Eagle Asset Management portfolio manager, Richard Skeppstrom, provides his May market perspective. "A Catch-22: The powerful earnings advance will peter out without better economic growth but the Fed will raise rates if the economy accelerates." Richard Skeppstrom, manager for Eagle's Strategic Return Portfolio, comments on his view of the U.S. Market's neutral state. [+] Read More

Legg-Mason ClearBridge's Senior Portfolio Manager, John Goode, provides his first quarter market review. "Tales from the Past and the Future Perspective about the future requires speculation about developments over a time period which often is not helpful for near and intermediate term investment decisions. However, there are times in history when it is necessary to step out on a thin intellectual limb and try to make sense of some of the very big developments that may be especially important over the next 7-10 years. In doing this, it is necessary to look back in time to understand how we got here and where we might be going. [+] Read More

JP Morgan's First Quarter Market Bulletin for 2015 provides a recap of the earnings season. "In Brief • We estimate that first quarter 2015 earnings-per-share (EPS) declined by 5.0% on a year-over-year (y/y) basis. Similar to the prior quarter, this was primarily due to lower oil prices and the stronger U.S. dollar (USD). • Excluding the energy sector, S&P 500 EPS grew by 9.1%, in-line with historical trends. We also estimate that the stronger U.S. dollar resulted in an average EPS decline of 5% for the most multinational non-energy companies. [+] Read More

Geneva Advisors provides their First Quarter Perspectives on the market. "The relative strength of the U.S. dollar has been an important force for the market in recent periods. Stock prices are near record highs and valuations of many companies are extended. A disciplined investment process, an active investment approach and a long‐term focus will continue to be critical to achieving investment objectives. [+] Read More

Brookmont has made the decision to reduce mid-cap stock exposure for their Dividend Equity Strategy. "Dating back to March 2009, the Brookmont Dividend Equity Strategy has always maintained a 30%- 35% weighting in small and mid-cap stocks. It is an area of the market that includes attractive dividend-paying stocks that are often overlooked by our peers. Knowing that mid-cap stocks often lead a market recovery, we rebalanced the portfolio in February 2009 and were active buyers in mid-cap names such as Packaging Corporation of America, Tupperware, Hubbell, Heinz, and Lubrizol (the latter two stocks were eventually acquired by Warren Buffett). From 2009 through 2013, it was not uncommon for our mid-cap holdings to produce one-year returns as high as 115%. Knowing that these type of gains are not common, we rebalanced the portfolio on several occasions to realize these significant profits. [+] Read More

Cambiar's commentary highlights a cautious view on energy and reviews the strategy's international approach following Japan's surge in Q1.  [+] Read More

In their Q1 2015 International Strategic Value Dividend ADR Commentary, dividend money manger, Federated Investors, discusses their diversification strategy which can help reduce portfolio volatility. "In order to pursue its objectives of dividend yield, dividend growth and lower downside risk, the portfolio invests in high-yielding, high-quality stocks, many of which are found within mature markets and sectors that typically exhibit a low level of cyclicality." [+] Read More

Our focus isn’t on emphasizing just whether a company is good or bad but how people are reacting to it. How the sentiment changes. Fundamentals matter but how they interact with human behavior is what creates investing opportunities. Our view is: Stay in the middle of the boat, ignore the headlines and do well in some companies that people may not expect: healthcare in emerging markets or U.S. grocery stores, for example. Read more market perspectives in Eagle Asset Management's insightful whitepaper. [+] Read More

"The Fed may have axed the word patience from its commentary but I’m beginning to wonder if extreme patience may be called for." Eagle Asset Management's, Richard Skeppstrom, weighs in on the Federal Reserve's comments following the last Federal Open Market Committee meeting.  [+] Read More