Investment strategy Archives

The Role of Leverage in Stock Market Tops: A Historical and Comparative Analysis

he Role of Leverage in Stock Market Tops: A Historical and Comparative Analysis Introduction Leverage is the financial fuel that can propel markets to unprecedented highs—but it can also lead to volatility and market corrections. Right now, we are seeing a surge in leveraged funds, with retail investors piling in despite Wall Street’s growing concerns […]

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Technology Sector Investment Analysis – First in the Series

Investment / Mark Ballard

Introduction Now that we have completed our series on the National Debt, I wanted to move on to less heavy topics. So this is the first post in the new series that analyzes various sectors and industries in the stock market. Executive Summary The technology sector continues to be one of the largest and most

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Impact of Fed Rate Cut

Investment / Mark Ballard

Monetary Policy Changes Since WW2 Given the Fed’s rate cut last month, I thought it would be interesting to see what has historically happened to the stock market when the Fed changed its Monetary Policy. The table below summarizes what types of stocks performed best and worst during those policy eras: Era Outperformed Underperformed Economic Reasoning

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America’s Debt Crisis: A Painful Path to Fiscal Stability – Fourth in the Series

Investment / Mark Ballard

Introduction America’s national debt crisis has reached an alarming scale, with current figures surpassing $35 trillion. This staggering amount casts a long shadow over the nation’s economic future and underscores the urgent need to understand both the root causes and potential solutions. Several historical challenges have contributed to this predicament: Each era has left its

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Inflation Easing – Rate Cuts Expected

Investment / Mark Ballard

Introduction We are currently at an inflection point. The evidence we have is pointing to a change in direction of Federal Reserve interest rate policy. Earlier this month, both the CPI (Consumer Price Index) and the PPI (Producer Price Incex) showed that inflation was slowing. In fact, the CPI came in below 3% inflation rate

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Invest Like Warren Buffet

Investment / Mark Ballard

Introduction Given the volatility in the stock market this week, particularly after Monday’s big drop (this was posted on Friday, August 9), I thought there might be some readers of this blog that were wanting to buy some stocks that had pulled back in price but needed an idea of where to start. So, I

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Is Alphabet Stock (aka Google) Investable Today?

Investment / Mark Ballard

Introduction Alphabet Inc., the parent company of Google, is a major player in the tech industry, offering an appealing option for investors. The evaluation of whether to invest in a stock or not is crucial when considering any stock, including GOOGL. This process involves analyzing various financial metrics and market conditions to determine if it

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Mid-Year Investment Market Update

Investment / Mark Ballard

Introduction The mid-year financial market update is a crucial tool for investors and financial professionals to reassess their strategies and make informed decisions in a rapidly changing market landscape. This comprehensive update provides an in-depth analysis of various aspects of the financial market, including M&A industry trends, investment outlook, digital health market update, and market

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Stock Market Update

Investment / Mark Ballard

I know I owe you all part two in the series on the debt crisis but in the past weeks we had a death in our bank family and things have been chaotic. I will get to it – maybe even next week – but I wanted to give you an update on what is

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INFLATION, THE FED, & THE IMPACT OF ELECTRONIC TRADING

Investment / Mark Ballard

As the Fed contemplates changes to interest rates, we examine the impact electronic trading of bonds has on volatility and yields

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Mark’s Investment Blog

Investment / BankChampaign

As President of BankChampaign, not only does Mark Ballard stay current on industry trends and best practices, but he shares his financial expertise on his informational investment blog featured on BankChampaign’s website. Ballard has been with BankChampaign since 1991. Spanning topics such as stock market standings, investment metrics, inflation trends, portfolio management, company investment analysis,

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Has A Black Swan Landed In The Financial System?

Investment / Mark Ballard

UPDATE #2: This is officially the second largest bank failure ever UPDATE: California bank regulators have closed SIVB down – this typically means they will reopen on Monday in a different corporates format. We will see… Yesterday, the 16th largest bank in the country lost > 60% of its market value. In the past 18

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