White Raven Financial has been swept up in a flurry of activity. We have launched our new website, and as you can see, our monthly communication now comes in the form of a blog. We hope the change in format is positively received.
New ideas and change can sometimes be hard to accept. Especially when they come to us from someone who we perceive as different from ourselves. In Made in the U.S.A.: A Sweater Travels From Sheep to Shelf, the differences in age, geography and culture at first created a barrier to collaboration. Not so at our wreath making event at the Stump Farm. It is always exciting to see people from all walks of life, from young to old, enjoying the process of creating wreaths together. Photos from this year’s event can be viewed on our website – click here.
As always, we’d like to thank Diane’s daughters/Kris’ sisters and their families and our many friends for their assistance in making the event a success. From baking cookies to helping make wreaths, from gathering materials to setting up on the day. Every part of the event is made possible because of the people that help us pull it all together. And we can’t forget our clients! Without your engaging and creative company, there would be no event! Thank you all for another fun-filled wreath making. And we’d also like to thank everyone for their donations to the Arlington food bank. The generosity shown this year was absolutely wonderful to see.
During the past couple of months many eyes have been on the latest crude oil prices. The current petrol prices definitely help out those of us with a travel budget during the holidays. Although many of us forget that the prices are sometimes considered a simple proxy for the world consumer price index (CPI). Year-to-date, global oil prices are down approximately 33 percent. The question on many investment advisors’ minds is how much of a concern the crude price dynamics should be in regard to world economic growth. And while some are questioning world crude prices, we have stock market gurus forecasting the S&P 500 index for 2015. In a recent MarketWatch Opinion column Mark Hulbert included data illustrating former research director Value Line Inc., Sam Eisenstadt’s prediction of a bullish bent to the market. His bais for strong market growth was due to low interest rates and the stock market?s recent strength. A divergent opinion is given in a November podcast by John Hussman. Listen to hear about why he feels the market is overvalued. Two different opinions on how the market is fairing. We therefore remember: Good financial security comes from saving and diversifying your assets within your risk tolerance.
The market for November was positive with the blue-chip barometer (the DowTR)* showing a 2.68 percent gain from the prior month. The S&P 500 Index (SPXTR)* matched the Dow and showed a 2.69 percent gain for November. And for another month the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite (COMPTR)* led the way with a 3.65 percent advance for the month.
Home price gains are still slowing. The S&P Case-Shiller 20-city composite Home Price Index reported 4.9% for the month of September on a year-over-year basis; down from last month’s the 5.6% increase. Monthly data for the month of September over the month of August increased 0.34%.
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The Team at White Raven Financial