Before clicking the play button, please read the closing paragraph from the written version of this week’s update:
I’ll leave you here with a reminder that sane stock market investing is all about seeing the forest through the trees; in believing that, in the long-run, ingenuity and innovation will make major success stories out of smartly-run, globally-focused companies. As for the near-term, my optimistic tone on some sectors/areas notwithstanding, I expect 2015 to bring us a level of volatility that will challenge the resolve of many a short-term investor. Present valuations in U.S. stocks, while not extreme in my view (considering present inflation), virtually have to make for a jittery market as the Fed looks to “normalize” interest rates, as other central banks look to ease their economies’ to prosperity (could inspire upward volatility), and as any number of unforeseen events unfold in the year to come. And, of course, like every year, how the markets ultimately fare in 2015 is anybody’s guess—which is why long-term investors do not gauge their success in single-year increments…