TSP Market Summary: Week of January 29, 2017

By Roy Weisert, PhD, CFP

Key Takeaways

  • Dow crossed 20,000 for first time, S&P 500 reached 2294 in major market breakout
  • G and F funds helped avoid 2008 losses while equity markets suffered steep declines
  • Bullish outlook continues with focus remaining on equity fund allocation strategy

We finally had that “Breakout to the Upside” as the Dow broke through that 20,000 level, dragging along the S&P 500 which closed the week at 2294. Reflecting back, the Dow crossed 10,000 on 29 March 1999. Using the “Rule of 72”, that equates to about a 4 percent annualized return over the last 18 years (72/18 = 4). The steep market drops in 2000 and 2008 adversely effected those Dow returns. Fortunately, in 2008, we averted those losses and had a positive return by investing in the G and F funds. So where do we go from here? Right now my analysis still is bullish, and we remain 100 percent allocated to equity funds.