Weekly 3 For 3:   January 8, 2024   “3 blondes walk onto the floor of the NYSE”…. …Goldilocks, the Swift-effect & Courageous Leadership 2024. HNY!   Happy New Year! Let’s kick off this year’s Alphavest theme of Courageous Leadership— It’s 3 For 3 time!   I am BEYOND excited for what’s in store for 2024…. Join us January 24th for our Annual Kick Off event to to see what all the excitement is about…Markets, Team, technology enhancements and of course nibbles and sips and surprises to take home.   Spoiler alert: I am pleased to be co-presenting with Alphavest’s Chief Investment Officer/CIO, Elizabeth Breaden who will be joining us from Chicago on 1/24.   Please help us give her a warm welcome by joining us LIVE or via ZOOM for my valued out-of-towners. MORE DETAILS to come!

Week In Review:

Stocks bounced up and down each of the four trading days but ended each one down—except Friday, when the Dow Industrials, Nasdaq Composite, and S&P 500 all ended the day in the green when jobs data helped soften the week’s slide.   Investors capped off 2023 with the S&P 500 Index/SPX marking a ninth consecutive week of positive action for the large-cap index. Intriguingly enough, this is also the ninth time since the S&P 500 began trading that the Index has registered gains in nine consecutive weeks, and the last occurrence was in January 2004. The SPX was able to add 4.42% during December for the best performance for the month since December 2010 and to mark the 13th best-performing December going back to the beginning of 1957.    You’ll see below the market recap for last week, the first trading week in 2024, with the SPX off -1.5%, and the trend of the Dow Jones Industrials/DIA continue to outperform both the NASDAQ and the SPX with DIA up 12% for the last 90 days versus SPX/NASDAW both approximately +9% for the same time period.   Here’s your 3 For 3:   (Reverse) Goldilocks:   Stocks got off to a rough first week of the new year, with tech names leading the week’s decline. Market observers called it the “reverse Goldilocks” effect, where the market decided investors were getting a little too excited over the prospect of a Fed rate cut. Hold your breath, I say—cuts are coming. Great for stocks, great for bonds.     The Swift-Effect:   Yes, I’m running with it. Add to the Goldilocks blonde locks those of Taylor Swift who’s “Eras Tour,” a homage to her illustrious 17-year career, is on track to become the biggest tour of all time, boasting projected grosses of $2.2 billion in North American ticket sales alone and an estimated $5 billion in consumer spending across the United States. To put it in perspective, if Taylor Swift were an economy, she’d be larger than 50 countries!   I add this as I  courageously lead in 2024—this may be my first courageous act (writing about Taylor Swift, yeah) in 2024–as such, I assure you not only IS there leadership in this, but expect more and greater from me. YES.     Time’s Person of the Year, Swift, is shaking off economic downturns and hitting high notes not just on stage but in the U.S. economy, too. Swift’s impressive impact extends beyond her record-breaking music, reaching into the realm of staggering economic influence. Who would’ve been brave enough to imagine the effect on economies and buyer behavior from Taylor Swift—drying and lifting just a bit, the damp, wet blanket that economists and major firms are putting on 2024 and longer-term equity forecasts.   THAT’s why I’m brave enough to include this second blonde superstar in this 3 For 3 missive—what has begun, and will continue to happen in this global, AI, social media, lifestyle driven economy can’t be measured and predicted as experts have in the past 10, 20 or even the last 5 years.   Taylor Swift’s influence is also significantly impacting the National Football League (NFL) thanks to her “Love Story.” The pop sensation’s relationship with Kansas City Chiefs tight-end Travis Kelce has led to a surprising win for the NFL, which has long struggled to increase its female fanbase. Swift’s presence at one of Kelce’s games resulted in a viewership of 27 million, the most for a Sunday night game since the last football championship game, with a significant portion of this spike attributed to young female viewers. Her influence also led to a 400% surge in sales of Kelce’s No. 87 jersey.   The NFL has capitalized on this Swift effect, making efforts to make “Swifties” feel at home in the world of football. After Swift attended a game, the NFL posted about her 34 times across all their social channels, generating an astonishing 170 million impressions. There was a 63% jump in viewership among women aged 18 to 49 for the game between the Bears and Chiefs. Swift’s influence also extends to Kelce’s social media, with his Instagram follower count increasing by 1.3 million since rumors of his relationship with Swift began. As a result, the Swift effect has not only increased NFL viewership but also significantly boosted player popularity and engagement.   As we continue to navigate through this evolving economic landscape, let’s remember to stay open to unexpected influences and opportunities, just like the “Swift Effect.” THAT is a bit courageous. No, we don’t need to start watching the NFL on Sundays or listen to RED–but we CAN choose to be courageous in the unexpected.   Courageous Leadership: I had to do it…3 for 3..and ALL blondes. Our Semi-Annual Advisory Board spotlight is on Ann Kimball “AK” Gustafson, yes, our 3rd blonde this week, where you’ll find my favorite quote of AK’s: “People Count.” YES. Yes, they do.   Many clients know and expect our planning topic for Q1 each year to be “Estate and Financial Housekeeping.” Now may be a great time to assess your insurance premiums and gain confidence about your current coverage.    It’s a great asset, our Advisory Board, for clients–I value them greatly in their candid firm feedback, but more importantly as valuable and trusted client resource that helps me usher in more successful client outcomes (lower premiums, better coverage often in Ann’s case). READ MORE.

Winners and Losers:

Winners: First, Q4 winners (90 day), followed by DECEMBER (30 day) winners.    Truist/TFC the 90 day winner is a member of the Alphavest Equity Income Portfolio.   Broadcom/AVGO our 30 day winner is a member of a new Alphavest portfolio manager line-up, Zacks Investment Management, +27.23% YTD thru 9/30/23. Zack’s Focus Growth Strategy is a diversified option with a long track record and is new addition to clients’ 10 Year Bucket. ASK us all about it!

Losers: First, Q4 winners (90 day), followed by DECEMBER (30 day) winners.   West Pharma/WST a member of the Alphavest Aristocrats Portfolio, and while the top of our 90 day loser board, was up an impressive 49.62% for 2023.   Nike/NKE our 30 day loser also a member of a new Alphavest portfolio manager line-up, Zacks Investment Management. Our partners at Morningstar rate NKE a solid 4 Star holding and ranked at 75% price to value (25% undervalued). Consider this 30 day loser is a solid hold. JUST HOLD IT. (We’ll see who got that one…)

NEW Edition! Captured by Cokie…

Grateful for what’s in STORE in ’24,

Advisory Services offered through 
Red Triangle, LLC DBA Alphavest

PS: Grab a spot to review in January! First slots go to those who use our new text number! Text us at; 1-866 MOALPHA/866-662-5742 and of course, you can email or call anytime, too!

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