Insights

March 24, 2020
As a result of Judge Lina Hidalgo’s order to “Stay Home Work Safe” for the city of Houston as well as Harris County, we have taken measures to protect our firm family and to protect our valued clients’ interests. During the coronavirus outbreak, our continued focus is on providing ongoing services and support to achieve your financial goals, preserve capital, and provide ongoing tax support services while providing for the safety and well-being of our employees.  FinGroup is deemed to be one of 16 critical infrastructure sectors (i.e., financial services) which is an essential operation under Judge Lina Hidalgo’s directive to “Stay Home Work Safe”. 
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March 18, 2020
March 18, 2020 (Houston, TX) – Like all of us, FinGroup is keeping abreast of ongoing developments regarding the novel COVID-19/Coronavirus.  We are confirming that FinGroup’s business operations remain intact, with no material impact on our operations.  We stand ready to assist you via all modes of communication, including telephone, video conferencing, etc. In order to protect our valued professional staff as well as our valued clients (i.e., you), we are limiting, but not eliminating, face-to-face meetings in order to follow guidelines published by the Federal government as well the City of Houston.
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March 13, 2020
Virus-related volatility persisted in markets this week. The S&P 500 was down more than 16% through Thursday’s close, with international stocks faring the same. On Wednesday the market experienced the largest single day decline since the flash crash on Black Monday in 1987. High volatility persisted throughout the week as markets ended Friday with the single largest one-day gain since the global financial crisis over a decade ago.
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March 6, 2020
In light of recent market moves, we wanted to share our views on the potential impact from the coronavirus (COVID-19) on markets. We, of course, are not virologists and do not have views on the particulars of the virus itself. However, there has been a great deal of speculation on what impact this might have on financial markets. We are not dismissive of these concerns and are monitoring the situation.
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February 28, 2020
In light of recent market moves, we wanted to share our views on the potential impact from the coronavirus (COVID-19) on markets. We, of course, are not virologists and do not have views on the particulars of the virus itself. However, there has been a great deal of speculation on what impact this might have on financial markets. We are not dismissive of these concerns and are monitoring the situation.
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January 28, 2020
2019 proved to be an exciting year for investors with asset prices rising across the board. After 2018 where full-year performance numbers prompted a shrug, but masked widespread volatility near year-end, 2019 showed strong results against a backdrop that can largely be described as “more of the same”. The S&P 500 returned 31.5% for the year.
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October 23, 2019
U.S. stocks posted mixed results for the third quarter. Large cap stocks were up less than 2% while smaller stocks, as measured by the Russell 2000, were down 2.4%. Internationally, developed market foreign stocks were up in line with the S&P 500 in local currency terms. However, for U.S. based investors, they were down about 1.1%
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September 24, 2019
In a continuation of the first quarter rally, both global stocks and bonds registered positive returns in the second quarter. In the U.S., the S&P 500 rose 4.3%. The Russell 2000, which measures the performance of smaller company stocks, increased 2.1%. Abroad, developed market stocks outperformed emerging market stocks.
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September 23, 2019
After a difficult 2018, a year in which nothing really worked from an investment perspective, 2019 has started off as a year in which everything has worked. Stocks rebounded off of their December lows during the first quarter of 2019. The S&P 500 returned 13.65%. This represents the largest quarterly gain since 2009.
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September 22, 2019
The fourth quarter of 2018 was negative for global stocks. In the U.S., the S&P 500 sank 13.5% for the quarter, erasing the year’s gains. Growth oriented stocks generally fell harder than more value-oriented names; however, both were down over 10%. Smaller companies in the U.S. did particularly poorly. The Russell 2000 declined 20.2% and ended the year down 11%.
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