INDIANAPOLIS, March 19, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- With 2020 in the rear-view mirror, Sheaff Brock Managing Director and Chief Investment Officer Dave Gilreath recapped highlights in the company's year-end report to clients while also looking to the market ahead.
Stating that 2020 will be remembered for, in one or more ways, surprising every person on earth, Gilreath acknowledged that many investors in U.S. markets were shocked by the 1st quarter and awed by the 4th quarter.
No one can predict markets or what will influence investors. Over the last four decades, there were 33 years where the S&P 500 had positive total returns, on average over 18% annually, and only seven years with negative returns at an average loss of 9%. That equates to approximately 80/20 up versus down years. Returns were almost twice as good in the up years as the losses in down years, confirming that, over the long-term, the stock market has gone up. Yet during shorter terms, swings can be wide and terrifying, as in the pandemic selloff of 2020.
Sheaff Brock, however, considers this a great time to be an investor in U.S. stocks if maintaining a long-term outlook. Technology has improved productivity, with more rapid technology innovation occurring now than at any other time in history. Dramatic improvements in health and lifesaving therapies should create astounding advances within the next decade or two. Technology improvements drive economies and markets, and tech advancements in areas like energy, data usage, communications, finance, and robotics could be revolutionary. Truly revolutionary changes could usher in another "Roaring 20s."
Gilreath concludes that, if investors could stop focusing on current news and objectively view the potential improvements in global living standards over the next 10 to 20 years, Sheaff Brock does not see how they can be anything but bullish long-term.
About Sheaff Brock:
Sheaff Brock is an SEC-registered, fee-only independent investment firm striving to enhance portfolios of growth- and income-oriented investors, managing $1.15 billion in assets nationwide as of 12/31/2020. Sheaff Brock principal David Gilreath contributes investment commentary to CNBC.com, Seeking Alpha, HCPLive,® and Financial Advisor magazine. Visit Sheaff Brock YouTube for information.
Disclaimer:
Sheaff Brock Investment Advisors, LLC ("SBIA") is an SEC-registered investment advisor founded in 2001. Clients or prospective clients are directed to SBIA's Form ADV Part 2A prior to deciding to participate in any portfolio or making any investment decision. The views and opinions in the preceding commentary are subject to change without notice and are as of the date of the report. There is no guarantee that any market forecast set forth in the commentary will be realized. This material represents an assessment of the market environment at a specific point in time, should not be relied upon as investment advice, and is not intended to predict or depict performance of any investment.
SOURCE Sheaff Brock Investment Advisors
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