Foster Group Quarterly Audio Updates
Fourth Quarter 2011
Markets rebounded strongly in October, following the large declines of August and September. While not enough to make up all the lost ground, it was enough to help US large companies edge back to positive return for the full year. Small US companies did very well in the 4th quarter, but still finished in negative territory last year. Markets outside the US were considerably weaker, for the quarter and the year, as Europe’s debt problems continued to cause uncertainty. Ed Green takes a look back at the 4th quarter and calendar year 2011 and makes some observations about forecasts and predictions that always abound early in the year.
Third Quarter 2011
Mark Stadtlander, Kent Kramer and Ed Green share their thoughts on the wild ride in global equity markets during the third quarter. A resurgence of the Eurozone debt crisis, political brinksmanship in Washington and a downgrade of US Treasury bonds produced greater uncertainty than some investors could tolerate. A re-pricing of risk drove equities prices down sharply around the world during the quarter. We also offer some initial thoughts on changes we intend to make to the format of our quarterly update beginning near the end of this year, and Mark reviews changes to some internal procedures at Foster Group which will affect some of our clients.
Second Quarter 2011
Jerry Foster, Mark Stadtlander and Ed Green discuss the turbulent markets of the 2nd quarter. Equities markets started out strong in April, experienced a significant pullback from May through mid-June, but then staged a dramatic rally during the last week of the quarter. Bond markets were modestly positive for the quarter. We devote a significant part of our discussion to the current debate over the federal debt ceiling, and how investors should frame the question of what this means for their portfolio.
First Quarter 2011
Jerry Foster, Ed Green and Phil Kruzan recap a strong first quarter for Foster Group client portfolios. In spite of substantial political turmoil and a devastating natural disaster during the quarter, equity markets performed well for disciplined investors who maintained their allocation. Bond markets were generally neutral to slightly higher for the quarter. The Foster Group "Lifeboat Drill" exercise is a further topic of discussion.
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