01/12/21

Our firm is based in the nation’s capital. And though it’s been many months since we’ve regularly frequented our office on North Capitol Street, it remains within a few blocks of the United States Capitol building. So, as we, along with the rest of the nation, watched the storming of the House and Senate during the tallying of presidential electoral votes last week, it held particular resonance.

12/10/20

Wayne Wicker, Chief Investment Officer, Vantagepoint Investment Advisers, LLC, discusses the what may be ahead for the market in the final weeks of this year and heading into 2021 with TD Ameritrade’s Nicole Petallides.

12/09/20

Wayne Wicker, Chief Investment Officer, Vantagepoint Investment Advisers, LLC, discusses the importance of long-term investing and what may lie ahead in 2021 with Money Life’s Chuck Jaffe.

12/08/20

Uncertainty has characterized much of 2020 and the year’s final month is no different than the 11 that preceded it. In some ways, December looks to be the strangest month of the year, with the holiday season and promise of a vaccine contending with the worsening pandemic and economic warning signs.

11/30/20

Vantagepoint’s PLUS Fund has been selected as the stable value option for the Teachers’ Retirement System of the State of Illinois.

11/18/20

In the two short weeks since election night, financial markets have rallied on the belief that the road back to normal will be both smooth and relatively fast. We are heartened by the news driving those gains, but as always, we continue to be on the lookout for bumps that might slow or derail the recovery.

11/06/20

The market’s immediate reaction in the first two days following the election on November 3 was exceedingly positive, with traders pushing the S&P 500 to within shooting distance of its all-time high. But, much like the rest of the year 2020, a number of uncertainties are still looming on the horizon.

10/28/20

With the nation’s eyes so firmly locked on the November 3, 2020 election, we’ve cast our gaze differently and have been considering what happens in the days and weeks that follow that crucial vote — no matter the electoral outcome.

10/08/20

Heading into the November election, with COVID-19 still in circulation, each day seems to bring a new batch of eye-catching (and often market-moving) headlines. Some are cause for hope, others are cause for concern.

09/10/20

Heightened volatility returned to the major indexes in recent days, sending them sharply lower as many of the high-flying tech companies that had fueled the market’s advance over the summer sold off, only to stage a partial rebound on Wednesday.

08/11/20

The latest report on the employment front brought a dose of positive news about the economy’s ability to claw its way out of the hole caused by the COVID-19-inspired shutdowns. But while the job increases are certainly positive, the markets continue to keep their eyes trained on federal stimulus efforts.

07/30/20

As we round out July, football season is just around the corner. Training camps are starting to gear up, both for professional and college players. But this year is unlike any other.

07/07/20

The latest news on the economic front has shown some encouraging signs that the country’s businesses have started to rebound from the widespread shutdowns this spring. However, areas of concern remain, particularly in light of the COVID-19 virus’ recent spike in some parts of the country.

07/01/20

A summary of Vantagepoint Investment Adviser’s latest 12-month outlook for the stock and bond markets.

06/24/20

After carving out what is hopefully a bottom in late March, the markets notched a hefty rebound in the months that followed. The combination of policy support and economic optimism overwhelmed fears of COVID-19 and the worldwide chaos it brought, leading to hopes that the worst effects would be visible only in the rearview mirror. However, over the past week, evidence of the spread of COVID-19 in both the U.S. and overseas resurfaced with a vengeance.

06/17/20

After weeks of pricing in bleak, worst-case scenarios in late February and much of March, the market now seems to see few if any clouds on the horizon. The major stock indexes are flirting with their old highs and counting on the Fed’s ability to keep interest rates at rock-bottom levels and to intervene in any areas of the financial markets that might run into trouble.

06/09/20

After months of seemingly non-stop negative headlines, Friday’s jobs report brought a much-needed dose of good news. The Bureau of Labor Statistics’ widely watched monthly payroll report showed the economy added an impressive 2.5 million jobs in May after shedding -20.7 million jobs in April.

06/03/20

The protests, riots, and curfews that have evolved during the past week in multiple cities — along with the underlying issues that prompted them — have been tragic on many levels. However, while the situation is clearly very serious, so far, the financial markets seem to be looking ahead to the prospects for an economic restart and recovery later this year and into 2021 and 2022.

05/21/20

Back in the Cold War days of the 1980s, as President Ronald Reagan was negotiating with the Soviet Union, he adopted and popularized an old Russian proverb: trust, but verify. The former president’s signature phrase increasingly comes to mind as we monitor the latest COVID-19 news and the market’s reaction to it.

05/15/20

Across the nation, when it comes to decisions about how to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic, the choices for government officials in recent months have been stark: Close down your state or city and strangle your economy and businesses in an effort to save lives or open it up and potentially put your citizens — particularly the elderly — at risk.

05/12/20

The market expected the latest monthly payroll report to be bad. And a close look at the numbers shows they were truly terrible. The April report, which was released Friday, May 8, 2020, was the first one that reflected a full month of economic activity (or in this case a lack thereof) since the COVID-19 pandemic and its accompanying shutdowns hit the U.S.

05/07/20

Matthew Brenner, Managing Vice President, Investments, and other panel guests discuss the COVID-19 economic shock and its impact on portfolios with Georgetown Center for Retirement Initiative’s Executive Director Angela Antonelli.

05/06/20

Models of all stripes, which offer a range of projected outcomes based on differing conditions and variables, have received greater attention and scrutiny in recent weeks.

05/01/20

The quick switch to social distancing mode and the closure of large swaths of the U.S. and global economy have been among the most difficult and painful adjustments that individuals, businesses, and government officials have had to undertake in generations. And that was the easy part.

04/24/20

Thursday brought the latest data on the (un)employment front, which was still largely — though not entirely — negative. In all, 4.4 million people filed for first-time unemployment benefits last week, which is a staggering number that, prior to last month, would have dwarfed all weekly records. Now, however, it’s a sign that the pace of job losses seems to be slowing, which is definitely a good thing.