Download Full Report For 2024, the S&P 500 rose +23.3% to 5,882, the Nasdaq +28.6% to 19,311, and the Dow +12.9% to 42,544. The IBD Mutual Fund Index gained +8.78%. 2024 marked the second consecutive year the S&P 500 rose more than +20%, a feat not seen since 1997-1998. In September, the Fed slashed rates […]
Download Full Report For 2023, the S&P 500 rose +24.2% to 4,770, the Nasdaq +43.4% to 15,011, and the Dow +13.7% to 37,690. The IBD Mutual Fund Index gained +18.21%. A strong year – but far less impressive once the 2022 decline is factored in: The S&P 500 began 2022 at 4,766 – leaving the […]
Download Full Report For 2022, the S&P 500 fell -19.4% to 3,840, the Nasdaq -33.1% to 10,467, and the Dow -8.8% to 33,147. The IBD Mutual Fund Index declined -35%. The Fed initially regarded pricing pressures as “transitory,” resulting in a slow-footed response that included not only keeping interest rates near zero but maintaining asset […]
Download Full Report For 2021, the S&P 500 gained +26.9% to 4,766, the Nasdaq +21.4% to 15,645, and the Dow +18.7% to 36,338. Marking an important divergence: the IBD Mutual Fund Index lagged +13.5% for the year. January 2022 saw the S&P 500 fall more than 5%, its worst start since 2009. The Dow declined […]
Download Full Report For 2020, the S&P 500 gained +16.3% to 3,756, the Nasdaq +43.6% to 12,888, and the Dow +7.2% to 30,607. These are extraordinary gains coming in the midst of a global pandemic that precipitated economic devastation in the U.S and worldwide. What cannot be underestimated is the power of fiscal and monetary […]
Download Full Report For 2019, the S&P 500 gained +28.9% to 3,231, the Nasdaq +35.2% to 8,973, and the Dow +22.3% to 28,538. The IBD Mutual Fund Index rose +29.59%. Over the decade, the S&P 500 gained more than +250%, the 80th percentile for rolling 10-year periods. The longest economic expansion on record is well […]
Download Full Report For 2018, the S&P 500 fell -6.2% to 2,507, the Nasdaq -3.9% to 6,635, and the Dow -5.6% to 23,328, breaking a streak of 9 straight years of market gains. The IBD Mutual Fund Index declined -9.1%. The average hedge fund lost 6.7%. The S&P 500 dipped into official bear market territory, […]
Download Full Report For 2017, the S&P 500 rallied 19.4% to 2,674, the Nasdaq 28.2% to 6,903, and the Dow 25.1% to 24,719. It’s been a nine-peat: nine straight years of market gains. The U.S. stock market has returned a compound 15.5% per year over that span, growing cumulatively more than 250%. January saw the […]
Download Full Report For 2016, the S&P 500 rose 9.5% to 2,239, the Dow 13.4% to 19,763 and the Nasdaq 7.5% to 5,383. The IBD Mutual Fund Index gained only 4.7%. Stocks began 2016 with one of the worst Januarys on record, a reaction to the Fed’s first interest rate hike in a decade. But […]
Download Full Report For 2015, the S&P 500 declined a fractional -0.7% to 2,044, the Dow fell -2.2% to 17,425 and the Nasdaq rose 5.7% to 5,007. Stocks around the world began 2016 with one of the worst Januarys on record, as slumping oil prices, deepening concerns over China, and the Federal Reserve’s first interest […]
Download Full Report For 2014, the S&P 500 climbed 11.4% to 2,059, the Dow gained 7.5% to 17,823 and the Nasdaq rose 13.4% to 4,736. While large-cap stocks had a good year, small and mid-caps stocks moved mostly sideways. As a result, only 8 percent of U.S. diversified stock funds beat the S&P 500 in […]
Download Full Report The S&P 500 rose 29.6% in 2013, its best annual performance since 1997. The Dow climbed 26.5%, its best year since 1995. The Nasdaq soared 38.3%, its best year since 2009. GDP rose 4.1% in Q3 and 3.2% in Q4. 2013 was the best year for IPOs since 2000. A total of […]
Download Full Report For 2012, the DJIA closed at 13,104, up 7.3%, the Nasdaq at 3,019, up 15.9% and the S&P 500 at 1,426, up 13.4%. Financials were the strongest industry sector, gaining more than 26%. Of the ten S&P 500 sectors, only utilities ended the year lower, falling 2.9%. Markets tend to do things […]
Download Full Report For 2011, the DJIA closed at 12,218, up +5.5%. The Nasdaq closed at 2,605, down -1.8%. The S&P 500 finished exactly where it began the year, closing at 1,258. With all three indexes nearly flat, historians might mistake 2011 for a quiet year – but investors who lived through it know better. […]
Download Full Report For 2010, the DJIA was up 11.0% (closing at 11,578), the S&P 500 was up 12.8% (closing at 1,258) and the Nasdaq was up 16.9% (closing at 2,653). We endured a wild ride that saw two significant corrections, the first beginning in mid-January, taking the markets down -8.1%, the second beginning in […]
Download Full Report Numerous market records were set during the first decade of the new millennium, including the price of Gold: $1,217.40 December 2009, Oil: $147.27 July 2008, Gasoline: $4.114 July 2008, the Euro: $1.6038 July 2008, the DJIA: 14,165 on October 9, 2007, the S&P 500: 1,565 on October 9, 2007, and the Nasdaq: […]
Download Full Report We hope the real lesson of 2008 is clear: “Buy-and-Hold” as a reliable strategy in every market does not work. Either you exited stocks early in 2008 – or wish you did. The former is practicing, the latter is aspiring, all are converts. Even Warren Buffett, America’s greatest investor, follows a timing […]
Download Full Report Last year’s annual report ended with a question: “Is this 1995-1999 all over again, the last time the Fed ended a series of interest rate hikes? Or will the markets finally surrender to historical precedent? Our job is to identify the real trend – early – ahead of the crowd.” Well, we […]
Download Full Report We are in the late stages of a 4-year bull cycle that began in October 2002. This is the 5th longest bull market in the past 75 years. This is the 2nd longest period in the history of the S&P 500 without a 10% correction. And this is now the longest period […]
Download Full Report For the major market indexes, 2005 was a roller-coaster ride in the truest sense – peaks and dips and rolls that ultimately ended (almost exactly) where the ride began. The DJIA finished -0.61%, the S&P 500 +3.0%, and the Nasdaq +1.4%. The ride was anything but smooth. The Nasdaq staggered through 4 […]
Download Full Report Measured from the October 2002 low, the current bull market is now 26 months old. How have BCN Advantage clients faired? First, it’s important to remember our very accurate evaluation at the time: “Despite the looming war and dismal economic news, our confidence is growing. We believe the October 2002 lows will […]
Download Full Report On May 1st, standing on the deck of an aircraft carrier streaming through the Atlantic, President Bush declared an end to “major military operations” in Iraq. If you were a BCN Advantage client, your money was already 60% invested in the stock market, long before conventional wisdom recognized this current bull phase. […]
Download Full Report The market has been so bad for so long, the numbers read like a history lesson: The Nasdaq fell 39.3% in 2000, 21.1% in 2001, and 31.5% in 2002. At the October 2002 bottom, the Nasdaq had imploded 78.4% from its March 2000 high, a depth and duration second only to the […]
Download Full Report We are, to say the least, extremely pleased with our 2001 performance. In the throes of a brutal bear market, we outperformed a passive buy & hold strategy by an impressive 16.46%. Even a 50% cash position did not defend you as well as the BCN advantage service. We must admit, upfront, […]
Download Full Report No, we are not happy with our 2000 performance. But before we get to the missteps, here’s a quick look at what we got right: We correctly predicted the demise of the Internet startups: “the bust will inevitably follow. We expect fully 80% of today’s high-flyers to fall by the wayside.” [BCN […]
BCN Advantage – 2024 Annual Report
/in Annual Reports/by Jeff BratzlerDownload Full Report For 2024, the S&P 500 rose +23.3% to 5,882, the Nasdaq +28.6% to 19,311, and the Dow +12.9% to 42,544. The IBD Mutual Fund Index gained +8.78%. 2024 marked the second consecutive year the S&P 500 rose more than +20%, a feat not seen since 1997-1998. In September, the Fed slashed rates […]
BCN Advantage – 2023 Annual Report
/in Annual Reports/by Jeff BratzlerDownload Full Report For 2023, the S&P 500 rose +24.2% to 4,770, the Nasdaq +43.4% to 15,011, and the Dow +13.7% to 37,690. The IBD Mutual Fund Index gained +18.21%. A strong year – but far less impressive once the 2022 decline is factored in: The S&P 500 began 2022 at 4,766 – leaving the […]
BCN Advantage – 2022 Annual Report
/in Annual Reports/by Jeff BratzlerDownload Full Report For 2022, the S&P 500 fell -19.4% to 3,840, the Nasdaq -33.1% to 10,467, and the Dow -8.8% to 33,147. The IBD Mutual Fund Index declined -35%. The Fed initially regarded pricing pressures as “transitory,” resulting in a slow-footed response that included not only keeping interest rates near zero but maintaining asset […]
BCN Advantage – 2021 Annual Report
/in Annual Reports/by Jeff BratzlerDownload Full Report For 2021, the S&P 500 gained +26.9% to 4,766, the Nasdaq +21.4% to 15,645, and the Dow +18.7% to 36,338. Marking an important divergence: the IBD Mutual Fund Index lagged +13.5% for the year. January 2022 saw the S&P 500 fall more than 5%, its worst start since 2009. The Dow declined […]
BCN ADVANTAGE: 2020 ANNUAL REPORT
/in Annual Reports/by Jeff BratzlerDownload Full Report For 2020, the S&P 500 gained +16.3% to 3,756, the Nasdaq +43.6% to 12,888, and the Dow +7.2% to 30,607. These are extraordinary gains coming in the midst of a global pandemic that precipitated economic devastation in the U.S and worldwide. What cannot be underestimated is the power of fiscal and monetary […]
BCN ADVANTAGE: 2019 ANNUAL REPORT
/in Annual Reports/by Jeff BratzlerDownload Full Report For 2019, the S&P 500 gained +28.9% to 3,231, the Nasdaq +35.2% to 8,973, and the Dow +22.3% to 28,538. The IBD Mutual Fund Index rose +29.59%. Over the decade, the S&P 500 gained more than +250%, the 80th percentile for rolling 10-year periods. The longest economic expansion on record is well […]
BCN ADVANTAGE: 2018 ANNUAL REPORT
/in Annual Reports/by Jeff BratzlerDownload Full Report For 2018, the S&P 500 fell -6.2% to 2,507, the Nasdaq -3.9% to 6,635, and the Dow -5.6% to 23,328, breaking a streak of 9 straight years of market gains. The IBD Mutual Fund Index declined -9.1%. The average hedge fund lost 6.7%. The S&P 500 dipped into official bear market territory, […]
BCN ADVANTAGE: 2017 ANNUAL REPORT
/in Annual Reports/by Jeff BratzlerDownload Full Report For 2017, the S&P 500 rallied 19.4% to 2,674, the Nasdaq 28.2% to 6,903, and the Dow 25.1% to 24,719. It’s been a nine-peat: nine straight years of market gains. The U.S. stock market has returned a compound 15.5% per year over that span, growing cumulatively more than 250%. January saw the […]
BCN ADVANTAGE: 2016 ANNUAL REPORT
/in Annual Reports/by Jeff BratzlerDownload Full Report For 2016, the S&P 500 rose 9.5% to 2,239, the Dow 13.4% to 19,763 and the Nasdaq 7.5% to 5,383. The IBD Mutual Fund Index gained only 4.7%. Stocks began 2016 with one of the worst Januarys on record, a reaction to the Fed’s first interest rate hike in a decade. But […]
BCN ADVANTAGE: 2015 ANNUAL REPORT
/in Annual Reports/by Jeff BratzlerDownload Full Report For 2015, the S&P 500 declined a fractional -0.7% to 2,044, the Dow fell -2.2% to 17,425 and the Nasdaq rose 5.7% to 5,007. Stocks around the world began 2016 with one of the worst Januarys on record, as slumping oil prices, deepening concerns over China, and the Federal Reserve’s first interest […]
BCN ADVANTAGE: 2014 ANNUAL REPORT
/in Annual Reports/by Jeff BratzlerDownload Full Report For 2014, the S&P 500 climbed 11.4% to 2,059, the Dow gained 7.5% to 17,823 and the Nasdaq rose 13.4% to 4,736. While large-cap stocks had a good year, small and mid-caps stocks moved mostly sideways. As a result, only 8 percent of U.S. diversified stock funds beat the S&P 500 in […]
BCN ADVANTAGE: 2013 ANNUAL REPORT
/in Annual Reports/by Jeff BratzlerDownload Full Report The S&P 500 rose 29.6% in 2013, its best annual performance since 1997. The Dow climbed 26.5%, its best year since 1995. The Nasdaq soared 38.3%, its best year since 2009. GDP rose 4.1% in Q3 and 3.2% in Q4. 2013 was the best year for IPOs since 2000. A total of […]
BCN ADVANTAGE: 2012 ANNUAL REPORT
/in Annual Reports/by Jeff BratzlerDownload Full Report For 2012, the DJIA closed at 13,104, up 7.3%, the Nasdaq at 3,019, up 15.9% and the S&P 500 at 1,426, up 13.4%. Financials were the strongest industry sector, gaining more than 26%. Of the ten S&P 500 sectors, only utilities ended the year lower, falling 2.9%. Markets tend to do things […]
BCN ADVANTAGE: 2011 ANNUAL REPORT
/in Annual Reports/by Jeff BratzlerDownload Full Report For 2011, the DJIA closed at 12,218, up +5.5%. The Nasdaq closed at 2,605, down -1.8%. The S&P 500 finished exactly where it began the year, closing at 1,258. With all three indexes nearly flat, historians might mistake 2011 for a quiet year – but investors who lived through it know better. […]
BCN ADVANTAGE: 2010 ANNUAL REPORT
/in Annual Reports/by Jeff BratzlerDownload Full Report For 2010, the DJIA was up 11.0% (closing at 11,578), the S&P 500 was up 12.8% (closing at 1,258) and the Nasdaq was up 16.9% (closing at 2,653). We endured a wild ride that saw two significant corrections, the first beginning in mid-January, taking the markets down -8.1%, the second beginning in […]
BCN ADVANTAGE: 2009 ANNUAL REPORT
/in Annual Reports/by Jeff BratzlerDownload Full Report Numerous market records were set during the first decade of the new millennium, including the price of Gold: $1,217.40 December 2009, Oil: $147.27 July 2008, Gasoline: $4.114 July 2008, the Euro: $1.6038 July 2008, the DJIA: 14,165 on October 9, 2007, the S&P 500: 1,565 on October 9, 2007, and the Nasdaq: […]
BCN ADVANTAGE: 2008 ANNUAL REPORT
/in Annual Reports/by Jeff BratzlerDownload Full Report We hope the real lesson of 2008 is clear: “Buy-and-Hold” as a reliable strategy in every market does not work. Either you exited stocks early in 2008 – or wish you did. The former is practicing, the latter is aspiring, all are converts. Even Warren Buffett, America’s greatest investor, follows a timing […]
BCN ADVANTAGE: 2007 ANNUAL REPORT
/in Annual Reports/by Jeff BratzlerDownload Full Report Last year’s annual report ended with a question: “Is this 1995-1999 all over again, the last time the Fed ended a series of interest rate hikes? Or will the markets finally surrender to historical precedent? Our job is to identify the real trend – early – ahead of the crowd.” Well, we […]
BCN ADVANTAGE: 2006 ANNUAL REPORT
/in Annual Reports/by Jeff BratzlerDownload Full Report We are in the late stages of a 4-year bull cycle that began in October 2002. This is the 5th longest bull market in the past 75 years. This is the 2nd longest period in the history of the S&P 500 without a 10% correction. And this is now the longest period […]
BCN ADVANTAGE: 2005 ANNUAL REPORT
/in Annual Reports/by Jeff BratzlerDownload Full Report For the major market indexes, 2005 was a roller-coaster ride in the truest sense – peaks and dips and rolls that ultimately ended (almost exactly) where the ride began. The DJIA finished -0.61%, the S&P 500 +3.0%, and the Nasdaq +1.4%. The ride was anything but smooth. The Nasdaq staggered through 4 […]
BCN ADVANTAGE: 2004 ANNUAL REPORT
/in Annual Reports/by Jeff BratzlerDownload Full Report Measured from the October 2002 low, the current bull market is now 26 months old. How have BCN Advantage clients faired? First, it’s important to remember our very accurate evaluation at the time: “Despite the looming war and dismal economic news, our confidence is growing. We believe the October 2002 lows will […]
BCN ADVANTAGE: 2003 ANNUAL REPORT
/in Annual Reports/by Jeff BratzlerDownload Full Report On May 1st, standing on the deck of an aircraft carrier streaming through the Atlantic, President Bush declared an end to “major military operations” in Iraq. If you were a BCN Advantage client, your money was already 60% invested in the stock market, long before conventional wisdom recognized this current bull phase. […]
BCN ADVANTAGE: 2002 ANNUAL REPORT
/in Annual Reports/by Jeff BratzlerDownload Full Report The market has been so bad for so long, the numbers read like a history lesson: The Nasdaq fell 39.3% in 2000, 21.1% in 2001, and 31.5% in 2002. At the October 2002 bottom, the Nasdaq had imploded 78.4% from its March 2000 high, a depth and duration second only to the […]
BCN ADVANTAGE: 2001 ANNUAL REPORT
/in Annual Reports/by Jeff BratzlerDownload Full Report We are, to say the least, extremely pleased with our 2001 performance. In the throes of a brutal bear market, we outperformed a passive buy & hold strategy by an impressive 16.46%. Even a 50% cash position did not defend you as well as the BCN advantage service. We must admit, upfront, […]
BCN ADVANTAGE: 2000 ANNUAL REPORT
/in Annual Reports/by Jeff BratzlerDownload Full Report No, we are not happy with our 2000 performance. But before we get to the missteps, here’s a quick look at what we got right: We correctly predicted the demise of the Internet startups: “the bust will inevitably follow. We expect fully 80% of today’s high-flyers to fall by the wayside.” [BCN […]