ANSWERING THE BIG QUESTION: A First Look Into 2019
By Rev. Rick Young, TPF’s President & CEO
Happy 2019! Wouldn’t it be great if we all had a fortune-telling device when it comes to our investments for the coming year? My wish is that the new year brings some calm to the financial markets. However, that seems more like a dream rather than our current reality. 2018 was a remarkable year that saw stocks endure unbelievable swings upward and downward in a single trading day. It was a roller coaster ride that ended the year on a negative note, as we experienced the worst decline in a decade. While we all remember the dark days of 2008, let’s also remember the nine-year upside that followed.
THE BIG QUESTION: What should we look for in 2019?
My Magic 8-Ball is currently non-committal on what we can look for when it comes to upcoming shifts in the market. “Cannot predict now” is about all I can see. Instead, let’s review some key considerations as we prepare for more unpredictability in 2019:
- We enter the year with a partial government shutdown, a split-ruled House and Senate, and a slowing world economy.
- Unemployment continues to reach record lows, consumer spending for the fourth quarter of 2018 was high, and corporate fundamentals are solid.
What do these tell us?
I believe we can continue to count on volatility in the markets which may cause anxiety, but the worst thing that we can do is panic. If you had pulled out of the markets when many prognosticators suggested it after the 2016 election, you would have missed an almost 5,000-point rise in the Dow Jones Industrial Average. TPF is a long-term investor, and we believe that our strategy of combining high quality active managers with a well-diversified portfolio can help our partners reach their goals of enhancing and expanding mission through investing. TPF does not market time, but instead considers the full cycles of the markets to establish our asset mix and allocation.
The 2018 ride was bumpy, and “it is certain” that 2019 will also be a ride to remember. “Without a doubt,” as your dedicated investment partner, TPF is sticking closely to our proven strategies to ensure we are ready for whatever 2019 might bring!
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