Avatar Investment Management's July commentary draws parallels between this year and the last two years. A review of their portfolios is also included. "For the third year in a row, the statistics on the performance of the economy for the first half are showing a marked deceleration in activity. If form holds, the economy should catch its footing in the second half, as it did in the last two years. While it is often said that the stock market looks far ahead, that does not always mean that it overlooks what is more directly ahead. In other words, confidence about the second half of the year has to be constantly earned over shorter periods of time. What may be different in the last few years is the fear that just looking up across the valley might cause one to miss a steep crevice below. To the extent that the global economy is still working off the incredible amount of excess debt that had been built up going into 2007, it is understandable that not only would economic growth expectations be limited, but the fear of a fatal stumble would remain part of the investment psyche." Click here to read Avatar’s full commentary. Get Free Research Reports about Avatar Associates [+] Read More

Good Harbor Financial reviews their U.S. Tactical Core strategy during the second quarter of 2012 and takes a look at the impact that inflation has on bonds. "June data present a mixed outlook for stocks. Equity momentum improved across the month, particularly for the small cap index. However bond momentum remained relatively steady, registering a slight decrease for the month but maintaining a positive level. The VIX spot index decreased significantly in June, falling nearly 30% to end the month at 17.1. The futures complex reflected similar sentiment with the near term contracts falling 20%-25%. Credit spreads widened slightly while on the economic front, the U.S. economic output level and growth rate decreased. On the yield curve side, rates increased across the board as did our slope measures." Click here to read the full Good Harbor Commentary. Get Free Research Reports about Good Harbor Financial [+] Read More

Louis Navellier takes a look at dividend paying stocks and how low interest rates are driving them up. "Stocks declined steadily over the first four days of last week, mostly due to lackluster second-quarter earnings reports and growing fears of the impending "fiscal cliff." But on Friday, JPMorgan Chase reported unexpectedly high earnings of $5 billion, despite a $5.8 billion trading loss in May. On that news, the Dow shot up 204 points and the S&P 500 eked out a small (0.16%) weekly gain." Download Full Commmentary Here Get Free Research Reports about Navellier & Associates, Inc. [+] Read More

This week's commentary from Navellier & Associates focuses on the latest jobs report and commodity prices. "Despite sizzling temperatures and Fourth of July fireworks, the stock market cooled down after Friday's payroll report put investors in a bad mood. But most bad news has a silver lining: (1) The world economy is slowing down, but that means lower oil prices and (2) Companies aren't hiring as fast, but their higher productivity could boost earnings. For the week, the Dow Industrials and S&P 500 fell 0.84% and 0.55%, respectively, but the Russell 2000 rose 1.08%, and NASDAQ eked out a 0.08% gain." Download Full Commmentary Here Get Free Research Reports about Navellier & Associates, Inc. [+] Read More

Avatar Investment Management's June commentary focuses on European elections, gold, Japan and finally China. "The European sovereign debt crisis moved into even higher gear as it became clear that, when put to a vote, very few people are in favor of austerity, the policy of choice within the European leadership councils. The highest profile election, of course, was in Greece in April. In that country, the electorate clearly bucked against the budget measures adopted by the prior government. Those measures were, essentially, imposed by the European leaders who, basically, hold the checkbook allowing Greece to meet its debt obligations. The Greek election, importantly, was not an isolated push back. The national elections held in France resulted in a Socialist candidate defeating one of the leaders in this crisis. Local elections throughout Europe, even including the countries leading the austerity drive, have served to weaken the hands of the European elite. This appears to be a political process that can take some time as it unfolds." Download Full Commmentary Here Get Free Research Reports about Avatar Associates [+] Read More

Most of us think of our estate plan as our will or living trust. However, in many cases, those documents have no effect on some of your most important assets. Instead, your beneficiary designations control who will receive those assets. Always keep these important considerations in mind regarding your beneficiary designations. Download Full Commmentary Here [+] Read More

Lord Abbett's Milton Ezrati takes a look at the pros and cons of the increase in consumer spending over the last few quarters. "Since late 2011, measures of consumption show acceleration in virtually all categories, despite the recent rise in gasoline prices. In one sense, this is good news for the economy, as it will push the pace of overall growth and, ultimately, prompt more hiring, which in itself will reinforce spending growth. But-and there is always a but-this new trend raises longer-term concerns. More liberal consumer spending can only take the economy so far. Because heightened levels of consumption will limit households' abilities to make needed improvements in their finances, any effort to boost outlays too far too fast would only threaten pinched finances at a later date, followed by spending cutbacks, say in 2014 or 2015, with all the recessionary influence that would impose on the economy in general." Get Free Research Reports about Lord Abbett Company Llc [+] Read More

Federated Investors' latest report discusses stock market and dividend returns based on the outcome of the Presidential election. "History suggests that investors could benefit from paying attention to the presidential election cycle. In modern times, the fourth year of a president's term has tended to be a positive one for stocks, as the incumbent does all the he can to remain in office. But what happens if the president comes from one party, and Congress is headed by another? What if the race is close? What if it’s a landslide? And does it matter if the winner is a Republican or a Democrat? All of these outcomes can have potential implications for the economy-and the markets." Download Full Commmentary Here Get Free Research Reports about Federated Investors Inc [+] Read More

Janus Co-Chief Investment Officer examines the new risks in fixed income that most investors don’t know about. "The world has changed for fixed income investors. The four primary sectors in the fixed income market have essentially converged into two. Interest rate risk in the U.S. is at its highest level in decades. Sector risk/return characteristics have been significantly altered-perhaps permanently. These factors are coming together to create an environment of heightened risk for fixed income investors." Download Full Commmentary Here Get Free Research Reports about Janus Capital Management LLC [+] Read More