Category: Commentary/Video
178 posts categorized as "Commentary/Video"
17Mar
March Update on the U.S. Economy
The Astor Economic Index declined throughout 2019 to a level consistent with approximately average economic growth, and as a result, Astor entered the month of March with substantially less ‘risk’ exposure compared to 12-months ago. As the COVID-19 pandemic progresses throughout the United States and the world, our approach to investing mirrors that of the…
11Mar
Letter to Investors
03/11/2020 Dear Investors: We are certainly witnessing unprecedented times in the global financial markets. My career in the financial markets spans 30+ years with time spent on the Federal Reserve (Chairmanship of Paul Volcker), managing trading desks for some of the financial industries largest banks, to starting Astor in 1994. The…
10Mar
Discussion on Recent Volatility—Episode 8
Founder and CEO, Rob Stein and Senior Managing Director, Mac O’Brien discuss the current market environment. 2020-74 Astor Investment Management LLC is registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission as an investment adviser. All information contained herein is for informational purposes only. This is not a solicitation to offer investment advice or services in any…
3Mar
Fed Action: Rate Cut Immunity?
As was telegraphed to the market last Friday and over the weekend, the Federal Reserve cut the federal funds rate by half a percentage point today. In a press conference, Fed Chairman Jerome Powell said, “We saw the risk to the outlook of the economy and chose to act.” That action was fully anticipated by…
3Mar
It’s Visibility—Not Uncertainty
The outbreak of the coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to shake the financial markets, with major stock indices dropping into correction territory. (As of Thursday’s close, the S&P 500 was off 12% from its Feb. 19 peak.) While some observers want to chalk it up to “uncertainty” I beg to differ. This problem has more to do…
28Feb
Keeping the Coronavirus in Perspective
The major indices are clearly taking the coronavirus more seriously now, with the S&P 500 selling off by 3.4% on Monday, after seemingly ignoring the threat previously as the indices marched to new high after new high. The virus, known as COVID-19, has proven more difficult to contain than previous health scares such as SARS….
20Feb
Rob Stein joins hosts Jeffrey Sherman and Sam Lau on the Sherman Show Podcast discussing MACRO +MARKETS + NOWCASTING!
On the Sherman Show, Rob Stein, CEO of Astor Investment Management discusses his proprietary Astor Economic Index, designed to give a “now-cast” of the U.S. economy and used by the Astor team to set portfolio asset allocations. Rather than relying on economic forecasts, Rob and his team use contemporaneous reads of jobs, output and other…
18Feb
February Update on the U.S. Economy
The Astor Economic Index improved to slightly above average economic growth in January, buoyed by consistent jobs growth and a return to expansion in the manufacturing sector. U.S. payrolls increased by a solid 225,000 in January, supporting the notion of a durable expansion and labor market. The unemployment rate was essentially unchanged at 3.6%, and…
31Jan
Astor’s 2020 Outlook
Click here to read Astor’s Outlook for 2020. Founder and CEO, Rob Stein, looks back at 2019 in the markets, as well as what could be in store for 2020.
24Jan
Wealth Management.com 2020 Inside ETFs Outlook Launch
Sectors for Economic Inflection Points By Nicholas Porter ASTOR INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT Investors have long looked to sectors to add value within a portfolio, most notably looking for additional alpha during advancing markets. Sectors have also been used by investors seeking equity exposure but wanting to dial down risk during times of market stress… To read…
16Jan
January Update on the U.S. Economy
This month we’ll take the opportunity to look back at both 2019 and the data as they stand at year end. It will come as no surprise to prior readers of this blog that the data has moderated substantially throughout the year, but in aggregate the current economic situation for the U.S. (and increasingly, abroad)…
16Jan
Navigating Market Uncertainty With Economic Data And ETFs
JANUARY 10, 2020 – BILL HORTZ – Uncertainty & fears of recession have many advisors and RIAs climbing a wall of worry as markets continue to reach new highs – How do you navigate this environment? – Astor Investment Management LLC explains their macro strategy, proprietary index and offers to share research. [We are in…
9Jan
Protected: Astor Conference Call
There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.
3Jan
The Brain, Heart and Soul of Astor Investment Management
As the CEO and founder of Astor, I am often associated with its success. But just like a living organism is more than a face, so is a firm. It has a brain, a heart, and a soul—all of which are needed to stay alive and thrive. Reflecting on the year, which marks more than $2.6…
11Dec
December Update on the U.S. Economy
The Astor Economic Index moved upwards in November, its first month-end improvement in half a year and broadly consistent with a U.S. economy growing at about trend. As we’ve noted in prior months, the durability of this stage of the expansion has been solidly on the back of consumers. As a result, labor market indicators…
9Dec
Remembering Paul Volcker, My “Boss”
While I am known for being the author of Inside Greenspan’s Briefcase: Investment Strategies for Profiting from Key Reports & Data (McGraw-Hill, 2002), my career began under the tutelage of another Fed Chairman: Paul Volcker, who passed away on Sunday, December 8, 2019 at the age of 92. In 1984-1985, as a project analyst for…
6Dec
Rob Stein Discusses Unemployment Rate on TDA Network’s Morning Trade Live – December 6, 2019
Watch Astor’s CEO and Founder, Rob Stein, on TDA Network’s, Morning Trade Live with Oliver Renick, as they discuss the current unemployment rate. Click the image above or click here to watch the video! All information contained herein is for informational purposes only. This is not a solicitation to offer investment advice or services…
6Dec
What’s Really Behind the New Highs
We entered the last month of the decade with the major stock market indices at new highs: the Dow closing over 28,000, the S&P 500 over 3100, and the Nasdaq Composite over 8600. While market pundits searched for reasons for the euphoria—from expectations of a China trade deal to fading fears of a near-term recession—the…
6Nov
November Update on the U.S. Economy
The Astor Economic Index, our proprietary nowcast of the U.S. economy has remained somewhat range bound for the past several months, and printed again this month at a level consistent with slightly below average domestic economic growth. We delve into some of the recent drivers of the AEI below. The Labor Market and Manufacturing In…