Chartered Financial Consultant


Commentaries

My Thoughts on the COVID-19 Stock Market #5

Considering…

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“Considering” has become a very common word in 2020. “How are you doing?” “Not bad, considering.”

We are living in extraordinary times when answers to generic questions are hedged or truncated. 

Yes, it’s a beautiful day, but… 

I’m feeling great, (but I may not be next week). 

What’s new?  Not much (because there is rarely anything new). 

It’s been five months since I hugged my daughter, son, grandsons and my Mom.  I’ve been fortunate enough to be near them all recently, and that’s great, considering…

It’s the same thing with the stock market. This year the Standard and Poor’s 500 Index declined 35% in just six few weeks, then staged a shocking rally.  It is now near where it started in January.  That’s startling, considering…  Considering what? 

  • The unemployment rate is 13+%.  It was 3-4% at the beginning of 2020. 
  • The economy has been subsidized by the federal government printing and freely distributing money (with no significant oversight) to the poor and needy as well as the rich and greedy.  This must end at some point.
  • The U. S. Gross Domestic Product growth rate ranged from +1.6% to +2.9% between 2010 and 2019.*  For 2020, the GDP is projected to shrink by 5.6% according to the Congressional Budget Office (May 2020). **
  • Many small businesses and restaurants are in survival mode or have closed.  
  • The COVID-19 crisis keeps getting worse.  Our awful President has intentionally divided our country while making The Pandemic a political issue, not a medical one.  The economy will not thrive until Americans feel safe enough to work, shop, invest and attend school again.

So, why is the stock market doing so well, considering the gloomy economic situation?  I listen to experts on weekly webcasts.  Everyone has an answer, but most are also mystified.  When are big-time investors going to take their eyes off their computer screens and look at what is happening in the real world. 

That reminds me, it’s time to go outside and smell the flowers, but first I have to take off my face mask. 

* Source: https://www.thebalance.com/us-gdp-by-year-3305543

** Sources: Congressional Budget Office; Bureau of Economic Analysis; Bureau of Labor Statistics; Federal Reserve.

NOTE: It should be noted that the S+P 500 Index, which you cannot invest in directly, is made up of the largest 500 American companies. S+P is not the same thing as “the stock market.”    

Bob Dreizler

Bob Dreizler