What We’re Reading

In January, the S&P 500 hit an all-time high for the first time in two years, the longest stretch without a new record since 2008, according to a report from Morningstar. For investors concerned that stocks have nowhere to go but down after peaking, Morningstar offered reassurance: “(I)f you’re a true long-term investor, you should feel confident that recent all-time highs won’t be the last ones you’ll see.”

Suggested by Tom Pappenfus

Putting recent stock market highs into perspective, a 1983 article from The New York Times looks at forecasts then of the Dow Jones Industrial Average reaching 3,000 points. (It’s more than 10 times that now.)

Suggested by Steve Giles

Forecasting is hard – and overrated. “Knowledge of the things that never change is more useful, and more important, than an uncertain prediction of an unknowable future,” writes financial journalist Morgan Housel. His latest book, “Same as Ever: Timeless Lessons on Risk, Opportunity and Living a Good Life,” explores ways in which some behaviors never change – and how that knowledge can help investors.

Suggested by Kendall Bauer

The announcement by Meta Platforms Inc. that it would start paying a modest quarterly dividend might have ripple effects beyond shareholders of Meta, which is the parent of Facebook. An article in Barron’s speculates that Meta’s move might nudge other huge high-tech companies into offering dividends.

Suggested by Blake Miller

Upstaged by its sibling, the Consumer Price Index, the lesser-quoted Producer Price Index still provides useful insights into the direction of inflation. A report on “Marketplace,” from Minnesota Public Radio, explains why the PPI deserves a closer look as investors wonder how soon the Federal Reserve might start lowering interest rates.

Suggested by Joel Dresang

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(initially posted March 1, 2024)