Fast Facts
Happy Birthday!- A retired British teacher has been named the oldest man in the world at the age of 111. Bob Weighton took the title when its previous holder died last month in Japan. The secret to his longevity, Weighton said, has been “to avoid dying.” Born in northern England in 1908, Weighton taught English in Taiwan and decoded Japanese military communications during World War II. A few years ago, he asked to stop receiving birthday cards from Queen Elizabeth II—the monarch sends cards to all British centenarians—because he didn’t want “a huge collection” in his apartment.
Way to Be a Helper- When architect Brian Bononi was sent to measure up a bankrupt portrait studio for a leasing agent, he was horrified to discover undelivered photos stacked on the floor, ready to be thrown out. Knowing the portraits meant a lot to the people in them, Bononi put them in his minivan. The next day, he began calling the phone numbers that were listed on some of the portraits and posting messages online about his find. At least 63 people have since been reunited with their photos. Lisa O’Connor, who got back portraits of her two granddaughters, said Bononi’s kindness “is an example of how we all should be.”
Too Good to Be True- A California woman who meticulously watered a house plant for two years was stunned to discover that the succulent was actually plastic. Caelie Wilkes, 24, wrote on Facebook that she was proud of her “beautiful succulent,” calling it the “perfect plant.” The stay-at-home mom kept to a strict watering schedule and dutifully washed its leaves, but when she tried to transplant it into the “cutest” vase, discovered it was a fake rooted in Styrofoam. “I feel like these last two years have been a lie,” she wrote.
Weekly Focus – Think About It
“Prediction is very difficult, especially if it’s about the future.”
-Niels Bohr, Danish physicist and Nobel laureate in Physics
The Markets
Last week was one for the history books.
Mid-week, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared coronavirus a global pandemic. At the time, there were more than 118,000 cases in 114 countries, and the death toll exceeded 4,000 people. On Friday, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reported 46 states and the District of Columbia have been affected, so far. As of Friday, there have been 1,629 confirmed and presumptive cases and 41 deaths.
As the need for containment became clear, daily life underwent rapid change. Major gatherings, from sporting events to Broadway shows to industry conferences, were canceled. Travel was restricted. Schools closed or moved to online classes. Restaurants and bars began serving fewer customers. Many Americans began working remotely or, in some cases, not working at all.
Uncertainty about the economic impact of the virus contributed to stock market volatility. Major American stock indices dropped into bear market territory, last week. Bear markets occur when prices drop by 20 percent or more from recent highs. Peter Wells of Financial Times reported:
“…a combination of fears stemming from the coronavirus pandemic, oil price plunge, and a global recession killed off an 11-year bull market. Wall Street’s equities benchmark plunged 9.5 percent on Thursday, its biggest one-day drop since Black Monday in October 1987 and also its fifth-biggest one-day drop since 1928.”
On Friday, President Trump declared the coronavirus a national emergency. Reshma Kapadia of Barron’s reported the declaration freed up $50 billion to support local, state, and federal efforts. It also “…grants new authorities to the Health and Human Services department, and gives doctors and hospitals greater flexibility to respond to the virus and care for patients…”
All three major U.S. stock indices rallied after the national emergency declaration, but it wasn’t enough to recover losses from earlier in the week. Chuck Mikolajczak of Reuters reported:
“The indexes were still about 20 percent below record highs hit in mid-February, and each saw declines of at least 8 percent for the week. Since hitting the highs, markets have been besieged with big swings in the market, nearly matching as many days with declines of at least 1 percent as all of 2019. Friday’s surge was the biggest one-day percentage gain for the S&P 500 since October 28, 2008.”
On Saturday, the House passed a bipartisan economic stimulus and relief bill to provide support while the coronavirus is being contained. It is expected to pass the Senate next week, reportedErica Werner, Mike DeBonis, Paul Kane, and Jeff Stein of The Washington Post. The current legislation is separate from the $8.3 billion emergency spending bill passed two weeks ago.
The CBOE Volatility Index (VIX), which is known as Wall Street’s fear gauge, traded above 50 every day last week. At the start of the year, the VIX was trading at 12.47, and it has averaged 22.05 during 2020 to date, reported Macrotrends. A high VIX reading indicates traders anticipate markets will remain volatile.
Recent bouts of volatility appear to have been caused by institutional trading rather than individual investors. Abby Schultz of Penta reported:
“…individual investors are largely sitting tight, according to survey data from Spectrem Group in Chicago. About three-quarters of investors with $100,000 to $25 million in investable assets who were surveyed between Wednesday, March 4…and Monday, March 9…did not change their investment portfolios at all in light of the market sell-off…Among those with $5 million to $10 million in investable assets, as well as those with $10 million to $15 million, 31 percent bought stocks in the last 20 days…Among those with $15 million to $25 million, 39 percent bought stocks…”
Ready for a laugh? One of the most important things any of us can do right now is to stay calm. Sometimes deep breathing can restore calm. Laughter can be soothing, too. The Mayo Clinic says laughter is a solid stress reliever. “A good laugh has great short-term effects. When you start to laugh, it doesn’t just lighten your load mentally, it actually induces physical changes in your body.” As it turns out, laughing stimulates organs and soothes tension.
In the interest of promoting calm, we offer a few remarkable ways students have answered test questions. Bored Panda explained, “These bright pupils came up with the funniest test answers harnessing the powers of puns and their creativity.”
Test question: Briefly explain what hard water is.
Answer: Ice
Test question: What is the strongest force on Earth?
Answer: Love
Test question: Expand (a+b)n
Answer: = ( a + b )n
Test question: Choose the right word: The man [hit/fit] the dog.
Answer: Pet. You should not hit dogs.
Test question: Write an example of a risk.
Answer: This.
Test question: Fill in the blank: I earn money at home by _____.
Answer: I don’t. I am a freeloader.
During these stressful times, we hope you find some moments of humor and good cheer.
Best regards,
John Klevens, CFP®
P.S. Please feel free to forward this commentary to family, friends, or colleagues. If you would like us to add them to the list, please reply to this email with their email address and we will ask for their permission to be added.
This material is intended to provide general financial education and is not written or intended as tax or legal advice and may not be relied upon for purposes of avoiding any Federal tax penalties. Individuals are encouraged to seek advice from their own tax or legal counsel. Individuals involved in the estate planning process should work with an estate planning team, including their own personal legal or tax counsel. This material is for informational purposes only and is not an offer to sell or a solicitation to buy any securities.
Securities and Advisory Services offered by John Klevens through KMS Financial Services, Inc. Member FINRA/SIPC and an SEC Registered Investment Adviser. Klevens Capital Management and KMS are separate and unaffiliated.
Portions of this newsletter have been prepared by Peak Advisor
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* This newsletter was prepared by Carson Coaching. Carson Coaching is not affiliated with the named firm.
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* The 10-year Treasury Note represents debt owed by the United States Treasury to the public. Since the U.S. Government is seen as a risk-free borrower, investors use the 10-year Treasury Note as a benchmark for the long-term bond market.
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* The Bloomberg Commodity Index is designed to be a highly liquid and diversified benchmark for the commodity futures market. The Index is composed of futures contracts on 19 physical commodities and was launched on July 14, 1998.
* The DJ Equity All REIT Total Return Index measures the total return performance of the equity subcategory of the Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) industry as calculated by Dow Jones.
* The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA), commonly known as “The Dow,” is an index representing 30 stock of companies maintained and reviewed by the editors of The Wall Street Journal.
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* Opinions expressed are subject to change without notice and are not intended as investment advice or to predict future performance.
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* Asset allocation does not ensure a profit or protect against a loss.
* Consult your financial professional before making any investment decision.
Sources:
The Week Magazine
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/cases-in-us.html#2019coronavirus-summary
https://www.investopedia.com/terms/b/bearmarket.asp
https://www.ft.com/content/d895a54c-64a4-11ea-a6cd-df28cc3c6a68 (or go to https://peakcontent.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/+Peak+Commentary/03-16-20_FinancialTimes-S_and_P_500_Suffers_Its_Quickest_Fall_into_Bear_Market_on_Record-Footnote_5.pdf)
https://www.barrons.com/articles/coronavirus-playbook-heres-what-governments-need-to-do-51584128183 (or go to https://peakcontent.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/+Peak+Commentary/03-16-20_Barrons-What_Governments_Need_to_do_Now_to_Calm_the_Markets-Footnote_6.pdf)
https://www.barrons.com/articles/stocks-are-soaring-after-president-trump-declares-national-emergency-51584129568 (or go to https://peakcontent.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/+Peak+Commentary/03-16-20_Barrons-Stocks_Soar_After_President_Trump_Declared_a_National_Emergency-Footnote_7.pdf)
https://www.washingtonpost.com/us-policy/2020/03/13/paid-leave-democrats-trump-deal-coronavirus/ (or go to https://peakcontent.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/+Peak+Commentary/03-16-20_TheWashingtonPost-House_Passes_Coronavirus_Economic_Relief_Package_with_Trumps_Support-Footnote_9.pdf)
https://www.barrons.com/articles/the-vix-continues-to-soar-its-holding-at-financial-crisis-levels-51584120341 (or go to https://peakcontent.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/+Peak+Commentary/03-16-20_Barrons-Holding_at_Financial_Crisis_Levels-Footnote_10.pdf)
https://www.macrotrends.net/2603/vix-volatility-index-historical-chart (or go to https://peakcontent.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/+Peak+Commentary/03-16-20_Macrotrends-CBOE_Volatility_Index-Historical_Annual_Data-Footnote_11.pdf)
https://www.barrons.com/articles/individual-investors-are-sitting-tight-during-market-rout-01584127051 (or go to https://peakcontent.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/+Peak+Commentary/03-16-20_Penta-Individual_Investors_are_Sitting_Tight_During_Market_Rout-Footnote_12.pdf)
https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/in-depth/stress-relief/art-20044456