INSIGHTS

July 6, 2020 | Ocean Park | Market Minute

June 16, 2020 | Terri Spath, Chief Investment Officer | Investment Commentary

Chief Investment Officer Terri Spath discusses the current state of the economy, what changes you might expect in the coming months, and some recommendations for navigating the ever changing market environment to help mitigate risk while seeking productive returns.

June 8, 2020 | Ocean Park | Market Minute

The Ocean Park Tactical Bond strategy has the ability to play volatile markets well by switching between two often uncorrelated asset classes: high yield corporate bonds and long-duration U.S. Treasuries. In this week's Market Minute, Ken and Terri converse about the resiliency of the strategy during recent periods of volatility.

May 22, 2020 | Ocean Park | Market Minute

Our investment process is deeply rooted in numbers, or math. When it comes down to making asset allocation or manager selection decisions, we have additional layers to our rules that require thoughtful consideration and discussion. Ken and Terri discuss the details in this week's Market Minute.

May 8, 2020 | Ocean Park | Market Minute

The markets continue to be volatile, and it doesn't seem that the course will correct any time soon. It's difficult to manage client expectations during times like these. In this week's Market Minute, CIO Terri Spath & Dr. Kenneth Sleeper discuss how math is at the core of our investment process, and it really is all in the numbers.

May 20, 2020 | Terri Spath, Chief Investment Officer | Investment Commentary

Chief Investment Officer Terri Spath's latest commentary discusses three reasons why we believe using a tactical investment approach, like the one used at Ocean Park, may be the best way to mitigate losses and preserve client wealth.

April 24, 2020 | Ocean Park | Market Minute

In a time where social distancing and #StayHome & #StaySafe are the new norms, we continue to find ways to provide you the content you crave. In this week's Market Minute, CIO Terri Spath & Dr. Kenneth Sleeper has a #Quarantined Q&A about our buy & sell discipline, the Tactical Bond strategy's recent success, and our focus on wealth preservation.

April 10, 2020 | Ocean Park | Market Minute

Markets are cyclical, and as investors, we're forced to take the ups with the downs. We've managed through some choppy markets over the last 32 years. Our customer-centric focus and disciplined execution have helped keep our clients comfortably invested. Dr. Kenneth Sleeper shares his historic perspective in this week's Market Minute.

March 27, 2020 | Ocean Park | Market Minute

It seems like we are living in a different time. Over the course of the last several weeks, many of us have had to alter the way we do things. Business, school, family, and even grocery shopping have new routines. While things around us have changed, we have not changed the way we manage the assets our clients have entrusted to us. Terri shares her perspective in this week's Market Minute.

March 17, 2020 | Terri Spath, Chief Investment Officer | Investment Commentary

CIO Terri Spath's latest market commentary discusses when might be a good time to buy, and the importance of using a time-tested process, like the one used at Ocean Park.

March 13, 2020 | Ocean Park | Market Minute

Stocks and bonds have been getting pummeled. With so much volatility in the market, there's been a massive flight to treasuries, pushing rates to near-record lows. Terri shares her thoughts in this Special Edition of the Market Minute.

March 2, 2020 | CLS's the Weighing Machine | Rusty Vanneman | Investment Commentary

In this episode, we discuss the current risk-off environment, Americans’ approach to saving money, the benefits of international diversification and why we may appear to have a “bias” against the U.S. market. Along with CLS Investment Research Analysts Michael Hadden and Nick Codola, we also discuss which sectors are making money and our newest publication: The Snapshot. Special guest: Ocean Park’s Terri Spath (16:00).

February 28, 2020 | Ocean Park | Market Minute

The markets have been unruly this week. In a matter of days, we've seen months of market gains eliminated right before our eyes. It is times like these that we rely on our truly-tactical rules-based investment process and quantitative trailing stops under each holding. Terri shares her perspectives in this Special Edition of the Market Minute.

February 21, 2020 | Ocean Park | Market Minute

There are many benefits to holding municipal bonds in your client's taxable portfolios. Aside from those obvious benefits, there are a few others that can be easily achieved. CIO Terri Spath explains in this week's Market Minute.

February 7, 2020 | Ocean Park | Market Minute

Preferred stocks offer investors the characteristics of both equities and bonds. Though less volatile than their common stock counterpart, they still need to be managed tactically. CIO Terri Spath shares her insights in this week's Market Minute.

January 22, 2020 | Terri Spath, Chief Investment Officer | Investment Commentary

Reviewing bond holdings doesn’t make most people’s list of New Year resolutions, but it should. Why? Investors often tell us that fixed-income is confusing and that they have heard now is not a good time to buy bonds. The truth is a bond allocation is critical to your financial health, and a truly tactical approach to the asset class can address a lot of the confusion and misgivings about bonds that investors typically have.

January 24, 2020 | Ocean Park | Market Minute

Happy New Year. In 2020, we urge you to take a critical look at the fixed income sleeve of your clients' portfolios. The markets have been unpredictable, and your clients may be exposed to some unintentional risks. CIO Terri Spath shares her insights in this week's Market Minute.

January 13, 2020 | Ocean Park | Market Minute

Happy New Year to you all. It's 2020, and we want we want to share some thoughts with you about Maximum Drawdown. This risk metric measures the largest observed loss from peak to trough. Terri shares her insights into the importance of this risk measure in this week's Market Minute.

December 9, 2019 | Ocean Park | Market Minute

Unlike other investing risks, sequence of returns risk isn't a statistical figure that can be found or screened out in Morningstar. It's a risk that is unique to each individual investors experience. Terri explains how we're able to mitigate this overlooked risk in this week's Market Minute.

November 25, 2019 | Ocean Park | Market Minute

2019's theme seems to be interest rates. They've been up, they've been down, and each move has been at a different velocity. With so much fluctuation, we're often asked how we are able to manage through the challenging environment. Terri explains in this week's Market Minute.

November 20, 2019 | Terri Spath, Chief Investment Officer | Investment Commentary

You wouldn’t (and shouldn’t) disengage the air bags in your car. Why would you remove them from your investment outlook and holdings? We can either manage risk or ignore it. The problem with ignoring investment risk is that historically it has not worked out well. Investing isn’t only about how much can be gained, but how much can be lost.

Advisor Voice (IP USE ONLY): Season 2, Episode 2

November 12, 2019 | Ocean Park | Advisor Voice

Topic: What are the differences between Conservative Allocation & Strategic Income? How would I use either strategy for my clients? Jason and Bill discuss the unique features of both multi-asset strategies, and how Advisors have been utilizing the strategies to help achieve their client's goals.

LOGIN TO VIEW

Advisor Voice (IP USE ONLY): Season 2, Episode 1

November 12, 2019 | Ocean Park | Advisor Voice

Topic: What is blending, and how can my clients benefit from it? Jason and Bill discuss how Advisors are improving their clients' portfolios by "blending" managers, and benefiting from the unique strengths of each manager.

LOGIN TO VIEW

November 12, 2019 | Ocean Park | Advisor Voice

Topic: The Ocean Park Tactical Bond Strategy. How we seek to benefit from two negatively correlated asset classes by tactically allocating between High Yield Corp. Bonds and Long-term Government Bonds. And when the market dictates, 100% cash, if necessary.

November 12, 2019 | Ocean Park | Advisor Voice

Topic: The Ocean Park Municipal Bond Strategy. How we identify opportunities in municipal bonds, while protecting against risks.

November 12, 2019 | Ocean Park | Advisor Voice

Topic: What is meant by Diversify, Defend & Distribute? Bill and Jason detail the intricacies of Ocean Park's Diversify, Defend & Distribute philosophy.

November 12, 2019 | Ocean Park | Advisor Voice

Topic: How will your strategies perform if [name event here] happens? Bill and Jason discuss how Ocean Park's investment process is adaptable to whatever the capital markets throw at us.

November 11, 2019 | Ocean Park

With stocks reaching record highs, we continue to be asked about global opportunities and the risks associated with them. Valuation metrics are an effective way of determining value. Terri discusses in this week's Market Minute.

October 28, 2019 | Ocean Park

Bond market investing has been made more difficult than ever thanks to global negative interest rate debt. It's putting a crimp on investors who are looking to create income. Our tactical, rule-based process follows a myriad of asset classes, and it helps us identify areas of the market they may provide positive outcomes. Terri discusses in this week's Market Minute.

October 21, 2019 | Terri Spath, Chief Investment Officer

U.S. stocks keep knocking on the door of record high levels, while the bond market telegraphs big concerns. The disconnect keeps bubbling up in the form of volatility. Right now, plugging the holes in your portfolio can contain drawdowns, while participating in gains that can still be made.

October 14, 2019 | Ocean Park

You've certainly heard of passive & active investing; but what about tactical? Truly tactical investing involves a rules-based approach to identify positive or negative trends in asset classes. Terri unpacks this concept in this week's Market Minute.

September 30, 2019 | Ocean Park

A few years ago someone coined the term "lower for longer" when referring to interest rates. With so many factors currently pressuring interest rates, it's difficult to see relief anytime soon. Terri shares her insights on this and more in this week's Market Minute.

September 16, 2019 | Ocean Park | Market Minute

Investors have two traditional methods available to them when investing in the municipal bond asset class. We know of a third. Terri tells all in this week's Market Minute.

September 3, 2019 | Terri Spath, Chief Investment Officer | Investment Commentary

For most people the end of summer means one last dash to the beach, back-to-school shopping, and some final wagering at the horse track. At least this has been the case for me. The last bet on the last race at the Del Mar Racetrack in Southern California comes at Labor Day. Betting on a horse means putting money on a hopeful winner before the announcer shouts "go" and either picking up a gain or losing it all several minutes later.

September 3, 2019 | Ocean Park | Market Minute

What's the difference between gambling and investing? It's a fine line between the two, but the real difference is the ability to adjust on the fly. Terri shares her perspectives in this week's Market Minute.

August 5, 2019 | Ocean Park | Market Minute

How will different asset classes be impacted by the Fed's recent decision to cut interest rates? The equity and fixed income markets are telling two very different stories. Terri share's her thoughts on the subject in this week's Market Minute.

July 19, 2019 | Terri Spath, Chief Investment Officer | Investment Commentary

Financial markets don’t know if they are coming or going, telegraphing that investors are in a state of confusion. The U.S. stock market is tapping out historic highs, but as we write this, the reality is that the S&P 500 is a scant 2% higher than levels established 9 months ago. Along the way to that meager gain, buy and hold investors endured an agonizing and unrelenting free-fall at the end of 2018 and a sharp 7% loss in value in May.

July 22, 2019 | Ocean Park | Market Minute

Actively managed mutual funds are great vehicles to tap into unusual bond markets. We prefer using mutual funds to tap into the municipal bond market for many reasons. In this week's Market Minute, Terri shares three reasons why it makes sense.

June 24, 2019 | Ocean Park | Market Minute

Are you considering an investment in emerging markets for your clients? The opportunity for growth is tremendous whether you are using equities or debt; but if you are seeking to increase diversification, you may want to look deeper into debt.

July 8, 2019 | Ocean Park | Market Minute

It shouldn't come as a surprise that we really, really like the municipal bond asset class. When trending positively, it's one of the largest allocations in our diversified strategies. In this week's Market Minute, Terri shares three reasons why she really likes them.

February 7, 2018 | InvestmentNews

Clients are looking for ways to limit downside risk while generating returns. Investment News interviews Terri Spath, Ocean Park’s Chief Investment Officer on this important client conversation.

June 12, 2019 | Terri Spath, Chief Investment Officer | Investment Commentary

For many, summer means days at the beach and, ideally, nights at the ice cream parlor. Picking a flavor of ice cream is never an easy decision. The same can be said for bonds. Like ice cream, bonds come in 31 flavors (or so). U.S. government bonds are really different flavors of vanilla, from just plain vanilla to French to New York. Interest rates are the driver of the prices of government bonds; a rise in rates pressures prices down and vice-versa. A risk of default is virtually nil so credit risk does not influence the price.

June 7, 2019 | Ocean Park | Market Minute

Volatility is unpredictable and is a component of the capital markets that must be accounted for. Left tail risk are low probability events that can dramatically affect a client's portfolio. Terri evolves the concept further in this week's Market Minute.

May 27, 2019 | Ocean Park | Market Minute

The importance of Ocean Park's Three D's cannot be understated. Our unique ability to provide your clients the Diversification and Defense they seek in the accumulation phase sets them up for future success when they enter the Distribution phase.

May 17, 2019 | Terri Spath, Chief Investment Officer | Investment Commentary

From basketball to tennis or chess to tic-tac-toe, winning a game involves strategic decisions, probability analysis and math. The best teams and players are not passive, generating the same moves over and over, but tactically adjusting to make the next best move. Investing is much the same.

May 6, 2019 | Ocean Park | Market Minute

Ever hear of the "Santa Clause Rally" or "Sell in May then Go Away?" These are commonly understood rules that seem quirky and subjective, but have some historic proof behind them. Terri shares her perspectives in this week's Market Minute.

April 25, 2019 | Ocean Park | Advisor Voice

Terri Spath, Ocean Park's CIO, commonly referred to 2018 as the year of "Trendless Volatility. Senior Portfolio Specialist, Bill Phillips, discusses some of the challenges that arose for money managers throughout 2018 as a result.

April 25, 2019 | Ocean Park | Advisor Voice

Is Ocean Park purely a fixed income manager? Senior Portfolio Specialist, Bill Phillips, explains our "Winning by not Losing" philosophy or managing risk, and how that has been able to produce results similar to the S&P 500 Index, but with much less risk.

April 25, 2019 | Ocean Park | Advisor Voice

How will Ocean Park portfolio's hold up in a rising interest rate environment? Senior Portfolio Specialist, Bill Phillips, explains how flexibility in the investment process (with security selection and trailing-stops) helps steer the investment team towards favorable outcomes.

April 25, 2019 | Ocean Park | Advisor Voice

What is it that make Ocean Park so unique? Senior Portfolio Specialist, Bill Phillips, explains how Ocean Park's investment process and perspectives on risk management truly define the organization and it's strategies.

April 25, 2019 | Ocean Park | Advisor Voice

How can financial advisors utilize Ocean Park strategies in their client's portfolios? Bill Phillips, Senior Portfolio Specialist explains the most effective use cases.

April 22, 2019 | Ocean Park | Market Minute

How are bond benchmarks constructed? The largest issuers of bonds will generally make up the most significant portions of a benchmark, which may expose your clients to some unintentional risks.

April 8, 2019 | Ocean Park | Market Minute

10-year treasuries are trading at a lower interest rate than 90 day treasuries. This is an inversion of the yield curve. It's not a normal occurrence, and it has some investors worried about what lies ahead.

March 25, 2019 | Ocean Park | Market Minute

Real indicators, or signals, of market behavior can be heavily clouded by noise created by the overwhelming amount of media coverage the markets receive daily. There can be some value found in noise, but being able to differentiate signals from noise can ultimately guide better investment decisions.

March 22, 2019 | Terri Spath, Chief Investment Officer | Investment Commentary

A simple definition of investment diversification is conveyed in the overused statement, “don’t put all your eggs in one basket.” The basic buy-and-hold, set-it-and-forget-it style of investing is often premised in a 60% global stock and 40% bond allocation (known as “60/40”) and sold as enough diversification to handle whatever market turmoil might come your way over the long-term.

March 12, 2019 | Ocean Park | Market Minute

The concept of traditional diversification was tested mightily by unruly markets in 2018. With more than 90% of asset classes negative for the year, we recommend true diversification for investors that are looking to mitigate risk and volatility.

February 22, 2019 | Ocean Park | Market Minute

It's difficult to not let emotions get the better of you when the markets become volatile. Remember the end of 2018, when the S&P 500 dropped 20%? Emotions can be a deterrent to wise investment decision making. A disciplined rules-based approach can help your clients remain comfortably invested.

February 12, 2019 | Terri Spath, Chief Investment Officer | Investment Commentary

So far in 2019, and really since Christmas Eve, we have seen a nice risk-on rally. Equities (as measured by the S&P 500® Index) were up about 8% in the month of January despite the U.S. government shutdown and international turmoil. While it is nice to have a breather from the march downward, it may be too early to pop the champagne corks and celebrate for the rest of the year. 2019 has only just begun, and (stop me if you've heard this) investing is a marathon, not a sprint!

February 11, 2019 | Ocean Park | Market Minute

There are differences between alternative asset classes and alternative strategies. Many use asset classes to provide downside protection when you need it. Terri explains our view on alternative strategies, which helps manage downside and offers real diversification.

January 15, 2019 | Ocean Park | Investment Commentary

A new year brings with it the elation of a renewed start. We proclaim resolutions about how we will make this year better than the one that just concluded. After the volatile close to 2018, investors should now be doing the same. Fortunately, there is the trailing-stop.

January 4, 2019 | Ocean Park

Happy New Year! Last week we talked about a new year with new risks. This week we discuss traditional asset allocation, and how it failed investors in 2018. Terri shares her perspectives on the subject in this week's Market Minute.

December 28, 2018 | Ocean Park | Market Minute

2018 is coming to a close, and what a year it turned out to be. 2019 brings a new year, and new risks.

December 14, 2018 | Ocean Park | Market Minute

We continue to wrap up what has been a volatile 2018. As a result of last week's episode, we've been asked about our 2019 outlook. CIO Terri Spath has identified three key risks that have the potential to influence the markets in 2019.

December 11, 2018 | Ocean Park | Investment Commentary

The persistence of volatility that has defined the capital markets for the better part of the last sixty days has resulted in a tactical de-risking of our Ocean Park portfolios.

December 7, 2018 | Ocean Park | Market Minute

As we prepare for 2018 to come to a close, Terri looks back at the last two-years investment environments and contrasts the differences. 2017 was smooth sailing, and 2018 has been the complete opposite.

November 30, 2018 | Ocean Park | Market Minute

The left tail (of a bell curve) is where the low probability, high consequence market events reside. There have been many market events that have contributed to a higher probability of making left tail risk greater. Terri explains that and more in this week's Market Minute.

November 23, 2018 | Ocean Park | Market Minute

The global bond markets can serve as a warning signal to the stock markets and economies of other countries. Mainly because bond investors have different expectations for growth than equity investors. Terri unwinds the concept in this week's Market Minute.

November 16, 2018 | Ocean Park | Market Minute

For us, managing risk goes hand-in-hand with creating returns. Our ability to minimize losses through the deployment of trailing stops allows us to step aside from market turmoil and focus on producing returns. Terri walks us through the details.

November 9, 2018 | Ocean Park | Market Minute

Voters were heard loud and clear at the polls last week by approving billions of dollars for various municipal spending initiatives. What will that do to the muni bond market? That and more in this week's Market Minute.

November 2, 2018 | Ocean Park | Market Minute

Closing out what ended up being an absolutely frightful month of October. In this week's Market Minute, Terri runs through last months activity and what our portfolio allocations look like at month end.

October 26, 2018 | Ocean Park | Market Minute

October has been a wild, volatile month in the domestic and global stock and bond markets. Terri talks about the pain the recent volatility has brought investors, and shares some high-level tactical sells that were made as a result.

October 12, 2018 | Ocean Park | Market Minute

In this week's Market Minute, CIO Terri Spath talks about High Yield Corporate Bonds. She reviews what they are, why she likes them, and how active management is a necessity for investing in this asset class.

October 5, 2018 | Ocean Park | Market Minute

In this week's Market Minute, CIO Terri Spath explains Asset Backed Securities (ABS) and how they can contribute to risk adjusted returns.

September 28, 2018 | Ocean Park | Market Minute

In this week's Market Minute, CIO Terri Spath touches on a handful of topics related to housing. Why housing? It is the first indicator of her Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.

Rebuild Your Core: Constructing a Bond Portfolio to Prosper in a Changing Environment

September 26, 2018 | Terri Spath, Chief Investment Officer | Joseph Letts, Research Analyst | White Papers

Bond portfolio construction can be more effective in a dynamic environment by assembling the portfolio with puzzle pieces that are not included within the Agg. The biggest challenge may be knowing when to adjust allocation – a problem that can be solved by following a clearly defined investment process.

LOGIN TO VIEW

September 21, 2018 | Ocean Park | Market Minute

In this week's Market Minute, CIO Terri Spath looks at factors that have contributed to the struggles in Emerging Markets stocks and bonds.

September 14, 2018 | Ocean Park | Market Minute

In this week’s The Market Minute, CIO Terri Spath does a deep-dive on Floating Rate Loans, discussing their unique features and how they can help mitigate risk.

September 7, 2018 | Ocean Park | Market Minute

We're continuing more on the subject of volatility and investments. We're focusing on risk, and the best ways that investors can understand the affect risk has on an investment.

August 31, 2018 | Ocean Park | Market Minute

There are some things in this interest rate environment that are like no others. With interest rates increasing, it's a good time to explore other fixed income sectors like High Yield Corporate Bonds & High Yield Municipal Bonds.

August 24, 2018 | Ocean Park | Market Minute

Volatility, which has been more prevalent in 2018 versus 2017, is a force that should be monitored closely in investments. Standard deviation is a metric that is widely used to gauge an investments exposure to volatility.

August 22, 2018 | Terri Spath, Chief Investment Officer | Investment Commentary

Since early July 2016, the yield on the 10-year Treasury has rocketed from 1.38% to nearly 3%. Investors in intermediate Treasuries have lost more than 7% over that period as rising interest rates have resulted in falling bond prices.

August 17, 2018 | Ocean Park | Market Minute

Are Turkey's currency woes just market noise? We've seen this before (Brexit, 2016 U.S. Presidential Election). Our rules-based process was developed to identify signals, and pass through the noise.

August 10, 2018 | Ocean Park | Market Minute

In this week’s The Market Minute, CIO Terri Spath talks about what's going on with the U.S. dollar's increase in value. Specifically, three key factors that drive the dollar and currencies in general.

August 3, 2018 | Ocean Park | Market Minute

In this week’s The Market Minute, CIO Terri Spath recaps three of the more significant takeaways from the recently concluded month of July.

July 13, 2018 | Ocean Park | Market Minute

In this week’s The Market Minute, CIO Terri Spath chats about the yield curve and what it can tell us about the health of the U.S. economy.

July 27, 2018 | Ocean Park | Market Minute

A lot of noise in the markets last week. CIO Terri Spath looks past the noise to find the real signals about what is going on in the capital markets.

July 6, 2018 | Ocean Park | Market Minute

In this week’s The Market Minute, CIO Terri Spath discusses the features of High Yield Corporate Bonds, and how we are able to manage them in our portfolios.

June 29, 2018 | Ocean Park | Market Minute

In this week’s Market Minute, CIO Terri Spath talks about Non-agency Residential Mortgage Backed Securities, and why they are peaking her interest right now.

June 22, 2018 | Ocean Park | Market Minute

In this week's The Market Minute, CIO Terri Spath review three reasons that municipal bonds look attractive right now - and not so boring.

June 13, 2018 | Terri Spath, Chief Investment Officer | Investment Commentary

We are consistently hearing that bonds are making advisors and investors pull out their hair. Nearly three decades of generally falling interest rates has translated into a bull market for traditional bond strategies, but times have changed.

June 15, 2018 | Ocean Park | Market Minute

In this week’s Market Minute, Terri Spath discusses the frustrations associated with Fixed Income in this rising interest rate environment.

June 8, 2018 | Ocean Park | Market Minute

In this week's Market Minute, Terri Spath discusses the recent trade disputes and what the implications may be on investments.

June 6, 2018 | Terri Spath, Chief Investment Officer | Investment Commentary

The year 2017 went down in the record books as the calmest stock market in history. The worst decline from high to low (“drawdown”) was a scant 2.6% and the S&P 500 recorded just 8 swings of more than one percent, just about one every six weeks, all the while consistently moving to the upside.

June 1, 2018 | Ocean Park | Market Minute

This week we look to answer two frequently asked questions: 1) How long will this volatility last, 2) How do we make money in these choppy markets.

May 25, 2018 | Ocean Park | Market Minute

Actively managed municipal bond mutual funds provide a great way to get access to the market without hand-picking securities. Since there is an imbalance in the marketplace where municipal bond demand has surpassed supply, these funds are presently trending upwards.

May 18, 2018 | Ocean Park | Market Minute

The 2-year treasury hit a level that it hasn't seen since August of 2008. The 2-year relative to the 10-year treasury is a good indicator of what is going to happen next in the economy.

May 11, 2018 | Ocean Park | Market Minute

Our investment process focuses on trends; observing them and acting upon them. Lately, the markets have been largely trendless, except for emerging markets debt.

May 4, 2018 | Ocean Park | Market Minute

With volatility so prevalent in the stock and bond markets, Terri Spath takes a minute to explain why such an environment makes commodities an attractive investment area of the market.

April 27, 2018 | Ocean Park | Market Minute

Chief Investment Officer, Terri Spath, provides an update on recent market forces, and how they have affected Ocean Park's portfolios.

March 20, 2018 | Terri Spath | Investment Commentary

During the short nine days of trading from late January to February 8, the S&P 500 fell like a skydiver leaping out of a plane: fast and down. In a classic flight-to-quality response, investors pulled their parachutes, socking billions into the largest ETFs tracking the widely-watched Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index (the “Barclays Aggregate”). This time, though, it didn’t work.

February 21, 2018 | Terri Spath | Investment Commentary

Right now I am continually inspired by the competing Olympians and I just came across an obscure and just plain crazy sport: “skeleton.” In it, thrill-seeking competitors plummet headfirst down a twisting, frozen track at speeds over 80 miles per hour.

January 17, 2018 | Terri Spath | Investment Commentary

As Yogi Berra famously quipped, “It’s tough to make predictions, especially about the future.” Nowhere is this truer than in the stock and bond markets around the world. It is a fool’s errand to make bold market predictions, but here we are at the beginning of 2018 and, as usual, economists, market pundits and fortune tellers alike are offering their best guesses for the next 12 months.

December 7, 2017 | Terri Spath, Chief Investment Officer | White Papers

When it comes to the timing, likelihood and economic impact of a potential tax overhaul, who wins? Who loses? The answer is: Who knows? What we do know right now, though, is how to manage taxes between now and year end to minimize the bill.

Bond Market Warnings? The Real Message

November 16, 2017 | Terri Spath | Investment Commentary

After 5 down days in the last 7, the S&P 500 bounced back today, regaining more than two-thirds of its decline over the last few weeks. At yesterday’s lows, the index was down a little more than 1% from its all-time highs. That’s it! The market drop, however, caused investor sentiment (as measured by the weekly American Association of Individual Investors bullish sentiment reading) to crash in its largest one week decline in four and a half years. How negative will investors be when the market dips 3% or 5% or more?

LOGIN TO VIEW

September 14, 2017 | Terri Spath | Investment Commentary

A widely followed bond guru recently declared that investment markets have entered “wacko season.” Some of his reasons include bitcoin mania and also European junk bonds that yield the same as U.S. Treasuries (which would you invest in)? We do not disagree and would add to his already long wacko and confusion list:

June 23, 2017 | Terri Spath | Investment Commentary

Stocks continue to teeter at all time highs and the outsized profits enjoyed since November of last year are really a continuation of the bull market that turned 8 years old this past March. Low starting valuations, improved [...]

First Quarter 2017 FTJ Strategist Commentary: Ocean Park Balanced Risk Model

April 10, 2017 | Terri Spath | Investment Commentary

The quarter was marked by a pivot from monetary policy and the role of central banks globally to a heightened focus on geopolitics and fiscal policy. The expectation of adrenaline shots in the form of tax cuts and deregulation [...]

LOGIN TO VIEW

March 1, 2017 | Terri Spath | Investment Commentary

About fifty days into the new administration and the trend we have observed since July 2016 remains intact: interest rates are going up.

January 12, 2017 | Terri Spath | Investment Commentary

Anticipation of lower taxes and higher infrastructure spending initially pushed investor enthusiasm and stock prices higher for several weeks following the election of Donald Trump as the 45th President of the United States. At [...]

December 29, 2015 | David C. Wright | White Papers

There is extensive coverage in the financial press regarding the “income” that retirees supposedly need, or can safely take from their savings on an annual basis.

December 11, 2014 | David C. Wright | Investment Commentary

After a relatively productive start to the year, Ocean Park’s High Yield Corporate Bond (HYCB) Program is slightly negative for the year (as of 12/10/14) as a result of significantly increased volatility in this asset class during third and [...]

June 29, 2015 | David C. Wright | Investment Commentary

Events on Saturday in Europe, regarding the “final” proposal by the ECB, IMF and Germany, roiled the global markets on Monday, June 29.

July 8, 2015 | David C. Wright | Investment Commentary

The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) elected to close trading today from approximately 11:30 am Eastern Time to 3:10 pm. All issues within the S&P 500 Index are traded on other exchanges, and they traded in an [...]

January 14, 2016 | Terri Spath | Investment Commentary

Kicking off the start of the second full week of trading for 2016 did little to calm investors. The year started in an ugly way when The People’s Bank of China depreciated the value of its currency, the renminbi, causing shares [...]

January 26, 2016 | David C. Wright | Investment Commentary

The dramatic recent declines that originated from China’s Shanghai Stock Exchange have spread to all developed-country stock markets. This raises an important question: is this just another brief correction, or is the weakening [...]

January 26, 2016 | Terri Spath | Investment Commentary

Ever since the last of the revelers headed home from their New Year parties, it’s been a “risk-off” atmosphere for asset classes around the globe. For at least a full year and into 2016, the party has been well over in the high […]

February 3, 2016 | David C. Wright | Investment Commentary

January was a very unusual month in the global markets. And the first days of February resumed those declines in equities, and surging Treasury prices. Equity markets around the world ended January down substantially, and the […]

February 23, 2016 | Terri Spath | Investment Commentary

We’ve had a year’s worth of trading moves already in 2016. Seven weeks into the trading year and global markets, from commodities to stocks, went on a tear to the downside. Most recently, many market benchmarks have reversed […]

March 28, 2016 | Terri Spath | Investment Commentary

Stocks have rallied back into the green for 2016, recovering completely from the January collapse. The market breadth is convincing. Last year, we highlighted that “risk-on” assets were in fact at risk. One reason we held this view was […]

April 29, 2016 | Terri Spath | Investment Commentary

Since the Federal Reserve raised its borrowing rate by 25 basis points (bps) this past December, the U.S. dollar keeps dropping to lower and lower levels relative to other currencies. The tanking dollar is the exact opposite of the […]

June 6, 2016 | Terri Spath | Investment Commentary

As stocks reach record highs, it’s worth re-visiting the ride to get here. It’s not unusual to see pullbacks in stocks, but over the past 12 months, investors in U.S. stocks have suffered two 12+% drops in the S&P 500 and in the process [...]

June 24, 2016 | Terri Spath | Investment Commentary

In an emotional vote against crony capitalism, immigration fears and the widening gap between haves and have-nots, the UK voted on Thursday to leave the European Union, shocking pollsters and market makers the world [...]

August 8, 2016 | Terri Spath | Investment Commentary

A very smart investor (more than one very smart investor, actually) is saying to sell everything. These “smart guys” are very likely smarter than me. They most certainly are wealthier than I am. Some may argue they are also better [...]

September 13, 2016 | Terri Spath | Investment Commentary

All else equal, given the choice between a 10% gain or a 5% gain, most (all) investors prefer the 10%, right? A degree in math or a course in probability and statistics isn’t needed to figure that out.

November 2, 2016 | Terri Spath | Investment Commentary

What’s that smell? No political jokes. No celebrity ones either. That smell you smell is the faint whiff of inflation seeping into the economy. It’s also one of the big reasons for the cruel October bond selloff.