While stocks were unable to sustain their post-election highs, all major indices managed to close the quarter with modest gains. The Federal Reserve’s December decision to cut the Fed Funds rate by 25 bps—the second cut of the quarter—highlighted its ongoing commitment to supporting economic growth amid a challenging macroeconomic environment. 

Year End Letter from Ballast Rock Private Wealth CEO Andrew Mescon discussing growth of the team and growth of the BRPW business.

Wealth Management Executive Jamie Carroll, Joins Ballast Rock Private Wealth as a Wealth Advisor. Jamie, who will be based in Monroe, LA, joins us from Merrill Lynch, where she was a Financial Advisor.

With publicly listed equity representing a small fraction of US GDP, why aren’t more advisors talking to their clients about true diversification? Impartial investment advice should incorporate both public and private market asset classes and true diversification can only be achieved by considering the entire investable universe.

Warren Buffett, Peter Lynch, and John Bogle have each earned their place in the pantheon of world-renowned investors. Yet, all of the greats achieved wealth and success through different strategies. There is not a one-size-fits-all approach to investment management – nor should there be.

The Federal Reserve’s decision to cut the Fed Funds rate by 50bps last month was one of the most significant financial developments in the third quarter, if not the entire year. This shift toward a more dovish monetary policy stance contributed to stabilizing financial markets, particularly equities, and led to a renewed focus on risky assets, like U.S. stocks.

BRPW Wealth Advisor Joe Miller discusses the evolution of Private Credit as an asset class.

Wealth Management Executive Joe Miller, Joins Ballast Rock Private Wealth as a Wealth Advisor. Joe, who will be based in New Canaan, CT, joins us from Merrill Lynch, where he was a Financial Advisor.

BRPW CIO gives comments after August 5th, a very volatile day for the global financial markets.

BRPW’s Senior Wealth Advisor and Portfolio Manager Jim Carroll presents the 2024 Volatility Halftime Report

After a very disappointing April, the U.S. stock market indices rebounded sharply in May and June thanks to cooling inflation, strong corporate earnings and renewed expectations of a Federal Reserve interest rate cut by the end of the year.

During the first quarter of 2024, the U.S. stock market picked up where it left off at the end of 2023, fueled by a blend of economic optimism, the expectation of interest rate cuts, and enthusiasm for the burgeoning opportunities in artificial intelligence.