Insights: August 2023 Edition 🌞
Insights: August 2023 Edition 🌞
“Summertime is always the best of what might be.” —Charles Bowden
I held back posting insights until today when I knew my next article in the Telluride Daily Planet was to publish, “Starlight All Day Long.” You can find the article by clicking on the link here, toggling to page 3. I am a bit obsessed with this idea — how might we be starlight all day long? My goal in finance is to be this for you, my clients, prospective clients, friends, and colleagues. We each have a magic we are born to share to light up this world. I am endlessly reaching for more, tackling more, learning more, doing more - this is what we are supposed to do. We are to become “Limitless” as Jim Kwik writes in his book. Everyone around me inspires me — including all of you! Thank you!
I do hope that for all of you that this summer has brought the promise of what might be to reality. After a long winter, I definitely appreciate the warm, sunny days where nearly anything seems possible, even though I might dream of skiing to come in December!
As you enjoy the summertime feeling, I’ve been encouraging clients to take a moment to reflect on the first half of 2023. Just like New Year's resolutions, mid-year is an opportune time to reassess our progress. Are you where you want to be? What is working and what isn’t? There is time to adjust the course.
In financial markets, waves of uncertainty and excitement continue to roll. The bulls certainly do want to make their case. The true upside is that markets have witnessed some better-than-expected trends, and we're grateful for that. However, this occurs amidst mixed earnings reports and the recent Fed rate hike, which has tightened the credit market, impacting small businesses the most.
Nevertheless, let's applaud the positive signs which becomes ever more glowing as we move into 2024 save no “unpredictables” rocking the market the way we’ve seen in the last two year. I don’t know about you but my intuition is that leading up to the next presidential election, tensions will rise and funny business might occur once again. To me, the bottom line remains the ability to be agile and move as needed swiftly.
🚀 Encouraging Signs 🚀
A Robust Labor Market: Unemployment remains low at 3.6%.
Housing Market Resilience: The housing market remains tight, indicating strong demand and a promising real estate outlook.
Investments and Productivity: Corporations are stepping up capital spending, leveraging technology to boost productivity, and there has been substantial capital investment in clean tech and global supply chains.
Tech and Media Surge: Consumer technology and media sectors are thriving, while opportunities in industrials, energy, housing, and healthcare are ripe for exploration.
Inflation Check: Inflation seems to be tapering off, with the CPI at 3%, although the Fed keeps a watchful eye on the PCE, which increased to 4.6% in May.
As always, I'm here to address any questions you may have about your investment allocation. The market landscape may change, and so will our strategies as we steer your portfolio through these ever-changing waters.
Wishing you a delightful August full of sunshine and the very best of what can be — pure starlight and energy!
Cheers,
Lisa Durant
President, Lion’s Eye Wealth
