A summary of the economy for May 2012 provided by Streeter Riddle Wealth Management- Financial Advisors and Financial Planners located in East Cobb, GA.
2. Wealth Management Reinvented
May’s Market Moving Headlines
European Debt Crisis Persists
Unemployment Rises Again
Facebook IPO Falls Short
3. Wealth Management Reinvented
European Debt Crisis Persists
Equity Markets continued to churn over anxiety that Greece will
leave the European Union, further destabilizing the EU and
increasing the risk of default in other fragile EU members like Spain
and Italy.
Bailout money from the IMF and other EU lenders is tied to austerity
programs taking effect in Greece. The current government does not
appear inclined to accept austerity, but an election cycle is upon
them, and the chance to change direction is at hand.
4. Wealth Management Reinvented
Unemployment Rises Again
Bad news on the unemployment front caught investors in the U.S.
market off guard. May’s unemployment report showed only 69,000
jobs added during the month, significantly less than anticipated.
Worse still, nearly all of them were part-time jobs, leading to a rise
in the overall unemployment rate to 8.2%.
This is not only bad news for many Americans, but is a potential
signal that the economic recovery is stalling, a sentiment reflected in
the dramatic drops in the major stock market indices on Friday, June
1, as investors reacted to the new economic data from May including
the unemployment report.
5. Wealth Management Reinvented
Facebook IPO Falls Short
The Facebook IPO will no doubt linger as one of the most fascinating
stock market stories of 2012. The stock was clearly overvalued
when it came to market, a fact proven by its investment banks’ rush
to buy shares and support the price. But exactly how many shares
Morgan Stanley and others bought and what was the position of
those shares versus the short positions they were holding is a tale
we may never be told. Morgan may have made out like bandits on
the IPO, but from the outside looking in, it sure looks like a poor
investment banking performance.
Either way, the stock price slid consistently from the IPO, closing out
May more than 20% off of its opening price and leaving analysts to
disagree heartily over where it is going from here.
6. Wealth Management Reinvented
May’s Performance Notes
Index Month Open Month Close % Change
Dow Jones 13,213.63 12,466.18 -6.21%
Industrial Avg.
S&P 500 1397.91 1316.75 -6.27
AGG 110.59 111.50 +.88%
Notes:
1. Information From Google Finance
2. AGG is the Barclays Aggregate Bond Fund which generally tracks the overall
performance of the United States investment grade bond market.
3. AGG is a fund that can be traded. The DJIA and S&P 500 are indexes that cannot
be purchased directly. These are benchmarks we believe are noteworthy, but by
listing their performance, we are not suggesting they are the only appropriate
benchmarks or that any investment decisions should be made based on them.
Consult your financial advisor before making any investment decisions.
7. Wealth Management Reinvented
Summary
May was a difficult month for investors after the seemingly
forever ago bull run of the first quarter of 2012.
As market volatility remains the new normal, investors have to
be patient with their long term investments. With negligible
interest rates and bond yields at all time lows, investors
seeking a safe haven are having to be more creative in their
strategy.
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Disclaimers
Copyright 2012, Streeter Riddle Financial, LLC All Rights Reserved
The opinions in the preceding commentary are as of the date of publication and are subject to
change. Information has been obtained from third-party sources we consider reliable, but we do
not guarantee that the facts cited are accurate or complete. This material is not intended to be
relied upon as a forecast or investment advice regarding a particular investment or the markets in
general, nor is it intended to predict or depict performance of any investment. We may execute
transactions in securities that may not be consistent with the report’s conclusions. Investors
should consult their financial advisor on the strategy best for them. Past performance is not a
guarantee of future results.
Streeter Riddle Wealth Management is an unregistered designation used to describe our family of
companies: Streeter Riddle Financial, LLC; Private Client Tax Solutions, LLC, a registered CPA firm,
and Riddle Law Group, LLC, an independent law firm.
Securities offered through Kalos Capital, Inc. and investment advisory services offered through
Kalos Management, Inc., ("Kalos") both at 3780 Mansell Road, Alpharetta, Georgia 30022. Streeter
Riddle Financial, LLC, is not an affiliate or subisidiary of Kalos. Kalos does not offer legal or tax
advice.
Streeter Riddle Financial, LLC
2870 Johnson Ferry Road, Suite 150
Marietta, Georgia 30062
Tel: 678.456.5546
www.streeter-riddle.com