'Twas the Friday before Christmas, and here is the Roundup! Pour a cup of hot cider and enjoy!
Powell's pivot sows confusion over when and how fast Fed will cut (Wall Street Journal). Fed officials are "flummoxed that investors expect even faster and deeper cuts."
A short history of Nasdaq 100 returns (Ben Carlson, A Wealth of Common Sense). The Nasdaq 100, which tracks a lot of "tech" stocks, is up more than 50% this year.
What does the fourth quarter of 2023 tell us about investor behaviour? (Joe Wiggins, Behavioural Investment). Reflections from a British analyst on the "exceptionally strong finish to 2023."
More Americans than ever own stocks (Wall Street Journal). The share of households owning stocks has increased across all income levels.
Visualizing 60 years of stock market cycles (Visual Capitalist). Fortunately, "up" cycles produce greater gains than "down" cycles take away.
The Leading Economic Index has declined for the 20th month in a row (Charlie Bilello via X). An economic recession remains on the table.
What's changing for retirement in 2024? (Christine Benz, Morningstar). The new year will bring inflation adjustments and the phase-in of more SECURE 2.0 provisions.
What is the safe withdrawal rate in retirement? (Nick Maggiulli, Of Dollars and Data). The debate continues.
IRS to waive $1 billion in penalties. Here's who qualifies and how much taxpayers may get (CNBC). The waiver applies to "failure-to-pay" penalties for the '20 and '21 tax years.
Venmo urged to protect users from scams — again (Kiplinger). Earlier: Payments app Zelle begins refunds for imposter scams after Washington pressure
Hail the heaven-born Prince of Peace! (Jonathan Noyes, Stand to Reason).
"[God] has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.”
Merry Christmas from SMI!
