GARDNER BROWN ASSOCIATES, INC.
BIO
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Louis A. Gardner, President of Gardner Brown Associates Inc., has been in the Financial Services industry for over 30 years. Over the span of his career he has served as an Executive with three major insurance carriers.
Gardner Brown & Associates, Inc was started in 2008 with the objective to allow our firm to work directly with individual and corporate clients in the vast area of financial advisement.
Louis has been named one of the nation's Best Advisors by Medical Economics due to his vast knowledge and expertise in the area of financial advisement. Gardner Brown Associates is able to assist corporate clients in devising executive, core and voluntary benefits and individual clients in all areas of financial matters.
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From tackling personal decisions to reaching important milestones, Gardner Brown Associates, Inc. guides you on the path to financial success. As a professional financial planning firm, Gardner Brown Associates, Inc. guarantees optimal results based on your specific needs. We are fueled by our commitment to excellence and go the extra mile to make sure our clients are fully satisfied with the services provided. Get in touch with us today for a free financial advisement consultation.
Securities offered through Lion Street Financial, LLC, member FINRA, SIPC. Investment advisory products and services offered through Lion Street Advisors, LLC, an investment advisor registered with the SEC. Lion Street Financial, LLC and Lion Street Advisors, LLC are affiliated companies but neither is affiliated with Gardner Brown and Associates. Neither of these companies provide tax or legal advice. Representatives may transact business, which includes offering products and services and/or responding to inquiries, only in state(s) in which they are properly registered and/or licensed.
Check the background of this investment professional on FINRA's BrokerCheck.
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WHAT GARDNER BROWN ASSOCIATES, INC. OFFERS
FINANCIAL STATUS EVALUATION
Our clients are our number one priority, and we go the extra mile to make sure they’re completely satisfied with our service. Whether individual or corporate clients, we will review current insurance and investment holdings and provide explanations of current holdings in a manner which is understandable.
FINANCIAL ADVISEMENT RECOMMENDATIONS
Gardner Brown Associates, Inc. aims to collect, analyze, and solve your financial advisement needs. After we collect your current holdings data and analyze your information we are able to present customized solutions to assist you in reaching your financial goals.
ASSIST IN FINANCIAL GOAL SETTING
Many clients know what they want to achieve in 5, 10 or 20 years financially but they are not sure how to get there. At Gardner Brown Associates, Inc. we listen to your financial wants and needs and help develop a specific plan on how to achieve those goals.
CONTACT ME
(949) 375-2008 (Tel)
BUSINESS HOURS
Mon - Fri: 7am - 6pm (PST)
​​Saturday & Sunday: By appointment only
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MONTHLY ECONOMIC UPDATE
JUNE 2020
THE MONTH IN BRIEF
Stocks rallied in May, sparked by a supportive Federal Reserve, stories of states re-opening, and reported progress on a COVID-19 vaccine.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 4.2%, while the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index picked up 4.5%. The NASDAQ Composite led, gaining 6.7%. 1
DOMESTIC ECONOMIC HEALTH
U.S. Markets
Stocks rallied in May, sparked by a supportive Federal Reserve, stories of states re-opening, and reported progress on a COVID-19 vaccine.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 4.2%, while the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index picked up 4.5%. The NASDAQ Composite led, gaining 6.7%. 1
Shift in Focus
April’s positive momentum continued into May, as stocks registered healthy gains, and investors looked to future economic hopes rather than current woes.
Further aiding stocks was a better-than-expected jobs report and firming oil prices. Many investors breathed a sigh of relief on the news that U.S. and Chinese negotiators were planning to meet, despite the rising tensions between the two nations.
Fed’s Commitment
Stocks rallied, as hopes for a COVID-19 vaccine rose, and the Federal Reserve restated its commitment to do whatever would be necessary to support an economic recovery.
Following Memorial Day weekend, stocks surged, once again, due to rising optimism over economic re-opening, reported declines in new COVID-19 cases, and further news surrounding the development of a potential vaccine.
Sector Scorecard
The majority of industry sectors moved higher in May, with increases in Communication Services (+11.54%), Consumer Discretionary (+7.79%), Energy (+7.63% Financials (+4.23%), Health Care (+2.26%), Industrials (+5.93%), Materials (+6.33%), Real Estate (+2.29%), Technology (+9.69%), and Utilities (+0.14%). Consumer Staples experienced a small loss (-0.07%). 2
What Investors May Be Talking About in June
In some sense, many investors believe a sustained and complete economic recovery may rest upon developing a vaccine for COVID-19.
Vaccine Watch
The World Health Organization reports that there are more than 100 vaccine candidates, with 10 currently participating in clinical trials. 3
Over the next couple months, results from several of these trials may be released. 4,5
Depending on the results, the trials could provide the markets with a sense of optimism. If they prove disappointing, investors may dread the prospect of a prolonged economic recovery. Either way, many investors are cautiously monitoring the situation for further developments.
WORLD MARKETS
World Markets
World markets posted solid gains on economic recovery hopes, with the MSCI-EAFE Index rising 5.15%. 6
European markets moved higher, with gains in France, Germany, and the Netherlands. The U.K. slipped 0.88%. 7
Pacific Rim stocks were mixed, with advances in Australia (+5.37%) and Japan (+8.34%). Hong Kong dropped 6.83% due to China-related tensions. The volatile Merval Index, which tracks the largest companies based in Argentina, jumped 48.04%. 8
Indicators
Gross Domestic Product: The economy shrunk at a 5.0% annual rate, higher than the initial estimate of 4.8%. 9
Employment: The unemployment rate leaped to 14.7%, as nonfarm payrolls fell by 20.5 million. The unemployment rate was the highest seen since the Great Depression. 10
Retail Sales: Retail sales plunged by 16.4%, with every sector lower except for non-store retailers, which are predominately Internet-based merchants. 11
Industrial Production: Industrial production fell 11.2%, the largest one-month drop in the index’s 100-plus-year history. 12
Housing: Housing starts declined 30.2% to their lowest level seen since 2015. 13
Existing home sales tumbled 17.8% in April, which was the largest one-month drop since July 2010. The supply of homes declined 19.7%. Tightening inventories led to a new record high in the median home sales price ($286,800). 14
Sales of new homes rose 0.6%, a surprise increase amid a consensus forecast of a nearly 22% drop. 15
Consumer Price Index: The price of consumer goods posted its largest monthly drop since 2008, falling 0.8% in April. Excluding the more volatile food and energy sectors, core inflation declined 0.4%, the largest monthly drop since 1957. 16
Durable Goods Orders: Orders of long-lasting goods dropped 17.2%, with demand for transportation equipment falling an eye-catching 47.3%. 17
MONTHLY TIP
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