2025 closed out with global stock markets delivering another remarkable year, capping one of the strongest three-year stretches in stock market history. The April correction now feels like a distant memory as tariff shocks came and went.

SJS Investment Services creates a weekly market update to summarize performance characteristics for major stock and bond indices.

Gold has delivered eye-catching gains in recent years, surging past $4,000 per ounce this year and headlining financial media with talk of safe havens, inflation fears, and geopolitical uncertainty. This performance has increased investor enthusiasm, but history and research suggest caution.

The value of investment markets lies in the unknowable future. No one knows exactly what comes next - despite what some may claim. What we do know, grounded in academic research, is that valuations matter.

As we discussed in our last blog post, Congress passed the long-anticipated One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA). True to its name, this legislation covers a wide range of tax and financial provisions. And for business owners in particular, the impact is meaningful [1].

It’s no secret that the pace of innovation these days is supersonic. We all see the online videos of near-daily rocket launches and miraculous landings. And everyone seems to be asking the same question: how do we discern a good “innovation” from a not-so-good one?

Interest rates don’t always make headlines, but when they do, they tend to shake everything else. That’s because rates sit at the heart of the economy: they influence borrowing costs, savings yields, and business investment.

Given recent price drops in US stocks, we wanted to offer our perspective on why maintaining discipline to target allocations may be one of the most important things we can do as investors.

The yield curve isn’t just an academic concept; it impacts real-life decisions.

Every four years, we get the same question (whether you have asked it, or you are thinking it) – how will the election affect my portfolio?

While people commonly hold their cash within checking and savings accounts, we want to highlight three short-term, interest-bearing investments that can be held within your investment account.

When working with investment managers, we want them to share that same client-first philosophy and sit on the same side of the table with us.

SRDAX is a shining example of the value alternatives can bring to traditional stock and bond strategies.

You can consider putting excess cash into a money market fund, short-term U.S. Treasury bonds, or a short-term bond mutual fund / ETF.

The future of the housing market is uncertain, and its resilience will be a crucial factor in the broader economic landscape.

It’s important to recognize how difficult it is to predict what will happen in the short-term for investment markets, and how much margin for error there should be for any prediction.

The market’s reaction to tech in the first quarter is another reminder of how hard it is to time and predict the market, even if you “know” what is going to happen.

On the recent bank distress and investment markets.

For 2022, the bond asset class started the year with extremely low yields and less desirable return expectations. Going into 2023, the higher yields provide bond investors with a brighter outlook!

The end of the year provides a great time for us to reflect on recent experience to divine lessons to help us going forward.