STE's Stocks Investing Journey

  Higher For Longer   The Federal Reserve held interest rates steady in the recent FOMC meeting, while also indicating it still expects one more hike before the end of the year and fewer cuts than previously indicated next year. In addition to holding rates at relatively high levels, the Fed is continuing to reduce its bond holdings through the so-called QT , a process that has cut the central bank balance sheet by some $815 billion since June 2022 . The Fed is allowing up to $95 billion in proceeds from maturing bonds to roll off each month, rather than reinvesting them. The “ dot plot ” chart from the latest FOMC meeting showed a much higher and longer rate till 2026 and this has “spooked” the market, causing some reactions and pulling down of market indexes last week. “Chair Powell and the Fed sent an unambiguously hawkish higher-for-longer message at today’s FOMC meeting,” wrote Citigroup economist Andrew Hollenhorst. “The Fed is projecting inflation to steadily cool, while

Time flies, and as we find ourselves in the midst of 2023, it is remarkable to reflect upon the passage of time and experience that has unfolded. I’m sure we all have different experiences in the 1st half of 2023 in terms of portfolio management and performance. For me, the last two quarters were like YOYO and my portfolio was performing well till March ( up by almost 11%) with the hope China “re-opening and recovery “But, as time passes, the strength of the recovery is getting weaker month by month and now everyone is hoping for more “ stimulus policies” to boost the economy, with declining economic indicators like retail sales, property sales, high unemployment among youth, slower export due to weak demand from developed countries, lower PPI and almost flat or zero CPI figure. All this has made my portfolio up and down huge, dropping to -2% at one point, and rebounding slightly to 4.68% now, with hopes of more policy support from the government. If you are invested in the US or J