The “Heat Map”

Posted on September 16, 2014 by The Weekly Commentary

Most of the time the U.S. stock market looks to 3 factors (call them the “pillars” that support the stock market) to support its upward trend – let’s grade each of the pillars.

CONSUMER SPENDING: We have increased the grade on this factor to A- (very favorable) based upon the increase in retail sales as reported in recent economic reports and the decrease in gasoline prices as described in “Heads Up”

THE FED AND ITS POLICIES: We continue to grade this factor an A+ (extremely favorable) because the FED cannot do much more than it is doing to support the stock market and asset prices.

BUSINESS PROFITABILITY: We CONTINUE to rate this factor B- (slightly above average).

The “Heat Map” is indicating the U.S. stock market is in good shape ASSUMING no international crisis. We have identified one potential international crisis hot spot:

Iraq and the “powder keg” in the Middle East including Gaza. On a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being the highest level of crisis, we rate this Middle East powder keg situation as a 3 at this time. This is unchanged from last week, but still elevated. Risks continue to lurk, and they deserve our ongoing attention.

Valley National Financial Advisors, and its family of companies, has been in the Lehigh Valley since 1985. The company is independent and locally owned. As a respected and trusted organization, our relationships with many clients and their families transcend generations. We have the expertise to provide clients with financial strategies to effectively manage their existing assets and to provide for the eventual transfer of their wealth.

Our one-stop service model includes: Financial Planning – Investment Management – Estate Planning – Retirement Planning – Education Planning – Tax Planning & Preparation – Insurance Planning – Trust Services, offered as a Trust Representative Office of National Advisors Trust Company, FSB – ExecutiveEdgeTM, Personal Financial Planning for Corporate Leaders. Our services are provided by a team of objective professionals and managed by one contact person – your personal financial advisor.

Valley National Financial Advisors is proud home of the Lehigh Valley’s most CFP® – Certified Financial Planner Professionals^TM. Among other honors, Valley National has been voted Best Financial Planner in the Lehigh Valley seven times by the readers of Lehigh Valley Magazine, and ranked among FA Magazine’s Top RIAs and AdvisorOne’s Top Wealth Managers.

For more than years, our firm has been devoted to helping our clients to achieve their hopes, dreams and aspirations. This requires a delicate balance between the science of financial planning and the art of understanding the feelings and emotions of our clients and their families.

Meet Our Team of Experienced, Highly Educated Professionals

Securities offered through Valley National Investments, Inc. Member FINRA SIPC. The Standard & Poor’s 500 (S&P 500), Morgan Stanley EAFE Developed Countries, and the Lehman Brothers Aggregate Bond Index are an unmanaged group of securities considered to be representative, in general, of the US stock market, the foreign stock market, and the US bond market, respectively. Opinions expressed are subject to change without notice and are not intended to be investment advice or to predict future performance. Consult your financial professional before making any investment decision. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Valley National does not purchase content for its newsletter from outside supplier/vendors. Valley National is in compliance with the current registration and/or notice-filing requirements imposed upon SEC registered investment advisers by those states in which Valley National maintains clients. Advisors of Valley National may only transact business in those states in which they are registered, or qualify for an exemption or exclusion from registration requirements. The Valley National newsletter, The Weekly Commentary, is limited to the dissemination of general information pertaining to investment advisory and financial planning services and other general information it believes would be of interest to its clients and friends. Nothing in this newsletter shall be construed as offering or disseminating specific financial, retirement, estate, asset protection, tax, and/or legal advice. Nothing in this newsletter shall be construed as an offer to sell, or a solicitation to buy securities. Nothing contained in this newsletter shall be construed as creating a planner client relationship by virtue of your access to this newsletter. Readers should not rely solely on any information contained herein to plan your estate, or invest your assets, or plan for your income taxes, or make any other financial planning decision. All trademarks and logos appearing herein are those of their respective owners. Information throughout this newsletter is obtained from sources which we and our suppliers believe reliable, but we do not warrant or guarantee the timeliness or accuracy of this information. Neither we nor our information providers shall be liable for any errors or inaccuracies, regardless of cause, or the lack of timeliness of, or for any delay or interruption in the transmission thereof to the reader. Copyright © 2019, Valley National Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved.