96%

International index is MSCI EAFE index. Bond data reflect net change in yield, not price. Indices are unmanaged and you cannot directly invest in an index.

Sam H. Fawaz CFP®, CPA is president of YDream Financial Services, Inc., a registered investment advisor. All material presented herein is believed to be reliable, but we cannot attest to its accuracy.  Investment recommendations may change and readers are urged to check with their investment advisors before making any investment decisions. Opinions expressed in this writing may change without prior notice.
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