The Grand Re-Opening

Dear Reader,

People are starting to eat out, book flights, and buy houses again. The return of these activities is stoking economic optimism.

Similarly, the stock market this past month again trended towards recovery as May turned out to be another excellent month of gains. One important thing to note is that initially the stock market recovery was concentrated in areas like e-commerce, software, and video games. Lately, however, we've seen a broadening out to other sectors, such as energy, financials, and even leisure as investors grow more optimistic about an economic recovery and even potentially a return to normal.

Here are 5 charts that demonstrate this trend in America (our neighbours to the south and the world's largest economy):

1) People are moving again, as measured by requests for directions from Apple Maps.

2) Air travel is picking up, although it remains far below its peak.

3) Hotel occupancy rates are improving.

4) People are dining out, cautiously.

5) Big-ticket purchases like houses are picking up.

Will this trend continue towards reaching normalcy? Optimism is a wonderful thing. It seems we are trending back to where we were, but be cautiously optimistic when making investment decisions in case the trendline levels off or if there is a “second wave”. 

The take-home here is to ensure you have a framework for long-term investing, and to ensure your emotions (excitement when markets are up, fear when markets are down) don’t cloud your judgment in sticking to that framework.

If you have any questions about your financial plan, would like our opinion on what this current financial landscape means for long-term investors, or would like a refresh on the framework we have in place for times like these, please never hesitate to reach out. 

We are available and accessible to you any time through email, phone, or teleconference (video).

Be well and be safe,

Adam