Commentary and Research Papers
August 19, 2025
2024
July was a very eventful month, with dramatic and unprecedented developments on the US political front, a potential sea change in the financial markets, intensifying geopolitical tensions and the continued obsession with the Federal Reserve Board’s next moves.
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August 19, 2025
2024
The unprecedented nature of such a late change in Presidential candidate from one of the major parties – along with the high probability of more twists and turns ahead – will likely contribute to an increase in volatility, which has been quite low for a prolonged period.
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August 19, 2025
2024
The US equity market has exhibited exceptional strength over the past decade, delivering a cumulative total return of 236.2% for the S&P 500 as of May 21, 2024. Those fortunate enough to hold one of the top ten holdings in the index have seen an even more lucrative median total return just shy of 1000%, largely due to share price appreciation. However, with such gains come new burdens, whether it be a concentrated portfolio in need of diversification or sizable sales-related tax liabilities.
Read MoreRead MoreWatch NowFinancial Planning
August 19, 2025
2024
In a perfect world, you would know the amount needed for all your young scholars’ educational needs, and you would have that exact figure in a 529 plan. That’s not always realistic, however, as sometimes plans change and it’s hard to predict the exact figure needed for educational expenses. Thanks to the Secure Act 2.0, some of the worries surrounding overfunding 529 plans have been diminished. Starting in 2024, under certain conditions, 529 account holders can transfer up to a lifetime limit of $35,000 to a Roth IRA for the 529 plan beneficiary. But, of course, there are some restrictions and rules surrounding this exciting update.
Read MoreRead MoreWatch NowFact Sheets
August 19, 2025
2024
Small capitalization stocks were volatile, again, during the quarter. In April, the Portfolio declined, along with the Russell 2000 and Russell 2000 Value indices. Concerns about incremental increases in inflation and the Federal Reserve keeping interest rates “higher for longer” weighed on small capitalization stocks. May saw a rebound; small-capitalization stocks performed well but continued to lag large capitalization companies for the quarter. Money flow into the largest Artificial Intelligence companies (NVDA, AAPL, MSFT, and GOOGL) increased, contributing more than half of the S&P 500 Index’ monthly gain. The broad market continues to build record levels of concentration in the largest technology companies. According to Raymond James, the average stock was down about 3% during the quarter while the S&P 500 Index, dominated by a handful of leaders, was up 3.9%.
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August 19, 2025
2024
The SMID portfolio performed well versus the benchmark on a relative basis in the second quarter, significantly closing the gap in performance exiting Q1 and moving toward providing a level of outperformance we have delivered throughout our long history. The Technology sector was the largest contributor to outperformance, followed by Energy and Consumer Discretionary. We were also pleased to see some of our industrial automation and auto related companies rebound after struggling in recent quarters. Healthcare and Communication sectors were mild negative offsets.
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Founded in 1984, Pinnacle Associates, Ltd. is a forward thinking, multi-billion dollar investment advisory firm focused on transparency and putting clients first. We provide advice to individuals and families, institutional investors and other financial institutions.
