January 4, 2021

Monthly Market Commentary | January 2021

Last week was the cherry on top of a turbulent year for investors.

After the $900 billion fiscal stimulus bill was signed on Sunday, major U.S. stock indices moved higher. The Washington Post reported, “The S&P 500-stock index, the most widely watched gauge, is finishing the year up more than 16 percent. The Dow Jones Industrial Average and the tech-heavy Nasdaq gained 7.25 percent and 43.6 percent, respectively. The Dow and S&P 500 finished at record levels despite the public health and economic crises.”

U.S. Treasuries gained, too, as yields moved slightly lower. Thirty-year Treasuries finished the week yielding 1.65 percent. While government bonds didn’t offer attractive levels of income during the year, they “…lived up to their billing as a stock market hedge in 2020. Rates plunged as stocks collapsed in March, and the Treasury market finished 2020 with yields not much above the pandemic panic lows and down half a percentage point or more for the year,” reported Barron’s.

There’s A new addition to the airport security team. Dogs may be some of the world’s most effective disease detectives.

In January, before COVID-19 was known to have arrived on our shores, NPR wrote about the dogs’ ability to smell disease. The host of Medical Monday interviewed Maria Goodavage, author of Doctor Dogs: How Our Best Friends Are Becoming Our Best Medicine, who said:

“With ovarian cancer, there’s not much great testing for early detection. I heard about these dogs at the University of Pennsylvania Veterinary Working Dog Center that are able to smell ovarian cancer. They’re able to detect it as early as stage one. We’re not even talking tumors here. They’re able to detect ovarian cancer in one drop of plasma from a woman with ovarian cancer.”

Doctor dogs also are being trained to detect the novel coronavirus. Reuters reported, “A study recently found dogs can identify infected individuals with 85 percent to 100 percent accuracy and rule out infection with 92 percent to 99 percent accuracy.”

Airports in Chile, the United Arab Emirates, and Finland have begun using teams of dogs to identify passengers who may be afflicted with the disease. Passengers and dogs do not interact directly. Instead, volunteers wipe gauze over their necks and wrists and place the gauze in a jar. The dogs smell the gauze to determine if COVID-19 is present.

Dog disease detectives could help restore consumer confidence in air travel and provide a layer of protection against infection. If the dogs are successful in airports, they may be deployed to hospitals, nursing homes, sports venues, and cultural events, said a Finnish professor of equine and small animal medicine who was cited by AFAR.com.

Weekly Focus – Think About It 
“A person can learn a lot from a dog, even a loopy one like ours. Marley taught me about living each day with unbridled exuberance and joy, about seizing the moment and following your heart. He taught me to appreciate the simple things – a walk in the woods, a fresh snowfall, a nap in a shaft of winter sunlight. And, as he grew old and achy, he taught me about optimism in the face of adversity. Mostly, he taught me about friendship and selflessness and, above all else, unwavering loyalty.”
–John Grogan, Author

Sources:

https://www.marketwatch.com/story/dow-futures-up-more-than-100-points-after-trump-signs-stimulus-package-11609156827
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2020/12/31/stock-market-record-2020/ (or go to https://peakcontent.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/+Peak+Commentary/01-04-21_TheWashingtonPost-The_Stock_Market_is_Ending_2020_at_Record_Highs_Even_as_the_Virus_Surges_and_Millions_Go_Hungry-Footnote_2.pdf)
https://www.treasury.gov/resource-center/data-chart-center/interest-rates/pages/TextView.aspx?data=yieldYear&year=2020
https://www.barrons.com/articles/here-are-barrons-best-income-investments-for-2021-51609451700?refsec=bonds (or go to https://peakcontent.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/+Peak+Commentary/01-04-21_Barrons-Barrons_Best_Income_Investments_for_2021-Footnote_4.pdf)
https://www.cnbc.com/2020/01/09/deloitte-cfos-say-economy-is-going-to-slow-stock-market-overvalued.html
https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2020/01/07/dow-futures-plunge-400-points-oil-prices-jump-4-after-iran-fires-missiles-iraqi-air-base-housing-us/2838090001/
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-12-31/take-a-last-glimpse-at-a-nightmare-year-for-the-world-economy?srnd=markets-vp (or go to https://peakcontent.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/+Peak+Commentary/01-04-21_Bloomberg-Take_a_Last_Glimpse_at_a_Nightmare_Year_for_the_World_Economy-Footnote_7.pdf)
https://www.axios.com/stocks-slide-volatility-coronavirus-8a688139-e6fb-4589-82cf-3c0c309f1b65.html
https://home.treasury.gov/policy-issues/cares
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-stocks-s-p500-bear-graphic/say-goodbye-to-the-shortest-bear-market-in-sp-500-history-idUSKCN25E2R9
https://www.federalreserve.gov/newsevents/pressreleases/monetary20200315b.htm
https://www2.deloitte.com/us/en/insights/economy/us-economic-forecast/united-states-outlook-analysis/august-2020.html
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/congress-set-pass-stimulus-checks-162200890.html
https://www.cnbc.com/2020/12/30/covid-vaccine-oxford-researcher-says-future-strains-can-be-protected-against.html
https://www.cnbc.com/2020/12/08/covid-vaccine-cramer-says-market-believes-us-pandemic-may-be-over-in-q2-2021.html
https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2020/01/25/799404129/how-super-sniffer-dogs-are-helping-detect-disease-around-the-world
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-chile-dogs/sit-stay-detect-covid-chile-dogs-report-for-duty-at-santiago-airport-idUSKBN28X2S2
https://www.afar.com/magazine/airports-using-coronavirus-sniffing-dogs-to-detect-infected-travelers
https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/dogs

Share This Commentary:

Get In Touch

In just 15 minutes we can get to know your situation, then connect you with an advisor committed to helping you pursue true wealth.

Subscribe

Add me to the weekly newsletter to say informed of current events that could impact my investment portfolio.

Important Disclosures:

Securities and advisory services offered through EWA LLC dba Equilibrium Wealth Advisors (a SEC Registered Investment Advisor).
* Government bonds and Treasury Bills are guaranteed by the U.S. government as to the timely payment of principal and interest and, if held to maturity, offer a fixed rate of return and fixed principal value.  However, the value of fund shares is not guaranteed and will fluctuate.
* Corporate bonds are considered higher risk than government bonds but normally offer a higher yield and are subject to market, interest rate and credit risk as well as additional risks based on the quality of issuer coupon rate, price, yield, maturity, and redemption features.
* The Standard & Poor’s 500 (S&P 500) is an unmanaged group of securities considered to be representative of the stock market in general. You cannot invest directly in this index.
* All indexes referenced are unmanaged. The volatility of indexes could be materially different from that of a client’s portfolio. Unmanaged index returns do not reflect fees, expenses, or sales charges. Index performance is not indicative of the performance of any investment. You cannot invest directly in an index.
* The Dow Jones Global ex-U.S. Index covers approximately 95% of the market capitalization of the 45 developed and emerging countries included in the Index.
* 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 afternoon gold price as reported by the London Bullion Market Association. The gold price is set twice daily by the London Gold Fixing Company at 10:30 and 15:00 and is expressed in U.S. dollars per fine troy ounce.
* The Bloomberg 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 Total Return Index measures the total return performance of the equity subcategory of the Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) industry as calculated by Dow Jones.
* The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA), commonly known as “The Dow,” is an index representing 30 stock of companies maintained and reviewed by the editors of The Wall Street Journal.
* The NASDAQ Composite is an unmanaged index of securities traded on the NASDAQ system.
* International investing involves special risks such as currency fluctuation and political instability and may not be suitable for all investors. These risks are often heightened for investments in emerging markets.
* Yahoo! Finance is the source for any reference to the performance of an index between two specific periods.
* The risk of loss in trading commodities and futures can be substantial. You should therefore carefully consider whether such trading is suitable for you in light of your financial condition. The high degree of leverage is often obtainable in commodity trading and can work against you as well as for you.  The use of leverage can lead to large losses as well as gains.
* Opinions expressed are subject to change without notice and are not intended as investment advice or to predict future performance.
* Economic forecasts set forth may not develop as predicted and there can be no guarantee that strategies promoted will be successful.
* Past performance does not guarantee future results. Investing involves risk, including loss of principal.
* The foregoing information has been obtained from sources considered to be reliable, but we do not guarantee it is accurate or complete.
* There is no guarantee a diversified portfolio will enhance overall returns or outperform a non-diversified portfolio. Diversification does not protect against market risk.
* Asset allocation does not ensure a profit or protect against a loss.
* Consult your financial professional before making any investment decision.

Request An Appointment

In 15 minutes we can get to know you – your situation, goals and needs – then connect you with an advisor committed to helping you pursue true wealth.