Affordability, Forecasts, & Tech Stocks

Each week, the Stokes Family Office staff puts together a list of our favorite news and updates on all things wealth management. From financial planning, portfolio construction, tax and estate planning, retirement plan services to anything we found interesting.  Enjoy this week’s curated list for your weekend reading!

ECONOMY NEWS

Consumer Inflation Went To Sleep In October-November

• The Bondad Blog: This was driven mainly by a steep deceleration in shelter price increases.

There Are No Shortcuts To Affordability

• Claudia Sahm: The challenge for policymakers now is to support stable, sustainable growth. No quick fixes or gimmicks. We need “some years” of good policy.

Critical Materials: A Strategic Analysis

• Craig Tindale: The structural bifurcation of the global industrial base and strategic resource constraints

Related:

• • • SpaceX, Private Equity, & the Fed
    • Bonds, Gold vs Bitcoin, & A NVIDIA Short
    • Q3 Review
    • Newsweek Names Stokes Family Office One of America’s Top Financial Advisory Firms 2026

MARKETS NEWS

The Bond Market Will Not Be Fooled

• Allison Schrager: There’s no such thing as a sure thing in markets, but some things come pretty close. One of them is the proposition that there will be more interest-rate cuts next year — and another is that these reductions will have little to no effect on long-term rates.

25 Years of S&P 500 Forecasts

• Matt Cerminaro: How strategist targets stacked up against reality.

Is It Time to Sell Your Tech Stocks and Reinvest Elsewhere?

• Sarah Hansen: Morningstar Wealth strategists are positioning for better opportunities such as small caps and emerging-market stocks.

Related:

• • Market Timing & The Fed’s AI Challenge
  • Stokes Family Office Ranked Top RIA Firm by Financial Advisor Magazine For Third Consecutive Year
  • Stokes Family Office Welcomes Daniel Becker as Managing Director

CHART OF THE WEEK

One of Charlie Bilello’s lessons from 2025 is “Don’t Fear All-Time Highs.” Since 1989, the S&P 500 has averaged a total return of 13.5% in the year following all-time highs, which is actually above the average return from other time periods (+11.9%).

Stokes Family Office is 100% Family Owned, and has been continually operating in the New Orleans Area for over 35 years.  As a family office, we are focused on family wealth, financial planning, and tax planning. We are your local experts for Gulf South wealth management. Want to hear more from our team? Check out the Lagniappe Podcast.