Bradley & Company, LLC

Opinion: Hold off on the Basel Accords

Michael Bradley, CFA — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 20:40:39 +0000

We can shortly expect the world’s central banks and finance ministries to reveal new standards for capital adequancy (also known as the Basel III accords). What is most notable about the accords is how quickly they’ve been drafted in light of the failure of Basel II, which was finalized in 2004 and we all know [...]

2011 Tax Changes: Tax man isn’t “cometh” – he’s here!

Michael Bradley, CFA — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 19:48:17 +0000

A host of tax provisions enacted in 2001 and 2003–commonly referred to collectively as the “Bush tax cuts”–expire at the end of the year. While it’s possible that new legislation could extend some or all of these expiring tax provisions, election-year politics make it difficult to predict what action, if any, Congress will take. Bradley & [...]

Analysis: Medicare and Social Security

Michael Bradley, CFA — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 18:49:03 +0000

The recent annual trustee reports on Medicare and Social Security, despite some positive headlines, actually tell a very different story in their details. Both programs are likely to face significant challenges in the coming decade, necessitating reforms that will likely impact our clients – some significantly. Medicare Medicare’s financial situation remains unsustainable, both in the short and [...]

Webinar: Finding Value in the Stock Market

Michael Bradley, CFA — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 20:29:31 +0000

In this quarterly review, I discussed the long term fundamentals of the US stock market and whether it’s an attractive investment over both the short, and long, terms. To download this video, please click here.

A Review of the Impact of the Reform Bill

Michael Bradley, CFA — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 17:11:55 +0000

Much is hazy about the Dodd-Frank bill, even though it has passed. But, there is also much to like (so far…) On July 15, the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act passed 60-39 in the Senate. Next week, President Obama is expected to sign it into law. The primary goal of Dodd-Frank is to protect [...]

Market Week: July 19, 2010

Todd Hurlbut — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 23:56:24 +0000

The Markets After inching forward most of the week, domestic equities were felled Friday by a combination of options expirations, a surprisingly negative consumer sentiment report, and lackluster economic data. As earnings season gets underway, companies are reporting weak top line growth disappointing investors’ expectations. Earnings forecasts for the remainder of the year are foggy at best [...]

Market Week: June 28, 2010

Todd Hurlbut — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 20:55:21 +0000

The Markets Domestic equities saw their second straight week of starting strong and then trailing downward by week’s end, depressed in part by weak housing statistics. The decline left the indexes (with the exception of the small-cap Russell 2000) back in the red for the year and investors seeking reassurance from bonds, which helped push down [...]

Market Week: June 21, 2010

Todd Hurlbut — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 18:03:24 +0000

The Markets A strong start to the week enabled domestic equities to regain a foothold in positive territory for the year, though traders began to doze off by the end of the week. As anxiety about Europe eased, the Global Dow outpaced the four domestic indexes for the week. The broad equity market remains below its 50 [...]

Market Week: June 7, 2010

Todd Hurlbut — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 23:42:49 +0000

The Markets Slip-sliding away: From the oil disaster in the Gulf to disappointing unemployment numbers to Korean tensions to Hungary’s talk of sovereign default–it all combined to blow a hole out of the bottom of the stock market on Friday. After a short but hardly sweet week of vacillation, the U.S. equities indexes lost more than [...]

Simple Steps to Profit from the Chaos: Mortgage Refinancing

Michael Bradley, CFA — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 15:49:44 +0000

The stock market’s decline has helped push down mortgage rates. Rates on fixed mortgages are under 5%. The 2010 European debt crisis has been bad for the euro and bad for stocks, but there is a positive consequence emerging here in the U.S. – conventional mortgage rates are back below 5% again. On June 3, Freddie Mac’s [...]